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The spotlight will be on Lucy Mawia, one of the most accomplished racers in the World Cross Country Tour, as she aims for a third consecutive victory in Soria during the World Cross County Tour

Mawia, who secured victories in Soria in 2021 and 2022, is seeking to maintain her winning streak.

Lucy Mawia run

The Kenyan, also the winner of last season’s World Cross Country Tour, started her current cross-country campaign with a commendable third-place finish in Amorebieta before securing the sixth position in Atapuerca.

However, Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw, a strong contender, opened her season with a win in Amorebieta and a fourth-place finish in Atapuerca, both instances finishing ahead of Mawia. Amebaw’s consistent performance, with margins of 27 seconds in Amorebieta and 48 seconds in Atapuerca, positions the Spain-based 25-year-old as the favorite.

The competitive lineup also features Ethiopia’s Asayech Ayichew, a notable 5000m performer with a time of 15:06.35, Micheline Niyomahoro from Burundi, France’s Alessia Zarbo (fourth in Amorebieta), and Hungary’s Lili Anna Vindics-Toth, who competed in the steeplechase at the Tokyo Olympics.

Lucy Mawia’s competitors

Among the local contenders are Marta García, boasting a 15:02.11 5000m performance and a top-10 finish in Atapuerca, 1500m specialist Águeda Marqués, and steeplechaser Irene Sánchez-Escribano.

Soria has a history of hosting notable victors, including Ethiopia’s 2000 Olympic 5000m champion Million Wolde, Kenya’s 2001 world 10,000m champion Charles Kamathi, 1997 world 10,000m champion Sally Barsosio, Eritrea’s 2007 world cross country champion Zersenay Tadese, 2010 world cross country champion Joseph Ebuya, and 2009 world 10,000m champion Linet Masai.