:00:08. > :00:15.A good afternoon, welcome to the first athletics coverage of 2014. In
:00:16. > :00:20.the Commonwealth games in Glasgow 193 days away, we started Edinburgh,
:00:21. > :00:26.and cross country is the order of the day. But the past 25 years, this
:00:27. > :00:30.event has attracted the best in the business. This is a class
:00:31. > :00:50.performance. Liz McColgan, the supreme
:00:51. > :00:57.long-distance runner. Any conditions, any surface, any time of
:00:58. > :01:02.the year. He has controlled this race. A world-class performance. She
:01:03. > :01:12.is the world number one. She looks the part. A lovely, lovely feeling.
:01:13. > :01:20.A name to remember and a name to watch. The new talent from
:01:21. > :01:27.Ethiopia. They have found another star here. And easy victory. Finola
:01:28. > :01:39.Britain is the champion once more. There are few more beautiful venues
:01:40. > :01:43.than Holyrood Park and we have a feast of action to match the views
:01:44. > :01:49.with the British team taking on the USA and Europe in junior and senior
:01:50. > :01:54.races. I am sure you will recognise athletes who took gold in the recent
:01:55. > :02:00.championships in Belgrade. There is a red-hot invitational race as as
:02:01. > :02:11.spelt hip prop takes on probably the greatest distance runner, -- Kiprop
:02:12. > :02:20.takes on Kenenisa Bekele. He wants to win this. Bekele goes
:02:21. > :02:27.again. The two of them, almost side-by-side. He has to make an
:02:28. > :02:40.effort. Bekele is going to hold him off. Kenenisa Bekele, a great win
:02:41. > :02:45.for a great champion. Chris Thompson is also in the race,
:02:46. > :02:54.as well. We have highlights of the junior races.
:02:55. > :03:04.Good afternoon, Brendan Frost beside me, we will preview those races --
:03:05. > :03:07.Brendan Foster. One of the all-time greats of sports broadcasting, David
:03:08. > :03:15.Coleman, you worked with him and you were close friends. In my mind, he
:03:16. > :03:20.was the all-time great. Yesterday, we had his funeral, a beautiful
:03:21. > :03:26.family occasion, as David would have loved. It was a glorious, well
:03:27. > :03:37.organised occasion. It was supposed to last an hour and it ran for so
:03:38. > :03:47.many minutes and seconds, like David, precise. One of the things he
:03:48. > :03:57.loved was commentating on the very best and Jessica Ennis Hill is that.
:03:58. > :04:01.She is also with child. Paula Radcliffe is the expert on pregnancy
:04:02. > :04:06.and athletics. Congratulations, Jessica, but as an athlete, great
:04:07. > :04:11.challenges ahead. There are challenges ahead. Most of all, I
:04:12. > :04:16.would like to say congratulations. It will be an exciting year and I do
:04:17. > :04:21.not see any reason why she cannot compete as she has done. She will
:04:22. > :04:26.miss some time, but that will recharge her body. And she will be
:04:27. > :04:35.happier, which translates into racing and competing. Is there any
:04:36. > :04:41.chance she will not come back? Paula was not a bad athlete after she had
:04:42. > :04:46.a child. A couple of marathons. It comes down to whether you want to
:04:47. > :04:51.come back or not. She said she wants to defend in Rio and there is no
:04:52. > :04:55.reason, physically, why she cannot come back. People talk about coming
:04:56. > :05:06.back stronger and tougher after pregnancy. Today, this is an event
:05:07. > :05:16.you used to do. Where does it fit in, in terms of preparation for
:05:17. > :05:23.Kiprop and for Bekele. It fits into preparation in different ways. I
:05:24. > :05:27.used to come excited into it because of the break over Christmas,
:05:28. > :05:34.concentrating on training, and I would want to test myself in the
:05:35. > :05:39.build-up to the world event. We have not got that this year. It is
:05:40. > :05:45.interesting to see where you are at into a spring marathon and for the
:05:46. > :05:50.season. Great anticipation to seeing Bekele back to his best. He was an
:05:51. > :05:54.athlete, the greatest distance runner of all time and we thought it
:05:55. > :06:04.was the end but the great North run last year demonstrated when he
:06:05. > :06:09.applies himself. He is training 200 kilometres an week. He is strong and
:06:10. > :06:15.fit. Will he be fast enough? We will find out in a few minutes. We will
:06:16. > :06:21.go to the commentary box with Andrew Cotter. We are looking forward to
:06:22. > :06:26.this. Andrew. There is Chris Thompson, 32, aiming
:06:27. > :06:41.for the London Marathon, targeting that. Silver medal over 10,000
:06:42. > :06:47.metres behind Mo Farah. And the tall figure of Asbel Kiprop is
:06:48. > :06:52.introduced. Perhaps starting the favourite. A little bit chilly
:06:53. > :07:02.here. The man many have come to see is about to emerge. Kenenisa
:07:03. > :07:06.Bekele, we have given him the billing of perhaps the greatest
:07:07. > :07:18.distance runner of all time. And why not? Four kilometres, and two laps
:07:19. > :07:22.of this loop. Interesting to see whether Bekele, aiming towards
:07:23. > :07:32.marathons, does he have the speed in the legs that Kiprop has? You would
:07:33. > :07:37.think the distance would favour Kiprop a little bit more. It is wet
:07:38. > :07:46.underfoot and it is cold and there are hills. We shall see. It is a
:07:47. > :07:51.high-quality field and there is a big crowd gathering in the sunshine
:07:52. > :07:56.at Holyrood Park. This will be followed by the two 's senior team
:07:57. > :08:08.events. We have had the junior events already. Kiprop, bouncing
:08:09. > :08:13.along casually. Alongside Kenenisa Bekele. The start list is zipping
:08:14. > :08:20.along the bottom of the screen for you. Jake Wightman, the Edinburgh
:08:21. > :08:32.athlete. The son of Jeff Wightman, a former athlete. It is a two
:08:33. > :08:41.kilometre loop. It heads down to the Holyrood Palace. Down through the
:08:42. > :08:53.trees, looping back. Heading down towards Saint Margaret's Loch.
:08:54. > :09:01.And then down the home straight towards the finishing line. Jonathan
:09:02. > :09:05.Davies is out in front. The 19-year-old English man. Seeing what
:09:06. > :09:15.he has in his legs in the early exchanges. This is where the camber
:09:16. > :09:24.of the ground plays more as they get to the trees. It was cold under
:09:25. > :09:28.night. There was ice underfoot and it was firmer, but it is beginning
:09:29. > :09:35.to churn up, we have had a couple of races. He is a young man, very
:09:36. > :09:42.clean, he has been watching these athletes, on television, major
:09:43. > :09:49.championships, and he has run away, because he is so excited. Behind
:09:50. > :09:54.him, the main runners are following. Young Jonathan Davies has a little
:09:55. > :09:59.bit of space and time to think that he is leading these great runners,
:10:00. > :10:05.Paula Radcliffe. He is running along the camber as they go over the top
:10:06. > :10:11.stop there is some mushy ground. It is starting to soften up. I spoke to
:10:12. > :10:22.the junior girls and they said they went out in 15 millimetres spikes.
:10:23. > :10:27.You want to make sure of your footing on the camber areas on the
:10:28. > :10:33.edge of the course. Andrew, mushy ground, that is a technical term
:10:34. > :10:45.estimation mark Jonathan Davies is a bright talent. The pack is coming
:10:46. > :10:56.back. The unmistakable figure of Kiprop, very tall, six feet three,
:10:57. > :11:00.or so. Suggestions that he might be in trouble after the car crash in
:11:01. > :11:07.November when he injured his neck, we shall see here. I think he is
:11:08. > :11:11.fine. More interesting is Bekele over this distance. He will be
:11:12. > :11:18.running Paris in the start of April, will he have the speed? That will be
:11:19. > :11:22.the test. At this stage in the marathon build-up, you are not into
:11:23. > :11:28.peak milage, but you are putting in a lot of miles in the week and he
:11:29. > :11:32.will have eased down, in terms of this race, just getting on the plane
:11:33. > :11:37.to come here, and that will freshen him up. It is a nice mental break,
:11:38. > :11:47.to come out of training and test yourself over unfamiliar territory.
