Ahead of the event’s 46th edition in Florida, we look back at the event’s history through photos taken by Mark Shearman over the decades.
Three years ago, the World Cross Country Championships celebrated its 50th anniversary when Bathurst in Australia provided a unique experience where athletes raced down a hilly course inside a motor racing track. They even went through a vineyard.
This year’s edition, held at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, includes obstacles such as an alligator alley, a man-made rollercoaster ramp, a 90-foot sandpit, a 20-foot knee-deep water section and a 100-foot mud section that pays tribute to the Roadrunner.
A far cry from the first championship held in 1973 in Waregem, Belgium. Its forerunner was the “International” cross-country championship, which was organized at Hamilton Racecourse in Scotland.
Often referred to as the ‘toughest running race on the planet’, the World Cross Country Championships boasts a long and varied history, with each host country presenting its challenges to some of the world’s best runners.
Those inaugural championships featured athletes from just 21 countries, a number that grew over the following decades to 33 in 1983, 54 in 1993 and 65 in 2003.
The 2019 championships in Aarhus, Denmark, an event that captured the imagination and helped usher in the modern era, featured athletes from 67 of the 214 member nations of world athletics.
This Tallahassee edition boasts 485 athletes from 52 federations.
From John Treacy and Paula Radcliffe to Kenenisa Bekele and Faith Kipyego, some of the all-time greats have competed in these championships. They have all experienced different conditions and a range of challenges, but have enjoyed the opportunity to succeed in challenging environments.
So here’s a look back at a few dozen photos courtesy of Mark Shearman.
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
