ATHLETICS: BOTH THE rewards and expectations of being European Cross Country champion will be evident over the next three weeks as Fionnuala Britton takes on some world-class competition in a series of high-profile races.

First up is Saturday’s Great Edinburgh Cross Country – where Britton has been named to lead a European selection in the now triangular international match against Britain and the USA.

That event goes out live on BBC 1 (1pm-2.30pm) and there’s every reason to believe Britton will continue the winning form so brilliantly displayed in Slovenia last month when earning her first European title.

She’s also signed up to run the IAAF Cross Country Challenge in Seville on Sunday week, January 15th, where there will be a truly international flavour, and after that comes a sort of homecoming race with confirmation yesterday that Britton will also run the Antrim International Cross Country just a week later, on Saturday, January 21st.

It will make for a busy month, and the Co Wicklow runner is already committed to the Almond Blossom Cross Country in Portugal on February 26th – which actually rates as one of the most competitive cross country races of the season.

Yet she can afford the tough schedule given the absence this year of a World Cross Country championship (which for the first time enters its biennial cycle) and indeed it affords Britton the opportunity to collect some decent prize-money and appearance fees on an increasingly cost-efficient cross country circuit.

Saturday’s race in Edinburgh is by invitation only, and Britton went top of their list after winning the European title in Velenje – especially given the event is now based on the best of Europe against Great Britain and the USA.

Each team will start nine runners, and joining Britton on the European team is Ines Monteiro from Portugal, the 2008 European bronze medallist, Roxana Barca from Romania, who was seventh in this year’s race, and the Spanish track specialist Delores Checa.

The USA selection appears limited, and it’s likely the biggest challenge will come from Gemma Steel, who leads the Great Britain selection and finished third behind Britton in Slovenia.

The men’s international event is staged on the same basis, and the European team includes two Irish names. Joe Sweeney is ready to build on his fifth place finish in the European event, and could cause an upset, while Mark Hanrahan is also named among the nine-strong team.

However, it’s likely the man to beat here is former Ethiopian Atelaw Bekele, who last month won the European title for Belgium in utterly convincing fashion – and in fact has gone full-time into running since that fine victory.

Bekele is no relation to his more esteemed namesake Kenenisa Bekele – although the three-time Olympic champion will also be in Edinburgh to compete in an invitational 3km race that features all of the current men’s distance running Olympic gold medallists: Bekele (5,000 and 10,000m), Asbel Kiprop (1,500m) and Brimin Kipruto (3000m steeplechase).

However, all three will also have to beat Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge, who won the race last year.

There’ll be Irish interest in that race too with Michael and Dan Mulhare both on the start list, although all eyes will be on Britton – Ireland’s only second ever European Cross Country champion after inaugural winner Catherina McKiernan in 1994 – as she looks to pick up where she left off in Slovenia last month.