:11:48. > :11:52.He likes running here. He has won here on several occasions. Last time
:11:53. > :11:56.we saw him, it was his worst performance, 11th, at the senior
:11:57. > :12:02.level and he was embarrassed because when you are the greatest you do not
:12:03. > :12:07.finish 11th. He apologised for that performance. He is running about 130
:12:08. > :12:11.miles a week, in preparation for the marathon. We saw him in the great
:12:12. > :12:17.North run, running exceptionally well. He is brilliant over the
:12:18. > :12:27.hills. Working his way into fourth place. In his heyday at cross was
:12:28. > :12:31.invincible. But this man, Asbel Kiprop, he is pretty good. Has the
:12:32. > :12:40.200 kilometres a week taken their toll? Kiprop, he is at the front,
:12:41. > :12:44.alongside Jonathan Taylor, steeplechase champion. We mentioned
:12:45. > :12:54.the great North run where Bekele had the great sprint finish. The great
:12:55. > :13:01.Manchester run is coming up on the BBC, as well. This has become a
:13:02. > :13:15.great early-season fixture. Jonathan Taylor in front. Kiprop Is looking
:13:16. > :13:20.comfortable. Six minutes through the two kilometres as Taylor takes them
:13:21. > :13:24.through. Kiprop, he looks threatening. Chris Thompson running
:13:25. > :13:36.through, a little bit down the field. He is in the green vest.
:13:37. > :13:40.Asbel Kiprop looks comfortable. Eyes will be fixed on Kenenisa Bekele.
:13:41. > :13:52.Does he have anything left as the runners are carrying on down, does
:13:53. > :13:59.Asbel Kiprop have any response? The American in the green shirt, as
:14:00. > :13:59.well. He has very good success in Newcastle. Asbel Kiprop going along
:14:00. > :14:21.nicely. Gap. The field is beginning to stretch
:14:22. > :14:29.out a bit. What a scalp it would be to take Kiprop and Kenenisa Bekele.
:14:30. > :14:34.Kenenisa is getting serious. I have seen him switch off in races and
:14:35. > :14:38.come back seriously. Has the speed been taken out of his legs by the
:14:39. > :14:42.marathon training? Jonathan Taylor is climbing that hill. The American
:14:43. > :14:52.athlete on the outside is good over a shorter difference -- distance.
:14:53. > :14:57.Dealing with a little slopes like that is all part of cross-country
:14:58. > :15:02.and it really takes it out of your legs. Kenenisa Bekele looks like he
:15:03. > :15:09.has a bit to do. Kiprop noticed as they came round the corner, he has
:15:10. > :15:18.left some running to be done. He is in sixth place in the blue vest, the
:15:19. > :15:23.great man. Can he run a marathon? We will find out later, but here he is
:15:24. > :15:29.in his glory. He's the greatest cross-country runner there has ever
:15:30. > :15:34.been, without doubt, here he is, and can he do something about it? I
:15:35. > :15:39.don't think he's very comfortable on this surface. I don't think he has
:15:40. > :15:43.the right length spikes in. He did well up the hill where the fighting
:15:44. > :15:48.is dry, but on this muddy part of the course, he seems to be
:15:49. > :15:52.struggling and losing ground. That was not a great corner there. They
:15:53. > :16:02.should be tighter around the corners.
:16:03. > :16:11.Kenenisa Bekele is not quite the force, he dominated between 2002 and
:16:12. > :16:16.2006, winning 11 titles overall, three times. But perhaps he does not
:16:17. > :16:21.have it in his legs. There will not be the showdown with Mo Farah in
:16:22. > :16:25.London, Paris instead for Kenenisa Bekele, that he is still there and
:16:26. > :16:34.still hanging on. I would not give up on him yet. He won the world
:16:35. > :16:38.cross-country year. -- here. He was the greatest runner at that time.
:16:39. > :16:44.He's probably not the greatest at this point in time, that he still
:16:45. > :16:52.pretty good. He still has the pride of the champion, hanging onto that
:16:53. > :17:05.back group. Kiprop has set his own pace out in front. Kenenisa Bekele
:17:06. > :17:10.is beginning to make a bit of a move. Thompson is coming down the
:17:11. > :17:20.slope now. Ross Millington is just behind as well. Chris Thompson is
:17:21. > :17:31.always -- also targeting a spring marathon in London. He is followed
:17:32. > :17:41.by Garrett Heath. They have about 400m to go now.
:17:42. > :17:49.Garrett Heath there. Kiprop and Bekele, a bid of eight gap between
:17:50. > :17:53.Kiprop and Bekele. Time and distance running out for the great Kenenisa
:17:54. > :17:58.Bekele. As you said that, Asbel Kiprop probably felt that as well.
:17:59. > :18:00.There he goes moving into the front. This is a bit more difficult
:18:01. > :18:08.cross-country territory, a few little inclines. Kiprop, the world
:18:09. > :18:15.champion and Olympic gold-medallist at 1,500m, the athlete who is the
:18:16. > :18:20.fourth fastest ever 1,500m runner, he has won world championships and
:18:21. > :18:23.the African championships and he was to come back to Glasgow later this
:18:24. > :18:29.year and win a Commonwealth title, that will be the whole set for Asbel
:18:30. > :18:40.Kiprop. It looks as though 2014 is starting well. Garrett Heath
:18:41. > :18:44.tackles. Kiprop response. Worried he -- Kiprop looks as though he may be
:18:45. > :18:54.beaten. It is between Meresa Kahsay and Garrett Heath. Meresa Kahsay is
:18:55. > :18:58.trying to stay with the Americans. Kiprop sinks back into third place
:18:59. > :19:03.and leaves it to them. It is Garrett Heath holding on for America with
:19:04. > :19:06.Meresa Kahsay behind. It will be victory for Garrett Heath, who has
:19:07. > :19:13.come and eat in the great Africans for victory. Asbel Kiprop is
:19:14. > :19:19.jogging, strolling over the line now in third place. Kenenisa Bekele is
:19:20. > :19:27.in fifth place. Thompson is coming through to take sixth place. What an
:19:28. > :19:31.impressive victory for Garrett Heath against some of the best that East
:19:32. > :19:39.Africa has to offer. We saw him a few months ago in Newcastle. He said
:19:40. > :19:47.he wanted to come back here. He has been preparing for this. To beat
:19:48. > :19:50.world at 1,500m and the great Kenenisa Bekele, what a great
:19:51. > :19:57.performance for the American. Ejected perfectly. He is a
:19:58. > :20:01.cross-country skier as well, so he is probably a bit practised at the
:20:02. > :20:04.hills there. He must have gauged it on the first lap and knew he had
:20:05. > :20:11.enough left to kick away from the young Ethiopian in the finishing
:20:12. > :20:31.stages. It is positively balmy for him here today.
:20:32. > :20:36.A big shock there and hopefully we will hear from the main protagonists
:20:37. > :20:40.later on. We focus now on the international challenge, three
:20:41. > :20:45.teams, America, Europe and Great Britain. There is a simple scoring
:20:46. > :20:53.system, one if you win and two if you are second, and so on. We saw
:20:54. > :20:57.the junior races earlier. The Junior Men's race played out
:20:58. > :21:12.into a one to four Europe. It was a bright start for the
:21:13. > :21:16.British athletes, and a fall towards the end of the second lap for
:21:17. > :21:20.Crippa. It did not seem to upset him too much, but when you think of the
:21:21. > :21:35.distance he lost there. It was a genetic finish.
:21:36. > :21:45.A word of apology after that from nearly two Crippa. All was well. A
:21:46. > :22:06.very good win for Alexis Miellet. The Junior Men were the only team to
:22:07. > :22:15.fail to win a medal at the European Championships last month. They have
:22:16. > :22:22.a lot to do to catch up. 50 point is a big total after the first race. It
:22:23. > :22:28.left a lot to do for the junior British women. But it was a race
:22:29. > :22:38.that was dominated by home athletes, and by one family. It turned out to
:22:39. > :22:39.be a 1-2-mac for the Clay sisters. They led almost from start to
:22:40. > :22:49.finish. Lydia Turner was in there as well.
:22:50. > :22:54.It was the 16-year-old beating her 18-year-old sister, and with Lydia
:22:55. > :23:08.Turner coming home in third, that was a one, two, three. Very good for
:23:09. > :23:12.Great Britain. They would be back. Bobby Clay beat her 18-year-old
:23:13. > :23:18.sister Alex Clay. Lydia Turner in third place. Very nearly a perfect
:23:19. > :23:24.result there, four of the top five for Britain in the Junior Women's.
:23:25. > :23:29.11 points, nearly a perfect score for Britain. Europe finished lower
:23:30. > :23:36.in this result, really putting Britain back in contention.
