Leading athletes from universities and colleges around the UK will race at Horsenden Hill in Middlesex on Saturday

The British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Cross Country Championships returns for the first time since 2020 due to the Covid pandemic with student endurance athletes descending on Horsenden Hill in Middlesex on February 5.

Two years ago the winners included Anna Emilie Møller of St Mary’s and Mahamed Mahamed of Solent University at Holyrood Park in Edinburgh.

In the team stakes, Jess Judd led Loughborough to victory in the women’s race while St Mary’s won the men’s long race title.

This weekend around 1600 athletes are expected to compete at one of the most atmospheric cross-country events on the domestic calendar which often sees many of the runners wearing face paint in the colours of their university.

Among the contenders in the women’s race are Abbie Donnelly and Grace Carson of Loughborough. Donnelly was 12th in the women’s race at the European Cross Country Championships in December while Carson won the women’s short-course BUCS title in 2020.

Amelia Quirk of Birmingham University will be tough to beat, too, judging by her recent form which includes a 15:27.75 win over 5000m at the BMC Indoor Grand Prix in Sheffield last month.

Watch out as well for Juliet Hodder and Becky Briggs of St Mary’s and Quirk’s team-mate at Birmingham, Saskia Millard.

In the men’s race Matt Stonier leads the Loughborough challenge along with Angus McMillan. St Mary’s are always strong and their team includes Henry McLuckie and Alex Ediker.

Birmingham, meanwhile, have a strong squad led by Will Barnicoat and Will Battershill.

The programme kicks off with the women’s 6km at 11.30am followed by the men’s 8km at 12.15pm, the women’s 8km long race at 1.15pm and men’s 10km long race at 2.15pm.

Whatever happens on Saturday, keep your eye on the names of the medallists in coming years. Back in 2019 the men’s long race saw Emile Cairess out-kick Patrick Dever in a close race, with Dever going on to win the NCAA 10,000m title in the United States and Cairess equalling Mo Farah’s UK 10km record on the roads last month.

Other notable recent winners include Alex Yee, too, who has since gone on to make the Olympic podium in triathlon.