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The NCAA and high school levels aren’t the only ones who get to race on the cross-country course. For the first time since 2019, the World Athletics Cross-Country Championships are back, this time in Bathurst, Australia. Who will take home the titles, and how do you watch the action? Everything you need to know is below.
How to Watch 2023 World Athletics Cross-Country Championships
Where: Bathurst, Australia
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When: 11:30 p.m. EST to 2:30 a.m. EST on Friday, February 17
How to watch: The event streams on Peacock starting at 11:20 p.m. EST on February 17.
Streaming schedule
Times below are in EST. All events stream on Peacock.
- 11:30 p.m. — 4 x 2K mixed relay
- 12:10 a.m. — Women’s under-20 6K
- 12:50 a.m. — Men’s under-20 8K
- 1:30 a.m. — Women’s 10K
- 2:30 a.m. — Men’s 10K
Race previews
A pair of Ugandans headline men’s race
The world cross-country championships haven’t been run since 2019, when Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei won. The victory propelled him into stardom, as he broke both the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter world records and snagged a handful of gold medals on the track. He’s back to defend his title but has his work cut out for him—countrymate Jacob Kiplimo owns a few global medals and the half marathon world record, while Ethiopian Selemon Barega is the defending Olympic 10,000-meter champion.
Can any woman beat Letesenbet Gidey?
Similar to the men’s race, the world record holder headlines a stellar field. Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia is fantastic across all distances, not only winning world championship titles on the track, but also running really fast marathons. How will she fare on grass and dirt? Well, she’s won two under-20 world cross-country golds, so that bodes well. Her biggest competitor? Probably Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi, who owns the world record in the 2,000 meters.
Mixed relay promises a fun finish
In the mixed relay event, spectators are treated to two men and two women from each country cover 2,000 meters before handing off to a teammate for the next leg. There are some familiar faces on the U.S. team: Emma Coburn and Heather MacLean.
Chris Hatler is a writer and editor based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but before joining Runner’s World and Bicycling, he was a pro runner for Diadora, qualifying for multiple U.S. Championships in the 1500 meters. At his alma mater the University of Pennsylvania, Chris was a multiple-time Ivy League conference champion and sub-4 minute miler.