:23:37. > :23:42.Great stuff from the Junior Women there. This is what the scores look
:23:43. > :23:43.like after those two junior races. There are the senior race is still
:23:44. > :23:56.to go. It is all very close at the top. A
:23:57. > :24:01.great performance from the junior British women, bringing the team
:24:02. > :24:05.back into contention with Bobby and Alex Clay to thank for that. You
:24:06. > :24:10.must be really pleased. I am over the moon. It is my first win at an
:24:11. > :24:14.international, so I'm pleased. What is it like having your sister
:24:15. > :24:18.alongside you pushing your way? It is good to have a friendly face on
:24:19. > :24:21.the start line. When I was coming into the home straight, I knew Alex
:24:22. > :24:27.was working behind me. It was nice to have the support from behind, so
:24:28. > :24:30.it was lovely. And do you come into this as individuals, do you have a
:24:31. > :24:35.team plan, or a sister plan? Mainly individuals, but Robbie and I have
:24:36. > :24:44.been training hard together over Christmas with our coach. I like a
:24:45. > :24:47.bit of confidence, and I knew that if I came to the second lap and
:24:48. > :24:51.chased her down, even though I felt like dying at one point, I knew that
:24:52. > :24:57.I can keep up with her in training, so I can do it on races. And body,
:24:58. > :25:04.you beat your sister, didn't you? Are you in trouble? No. She will be
:25:05. > :25:05.coming to get the next race. I have to work hard in training now.
:25:06. > :25:20.Weldon, both of you. Time for our first team race live.
:25:21. > :25:23.Bobby Mack is back as the team captain this year. He has to offer
:25:24. > :25:34.vision -- opposition. Andy Vernon, what a great run at the
:25:35. > :25:40.end to take bronze in Belgrade. He captains the British team. We have
:25:41. > :25:47.now from Andy Vernon and Bobby Mack. We chose our team on a course that
:25:48. > :25:50.was very technical and muddy and difficult out in Oregon. The
:25:51. > :25:55.toughness of our team this year is probably better than past years. It
:25:56. > :26:03.is fairly soft ground out there, so that would suggest it is harder to
:26:04. > :26:07.run away, as Bezabeh did at the European cross. But he still might
:26:08. > :26:11.be able to do that. I have not seen any runaway winners on this course
:26:12. > :26:15.before, so hopefully it will be tight, because it makes for a better
:26:16. > :26:18.race. This race, because it is a J small field, I feel that the group
:26:19. > :26:23.always has a great idea of where they are in the race am so somebody
:26:24. > :26:27.might break away, but it seems that the past two years have been tight
:26:28. > :26:31.finishes, so I expect there to be a close finish again this year,
:26:32. > :26:40.because it is a smaller field. Everyone knows where everyone is at.
:26:41. > :26:44.The competition could not be closer, separating the three teams
:26:45. > :26:50.as we get ready for the men's senior race over eight kilometres, four
:26:51. > :26:55.collapse of the two kilometre loop. A controversial character, Bezabeh,
:26:56. > :27:03.the Ethiopian he now runs for Spain, who served a two year and for
:27:04. > :27:10.doping. He may be the man to beat here. A strong American team,
:27:11. > :27:16.captained by Bobby Mack, who we just heard from. He is the defending
:27:17. > :27:27.champion. He was second in 2012. And Britain will be led by a strong
:27:28. > :27:31.looking figure, Andy Vernon, who we saw taking that bronze medal in
:27:32. > :27:37.Belgrade in December in the European Championships. He will certainly
:27:38. > :27:42.feature. He always does. He loves the cross-country. His track
:27:43. > :27:46.aspirations have been ended -- hindered by injuries in the past. He
:27:47. > :27:49.is ready to try to make an impression here. He is ready to try
:27:50. > :27:52.to make an impression here. The effect of alongside Steve Vernon, no
:27:53. > :27:54.relation, a real mountain expert, and he would love it to be a bit
:27:55. > :28:05.hillier. Bezabeh is steering clear of any
:28:06. > :28:09.trouble at the start. Andy Vernon said before the race that Bezabeh
:28:10. > :28:14.might be the favourite, but he will find difficult to try to run away
:28:15. > :28:18.from the field on the course. There are little twisty turns on the far
:28:19. > :28:21.side which may make it a race and you have to settle down into and
:28:22. > :28:25.that the group get together and then try to make a run away. It is
:28:26. > :28:29.certainly a course where you can take time on the first lap to suss
:28:30. > :28:35.it out a bit and find out the way it is churning up, and with the
:28:36. > :28:39.previous races having gone over it, there are areas that are wetter and
:28:40. > :28:42.mushy, and they may get more churned up. You can get away if you want to
:28:43. > :28:51.on this course and there is plenty of good running out there as well.
:28:52. > :28:56.You can build up some good leads. How much do you run as a team here?
:28:57. > :29:02.Do they discussed this before and what they are going to do? I don't
:29:03. > :29:05.think so. You just go out and race for yourself and that will bring out
:29:06. > :29:11.the best team position as well. If there are areas where there is a bit
:29:12. > :29:15.of pushing and shoving, I think really you are just going to run for
:29:16. > :29:18.yourself. You will get enough information from team members who
:29:19. > :29:21.are not in the race but on the course to let you know how the team
:29:22. > :29:34.is playing out, but trying to get the best position, you will get your
:29:35. > :29:39.highest score. The only way you contribute to your team performance
:29:40. > :29:44.is to run the best you can for yourself. Your result matters just
:29:45. > :29:53.as much as the guy at the front and that brings the team together. Andy
:29:54. > :29:59.Vernon, you said earlier, Andrew, he is a strong man, but he is also a
:30:00. > :30:04.strong runner. He is a well built athlete, with power, and he is a
:30:05. > :30:09.good distance runner. He is probably the next one coming through, we have
:30:10. > :30:14.had Mo Farah, Chris Thompson, but he is the next one of the distance
:30:15. > :30:24.runners. In April 2012 he was coming through. Aiming towards London, and
:30:25. > :30:28.stress fractures set him back and he missed London and he has set himself
:30:29. > :30:36.of the goals and he is now running very strongly. An athlete we
:30:37. > :30:41.expected to see in the race, Arikan, the Turkish athlete, but he
:30:42. > :30:53.has not started. That is weakening the field slightly. Andy Vernon is
:30:54. > :30:57.taking it out. Chris Derrick, the first of the American athletes, in
:30:58. > :31:02.the red with the cap, he ran very well in the world cross-country. The
:31:03. > :31:07.Americans ended up with silver medals. Bobby Mack was also in that
:31:08. > :31:21.team. I would say he would be a danger . This is a race with no
:31:22. > :31:25.outstanding favourite, which gives others able to settle down and
:31:26. > :31:32.increase confidence as the race goes on. Bobby Mack, somehow, in his
:31:33. > :31:37.mind, he told us in the interview, he thinks it is a tactical race and
:31:38. > :31:43.you have two work it to get into a good position at the end and at this
:31:44. > :31:51.stage, he will not be bothered about his position. There is a concertina
:31:52. > :31:56.effect. They have four laps and that hill, which might not look so much
:31:57. > :32:01.the first lap, by the fourth time, it will be testing and you have to
:32:02. > :32:09.conserve energy to keep that last lap strong. Cross country was part
:32:10. > :32:16.of your winter development. Do you think it is beneficial? Definitely.
:32:17. > :32:20.Cross country is working more muscles in your legs and body than
:32:21. > :32:29.running on the road would do, by having to keep your balance and
:32:30. > :32:38.negotiate the ground. Mentally, it is a free style of running. There is
:32:39. > :32:44.no point putting out kilometre markers become a because they will
:32:45. > :32:52.use the knowledge on the first lap for the next three laps. You talk
:32:53. > :33:00.about the slopes, some are more comfortable coming up and coming
:33:01. > :33:05.down slopes. Coming down the hill is where it is key. On the camber
:33:06. > :33:09.sections, it is key you have the right spikes, because with the
:33:10. > :33:14.confidence you will not slip, you can let go and use those running
:33:15. > :33:17.sections to build distance. Some athletes are great going up hills
:33:18. > :33:22.and not so good going down and some are good at both and some are good
:33:23. > :33:31.at night there and you find those at the back of the field! Vernon is in
:33:32. > :33:36.front and he will be lifted by the crowd. He is being shadowed by some
:33:37. > :33:38.of the European athletes. Chris Derrick, the American, is also
:33:39. > :33:56.there. Just about six minutes. Vernon is
:33:57. > :34:03.probably where he wants to be. They are beginning to stretch out towards
:34:04. > :34:09.the back of the field. Alemayehu Bezabeh, he is not too far-away. We
:34:10. > :34:15.were talking about Chris Derrick, thinking he might be the one to
:34:16. > :34:20.watch from the American team. You mentioned Bobby Mack. He likes to
:34:21. > :34:28.hang back. You cannot rule anybody out. This is how it would stand at
:34:29. > :34:33.the moment if things finished. It is the fewest points that wins. Europe
:34:34. > :34:37.and Great Britain are doing pretty well. Only Chris Derrick is up there
:34:38. > :34:44.for the United States at the moment, but a lot of the Americans
:34:45. > :34:48.finished strongly. Bobby Mack also aid the best way to win is to hang
:34:49. > :34:58.back and come through. I think you will see those scores changing.
