SPIKES previews the traditional pre-Christmas mud-fest that is the 19th SPAR European Cross Country Championships, which takes place on Sunday 9th December.

The #eurocross is where Europe’s best endurance runners do battle with nature and each other, across mud and, sometimes, hills on a chilly December morning. An annual event, first contested in 1994, it is the high point of the winter for many top European distance runners.

So will we see double Olympic champion Mo Farah at this year’s event?

Afraid not. Mo is missing this year’s race, although he got his boots and legs dirty to win his first major international senior title in the 2006 edition. We could see the next Mo Farah competing this weekend…

Where is it?

The small Hungarian town of Szentendre, which is about 20km from Budapest. The course is actually situated at the Szentendre Open Air Museum.

At a museum, eh? So what artefacts from the past will the runners have to dodge? 

Thankfully, that won’t be the case. However, organisers promise that the museum will provide a slice of Hungary’s past with 100-200 year-old houses on site.

Isn’t that about the same age as Ukrainian cross country phenomenon Sergiy Lebid?

Don’t be cheeky, he’s only 37, although he seems to have been around forever. He will be bidding for what would be his tenth, yes tenth, men’s senior title. He’s also, remarkably, the only man to compete in all 18 previous European Cross Country Championships, first winning the race in 1998.

Okay, his record is amazing but can he really be a contender at the age of 37?

He should not be dismissed. His last European Cross Country victory came in 2010, although last year his preparations were badly hampered by injury and a bit too much snow at his training base. Lebid failed to finish in 2011 but says he’s in much better shape this time round for the near-10km race.

Who is likely to challenge the Ukrainian cross country legend?

Well, the defending champion, Ethiopian-born Atelaw Bekele of Belgium has to be respected. However, his presence in the race is controversial. Bekele is awaiting a December 17th hearing into a doping violation, for missing three out of competition tests. Watch out also for Spain’s 2010 and 2011 silver medallist, 31-year-old Ayad Lamdassem.

Isn’t there a team prize also up for grabs?

Yes, there is. Each nation can enter a maximum of six athletes with the first four across the finish line all scoring points towards their team. Last year, France’s men edged Great Britain to take gold.

Okay, so who should we watch out for in the women’s senior race?

Defending champion Fionnuala Britton of Ireland appears to be in good form after finishing fourth in a high-class field in Atapuerca, Spain last month. However, she is fighting the tide of history as no woman in the previous 18 editions has ever mounted a successful defence of the title.  

If not the Irishwoman called Britton, then who?

Portugal look set to mount a strong challenge led by Ana Dulce Felix, who has won individual bronze and silver medals at the past two editions. Her team-mate Sara Moreira, the two-time European 5000m bronze medallist, could also feature. Keep an eye out for Belgium’s Almensch Bekele, an impressive winner in Roeselare last month, who will be keen to make her mark over the 8km distance.

Are there junior races as well?

Yes. Six races will take place across one very busy day of mud-splattering action. It starts with the junior women’s race (for under-20 athletes), followed by the junior men’s race and then the under-23 races for both men and women, and finally the seniors.

Where can I catch the action?

Television viewers in the UK can see the action between 12.00-13.45 on BBC Two this Sunday. There will also be live streaming with English commentary on the European Athletics Live website.