The Kenya cross country championship will be held Saturday at Ruiru Prisons Traiining College. KBC Channel 1 will televise the trials

Kenya’s top long distance running talents are set to feature at National cross country championship slated Saturday January 21 at Kenya Prisons Training College- Ruiru.

Both the established and upcoming runners will take to the course to compete in the event that will feature 5 race categories and will be broadcast live on KBC1 beginning at 8.00am.

The championship will feature: Men’s and Women’s 10km races, Under 20 Men’s 6km race, Under 20 Women 6km race and the Universal mixed relay race.

The women’s race whose title is for evryones taking following the absence of last year’s winner Grace Loibach.

Among the front runners for the women’s race is 32 year old Sheila Chepkirui who won the women’s 10,000m Bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Chepkirui a former 5,000m African Champion will however face opposition from emerging talents in recently crowned 10,000m African Champion Caroline Nyaga,2021 World Under 3,000m gold medalist Gateri Teresia Muthoni.

Established runners are also expected to provide stiff opposition with 2022 women’s 42km Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon winner Sheila Chepkech and the half marathon third place finisher Edith Chemjor among the cast on the field.

Over 90 runners drawn from 17 Athletics Kenya affiliates and two runners from Uganda and Tanzania will take on the flat,gravel and natural terrain course.

The corresponding men’s race will feature a total of 109 runners. Defending champion Geoffrey Kamworor skipped tomorrow's championship.

The women’s Under 20 6km race has attracted 66 runners while the men’s 8km race will see a total of 72 athletes battling for the honours.

The mixed relay race,first run at the World Cross Country at the 2017 edition in Kampala,Uganda will feature a total of 14 teams made up of 8 runners each.

The event will double as Kenya’s trial event for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships scheduled for Bathurst Australia on February 18th.

Ethiopia or Kenya has captured every men's title since 1981 and every women's title since 2001. Through 2010, Kenya has won 40 World Cross Country Championships and Ethiopia has won 23.