:34:59. > :35:03.There are the Europeans, and the British and now come the Americans.
:35:04. > :35:08.Steve Vernon, the mountain runner, getting better as the race goes
:35:09. > :35:13.further. But Chris Derrick, who many favour, as close as he has been and
:35:14. > :35:26.behind him, Bezabeh looks comfortable. You can see some of the
:35:27. > :35:33.athletes slipping and sliding. Pieter-Jan Hannes, he is in that
:35:34. > :35:39.group. This is the overall team standing. We have had the junior
:35:40. > :35:45.events. This is how it would stand, changing all the time, of course. I
:35:46. > :35:50.am sure it will change at the end, but Europe would have a slender lead
:35:51. > :35:57.if it finished in this position, but there is plenty of moving about.
:35:58. > :36:05.Steve Vernon, no relation to Andy Vernon, concentrating on mountain
:36:06. > :36:09.running. He will go to the championships in Italy. He does a
:36:10. > :36:16.bit of cross country, he does not hit the track or road, but likes to
:36:17. > :36:22.go up the mountains. Anything you considered in your running career?
:36:23. > :36:28.Not me. All, probably. Having gone up there this morning it was
:36:29. > :36:36.beautiful going up, but coming down was dicey. I came down on my hands
:36:37. > :36:43.and knees a lot of the way. Uphill was favourite for you? I quite liked
:36:44. > :36:50.the downhill. I have seen you running downhill! I have run
:36:51. > :36:56.downhill. A lot of the times you get to the top and people think, I have
:36:57. > :37:01.reached the top, and they ease off, I running hard over the crest of the
:37:02. > :37:12.hill and down the hill coming you can get a gap. Chris Derrick and
:37:13. > :37:17.Vernon, part of a three that separated themselves. We have spoken
:37:18. > :37:24.about the ability to run on the slopes and in the Great North Run,
:37:25. > :37:30.Bekele flew down there and took hold of the rest and Mo Farah was unable
:37:31. > :37:35.to close it. There is a gap opening. I suspect that these three might be
:37:36. > :37:44.able to stretch it even more. The second of four laps. Chris Derrick
:37:45. > :37:48.is out in front, captain of the US cross-country team that took the
:37:49. > :37:56.silver medal at the 2013 world Championships. And look at Andy
:37:57. > :38:01.Vernon. His bills does not look like a distance runner, very powerful in
:38:02. > :38:08.the upper body, but he lopes along to great effect. You are right. His
:38:09. > :38:15.stature is bigger than most distance runners but I think he will have a
:38:16. > :38:26.great future on the track. And now beginning to open. Alemayehu
:38:27. > :38:30.Bezabeh, he is of the pack. The Americans are moving through and
:38:31. > :38:34.changing team position. We will see in the moment it will be slightly
:38:35. > :38:38.different from the first lap. We are coming to the halfway stage.
:38:39. > :38:50.Interesting proposition with the race evolving. They pass Saint
:38:51. > :38:55.Margaret's Loch. I do not think Bezabeh is comfortable on this
:38:56. > :39:05.course. He does not look comfortable on the muddy sections. The race he
:39:06. > :39:09.won, it was firm and flat. He won that convincingly and there were
:39:10. > :39:13.athletes who could not get close to him then and they are now well ahead
:39:14. > :39:19.of him today. This is interesting, Chris Derrick, a class performance
:39:20. > :39:24.in the world Cross country Championships, leading the Americans
:39:25. > :39:28.to 18 medal, which was fantastic, they beat the Kenyans. That is the
:39:29. > :39:33.researchers of American distance running and this man led them
:39:34. > :39:38.through that. We are looking at a class athlete and it is good to see
:39:39. > :39:44.him operating like this, but I am impressed with Andy Vernon, taking
:39:45. > :39:56.him on. New red after six minutes through the second. -- near enough.
:39:57. > :40:07.Chris Derrick is bringing them through ahead of Vernon.
:40:08. > :40:16.We were looking at Alemayehu Bezabeh. We thought he might be a
:40:17. > :40:21.contender but he is a long way back. He did not look comfortable up
:40:22. > :40:26.the slope. When they were in the European Championships, it was a
:40:27. > :40:30.very flat and firm course, like a track experience. There was a tree
:40:31. > :40:37.trunk thrown down for good measure, but it was not like this, having to
:40:38. > :40:43.deal with the conditions underfoot. This is a proper course and that
:40:44. > :40:48.course came under flak than not testing cross-country runners. You
:40:49. > :40:55.can see Chris Derrick looks very comfortable. He decided he wants to
:40:56. > :40:59.make this tough and test the others from the beginning. We will give you
:41:00. > :41:11.the overall standings in a moment. Chris Derrick is opening more of a
:41:12. > :41:31.gap to Andy Vernon and Bashir Abdi. We are looking at Bobby Mack working
:41:32. > :41:36.through from the position we have seen in the past, coming quickly
:41:37. > :41:41.through the field. Chris Derrick is making the effort to win this. He
:41:42. > :41:47.settled with the group and that is the second group coming through with
:41:48. > :41:52.last year's champion, Bobby Mack. Moving to fourth place. He has
:41:53. > :41:56.finished strongly. He is working it as he said. That is an interesting
:41:57. > :42:02.performance. Three in the second group and Chris Derrick is leading
:42:03. > :42:06.it, trying to win it. Is he good enough? Will Andy Vernon produce a
:42:07. > :42:11.finish like in the European Championships? This is a good effort
:42:12. > :42:19.from the American but I am impressed with the way Andy Vernon is running.
:42:20. > :42:26.Cal Hawkins is having a great run and he is not in awe of the field.
:42:27. > :42:37.Just a bit of a slip and that can happen. The ground is softening art
:42:38. > :42:49.as it goes round that corner. -- softening up. That slip takes it out
:42:50. > :42:56.of your legs, ruining the momentum. It is an impressive performance so
:42:57. > :43:00.far from Chris Derrick. He is studying economic 's at Stanford
:43:01. > :43:09.University. He does not looked concerned by the slip. Sometimes it
:43:10. > :43:27.can give you adrenaline, more energy to spur you on. Chris Derrick and
:43:28. > :43:33.then there is a gap. The group including Bobby Mack and Callan
:43:34. > :43:46.Hawkins. It is good to have the group of three to focus on Vernon
:43:47. > :43:49.and Bashir Abdi in front. They are coming down the slope, seeing if
:43:50. > :43:58.they can close the gap. Michael Mulhare from Ireland is in the group
:43:59. > :44:09.and he is having a good run. There is plenty of support for Callan
:44:10. > :44:16.Hawkins. The gap is beginning to open up a
:44:17. > :44:24.bit more again. The leg speed of Chris Derrick begins to increase.
:44:25. > :44:32.Andy Vernon is holding off Andy Hooper. He is really working well
:44:33. > :44:40.and running well. The cross-country performance from Hawkins, a fast
:44:41. > :44:45.10,000-metre runner, there is young Hawkins running well on this course.
:44:46. > :44:50.Bobby Mack, previous winner, just behind him, and the Belgian is just
:44:51. > :44:56.moving through. Up the hill, that is the hard work, the bit you work for.
