Cross-Country -Footlocker Cross Country Nationals San Diego, CA December 8, 2018 Photo: Andrew McClanahan@PhotoRun Victah1111@aol.com
Many of the world’s best runners – including global champions Sifan Hassan, Jacob Kiplimo and Beatrice Chebet – will head to Serbia for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Belgrade 24 on 30 March.
Organisers have published a map of the course on which Kiplimo and Chebet will defend their senior titles and Hassan will make her world cross country debut.
The WXC Belgrade 24 course incorporates a loop of 1887m, with additional start and finish straight sections of 270m and 320m, respectively.
The terrain is predominantly grass, with some pedestrian paths which will be covered with dirt and sand. The course will feature two arch bridges as well as a hay maze and classic cross-country hurdle. There will be music stations at both turning points of the loop, and traditional and countryside motifs will be displayed along the route.
The event will be held in Friendship Park, one of the largest parks in Belgrade. Overlooking the Sava and Danube rivers, it has bike and jogging paths and a 180-metre-long ‘Peace Alley’.
Although it is located the centre of the city, the park is dominated by peace and quiet, making it a popular place for Belgrade residents.
The WXC Belgrade 24 takes place on Saturday 30 March, with the programme kicking off with the women’s U20 race at 11am local time and ending with the senior men’s race at 1:30pm.
The senior women’s and men’s races are each contested over 10km. The women’s U20 race is 6km and the men’s U20 race is 8km.
In each of these races, teams can feature up to six athletes, with the top four athletes on each team to score. The team with the lowest aggregate of points will be judged the winner. If a team fails to finish with a complete scoring team, the runners will be counted as individuals in the race result and be eligible for individual awards (senior events only).
The mixed relay involves teams of two women and two men each running one loop of the course in the order man-woman-man-woman. Athletes must carry a wristband that will be transferred to the next athlete within the takeover zone.
Prize money will be as follows:
Senior races
Individual
Gold: US$30,000
Silver: US$15,000
Bronze: US$10,000
Fourth: US$7000
Fifth: US$5000
Sixth: US$3000
Team
Gold: US$20,000
Silver: US$16,000
Bronze: US$12,000
Fourth: US$10,000
Fifth: US$8000
Sixth: US$4000
Mixed relay (per team)
Gold: US$12,000
Silver: US$8000
Bronze: US$6000
Fourth: US$4000
Source: World Athletics
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