From the New York Marathon to the European Cross Country Championships, there is still plenty of athletics left this year
Even though the thermometer certainly doesnt seem to be trending this way, summer has finally come to an end. Most of the biggest athletics events of the year have already happened. Before the rain and snow of fall and winter set in in earnest, there are still a few major athletics events on the calendar to look forward to.
In fact, across much of the Northern Hemisphere, the cooler weather of November and early December make them perfect months for running. They may not be consistently dry, but many of us consider that a fair price to pay for not being so painfully hot. In fact, wed be willing to bet that most professional runners would choose a bit of rain over the heat thats been plaguing the US and Europe this summer.
If you enjoy betting on sports, being an athletics fan can be a bit frustrating. Outside of the Olympics, marathons and relays are rarely available to bet on. Sports such as football and baseball are too stationary to be super appealing to running fans looking for a betting alternative. Soccer, on the other hand, is truly a runners sport. Betting on the MLS is the best way to enjoy sports betting if you cant find odds on the races you care about.
You might not be able to put money on most of these races, but the next few months still have some top tier athletics events. No matter what, theyre worth watching or following.
Saucony English Cross Country Relay Championships November 5th
The English Cross Country Relay Championships will be held at Berry Hill Park in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. It is a full race day, with events taking place from 10am through to 3pm. The final two events of the day are the senior womens 3x3km and the senior mens 4x5km. While this where most of the elite competitors will be, those interested in the up and coming generation of runners will want to watch the earlier races.
The other events are divided into boys and girls under-13 (3x2km), under-15 (3x2km), and under- 17 (32.5km for women and 3x3km for men) and the junior men and women (for ages 17-19). The junior mens and womens events are 3x3km and 32.5km, respectively.
English Cross Country Relays (Mark Shearman)
TCS New York City Marathon, November 6th
The first weekend in November is also the host for one of the biggest and most important marathons in the world the New York City Marathon. The New York City Marathon is in fact the biggest marathon, with over 50,000 finishers in recent years. It is also one of the World Marathon Majors.
There are a number of ways to qualify for the race and avoid the lottery system. The primary one is referred to as the 9+1 program. To qualify, you must complete 9 qualifying races and volunteer at 1 race. If you cant volunteer, there is also an option to donate $1000 to the youth charities of the New York Road Runners instead.
The New York City Marathon takes runners through all 5 boroughs of the city. It begins on Staten Island and ends in Central Park and unlike some urban marathon courses, it is essentially a straight line through the city rather than a looping zigzag course.
SPAR European Cross Country Championships, December 11th
This years European Cross Country Championships will be held at Piemonte-La Mandria Park in Turin. The day will open with the under-20 mens and womens races and finish with the senior mens and womens races. Between these there will also be the mixed relay and the under 23 mens and womens races.
One of the most exciting facts about this years championships is that were likely to see some young runners who have recently moved from the junior to senior categories. Both Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Yasemin Can made waves at the last Italian-held championships in Chia in 2016 and look set to repeat their performances in Turin.
Early 2023
With so few races left this year, its worthwhile to take a quick look at the schedule for the start of 2023 as well. Things are fairly quiet until March and then in April marathon season truly begins.
The Paris Marathon will be held on April 2nd, the Boston Marathon on April 17th, and the London Marathon will return to its traditional spring date and be held on April 23rd. The month will be rounded out with the less prestigious but incredibly beautiful Big Sur International Marathon on April 30th.