:44:57. > :45:02.A glance over his shoulder. This time, it is a confident glance. He
:45:03. > :45:06.got over the stumble he had earlier and he has settled down again. He is
:45:07. > :45:12.pretty comfortable over this bit. He doesn't seem to be that bothered,
:45:13. > :45:19.although he did slip earlier. No, you could not see any strain on his
:45:20. > :45:23.face after it. He has come into this race in very good shape, and I don't
:45:24. > :45:28.think he has really made a big move yet. He is applying pressure and
:45:29. > :45:36.keeping a steady pace, but I think he may be had another gear to give
:45:37. > :45:41.clear. And Andy Vernon is not giving up here. It is not a huge gap. He is
:45:42. > :45:46.settling over the distance. In the European Championships, he came from
:45:47. > :45:55.a land -- long way back and snatched a medal. The bell will sound in a
:45:56. > :46:03.few seconds. Andy Vernon, can he do even better today? He has got no way
:46:04. > :46:07.to settle, but can he challenge here? It is only a couple of
:46:08. > :46:11.seconds. That is easy to do in two kilometres. Yes, but I do think that
:46:12. > :46:17.Chris Derrick looks very comfortable. It looks like he has
:46:18. > :46:30.trained very well over the Christmas period. You wanted to come out here
:46:31. > :46:35.and beat Bezabeh. I do not think there is much love lost between
:46:36. > :46:54.them. Looking at the spread of the teams, British scorers at halfway,
:46:55. > :47:00.we see Bashir Abdi beginning to stretch away from Andy Vernon. Andy
:47:01. > :47:05.Vernon actually beat Bashir Abdi previously, but he is now trying to
:47:06. > :47:13.bridge that gap. This is the way it stands at the moment in this place.
:47:14. > :47:19.The USA are struggling, apart from Chris Derrick. The USA will hope to
:47:20. > :47:24.have some strong finishes. Bobby Mack is back in that group, just out
:47:25. > :47:27.of shot. But it looks like Chris Derrick's arrays at the moment. We
:47:28. > :47:42.have a race on here, we really have. This lap, this will be the fastest
:47:43. > :47:45.lap. He will have to run the fastest lap, because Bashir Abdi is chasing
:47:46. > :47:53.him down. Interesting overall figures there. Great Britain are in
:47:54. > :47:57.third place, but only four points adrift. Europe would be out in front
:47:58. > :48:00.if it finishes like this, with just the Senior Women's race to go. There
:48:01. > :48:07.is Chris Derrick, with the gap back to Bashir Abdi, and then a similar
:48:08. > :48:12.gap back to Andy Vernon. There is a pocket of three runners, Mulhare and
:48:13. > :48:15.Callum Hawkins and Bobby Mack, the defending champion, edit further
:48:16. > :48:23.adrift. This is the final lap of this two kilometre course, this
:48:24. > :48:33.eight kilometre race. Chris Derrick is keeping Bashir Abdi per -- at
:48:34. > :48:42.bay. It remains about the same distance that Bashir Abdi is moving
:48:43. > :48:47.well. I think you chose a better line that time. He chose a grassy
:48:48. > :48:51.line where there was less mud. He took advantage of the corner to suss
:48:52. > :49:00.out the gap behind him and be able to know exactly what he was dealing
:49:01. > :49:03.with. You don't open up a gap like this to lose it in the last
:49:04. > :49:08.kilometre, and you can see that he is really applying himself. A
:49:09. > :49:11.Stanford University graduate with good pedigree. He knows what he's
:49:12. > :49:17.doing. He looks like he is quite comfortable on this course today. It
:49:18. > :49:22.is a strong wind today, Andy Reid has opened up a gap again. I think
:49:23. > :49:26.it might be a decisive move there. Bashir Abdi is looking sluggish,
:49:27. > :49:30.with burning beginning to close back down on the Belgian for second
:49:31. > :49:33.place. There are points and money up for grabs for places. Plenty of
:49:34. > :49:39.incentive. But it looks very much that the victory will go the way of
:49:40. > :49:43.the tall, elegant American. There have been slipped and stumbles in
:49:44. > :49:47.the past. It was icy early on and now it is just muddy. There are a
:49:48. > :49:56.couple of Burns coming down off the slopes. There was a bit of a stumble
:49:57. > :50:03.their as they lift the place. You can see Bashir Abdi paid now for
:50:04. > :50:07.that surge that he put on earlier in this lap. To me, Chris Derrick looks
:50:08. > :50:11.smooth and comfortable, and this is a strong run. He trains out in
:50:12. > :50:19.Portland on the same campus as Mo Farah. He is obviously in really
:50:20. > :50:24.good shape. I remember Fionnuala Britton on highways to victory had a
:50:25. > :50:27.little spill at that burn coming down last year, but she had a big
:50:28. > :50:31.enough lead that he did not bother her. Bashir Abdi now is being hunted
:50:32. > :50:42.down by Andy Vernon. They splash their way through. It looks that
:50:43. > :50:49.victory is heading the way of Chris Derrick. Nothing is certain in
:50:50. > :50:54.cross-country, and there can be stumbles, but he has got plenty of
:50:55. > :50:59.space. He can have a look around. Andy Vernon has now moved past
:51:00. > :51:05.Bashir Abdi. You suspect that this may be the finish now. Bashir Abdi
:51:06. > :51:10.might be swallowed up by that group of three chasing him down. That was
:51:11. > :51:14.a good move by Andy Vernon. Here is Chris Derrick, well within sight of
:51:15. > :51:19.winning this. He is running strongly there. He is determined to stop a
:51:20. > :51:29.set of determined, and there is Bobby Mack finishing strongly in
:51:30. > :51:32.fourth place. That is a good performance from him. His team-mate
:51:33. > :51:36.looks as though he is on the way to defend the title for America. This
:51:37. > :51:44.will be victory for the United States, this is Chris Derrick coming
:51:45. > :51:48.down the home straight, taking off his hat for a celebratory ways, and
:51:49. > :51:54.how he has deserved it. This has been a very emphatic and controlling
:51:55. > :51:59.performance from Chris Derrick. We suspected he might win, and he has.
:52:00. > :52:03.The time is just outside 24 minutes. There is some distance
:52:04. > :52:10.between him and second place. The victory for Chris Derrick will be
:52:11. > :52:14.second for Andy Vernon. Bashir Abdi is just going to hold on for third
:52:15. > :52:20.place ahead of last year's champion, Bobby Mack, coming
:52:21. > :52:26.through. Mulhare comes through in fifth and then a very good finish
:52:27. > :52:30.for Callum Hawkins in sixth place, the 21-year-old from East Kilbride,
:52:31. > :52:31.to finish in sixth place. The winner, Chris Derrick, very
:52:32. > :52:50.impressive. Victory for America. That was a really good performance.
:52:51. > :52:52.Chris Derrick one and exceptional race. He ran for it and kept it
:52:53. > :53:05.going. A bit of a mix-up three teams there.
:53:06. > :53:07.The USA, Europe and Great Britain are fairly evenly spread, so that
:53:08. > :53:19.should not affect the standings too much. In the Senior Men's eight
:53:20. > :53:26.kilometre, it was Chris Derrick of the United States. UKIP to the
:53:27. > :53:31.conditions very well. You must be very pleased. Yes, it is
:53:32. > :53:37.to a lot of the terrain I see in Portland. A lot of rain and a lot of
:53:38. > :53:40.cold. It is a tough race, and fun. And you have never really looked
:53:41. > :53:51.into much trouble. At the end of the third lap, last time, Bobby was
:53:52. > :53:55.leading whole time, and I knew he was good with finishes, so I was
:53:56. > :54:05.worried that maybe I had gone out to soon. I did not plan that, it just
:54:06. > :54:09.happens. It turned out well. We remember you finishing in Belgrade.
:54:10. > :54:14.You got quite a long way behind Chris. How did you measure your
:54:15. > :54:20.race? I was going as hard as I could. It is quite soft underfoot,
:54:21. > :54:24.so it is hard to find a good rhythm and keep it going, and there are
:54:25. > :54:28.lots of dead that could be a rhythm on this course. Chris is an
:54:29. > :54:33.excellent athlete, ninth in the world Cross last year, 10th. Can't
:54:34. > :54:40.argue with that. I am pleased that my performance was OK. We saw the
:54:41. > :54:46.British team do well in Belgrade. You are in the mix for the title
:54:47. > :54:50.here. Yes, I don't know what the scores will be, but I am pleased
:54:51. > :54:53.that I mixed in well with top European athletes, that is where I
:54:54. > :55:07.am at at the moment. It is good for me. Axed to both of you. Well done.
