FARAH AIMING TO CONTINUE PURPLE PATCH AT THE BUPA GREAT EDINBURGH CROSS COUNTRY

Great Britain's Number One distance runner Mo Farah, after the best season of his career last year, will be aiming to continue his purple patch with a victory in the Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country on Saturday.

Farah, the first athlete to score a European Championships 5000m and 10000m double for 20 years in Barcelona, will captain the GB and NI team when it tackles opponents from the United States and a Europe Select side in the inaugural Men's International Team Challenge in Holyrood Park over 8km. The competition, with each squad fielding nine runners, will be decided by the contingent that accumulates the lowest number of points from its first six finishers in the 8km race. Farah, who became the first ever Briton to smash through the 13 minutes barrier for 5000m shortly after his triumph in Barcelona last August, knows not only the team contest but the individual race will be a close call given the high quality of the field. American skipper Galen Rupp, hailed as one of the most exciting American prospects to emerge in recent years, should prove a handful as well as nine-times European cross country champion and captain Sergey Lebid. Lebid and Farah have been involved in some great cross country confrontations in recent years, including a spectacular clash at the Edinburgh meeting in 2007, where the Ukrainian won a close race in a specially arranged 4km contest. Now the stage is set for yet another encounter over what is a demanding course and both stars will be determined to score maximum points to contribute to their respective team's bids for victory in the Team Challenge. The International Men's race which, for the first time, will be held over 4km, brings together a bevy of Olympic, World and European track gold medallists and includes Britain’s 2010 number one over 1500m, Tom Lancashire. Eliud Kipchoge, given his experience of the terrain in Holyrood Park after a victory and three third place finishes over the longer distance on previous visits to the scenic venue, will start a strong contender for victory. But the 2008 Olympic 5000m silver medallist and former world champion will ignore, at his peril, his major rivals, in particular fellow Kenyans Asbel Kiprop and Brimin Kipruto. Kiprop may be better known for his speed which saw him awarded the Olympic 1500m gold medal in Beijing over a year after the disqualification of Bahrain's Moroccan-born drug cheat Rashid Ramzi. But he also has a valid cross country pedigree after winning the 2007 World Junior title. Kipruto has far less experience of the winter orientated discipline but his credentials as reigning Olympic and former world 3000m steeplechase champion, should see him a major player in the title chase - particularly as the field will have to jump obstacles on each circuit of the race. Arturo Casado will also be entering new territory at this level, but the Spanish winner of last summer's European Championships 1500m gold medal, leapt at the opportunity to spearhead the European challenge for honours. Ricky Stevenson, winner of the 2010 race when scoring the biggest win of his career against domestic-only opposition and Nick McCormick, a former two-time winner plus Steve Vernon, a double UK 4km champion when the distance was part of the World Cross Country Championships schedule, also take part. The Women's International race over 6km, which has always been a major highlight of the Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country, has the potential to provide the greatest ever competition given the composition of the star-studded field. Kenya's current world 5000m and 10000m gold medallists Vivian Cheruiyot and Linet Masai - both former world junior cross country champions - are standout figures on the start list but they know a great fight for victory will be on their hands. They line up against an illustrious field of overseas entries which also touts fellow countrywoman Milcah Chemos, Ethiopia's Genzebe Dibaba and Jessica Augusto of Portugal. Cheruiyot will be aiming, at her fifth appearance in Edinburgh, to score a victory after grabbing two second and two third podium places in her previous visits. The world's number one over 5000m last summer is in great shape, completing her campaign with a brilliant victory at the BOClassic 5km victory in Bolzano on New Year's Eve. Masai, despite her youth, has twice placed runner up at the World Cross Country Senior Championships and will be aiming to regain the Edinburgh crown she won in 2009 after finishing second a year earlier. The 21-year-old also scored high profile pre-Christmas victories on the EuroCross circuit with successes in the Cross de l'Acier and Course de l'Escade meetings. Augusto was the runaway winner of last month's European Championships crown and the Portuguese woman faces a formidable task against her African rivals. But the 2009 Bupa Great North Run champion is a determined runner who knows the Edinburgh course well from past appearances. Presently in great shape she easily won the Madrid Sylvester 10km race on New Year's Eve. Dibaba is a two-time world junior cross country champion and world junior 5000m title holder and no one doubts she has the credentials to prove herself at the higher level. If she needs any motivation it is the fact her sister, multi Olympic medallist Tirunesh, has twice been crowned Edinburgh champion while fellow Ethiopian Gelete Burka has claimed victory on three occasions. Chemos has come on leaps and bounds since taking the 2009 world 3000m steeplechase bronze medal and last year was ranked number one over the distance after winning last summer's overall Samsung Diamond League title and the Commonwealth Games gold medal. She has the credentials to improve on her sixth position in Edinburgh a year ago. Three-time European junior cross country champion Steph Twell, who has finished fourth on two occasions in Edinburgh will be joined by the ageless double Olympic marathon runner Liz Yelling and Hattie Dean, top British finisher in last month's European Championships. Scotland’s Freya Murray, the Bupa Great South Run runner up last October who was hoping to spearhead the British challenge, has been forced to withdraw with a foot injury but fellow Scot Steph Twell, Commonwealth 1500m bronze medallist will be flying the flag for the home nation. All events will be broadcast live on BBC One on Saturday between 1pm and 2.30pm. The day also includes the 5k Bupa Junior Great Winter Run and the 2.5k Bupa Junior Great Winter Run where over 2000 runners of all abilities will take part in the mass participation events around Arthurs Seat. Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer for EventScotland said, “The Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country and Winter Run are the perfect way to kick off the New Year and the year of Active Scotland. “EventScotland are happy to be supporting this event once again that supports both elite sport and mass participation which captures the essence of the year ahead. The main aims of the year of Active Scotland are to raise the profile of Scotland as an active country and an active holiday destination; and inspire Scotland’s people and visitors to take part and enjoy the benefits of sport and physical activity.” Ends Editors Notes Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country 2011- New format The Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country has changed its title for 2011 and was formerly known as the Bupa Great Edinburgh International Cross Country. The 2011 Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country will consist of 3 races, with a new International Team Challenge event. • Men’s short race: Britain’s number one, Tom Lancashire in 2010 takes on the Olympic and European 1500m champions. • Women’s race: GB 2012 hopefuls go head to head against the World 5000m and 10000m champions in the best quality cross Country in the world. • Men’s International Team Challenge: Mo Farah, double European champion, leads the GB team into action against the best of the USA and Europe in the inaugural international team challenge. Up against 9 times European champion Sergey Lebid and a strong US team, can Farah lead the British team to victory? Each country competing in the International Team Challenge will consist of nine athletes per team and the first six athletes to complete the course will receive a score based on their position. The team with the lowest overall score wins. Entry into Holyrood Park is free for spectators and organisers are encouraging the public to take advantage of the opportunity to see the world’s best athletes compete, as well as the cream of young Scottish athletes on show within the main events and the Scottish Inter District Championships. The Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country completes an exciting day of running in Holyrood Park, which starts as hundreds of youngsters take part in the 2.5km Bupa Junior Great Winter Run followed by thousands runners of all abilities taking on the 5km Bupa Great Winter Run. Both events are part of the Bupa Great Run series, organised by Nova International, also organisers of the Bupa Great North Run and the Bupa Great Edinburgh Run. Nova International The Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country Run and Bupa Great Winter Run are brought to you by a partnership between the City of Edinburgh Council, EventScotland and event organisers Nova International and are sponsored by Bupa. Nova International, headed by Olympic medallist Brendan Foster is one of the UK’s leading event management and sports marketing agencies. The company’s current brand portfolio also includes some of the biggest running events in the world all based on the Bupa Great North Run, the world’s biggest half marathon with over 54,000 entries. Nova International was established in 1988 and has a strong sporting pedigree. Based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Nova has established itself as a market leader in the world of sports marketing and event management. For more information please visit www.greatrun.org. Bupa Bupa’s purpose is to help people lead longer, healthier, happier lives. A leading international healthcare provider, we offer personal and company health insurance, run care homes for older people and hospitals, and provide workplace health services, health assessments and chronic disease management services, including health coaching, and home healthcare. With no shareholders, we invest our profits to provide more and better healthcare. We are committed to making quality, patient-centred, affordable healthcare more accessible in the areas of wellness, chronic disease management and ageing. Employing over 50,000 people, Bupa has operations around the world, principally in the UK, Australia, Spain, New Zealand and the USA, as well as Hong Kong, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, India, China and across Latin America. For more information, visit www.bupa.com City of Edinburgh Council This event is part of the City of Edinburgh Council's Activcity programme, which promotes sport and physical activity events throughout the city. The Bupa Great Winter Run is a great example of an event which helps the people of Edinburgh to get active! www.eventsedinburgh.org.uk. Edinburgh's sporting calendar for 2011 is shaping up to be truly exhilarating, the Touch Rugby World Cup in June, the Nocture City Centre Cycle Race in July, and the Golden Oldies World Hockey the World Karate Championships in September just a taster of what is on offer. For more information, visit www.eventsedinburgh.org.uk. EventScotland EventScotland is the national events agency. EventScotland is working to make Scotland one of the world’s leading event destinations. By developing an exciting portfolio of sporting and cultural events EventScotland is helping to raise Scotland’s international profile and boost the economy by attracting more visitors. For further information about EventScotland, its funding programmes and latest event news visit www.EventScotland.org Active Scotland Notes • The year of Active Scotland is a Scottish Government initiative and is one of a series of focus years and a legacy from Homecoming Scotland 2009 , being delivered by EventScotland and VisitScotland, supported by sportscotland, NHS Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and the National Trust for Scotland, as key strategic partners, beginning on the 1st January 2011 • VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland. For more information and the latest news visit www.visitscotland.org For more information on things to do during the year of Active Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com/active • EventScotland is the national events agency that promotes Scotland as the perfect stage. Through their portfolio of events they aim to encourage and inspire everyone to get active. For more information on events in the year of Active Scotland go to www.eventscotland.org

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