Liverpool’s Sefton Park has seen athletes battle it out on the field at the European trials since 2002
On Saturday November 23 Sefton Park will host the British Athletics Cross Challenge, with athletes vying for spots in the European Cross Country Championship team, which will take place in Antalya.
This annual event has become a fixture in the cross-country calendar, but the location has changed over the years, with Sefton Park only taking on this important role in 2002.
Before Sefton Park, the trials were traditionally held in Margate, a location that some thought was too remote.
In 2002, Athletics Weekly reported, “there is talk that this meeting at Margate may lose the status of ‘European Trial venue’ next year, mainly because it is not deemed central enough.
“As one organiser pointed out, this supposedly remote tip of land in the south-east of England does not have many top athletics meetings to enjoy hosting.”
U20/17 women’s start (Mark Shearman)
Sefton Park’s debut as the host in 2002 coincided with Chris Thompson’s first major domestic cross-country win, where he edged out Peter Riley for the title.
Jo Pavey triumphed in the senior women’s race, earning her place on the European Championship team, which 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, with the exception of 2020 when the 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 host trials for the under-20, under-23 and senior athletes, but it will once again incorporate the trial for the mixed relay team.
Over the years, Sefton Park has consistently attracted top talent, and memorable head-to-head battles have become a hallmark of the event.
AW Archive 2005
Mo Farah, for instance, claimed the senior men’s title when the event returned to Liverpool in 2005, adding to his victory at Parliament Hill the year before.
Andy Vernon, another regular competitor, dominated the senior men’s race, claiming four titles (2008, 2010, 2011 and 2013).
In 2014, the Liverpool Cross Challenge witnessed a memorable contest between Scots Andrew Butchart and Callum Hawkins, with Butchart taking the win and Hawkins securing the under-23 title. The two would clash again in 2016, with Butchart emerging victorious once more.
Andrew Butchart (Mark Shearman)
The 2014 year also saw standout performances from Gemma Steel, who took the senior women’s race, and Jessica Warner-Judd, who won 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 like Erin Wallace, who is now a training partner of Keely Hodgkinson, winning the under-15 title in 2014.
More recent breakthrough performances have come from athletes like Megan Keith, who dominated the under-17/20 race in 2021. Keith’s success has since continued with a 10,000m bronze at the European Championships and qualifying for her first Olympic Games in Paris.
Megan Keith (Mark Shearman)
Other notable performances in 2021 included Jess Bailey, who recently set the UK under-20 5km record, finishing second behind Keith. Ed Bird, who went on to claim a world under-20 3000m bronze medal this year, took the gold in the under-17 race that same year.
In 2022, Will Barnicoat and Innes FitzGerald took the junior titles, with FitzGerald going on to successfully defend her title in 2023. This victory earner her a spot on the European Cross team, where she went on to become the European under-20 champion.
Innes FitzGerald (Mark Shearman)
Keith also clinched another medal in 2023, this time in the senior women’s race, while Hugo Milner claimed the men’s crown.
You can find all of our original coverage from the Liverpool Cross Challenge via the Athletics Weekly archive.
From the first ever issue in December 1945 through to the present day, current subscribers to our magazine are able to dip into this resource for free whereas non-subscribers can pay just £3.99 per month for full access.
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