NI & Ulster Athletes Invited to Register Interest for 2025-26 International Cross-Country Events

The first event will take place on Saturday 7 February 2025 at Parliament Hill, London, running in conjunction with the Home Nations International and the British Cross Challenge. Selection will be made exclusively for Under-20 men’s and women’s teams, with a maximum of four athletes per team. To be eligible, competitors must be under 20 on 31 December 2026.

The second event is scheduled for Thursday 12 February 2026 on The Mall in Armagh, with international team selections made in advance. A 5km race for senior men and a 3km race for senior women will feature, with up to four athletes selected per category.

Athletes hoping to be considered for either team must submit an expression of interest to Mark Kirk via email at mark.kirk@athleticsni.org before midnight on 11 January 2026. Athletics NI has confirmed that this submission is a mandatory requirement for selection, and athletes will receive confirmation via email.

The selection panels for both events will base decisions on athletes’ current form, recent results, and competition history across comparable distances (for road and track in Armagh, and cross-country for the London event). Selection will aim to secure the strongest possible teams, and the committees reserve the right to apply discretion where necessary.

Panel meetings will take place during the week beginning 11 January 2026, with final selections to be confirmed and published on the Athletics NI website shortly afterwards.

For more information:

Home Nations XC

Armagh Road Races