Athletes from all over Ireland will descend on the Curragh in Kildare on Sunday to contest the Woodie’s DIY Inter-Counties & Juvenile Cross-Country Championships of Ireland - one of the premier events on the Athletics Ireland winter fixtures calendar. The course for this year’s championships has been specially chosen by Irish International Cross-Country Team Manager and former Olympian Anne Keenan Buckley, who requested a flat and fast course as the ideal race conditions for the athletes who will be selected for the Irish teams to compete in the European Cross-Country Championships in Toro, Spain on December 9. The Championships will serve as the trials for these European Championships, with the first three across the line gaining selection for Toro. Mark Christie of Westmeath and Fionnuala Britton, who represents Wicklow, are both expected to defend their senior titles. As with last year, the men’s and women’s senior races will incorporate the under 23 national championship. Mark Christie will face stern competition in the men’s senior event over 10,000 metres – especially from Dublin cross country champion Joe Sweeney and his Dublin team mate, Vinny Mulvey. Among the other strong contenders for the title will be Gary Murray of Donegal and Gareth Turnbull from Antrim. Fionnuala Britton will again start favourite to win the women’s senior race but she will be mindful that her Wicklow team-mate, Deirdre Byrne finished ahead of her to win the recent Gerry Farnan cross country race in the Phoenix Park. Britton is just back to full training following a worrying period of illness and injury but her recent good showing in a European Permit cross-country event in Tilburg, Holland will have greatly helped her confidence. Other contenders for the top spot in the women’s senior race include Rosemary Ryan of Limerick who last month ran 2 hours 39 minutes for the marathon in Berlin, and Linda Byrne of Duiblin. There should be an exciting contest too for the under 23 women’s title with Linda Byrne and Rose-Anne Galligan from Kildare the main contenders. The junior women’s field is also strong and here the Ffrench O’Carroll twins- Charlotte- favourite- and Rebecca from Dublin will have strong opposition from Susanne Huet from Dublin, Sara Treacy, Meath and Ciara Mageean from Antrim.. Brendan O’Neill from Dublin has been dominant in the junior men’s ranks this season and he will start favourite to win the junior men’s event. Other contenders will include the Dublin trio of John Coghlan, David Rooney and David Flynn. Other contenders include Stephen Scullion from Antrim and Brian Markham of Clare. The under 23 men’s championship should prove an intriguing contest between defending champion Mark Christie, Joe Sweeney, Mick Clohissey, (Dublin), Cathal Dennehy, (Limerick) , Mark Hanrahan, (Cork) and Danny Darcy, (Carlow). Brian Dowling from Kildare Athletics (County Board), who host the event said that this is only the second time in recent years that a national athletics championships has been staged in Kildare. “We have a great team of volunteers working on the event, which we will co-host with Athletics Ireland and the Defence Forces at the Curragh,” Dowling said. There will also be a full programme of juvenile events in the even ages of Under 12,14,16 and 18. Start Times: Juvenile Races: 12 noon- under 12,14,16 and 18 Woodie’s DIY Cross Country Championships of Ireland Rest of Programme: Senior Women & Under 23 Championship, 8,000 metres Start Time: 1pm, Junior Women, 4,000metres, Start: 1.35pm, Junior Men, 6,000 metres, Senior Men & Under 23 Championship, 10,000 metres, Start Time: 2.30pm. Further information from: Frank Greally, Athletics Ireland. Telephone: 087-2569690 email: editor@irishrunner.ie