Maiden Castle, Durham on Saturday 24/02/2001 8 Km (Senior Ladies)

Maiden Castle, Durham hosted the sixty-ninth Senior Women's National Cross-Country Championships. The 8km course consisted of three laps and had challenging hills, the race was sponsored by View From.

Reigning champion Tara Krzywicki (Charnwood AC) was planning on defending her title and 1999 winner Angela Newport (Basingstoke & Mid Hants) was looking for a second victory in the event. Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers had won the women's team crown for the previous three years.

By the end of the first lap Liz Yelling nee Talbot (Bedford & County AC) led by 10 metres from her sister-in-law Hayley Yelling (Borough of Hounslow AC) - Liz is married to Hayley's brother Martin. 10 metres further back was Angela Newport and Tara Krzywicki. The leading quartet had opened a gap on the chasing group that was headed by Amanda Parkinson (Sale Harriers), Amanda Allen (Birchfield Harriers), Lucy Wright (Leeds City AC), Debbie Sullivan (Havering AC) and Lucy Elliott (Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers). Tara Krzywicki was suffering from a cold and dropped out at the halfway stage. Liz Yelling continued to push the pace and with no one going with her she was able to take the victory in 28:08, 27 seconds ahead of Angela Newport with Hayley Yelling in third.

26-year-old PE Teacher Liz Yelling told Jason Henderson at Athletics Weekly: "I thought I'd test them out and got a gap. When I got the gap, I thought I'd try and build on it. I thought it'd be a little closer, I didn't expect to run away with it quite like that."

Sale Harriers had an emphatic win in the team event beating Birchfield Harriers by 54 points with dethroned Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers in third. Sale Harriers had their quartet in the first thirty-three home, counters being Amanda Parkinson (6th), S Thomas (8th), Amy Waterlow (14th) and S Lamb (33rd).