The path to Tallahassee for the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships hits a crossroad at Canberra’s Stromlo Forest Park this Friday, where Leanne Pompeani and Morgan McDonald headline deep fields all gunning for one thing – an Australian tracksuit in January.
The nation’s premier distance runners have flocked to the event with names like Olympian McDonald (NSW) and Australian marathon champion Pompeani (ACT, Des Proctor) set to lead the charge for selection, which is guaranteed for only the top two athletes in each of the Open 10km events.
Pompeani already has three vests to her name on the world stage in the discipline, none greater than her valiant 22nd place finish at the 2023 instalment of the championships on home soil in Bathurst, but the versatile distance runner will have her work cut out for her in the form of Australian cross country champion Bronte Oates (NSW, Katie St Lawrence) and Holly Campbell (ACT, Jeremy Roff).
The local product who trains on the Stromlo Forest course regularly is determined to leave nothing to chance, confident in her ability to take down the star-studded field which also features Maudie Skyring (VIC, Craig Mottram), Caitlin Adams (SA, Adam Didyk) and Ruby Smee (TAS, Susan Andrews).
“I’m excited to be racing the World Cross Country Trials! Canberra is home and I don’t get to race here very often, so I’m excited to be racing on a home course and to have my family, friends and teammates out cheering,” Pompeani said.
“My goal is to run hard and solidify my spot on the team. It would be pretty special to make this team and my fourth World Cross Country Championships. Cross country is never easy and there are a lot of fast and gritty women in this field, which will make this race even tougher.”
The Open Men’s 10km event will be equally spicy, as McDonald returns down under from his US base to face World Championships representatives Seth O’Donnell (VIC, Andrew Russell) and Cameron Myers (ACT, Dick Telford), while Zach Facioni (VIC, Craig Mottram) will look to continue his cross country reign having won the Australian title in August.
A two-time Olympian, McDonald is chasing his first World Athletics Cross Country Championships start since 2015 where he raced in the junior ranks, while Ed Marks (VIC), Isaac Heyne (SA, Adam Didyk) and Andre Waring (VIC, Steve Dinneen) are more names who will throw their hat in the ring as the sun sets on Friday night in Canberra.
The Under 20 men will race over 8km, where 41 juniors will put their name forward for no more than six positions on the Australian team, with Charles Barrett (VIC, Charlotte Wilson) flexing his form at last week’s Victorian 5000m Championships with a performance of 14:03.49.
Isabella Valinoti (QLD, Lizel Moore) was a runaway winner at the Australian Cross Country Championships in August when winning the Under 20 event by 50-seconds at 17-years-old, now hoping to repeat that feat when meeting rivals Imogen Baker (VIC, Peter Schuwalow) and Libby Mantay (QLD, Sharon & Daniel Iselin) in the 6km showdown.
The 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships will be held in Tallahassee, Florida on January 10.
Entry lists, timetables and live results can be found via the links below:
2026 World Cross Country Selection Trials
By Lachlan Moorhouse, Australian Athletics
Posted 26/11/2025