:55:08. > :55:24.It is still all to play for with one more race to go. It is the women's
:55:25. > :55:26.six kilometres. Gemma Steel is leading the British team. We have
:55:27. > :55:34.the European junior cross-country champion, Emelia Gorecka. She has
:55:35. > :55:40.been on great form. This is a international senior debut. Another
:55:41. > :55:51.Briton looking to win her third title here, Fionnuala Britton. I am
:55:52. > :55:55.really excited to finish my junior career on a high. Getting a gold
:55:56. > :55:58.medal in December was fantastic. I have had some good training in
:55:59. > :56:05.Aldershot with my group in December. Because Edinburgh is so
:56:06. > :56:08.close to home, it feels like there is a lot of support, and I like the
:56:09. > :56:14.course and I have been running here for years. There is always a nice
:56:15. > :56:22.atmosphere here in the city. Fionnuala Britton is a strong
:56:23. > :56:30.athlete. And to IT in the European team, I watched her race, and she a
:56:31. > :56:34.fantastic athlete. Now I have to watch from a different perspective,
:56:35. > :56:38.because I'm racing against them. I am looking forward to it and it will
:56:39. > :56:44.only drive me forward. It will be nice to win this one. I have a lot
:56:45. > :56:53.to prove. It is the next big race after the European cross.
:56:54. > :56:56.A very interesting race in prospect. We had there from Fionnuala Britton,
:56:57. > :57:06.he has had great success under Emelia Gorecka. Emelia Gorecka
:57:07. > :57:16.usually goes into races are the favourite for her age group. She's a
:57:17. > :57:19.strong contender. Here a step up. A massive talent and she's going into
:57:20. > :57:28.this race with nothing to lose. She has got no pressure on her. I think
:57:29. > :57:32.she can really relate freely and give it her best shot and see where
:57:33. > :57:39.she can go today. This is a great chance. He was running well, anorak
:57:40. > :57:45.great athletes who have won it before. I can she will feature in
:57:46. > :57:46.this, she will certainly give it a go, in contention at the halfway
:57:47. > :57:56.point, I would have thought. The European team is in the black,
:57:57. > :58:03.the Americans in the red, and the great British team in white and red.
:58:04. > :58:08.Various Sophie Duarte, winner in Belgrade last month. She leads the
:58:09. > :58:12.European team. It is not the strongest American team here. A
:58:13. > :58:21.large cheer for each other. Amy Van Alstine is leading the force. They
:58:22. > :58:31.might struggle a bit here. Gemma Steel is about to be introduced. A
:58:32. > :58:36.silver medal, behind Sophie Duarte in Belgrade last month. And there is
:58:37. > :58:46.Emelia Gorecka as well. It is a strong British team there. And away
:58:47. > :58:52.they go in the final race of the day. The course is becoming more
:58:53. > :58:58.churned up as the day goes on. How will this race develop? It is
:58:59. > :59:03.interesting. You could make the case that three or four of these
:59:04. > :59:07.athletes. Fionnuala Britton is pretty determined and goes straight
:59:08. > :59:10.to the front. She has been getting better, she was disappointed with
:59:11. > :59:17.fourth place in the European Championships. I have not seen her
:59:18. > :59:21.running in a black vest before. She is more recognisable in the green of
:59:22. > :59:31.Ireland. She is a good and determined athlete. Duarte, also in
:59:32. > :59:36.the black vest, and also Steph Twell and more importantly Gemma Steel,
:59:37. > :59:43.second in the European Cross country Championships. Charlotte Purdue and
:59:44. > :59:53.Emilia Gorecka, it is exciting. They come to this of the back of good
:59:54. > :59:57.performances in Serbia. They are not afraid to get in on the seniors and
:59:58. > :00:04.see what they can do. Charlotte going to the front. They trained
:00:05. > :00:09.together, and with Steph Twell. They are used to running with each other
:00:10. > :00:13.and stamping their mark on the race from the beginning. Fionnuala
:00:14. > :00:16.Britton will be coming into this disappointed with the European
:00:17. > :00:20.Championships. She suffered with illness last summer and was unable
:00:21. > :00:25.to take part in Moscow and struggled to get back from that. Her form is
:00:26. > :00:31.building and she will hope to get her own back, in a sense, on Sophie
:00:32. > :00:36.Duarte. Many years ago, this race was the same for you, junior
:00:37. > :00:43.athlete, the first three from the Olympic Games and it was your first
:00:44. > :00:47.breakthrough race. Emilia Gorecka, I would not want to label her with a
:00:48. > :00:52.Paula Radcliffe label at this stage in her career, but it was similar. I
:00:53. > :00:57.spent many years driving up to Durham and running in the junior
:00:58. > :01:02.races and being inspired after watching the senior races and to get
:01:03. > :01:12.in with the seniors and learned from them was special and it gives you
:01:13. > :01:18.motivation. Emilia Gorecka, that start, it is the same spirit, here I
:01:19. > :01:22.am, I am going to take my chance. She needs to go out there, run as
:01:23. > :01:32.well as she can and see where it puts her in among the girls today.
:01:33. > :01:36.There is a core of the British team running together. Jessica Andrews is
:01:37. > :01:41.in there and Lily Partridge as well as Charlie Purdue and Emilia Gorecka
:01:42. > :01:46.and Steph Twell. They are running together and know each other. They
:01:47. > :01:51.base on a Sunday. It is a racing atmosphere, which puts them in good
:01:52. > :01:55.stead. That only Britain, it is where you are comfortable. The
:01:56. > :02:02.European Championships, -- Fionnuala Britton. The European Championships,
:02:03. > :02:09.is firm and flatter, she is more at home here. She looks at home. When
:02:10. > :02:12.you feel comfortable on the course, and she knows this course, she would
:02:13. > :02:18.not have checked it this morning, she will just know whether it is
:02:19. > :02:24.drier or wetter in the past. Sophie Duarte, in the Hat, the black vest
:02:25. > :02:31.of Europe, and Emilia Gorecka, being in amongst them. In this group, and
:02:32. > :02:36.you referred to it, Mick Woods, he has a fantastic group of athletes.
:02:37. > :02:41.Steph Twell, Charlotte Purdue and Emilia Gorecka and others on the way
:02:42. > :02:45.up in those groups. He is a fantastic servant of cross-country
:02:46. > :02:50.running, a really good coach. He brings on these athletes and they do
:02:51. > :02:57.well. They motivate each other. They have grown up with each other. They
:02:58. > :03:03.push each other in training. Gemma Steel, on the outside, she is a huge
:03:04. > :03:09.talent coming through and has not yet started to tap into that. We saw
:03:10. > :03:13.her running 17, 19 on the roads in Birmingham on the half marathon. She
:03:14. > :03:18.has potential in the marathon, but at the moment she is enjoying
:03:19. > :03:29.cross-country and testing herself. Just three laps. Fionnuala Britton
:03:30. > :03:32.is out in front at the moment, but shadowed by the three British
:03:33. > :03:46.athletes at the moment and the diminutive figure of Charlotte
:03:47. > :03:52.Purdue. They are moving nicely. Britain can make up the team
:03:53. > :04:00.standings. British women's distance running, a lot of thanks to Paula
:04:01. > :04:04.Radcliffe, is in good shape. We have good athletes performing and young
:04:05. > :04:09.athletes coming through. Paula Radcliffe is involved in the
:04:10. > :04:14.development of those athletes. We have Fionnuala Britton, the former
:04:15. > :04:18.European, twice European championship, leading. Emilia
:04:19. > :04:23.Gorecka, the junior European champion, Gemma Steel, European
:04:24. > :04:28.silver-medallist, and the under 23 medallist from Great Britain,
:04:29. > :04:31.Charlotte Purdue. The three British athletes are declaring themselves as
