The Intermediate Women's National Cross-Country Championships sponsored by Provincial Insurance Limited took place at Arrowe Park, Birkenhead. Wirral Athletic Club assisted with the hosting of the event. A shuttle service of buses conveyed competitors from Woodchurch Leisure Centre, the event headquarters, to and from the park. The 4,300-metre course was grassland and consisted of two laps.
The Intermediate race was expected to be a two-horse race between Jeina Mitchell (Croydon Harriers) and the previous year's bronze medalist and Southern champion Paula Radcliffe (Bedford & County AC).
After the first lap Radcliffe was setting the pace with Mitchell half a stride behind and the rest of the field more than 100 metres adrift. The chasing group consisted of Liz Talbot (Bedford & County AC), Sara Gallop (Bournemouth AC), Joanne Keenan (Darlington Harriers), Geraldine Salmon (Newquay & Par AC ) and Tracey Pugh (Cannock & Stafford AC).
Radcliffe began to move away from Mitchell after going around the woods on the second lap and Radcliffe crossed the line 16 second ahead of Mitchell in 15:44, with Keenan in third.
Radcliffe told Athletics Weekly "I thought that she [Mitchell] would have beaten me today. I never looked around, I thought she was there all the time. I was doing all I could to keep my legs going, I feel quite tired now."
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