Locals at national cross country event

It is the first time the event has been staged in the county for 15 years and members of Mansfield Harriers will be heavily involved behind the scenes as well as on the course in the action.

Over 7,500 athletes have registered from the length and breadth of England in a bid to be crowned national champion.

Among the field will be 16-year-old Caelidh Ross, middle distance and cross country runner from Sutton.

She was formerly with Mansfield Harriers but now competes for Leicester Coritanian, having changed clubs to be coached by Bill Winter just over a year ago.

On Saturday she competed in the Scottish U18 indoor championships at 800m and won convincingly. Her father being Scottish, she hopes to compete for Scotland in the near future.

This latest victory means Caelidh now holds the UK U17 women’s 800m title, the UK Schools Games 800m title and now the Scottish U18 women’s 800m indoor title.

She is also the current Nottinghamshire County AA U17 women’s Cross Country Champion and the Nottinghamshire Schools Senior Girls Cross Country Champion.

Notts AC have risen to the occasion and provided a spectacular and testing course which will see the senior women complete a tough 8k route with the senior men completing 12k.

The exciting 10-race programme starts at 11am with the U17 women running a 5k race. Highlight will be the senior races with the women starting at 2.20pm, followed by the 127th staging of the senior men’s race.