Athletics is a group of sporting events that involves competitive running, jumping and throwing. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross-country running, and racewalking.
Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically 3–12 kilometres (1.9–7.5 mi) long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road and minor obstacles. It is both an individual and a team sport; runners are judged on individual times and teams by a points-scoring method. Both men and women of all ages compete in cross country, which usually takes place during autumn and winter, and can include weather conditions of rain, sleet, snow or hail, and a wide range of temperatures.
Sir Brendan Foster is a British former long-distance runner, athletics commentator and road race organiser. He founded the Great North Run, one of the sport's most high profile half-marathon races. As an athlete, he won the bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 1976 Summer Olympics and the gold medal in the 5,000 metres at the 1974 European Championships and the 10,000 metres at the 1978 Commonwealth Games. He later provided commentary and analysis on athletics, particularly long-distance events, for BBC Sport.
Fell running, also sometimes known as hill running, is the sport of running and racing, off-road, over upland country where the gradient climbed is a significant component of the difficulty. The name arises from the origins of the English sport on the fells of northern Britain, especially those in the Lake District. It has elements of trail running, cross country and mountain running, but is also distinct from those disciplines.
The Cardiff Half Marathon is an annual half marathon race held in the Welsh capital city of Cardiff, taking place in October. The event was established in 2003, initially alongside the Cardiff Marathon, however, due to the increasing popularity of the Half Marathon, the Marathon distance was dropped after 2006. The race was originally organised by the children’s charity Barnardo’s. Now organised by Run 4 Wales, the race has grown to accommodate up to 27,500 runners.
The Antrim International Cross Country, formerly the Belfast International Cross Country, is an annual cross country running meeting which takes place every January in Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is one of the IAAF's cross country permit meetings, as well as being part of the UK Cross Challenge tour. Previous winners include Paula Radcliffe, Paul Tergat and Steve Ovett.
The Asian Cross Country Championships is a biennial regional cross country running competition for athletes from Asia. It is organised by the Asian Athletics Association and was first held in 1991 in Fukuoka, Japan. The competition has been held every two years since then, although the 2003 edition was postponed due to political conflicts within the region.
The Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais also called Meeting International de Liévin is an annual indoor track and field competition which takes place in February at Arena Stade Couvert in Liévin, France. It is one of the events of the World Athletics Indoor Tour organised by World Athletics.
The New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, formerly known as the Boston Indoor Games, is an annual indoor track and field meet which is held in late January or early February at the Track at New Balance. Prior to 2023, it was hosted at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center. It was first held in Roxbury, a neighborhood in Boston, in 1996 and has become one of the foremost events of its type in the United States, alongside the Millrose Games.
Athletics has a long history in Wales, with many events recognised today codified during the Victorian period. The first amateur athletic clubs in Wales were formed in the 1870s, while the first championships began in the early 20th century. Wales began competing as a country in international athletic events in the 1920s and has since produced a notable number of world class sportspeople including many medal winning Commonwealth, World, Olympic, Paralympic and European champions. Wales competes in the Commonwealth Games under its own flag but at the Olympic Games, Welsh athletes compete alongside those of Scotland, England and Northern Ireland as part of a Great Britain team.
Margaret Ngathike Akidor, also spelled Margaret Ekidor, is a Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner specializing in the 5000 metres. Since 2019, she is based in Japan and trains under the Comodi-iida Athletics Club. She currently has the record for the fastest 3000 metres time ever run on Japanese soil.
The Botswana Golden Grand Prix, formerly called the Gaborone International Meet, is a track and field meeting held at the Botswana National Stadium in Gaborone. Since 2023, it is a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold level meeting – the second-highest level of athletics meetings behind the Diamond League.
Flavie Renouard is a French steeplechase runner specializing in the 3000 metres steeplechase. She is the 2021 French Athletics Championships winner and a gold medallist at the 2022 Mediterranean Athletics U23 Championships and 2021 European U23 Championships. Her time of 9:19.07 at the 2023 Anniversary Games qualified her for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Juliane Falsig Hvid is a Danish steeplechase runner specializing in the 3000 metres steeplechase. She won the 2023 Nordic Athletics Championships in the steeplechase and has represented Denmark at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. In addition to her athletics career, she is the reigning Nordic military pentathlon champion.
Etienne Daguinos is a French middle- and long-distance runner. With a 5000 metres best of 13:15.26, he was the 2022 Mediterranean Athletics U23 Championships gold medallist and he represented France at the 2023 World Athletics Road Running Championships.
The 2023 Cardiff Cross Challenge was the 26th edition of the international cross country running competition held in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom on 11 November 2023. It was the third leg of the 2023–24 World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold, the highest-level global series of cross country competitions.
The Chinese Race Walking Grand Prix, formerly known as the Taicang IAAF Race Walking Challenge, is an annual race walking competition held in Taicang, China. As of 2023, it is a World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold level meeting – the highest-level circuit of international race walking competitions.
Cara Feain-Ryan is an Australian steeplechase runner. She was the gold medallist over 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2023 World University Games, and her best of 9:29.60 ranks her 6th all-time amongst Australians.
The Gran Premio Cantones de A Coruña de Marcha, also known as the Cantones De La Coruña or the Gran Premio de Marcha Cantones de la Coruña-Sergio Vazquez, is an annual Racewalking competition held in A Coruña, Spain. As of 2024, it is a World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold level meeting – the highest-level circuit of international race walking competitions.
Bastien Augusto is a French middle-distance runner. He helped his team to three medals at the European Cross Country Championships, including leading his team to a gold medal in the 2022 edition. Beginning his career in the 10K run, he has exhibited range from that distance (27:40) to the 1500 m (3:34.85).
