Clare Elms, fresh from a world record-breaking year, goes for a 30th medal in the event while Scot Fiona Matheson chases a ninth overall victory at the British and Irish Masters Cross Country Championships in Dublin.

The British and Irish Masters Cross Country Championships will be held for the 37th time this Saturday (Nov 14) in Dublin.

The five competing nations take it in turns to host and this is the sixth time Dublin has been the venue but the first time the Sport Ireland Campus at Abbotstown has been used.

It was notably the venue for the 2021 European Championships, where Jakob Ingebrigtsen impressively won the men’s race, Britain won golds in the mixed relays and the women’s and men’s under-20 team races, and there were individual golds for Charles Hicks in the under-23s and Megan Keith in the under-20s.

The masters event has been held every year since 1988, except for the two Covid years of 2020 and 2021, and England has dominated overall apart from the last two times it has been held away from Great Britain, in 2022 and 2024.

England was a comfortable overall winner last year in Leeds but, with home advantage, Ireland is probably the marginal overall favourite as quite a few of England’s 2025 winners are not making the expensive trip to Dublin.

However, it still looks a top-class event and, in terms of depth and quality, can probably be regarded as consistently the best masters cross-country race in the world, given that the various European and World Masters events are held alongside track events and are usually dominated by the hosts.

The number of age groups has grown since 1988 – the oldest race at the inaugural event 38 years ago was an over-50 event – and the first race this time is the mixed over-65 event.

11.30am Over-65 and above (6km)

M65

Defending champion Ifan Lloyd is absent but his Welsh team-mate David Warren, who ran the same time as Lloyd last year in Leeds, returns. Wales is unlikely to repeat team gold without Lloyd.

Ireland has a strong quartet led by World Mountain seventh-placer and trials winner Conor Nolan. They also field Olympian and M60 world masters marathon record-setter Tommy Hughes, who ran 2:30:02 and was second M55 in 2019 to Leach, and former M60 medallist Kevin Griffin.

English champion Pete Knight should also challenge alongside four-time winner and team-mate Bob Atkinson, who previously won gold at M40 in 2000, M50 in 2011 and M55 in 2013 and 2014.

Scotland also has a strong team led by last year’s fourth-placer David Thom and trials winner Scott Elliott.

Northern Ireland’s trials winner was Dave Clarke, who won world masters medals at 800m, 1500m and 5000m in Korea this year, and he should also place highly if he can convert his track form to the country.

M70

Northern Ireland gained a one-two and won the team event last year but Matt Shields and Gerry O’Doherty don’t appear to be quite as fit this year.

Wales’ Alan Davies, who won the M65 title in 2018, looks the favourite on 10km form.

Multiple world and European track champion Joe Gough was second in 2022 and 2024, won the Irish trials and is his most likely challenger.

In probably the most open team contest of the day, Scotland could push Ireland close, led by trials winner Brian Urquhart, while English champion Barry Greaves and British Masters’ Athletic Federation 1500m champion Dave Bedwell will ensure England is also to the fore.

M75

The 2024 world steeplechase medallist Dave Cundy won the title for Wales last year and should again feature highly.

Multiple European medallist Ron Cattle was second last year but was behind Arthur Daley in the English Championships, so England might be hard pressed to defend.

The 2024 champion Martin McEvilly, who regularly competed for Herne Hill Harriers, was the trials winner and has also won an M60 and two M65 titles. He heads a strong Irish team alongside last year’s third-placer Paraic Sweeney.

Northern Ireland’s Terry Eakin just lost to McEvilly in 2024 but has won M65 and M70 titles in the past. Their trials winner Brian Stewart will also challenge.

Little is known of Scottish trials winner Terry Osborne, who is absent from Power of 10, but at the trials he easily beat last year’s fifth-placer Malcolm Hammond.

Former BMAF champion Alex Sutherland ensures Scotland will be medal challengers.

M80

Last year’s winner Pete Giles of England is absent and only individual medals are up for grabs, with European masters half-marathon medallist Geoff Newton the favourite in an unsurprisingly sparsely attended age group.

Women

W65

The women run alongside the men in these age groups.

