Liverpool’s Sefton Park has been competing in European trials since 2003.
The British Athletics Cross Challenge will be held at Sefton Park on Saturday 23rd November, with athletes competing for places in the European Championships team in Antalya.
This annual event has become a staple of the inter-city calendar, but the location has changed over the years, with Sefton Park only taking on this important role in 2003.
Before Sefton Park, trials were traditionally held in Margate, a location that some thought was too remote.
2002 Athletics Weekly “There is talk that this Margate meeting may lose its ‘European Trial Venue’ status next year, mainly because it is not considered central enough.
“As one organizer pointed out, this supposedly remote corner of south-east England doesn’t have many athletics meets to enjoy hosting.”
U20/17 women’s start (Mark Shearman)
Sefton Park’s debut as a host in 2003 coincided with Chris Thompson’s first major domestic win, where he overtook Peter Riley for the title.
Jo Pavey won the senior women’s race, earning her a place in the European Championship team that competed in Edinburgh later that year.
After a brief move to Parliament Hill in 2004, the event returned to Sefton Park, where it has remained ever since, except for 2020 when a pandemic forced its cancellation.
This year’s event is the second in the 2024 British Athletics Cross Challenge series, following the Cardiff Cross Challenge earlier this month.
Not only will the event feature trials for the under-20, under-23 and senior athletes, but it will once again include trials for the medley relay team.
Over the years, Sefton Park has consistently attracted top talent and memorable battles have become a feature of the event.
AW archive 2005
For example, Mo Farah claimed the senior men’s title when the event returned to Liverpool in 2005, adding to his victory at Parliament Hill the previous year.
Andy Vernon, another regular competitor, dominated the senior men’s race, winning four titles (2008, 2010, 2011 and 2013).
The 2014 Liverpool Cross Challenge saw a memorable showdown between Scotland’s Andrew Butchart and Callum Hawkins, with Butchart victorious and Hawkins securing the under-23 title. The two would face off again in 2016, with Butchart emerging victorious once again.
Andrew Butchart (Mark Shearman)
2014 also saw highlights from Gemma Steele taking the senior women’s race and Jessica Warner-Judd winning the under-20 title. Warner-Judd would go on to win multiple senior titles in 2019, 2021 and 2022.
The event has also provided a platform for young talent to make their mark, with future stars such as Erin Wallace, now Keeley Hodgkinson’s coaching partner, winning the under-15 title in 2014.
More recent breakout performances have come from athletes such as Megan Keith, who dominated the Under 17/20 race in 2021. Since then, Keith’s success has continued with a 10,000m bronze at the European Championships and qualification for his first Olympic Games in Paris.
Megan Keith (Mark Shearman)
Other notable performances in 2021 included Jess Bailey, who recently starred UK Under 20 record 5kmfinishing second behind Kate. Ed Bird, who went on to win a world under-20 3000m bronze medal this year, won gold in the under-17 race the same year.
In 2022, Will Barnicoat and Innes Fitzgerald won the junior titles, with Fitzgerald successfully defending his title in 2023. This win earned him a place on the European Cross Country team, where he became the European Under-20 Champion.
Innes Fitzgerald (Mark Shearman)
Kate won another medal in 2023 as well, this time in the senior women’s race, while Hugo Milner claimed the men’s crown.
You can find all our original coverage via Liverpool Cross Challenge Athletics Weekly Archive.
(From the first issue in December 1945 to the present, current subscribers to our magazine can access this resource for free, while non-subscribers can pay just £399 a month.full access.
Have you participated in this event before and want to dig up your old results? Subscribe to our archive here.
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