:04:32. > :04:38.contenders in this event. Can the British women change the team
:04:39. > :04:44.point? They are 14 points behind Europe. It looks like USA will fade
:04:45. > :04:50.away. Could Britton score a victory in this race with enough points to
:04:51. > :04:56.win the overall title? That would be pretty exciting. At the moment,
:04:57. > :05:02.three Europeans and three British in the first six. The Americans playing
:05:03. > :05:08.second fiddle. That is the situation in the team competition. Individual
:05:09. > :05:14.glory is up for grabs. It would be glory for the third year in
:05:15. > :05:21.succession if Fionnuala Britton one. -- Wigan. She is on the right in
:05:22. > :05:38.black. At the moment, it is Emilia Gorecka and Gemma Steel, the
:05:39. > :05:46.captain. -- won. Sophie Duarte is moving to the front. Feeling it out
:05:47. > :05:51.a little bit. She seemed to have made up the ground pretty well
:05:52. > :06:03.downhill and has decided to stretch out the field. Almensch Belete going
:06:04. > :06:10.through also. She and her sister, a very good athlete. Fionnuala Britton
:06:11. > :06:14.is still comfortable alongside Sophie Duarte, who is beginning to
:06:15. > :06:20.pick up the pace a little bit. Still shadowed by the three British
:06:21. > :06:23.runners, and Emilia Gorecka, Gemma Steel and Charlotte Purdue. Those
:06:24. > :06:33.are the standings in this particular race after the first lap. Taking
:06:34. > :06:42.victory might be tough against this European team. Three quite
:06:43. > :06:47.high-quality athletes. Almensch Belete, I think she is going to run
:06:48. > :06:52.well today, even though she is an outsider, we saw her running well in
:06:53. > :06:55.the European Championships. The Lola Britton has come in a strong
:06:56. > :07:01.favourite in the past, but not quite today. Emilia Gorecka is showing
:07:02. > :07:07.what you need to show, we know she is physically good, she is strong
:07:08. > :07:12.and can compete, but she is a competitor here. She is with the
:07:13. > :07:17.seniors for the first time. Stepping into this arena and not being
:07:18. > :07:22.overawed by it, in fact, competing, trying to get on level terms. Steph
:07:23. > :07:29.Twell is running a good race. The British team are running well. We
:07:30. > :07:40.need performances in the fourth, fifth and sixth place by British
:07:41. > :07:43.athletes. The number of Africans coming into European countries and
:07:44. > :07:52.transferring allegiances, some athletes have felt irked, taking be
:07:53. > :07:57.glory. But they have transferred illegally, effectively. It is a
:07:58. > :08:03.sensitive topic. Sometimes the transferring happens quickly and
:08:04. > :08:09.they are fast tracked. Almensch Belete competing for Belgium. You
:08:10. > :08:14.have to draw the line between athletes who live in the country and
:08:15. > :08:18.become nationalised as opposed to athletes who stay in their own
:08:19. > :08:23.country and transfer allegiance and there is a bit of both going on in
:08:24. > :08:27.this sport but some athletes live in the countries they represent and
:08:28. > :08:34.qualify as a right for a European nation, if that is the country they
:08:35. > :08:38.are living in. There is able to difference to somebody who comes
:08:39. > :08:43.over and lives there, as opposed to somebody who is offered, you can get
:08:44. > :08:48.in the team and quickly part of the team and have success. That is a
:08:49. > :08:54.different thing. On the back of that, to British athletes are
:08:55. > :08:57.leading in this race. Even though Emilio Barak, her grandparents from
:08:58. > :09:05.Poland extra nation mark but she is born and raised in Britain. --
:09:06. > :09:22.Poland! The six are free at the moment and
:09:23. > :09:27.Fionnuala Britton looks through to come through the middle and take up
:09:28. > :09:32.the pace. We expected Emilia Gorecka would run well. We know what a
:09:33. > :09:38.talent she has been. She has the talent to compete at senior level,
:09:39. > :09:43.as well. It is a significant performance, if she finishes within
:09:44. > :09:47.the first four, six, which she has a chance of doing, they are past the
:09:48. > :09:52.halfway point and she is competing, if she finishes in this position, it
:09:53. > :09:59.is a step forward for British long-distance running. It reminds me
:10:00. > :10:04.a bit of a young Paula Radcliffe, who eventually had an exceptional
:10:05. > :10:09.career, but like all distance runners, starting as cross-country.
:10:10. > :10:15.It is encouraging to see Lily Partridge and Steph Twell moving
:10:16. > :10:21.through. She had an ankle injury when she slipped in a race and
:10:22. > :10:28.almost shattered her ankle. She had a lot of physiotherapy and metalwork
:10:29. > :10:31.in her foot to enable it to recover. It is not easy when you have an
:10:32. > :10:38.injured ankle to be running out there. When you have the shock of
:10:39. > :10:44.the fall, it was a terrible injury. It was in Belgium. When you have
:10:45. > :10:48.that fall and run on this surface, your foot is moving about more and
:10:49. > :10:57.it must give at feeling of uncertainty. -- a feeling. Gemma
:10:58. > :11:01.Steel, saying I am the boss, you are the junior champion, and Emilia
:11:02. > :11:09.Gorecka reacting, and running past her. This is exceptional in any
:11:10. > :11:13.sense. The two of them are running away from Charlotte Purdue. This is
:11:14. > :11:20.terrific. If they can have the European champion and a former
:11:21. > :11:23.European champion behind them, I can sense there will be mentions of
:11:24. > :11:29.Paula Radcliffe when they write about Emilia Gorecka. The team event
:11:30. > :11:37.looks good for Britain. The first three. But it is the first six that
:11:38. > :11:43.count. There is a chance for Britain in the overall standings because
:11:44. > :11:48.they are featuring strongly here. Fionnuala Britton in fourth place at
:11:49. > :11:53.the moment. Gemma Steel, the team captain, alongside Emilia Gorecka
:11:54. > :11:56.and Charlotte Purdue, Fionnuala Britton in fourth. This is
:11:57. > :12:05.impressive running from the three British athletes in front. Fionnuala
:12:06. > :12:15.Britton is trying to close down. The crowds are beginning to gather. This
:12:16. > :12:18.is the final race of the day. This is a fine run from the British
:12:19. > :12:31.athletes, but Emilia Gorecka, most of all. And the bell sounds. Gemma
:12:32. > :12:37.Steel hits the front. There is the European champion, Sophie Duarte,
:12:38. > :12:42.who looks beaten today. Almensch Belete looks beaten today. Gemma
:12:43. > :12:47.Steel tries to win this. Emilia Gorecka has run a fantastic race to
:12:48. > :12:51.put herself in contention. Gemma Steel, the endurance -based
:12:52. > :12:57.athlete, she might be able to pull away from Emilia Gorecka, but she
:12:58. > :13:01.will not do it without a battle. A terrific senior debut by Emilia
:13:02. > :13:06.Gorecka, a fantastic start to a senior career. I am sure that Korea
:13:07. > :13:14.is full of promise. Exciting times for Emilia Gorecka -- career. She
:13:15. > :13:22.has been used to running in junior races. They generally tend to be
:13:23. > :13:29.shorter. The extra strength Gemma Steel will have and is used to using
:13:30. > :13:32.may come into play. But Emilia Gorecka is not intimidated. She has
:13:33. > :13:42.nothing to lose and she has run really well, which will give her
:13:43. > :13:44.confidence. We will see how the advantage in this race will
:13:45. > :13:50.translate into the overall standings. Britain had a big haul of
:13:51. > :13:54.medals in the European Championships. They always do well
:13:55. > :14:03.in cross-country, Great Britain. If they are to win, they are coming
:14:04. > :14:18.from a long way behind. That would be the overall position if they
:14:19. > :14:21.finished in these positions. It is a rather weak looking American team.