England’s ultra-consistent Monica Williamson defends but the clear favourite is Scot Fiona Matheson. Matheson set a world record over 3000m at the BMAF Championships and goes for her ninth overall victory, having previously won multiple golds in the W50, W55 and W60 categories.

Scotland has a strong team to back her up, as does defending champion England, whose squad includes last year’s runner-up and former winner Sue Cordingley and world and European walks champion Susan Payne. The latter won a world masters team running title at 10km last year.

Ireland is likely to be led by European masters half-marathon and world masters marathon champion Irene Clements, while Wales’ challenge will be led by world masters 800m runner-up Cath Wheeler.

W70

Ireland’s Chris Kennedy returns, as does their second-placed Jo Martin, but the clear favourite is their team-mate Pauline Moran.

The three-time W65 and double W60 winner goes for her sixth overall title as she enters a new age group.

England will find it hard to defend but English champion Sue Clarke and former winner Sue Haslam should place highly.

Scotland also has a good team led by trials winner Mary Martin.

W75

With defending champion Margaret Glavey absent, former W70 winner Eileen Kenny is a clear favourite, having won last year’s European title ahead of world masters athlete of the year Sarah Roberts.

Last year’s third-placed Jeanette Craig of Scotland looks her biggest challenger in an age group where no team title is contested because of relatively small numbers.

12.30pm Women’s W35-W64 race (6km)

W35

Last year’s overall winner Morag Miller moves up an age group so there will be a new champion. It looks open, with Lisa Madden possibly the favourite based on her 80-second win in the Irish trials on this course.

The 2024 champion Sharon Rynne is also in the Irish team but was only tenth last year.

Former medallist Jennifer Wetton leads the Scottish challenge as the team attempts to defend its title. English trials winner Rachel Bourne is also a potential medallist. Northern Ireland has a strong team with 2:35 marathoner Judith Storm in its quartet.

W40

Former European senior champion Gemma Steel returns but all three of last year’s W35 medallists move up and were ahead of her in Leeds in 2025.

Apart from Miller, so impressive last year, the 2022 overall winner Sinead O’Connor of Ireland and England’s Katie Latham also return from last year’s podium, but Steel bettered Latham in this year’s English Championships.

It should be a close team contest between last year’s podium of England, Ireland and Scotland, with the latter also able to call upon former W40 winner Sara Green and 2:36 marathoner Becky Penty.

W45

Ireland’s strong packing in the trials suggests a strong quintet led by Fiona Gettings and former winner Michelle Kenny.

Former medallist, senior international and ex-BMAF champion Juliet Potter moves up an age group and runs alongside her twin sister Jane, but England could be hard pressed to defend the age-group team contest.

Scotland should also challenge, headed by trials winner Sandy McDougall, though two-time W35 champion Michelle Sandison could also be among the medals.

W50

This should be the highest-quality age group in Dublin even though England’s Kate Rennie doesn’t defend her title and attempt a fourth successive gold. Runner-up Mary James returns and features in a very strong English team full of big names.

British long-course hill running champion Helen Haigh dominated the English Championships and trials, but perhaps the marginal favourite is the 2019 overall women’s winner Kirsty Longley, who has set British W50 bests at 10km and the half-marathon this year. Longley was third W45 last year.

It isn’t clear-cut favouritism, though, as former junior international Alice Braham, who has also set British W50 bests this year at 10 miles and the marathon, had a storming run in the London Championships last weekend.

English overall captain Clare Martin also competes and has eight previous victories but is not quite in the form that saw her dominate between 2010 and 2016.

Scotland’s overall trials winner Lesley Bell, a former British masters indoor 1500m record-setter, looks the most likely to deny an English clean sweep, but Ireland also has a strong team, with last year’s bronze medallist Catriona Devine possibly its best hope.

W55

Annette Kealy goes for her sixth title but the 2005 over-35 winner lost last year to England’s Kate Ramsey, who is absent this year. Northern Ireland’s Eloisoa Crawford, who was second in the 2023 W50 race, looks the other favourite.

