Supporters brave wind and wet to see cross-country race worth £2 million

Published on 30/03/2008 22:01

THOUSANDS of athletics fans braved wet and windy conditions to cheer on competitors in the World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh.

Holyrood Park was the spectacular setting for yesterday's showpiece, which featured runners from 79 countries.

More than 10,000 spectators turned out for the first world cross-country event to be staged in Scotland since Glasgow's Bellahouston Park played host in 1978. Edinburgh mounted a bid to host the event after the successful staging of the 2003 European Cross Country Championships at Holyrood Park.

It is thought Edinburgh's economy will benefit to the tune of around 2million as a result of yesterday's event, which saw Ethiopian athletes scooping all four of the top prizes.

Kenenisa Bekele became the first man to win the world cross-country championship long-course title six times. Tirunesh Dibaba, champion in 2005 and 2006, took the women's race.