:14:22. > :14:26.It is dominated by the black shirt and white and red shirts of Europe
:14:27. > :14:31.and Great Britain. Gemma Steel, the team cap on, is leading them home at
:14:32. > :14:37.the moment. Emelia Gorecka is in second place, being chased down by
:14:38. > :14:39.similar Britain. She's starting to look weary. Fionnuala Britton will
:14:40. > :15:00.gain momentum from that. Gemma Steel does not want to be
:15:01. > :15:09.beaten by an athlete US just coming out of the junior ranks. Emelia
:15:10. > :15:18.Gorecka was really struggling at that little hell -- ale on the far
:15:19. > :15:21.side. She has worked hard and has positioned herself well. You want
:15:22. > :15:25.her to finish second here. But Fionnuala Britton from Ireland,
:15:26. > :15:31.representing year appear, twice winner of this event, is on her way
:15:32. > :15:35.to try to finish that extra place, but the British women's team have
:15:36. > :15:40.done a fantastic job. Mick Woods has got four of these five athletes. He
:15:41. > :15:46.is going to be a star after this. He has got the second place, the fourth
:15:47. > :15:53.place, the fifth and sixth places. This is exceptional. Gemma Steel is
:15:54. > :16:01.showing us her enduring and showing as she can win races. Six athletes
:16:02. > :16:07.to score points, and Britain have six of the top ten, led by their
:16:08. > :16:13.captain Gemma Steel. That is the gap between Emelia Gorecka and Fionnuala
:16:14. > :16:20.Britton. A glorious setting here. The Gemma Steel is out in front and
:16:21. > :16:31.it looks like she may have this race won. Charlotte Purdue is in fourth
:16:32. > :16:36.place as well. It is looking good for Britain and very good for Gemma
:16:37. > :16:40.Steel as she comes down the slope. It is really promising for the
:16:41. > :16:47.second place. Here comes Fionnuala Britton. She's looking down at the
:16:48. > :16:52.road thinking, I can't have her beating me. I am the senior
:16:53. > :16:55.champion. You can see the determination and the speed that
:16:56. > :17:00.Fionnuala Britton is producing. Emilio Gorecka has run a fantastic
:17:01. > :17:03.race here today. She is tiring quickly now and she looks like she
:17:04. > :17:07.will be challenged by similar Britain. Charlotte Heard you is in
:17:08. > :17:11.fourth place and will not give up on her mettle. This is a great
:17:12. > :17:15.performance by Gemma Steel. She bided her time and tried to hit the
:17:16. > :17:18.front. She is now looking over her shoulder and she looks down the
:17:19. > :17:24.field and sees the European champion of two years ago in third place and
:17:25. > :17:30.this year's current champion in about fifth-place. That is Sophie
:17:31. > :17:35.Duarte of France. She will be delighted with that. Emelia Gorecka
:17:36. > :17:42.might be swallowed up nearby Fionnuala Britton. She will hope for
:17:43. > :17:45.a top three finish, but you can see how much she is labouring and being
:17:46. > :17:50.chased down by Fionnuala Britton, who will shortly, I suspect,
:17:51. > :17:59.Pasteur. Adding front is Gemma Steel. Sophie Duarte is in fifth
:18:00. > :18:05.place, the Frenchwoman. This will be some measure of revenge for Gemma
:18:06. > :18:12.Steel, sprinting up the final slope. Not long to go now. A strong
:18:13. > :18:17.performance from here and the British team. She knows that she can
:18:18. > :18:20.savour this run. As we can see, Fionnuala Britton is stronger
:18:21. > :18:24.running up this hill and you can see that Emelia Gorecka's legs were
:18:25. > :18:27.struggling to go up the hill. Fionnuala Britton has been able to
:18:28. > :18:35.gain some ground and will be able to get away now. She has won a great
:18:36. > :18:41.race. This is a fantastic senior debut for Gemma Steel. She's happy
:18:42. > :18:45.there. She can now drift on and enjoy the finish. She has run so
:18:46. > :18:53.well. I hope she finishes in one piece. Down through the narrow
:18:54. > :18:58.corridor of cheering fans comes Gemma Steel. She is the team captain
:18:59. > :19:02.and may well take it into an overall team victory. She's taking herself
:19:03. > :19:07.to victory here in this race. A strong performance from Gemma Steel,
:19:08. > :19:11.leading by example. She will lead her team home, but she has won for
:19:12. > :19:20.herself here as well. Victory for Gemma Steel in the women's six
:19:21. > :19:24.kilometre race. After celebrating her own victory, she will look round
:19:25. > :19:25.to see how her team-mates are doing. Filling a Britain comes home in
:19:26. > :19:41.second place -- Fionnuala Britton. A wonderful third place for Emelia
:19:42. > :19:46.Gorecka. Sophie Duarte it, the European champion, in fourth place.
:19:47. > :19:51.The first American, Kellyn Johnson, comes through. We are doing some
:19:52. > :19:55.quick arithmetic over here, and it looks as though Britain may have
:19:56. > :20:02.taken the overall victory. A lot of that is down to the efforts of the
:20:03. > :20:07.team leader Gemma Steel. That was a mighty strong performance from Gemma
:20:08. > :20:15.Steel and from the rest of the team as well.
:20:16. > :20:34.Confirmation of the women's six kilometres.
:20:35. > :20:42.A strong performance from the entire British team, led by Gemma Steel.
:20:43. > :20:51.Gemma Steel and Emelia Gorecka are long side made. Add a dominant run
:20:52. > :20:54.from start to finish. The look surprised. Yes, because I did it
:20:55. > :20:58.last week and did not have a great run! I turned it round in a week and
:20:59. > :21:04.I am really happy. In terms of the team performance, you came into this
:21:05. > :21:09.and the women knew you had to run strongly. You responded. Yes, there
:21:10. > :21:14.is a bit of pressure there, and the women always polite out of the bag
:21:15. > :21:21.at the end! And pretty muddy underfoot. Was it tricky? Yes. I was
:21:22. > :21:33.quite concerned because I had heard that there were a few tight turns,
:21:34. > :21:41.but I managed to stay on my feet. And Emelia Gorecka, no fear? No
:21:42. > :21:46.fear. I did not know what to expect. I knew I was in good shape. I did
:21:47. > :21:50.not expect to get to the front. I did not expect to do that. I felt
:21:51. > :21:53.good. The last lap was a bit of a struggle, but that is where my hope
:21:54. > :21:58.-- strength will hopefully come through next year. I am really
:21:59. > :22:02.happy. We have got the results coming in. We can take a little look
:22:03. > :22:15.at that now. There we go at the bottom. That makes a good ring. You
:22:16. > :22:29.have one! Brilliant! The icing on the cake. I am really excited.
:22:30. > :22:33.User. What is next? I am trying to get an eighth consecutive win at the
:22:34. > :22:38.national cross, and then I will go on to do some senior races, possibly
:22:39. > :22:40.on the track. Congratulations to both of you. Congratulations to the
:22:41. > :22:57.British team. A race where two names stood out
:22:58. > :23:08.coming into here. Kiprop and Bekele. Kenenisa Bekele was always a
:23:09. > :23:12.bit behind the pace, and did not quite having in his legs. He is
:23:13. > :23:15.focusing on the marathon at the moment. Instead of any of the
:23:16. > :23:22.African talent, it was Arik easily came through, the American, to win.
:23:23. > :23:26.The man from Minnesota had the strongest finish. You might expect
:23:27. > :23:33.that of a middle distance runner over four kilometres. He still had
:23:34. > :23:38.that in his legs at the end. I have Garrett Heath alongside me.
:23:39. > :23:42.Some major scalps there. Yes, you never know what to expect that these
:23:43. > :23:48.races, but you know there will be big names showing up, so I could not
:23:49. > :23:55.be happier. I have been doing a lot of training. I feel like I was never
:23:56. > :24:00.really fit coming off the outdoor season, so really happy. And you
:24:01. > :24:09.look at the likes of Kiprop and get a feel of what it is like? Yes, but
:24:10. > :24:16.those guys, even if they are not in good shape, you know they will be
:24:17. > :24:25.ready to go. It felt good on that second lap. I was able to pull away.
:24:26. > :24:32.Congratulations. You join a prestigious roll of honour. Thank
:24:33. > :24:35.you. Kenenisa Bekele, not the performance
:24:36. > :24:41.we were expecting from you today. How would you evaluate your run. I
:24:42. > :24:48.already started marathon training because I am training long runs, and
:24:49. > :24:59.four kilometres is a bit too short for me now. I don't expect this
:25:00. > :25:08.result, but it is OK. The last lap, with one kilometre left, it is a bit
:25:09. > :25:12.in hospitable because of training. A lot of miles in training. You happy
:25:13. > :25:22.with how you are progressing towards the Paris Marathon? Yes, I am happy.
:25:23. > :25:29.It is my first marathon. I want to run good times. And obviously, Mo
:25:30. > :25:32.Farah does his marathon debut one week later. I think we are all
:25:33. > :25:35.hoping for the time when the two of you will run head-to-head in the
:25:36. > :25:41.marathon. Is that something you look forward to? Yes, not this time, but
:25:42. > :25:53.perhaps next time. We have many more years, so maybe we will join
:25:54. > :26:00.together. But this time, not. I would like to say good luck to him.
:26:01. > :26:06.And good luck to you in Paris. Thank you very much. I am happy to run
:26:07. > :26:07.here. The place is very nice and I like the crowd. I want to thank
:26:08. > :26:18.them. That complete our coverage here from
:26:19. > :26:20.the great Edinburgh Cross country. The next athletics on BBC is on the
:26:21. > :26:34.25th of January on BBC One. The big watch there will be Gregg
:26:35. > :26:39.Rutherford, the Olympic long jump champion getting back into action
:26:40. > :26:46.after a disappointing 2013. And straight after getting off their
:26:47. > :26:47.here, we are heading over to the semifinals of the darts World
:26:48. > :27:03.Championships. Tonight at 10:30pm, on BBC One we
:27:04. > :27:10.have match of the day. Malky Mackay will be talking.
:27:11. > :27:14.That is it from Edinburgh. A perfect way to spend a crisp January
:27:15. > :27:17.afternoon. We have seen some great racing. Once again, it is the
:27:18. > :27:20.British women who have led the way, because Britain have won the
:27:21. > :27:34.International team challenge. Goodbye.
:27:35. > :27:45.There is going to be victory for Garrett Heath. This has been an
:27:46. > :27:48.emphatic performance from Chris Derrick. Victory for Gemma Steel.