Rachel Cooke won the English title as England attempts to defend the team contest, with former UK marathon age-group record-holder and former medallist Sue McDonald also competing.

W60

Clare Elms goes for her third successive W60 title and eighth overall after a world record-breaking year over 1500m, the mile, 3000m, 5km and five miles. England also has a strong quartet and, if Elms picks up both an individual and team medal, it will be her 30th medal in the event.

Niamh O’Sullivan, who won the overall women’s race in 2004 and 2005, was second to Elms last year and returns alongside bronze medallist Kay Byrne in a strong defending Irish team. The same trio was also on the podium in 2024 and 2019 and could be again here.

1.15pm Men’s race M35-M64 (8km)

In recent years the M50-M60 races have been held separately but here they are combined with the younger age groups, which means the older winners often get lost among the younger runners.

M35

The overwhelming favourite is Scotland’s Kevin Campbell, who won overall in 2024 and this year ran 13:50 for 5km to miss the British M35 best by a second.

His endurance is good too – he finished sixth in the senior race at the IAU World 50km Championships this year – and he could also win team gold, with Scotland strong here too.

Sean Doyle won the Irish trials and should win a medal, while Ben Robinson, who was fourth last year, leads the English team, which might find it hard to defend with some of its members moving up an age group.

M40

Lee Gratton easily won the M35 title last year and also took gold in 2023 but trailed Campbell in 2024. He is in top form again, having beaten John Beattie, an England 10,000m representative at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, by a minute in the English Championships despite the latter being in 14:11 5km form.

Sergiu Ciobanu won the Irish trials and the former Moldovan, who ran for Ireland in the marathon at the 2018 European Championships, looks the best of the rest as Ireland and Scotland should contest the other medals. Scotland is led by trials winner Ian Whitaker.

M45

Wales’ debutant and 2:14 marathoner Andrew Davies looks the favourite based on his 5km and 10km form.

Last year’s M40 bronze medallist Niall Shanahan won the Irish trials, while an interesting team-mate is Eoin Flynn, who is a regular in Ireland’s senior team for the World Mountain and Trail Championships.

Scotland could challenge as last year’s second and third Neil Lafferty and Grant Baillie return alongside trials winner Greg Walker.

Jon Hart won the English title easily and should improve on his ninth place last year, but England, without last year’s winner Alastair Watson, will be hard pressed to defend the title.

M50

Scotland’s Jim Tole doesn’t defend in what looks like an open event. England is the defending team, with a squad led by English champion Jamie Arnold and European 10,000m medallist Mike Burrett.

Ireland is favourite, though, led by trials winner Brian McElvanna, who was fourth M45 in 2022, and Declan Reed, who was second in the same race four years ago.

Brent Brodie, a 2025 world masters medallist, leads the Scottish team alongside trials winner Justin Carter.

Huw Evans, who won the BMAF title a decade ago, heads the Welsh squad.

M55

In-form English champion Anthony O’Brien defends and the team also tries to match its 2025 victory, with 2025 runner-up Francois Rafferty in the squad.

Ireland should be their biggest challenger and the 2023 and 2024 M50 champion Declan Toal will be hard to beat based on his victory in the trials on this course.

Northern Ireland has a genuine medal contender in 2024 runner-up Eamon White, who was also second at M50 in 2019.

Scotland’s trials winner Paul Monaghan has moved into the age group and could challenge alongside Stephen Allen, who was fourth last year.

M60

Pauric McKinney narrowly won last year to follow his previous M50 and M55 victories, and he leads a strong Irish team out to retake the team title from England.

The 2024 winner Andrew Leach, who also won an M55 title in 2019, followed the Irishman closely last year and should again win a medal on the strength of his recent English title.

Terry Booth has moved into the age group since the championships and trials, was fifth M55 in 2024 and edged Leach in a recent road 5km.

James Austin, who was fifth last year, won the Scottish trials, while Lee Aherne looks Wales’ best hope.

2.15pm Open race

The programme ends with an open race for spectators and team reserves.

Sadly, time constraints mean the men’s and women’s race is 6km and the over-65 races are 4.5km, which makes comparisons with the international races meaningless for all the men and older women’s age groups.