International cross country running event between 1898–1972
International Cross Country Championships Frank Sando crossing the line to win the 1957 edition of the championships
Status active Genre sports event Date(s) March–April Frequency annual Location(s) various Inaugurated 1898 (1898 ) Most recent 1972 (1972 ) Organised by ICCU
The International Cross Country Championships was an annual international competition in cross- country running . It was created in 1903 by the International Cross Country Union (ICCU) and it marked the first time that an annual international championships had been held for the sport.
It began its life as a contest between the four Home Nations of the United Kingdom . The event became increasingly international over its history, beginning with the admittance of the first non-UK country in 1907 (France ), the addition of several other Continental European countries in the 1920s, and then the introduction of Tunisia in 1958 which saw an African team compete for the first time.[1]
The championships featured only a senior men's race from 1903 to 1961, at which point an under-21s event was introduced. After some years as an unsanctioned competition, a women's race finally gained official acceptance in 1967.[1]
The event lasted from 1903 to 1972 – at the 1971 ICCU Congress members decided to transfer organisation of the event to the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF), a move which was finalised after the 1972 ICC Championships and led to the first IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 1973.[2]
The International Cross Country Championships featured a number of running greats, including: Alfred Shrubb (the inaugural race winner) and Jean Bouin in its early years, Frank Sando who won twice, as well as Jack Holden and Alain Mimoun who both won the race a record four times, and then Franjo Mihalić , Gaston Roelants and David Bedford in its later years. American runner Doris Brown was dominant in the short history of the women's race, winning all but two of the official women's races.[1]
Edition Year City Country Date Venue No. of Countries No. of Athletes Unofficial 1898 Paris -Ville-d'Avray France March 20 2 16 1st 1903 Hamilton , Lanarkshire Scotland March 23 Hamilton Park Racecourse 4 45 2nd 1904 St Helens , Lancashire England March 26 Haydock Park 4 46 3rd 1905 Dublin , Leinster Ireland March 25 Baldoyle Racecourse 4 48 4th 1906 Newport -Caerleon , Monmouthshire Wales March 10 Caerleon Racecourse 4 44 5th 1907 Glasgow Scotland March 23 Glasgow Agricultural Society Show Grounds, Scotstoun 5 56 6th 1908 Paris -Colombes France March 26 Stade de Matin 5 54 7th 1909 Derby , Derbyshire England March 20 Derby Racecourse 5 51 8th 1910 Belfast , Ulster Ireland March 26 Belvoir Park 5 43 9th 1911 Newport -Caerleon , Monmouthshire Wales March 25 Caerleon Racecourse 5 45 10th 1912 Edinburgh , Lothian Scotland March 30 Saughton Public Park 5 44 11th 1913 Paris -Juvisy-sur-Orge France March 24 Juvisy Aerodrome 4 36 12th 1914 Amersham , Buckinghamshire England March 28 Chesham Park 5 45 Not held due to World War I 13th 1920 Belfast , Ulster Ireland April 3 Belvoir Park 4 35 14th 1921 Newport -Caerleon Wales March 19 Caerleon Racecourse 4 36 15th 1922 Glasgow Scotland April 1 Hampden Park 5 45 16th 1923 Paris -Maisons-Laffitte France March 25 Hippodrome de Maisons-Laffitte 4 36 17th 1924 Newcastle-on-Tyne , Northumberland England March 22 Gosforth Park 6 52 18th 1925 Dublin Ireland March 28 Baldoyle Racecourse 5 42 19th 1926 Brussels Belgium March 28 Hippodrome de Stockel 6 53 20th 1927 Newport -Caerleon , Monmouthshire Wales April 2 Caerleon Racecourse 5 44 21st 1928 Ayr , Ayrshire Scotland March 24 5 45 22nd 1929 Paris -Vincennes France March 23 Hippodrome de Vincennes 10 90 23rd 1930 Leamington , Warwickshire England March 22 7 61 24th 1931 Dublin (men) Ireland March 28 Baldoyle Racecourse 6 54 Douai , Nord-Pas-de-Calais (women) France March 22 3 16 25th 1932 Brussels (men) Belgium March 20 Hippodrome de Stockel 6 52 Croydon , Surrey (women) England March 19 2 12 26th 1933 Newport -Caerleon , Monmouthshire Wales March 25 Caerleon Racecourse 6 54 27th 1934 Ayr , Ayrshire Scotland March 24 Ayr Racecourse 6 54 28th 1935 Paris -Auteuil (men) France March 23 Hippodrome d'Auteuil 7 61 Morecambe , Lancashire (women) England March 20 The Old Golf Links 2 11 29th 1936 Blackpool , Lancashire England March 28 The Stadium, Squires Gate 6 54 30th 1937 Brussels Belgium March 20 Hippodrome de Stockel 6 54 31st 1938 Belfast , Ulster (men) Northern Ireland April 2 Royal Ulster Showground 7 63 Lille , Nord-Pas-de-Calais (women) France April 2 3 18 32nd 1939 Cardiff , Glamorgan Wales April 1 Ely Racecourse 7 63 Unofficial 1940 Paris France March 24 Bois de Boulogne 3 27 Not held due to World War II 33rd 1946 Ayr , Ayrshire Scotland March 30 6 54 34th 1947 Paris -Saint-Cloud France March 30 Hippodrome de Saint-Cloud 6 54 35th 1948 Reading , Berkshire England April 3 Leighton Park 6 54 36th 1949 Dublin Ireland March 26 Baldoyle Racecourse 7 62 37th 1950 Brussels Belgium March 25 Boitsfort Hippodrome [fr ] 10 88 38th 1951 Newport -Caerleon , Monmouthshire Wales March 31 Caerleon Racecourse 8 71 39th 1952 Hamilton , Lanarkshire Scotland March 22 Hamilton Park Racecourse 7 63 40th 1953 Paris -Vincennes France March 21 Hippodrome de Vincennes 10 89 41st 1954 Birmingham England March 27 (men) Bromford Bridge Racecourse 7 62 March 20 (women) 2 12 42nd 1955 San Sebastián , Euskadi (men) Spain March 19 Lasarte Hippodrome [es ] 8 70 Ayr , Ayrshire (women) Scotland March 26 2 12 43rd 1956 Belfast (men) Northern Ireland March 17 Royal Ulster Showground 8 70 Upminster , Essex (women) England March 17 2 12 44th 1957 Waregem , West Flanders (men) Belgium March 23 Hippodroom Waregem 10 89 Musselburgh , East Lothian (women) Scotland March 30 2 12 45th 1958 Cardiff , Glamorgan Wales March 22 Pontcanna Fields 9 78 46th 1959 Lisboa Portugal March 21 National Stadium 9 78 47th 1960 Hamilton , Lanarkshire Scotland March 26 Hamilton Park Racecourse 8 71 48th 1961 Nantes , Pays de la Loire France March 26 10 109 49th 1962 Sheffield , Yorkshire England March 24 Graves Park 10 126 50th 1963 San Sebastián , Euskadi Spain March 17 Lasarte Hippodrome [es ] 11 125 51st 1964 Dublin Ireland March 21 Leopardstown Racecourse 9 113 52nd 1965 Ostend , West Flanders Belgium March 20 Hippodrome Wellington 15 174 53rd 1966 Rabat Morocco March 20 Souissi Racecourse 15 134 54th 1967 Barry , Glamorgan Wales March 18 12 152 55th 1968 Tunis (men) Tunisia March 17 Hippodrome de Kassar-Said (men) 14 177 Blackburn , Lancashire (women) England March 23 5 30 56th 1969 Clydebank , Dunbartonshire Scotland March 22 Dalmuir Park 14 193 57th 1970 Vichy , Auvergne France March 22 17 211 Frederick , Maryland (alternate women's event) United States March 21 VFW Country Club 58th 1971 San Sebastián , Euskadi Spain March 20 Lasarte Hippodrome [es ] 18 228 59th 1972 Cambridge , Cambridgeshire England March 18 Coldham's Common 15 200
Men's individual results[ edit ] Junior Men's Individual Results[ edit ] Junior Men's Team Results[ edit ] Women's Individual Results[ edit ] Women's Team Results[ edit ]