Roundhay Park on Saturday 14/03/1998 8 Km (Senior Ladies)

Roundhay Park, Leeds hosted the sixty-sixth Senior Women's National Cross-Country Championships. The race was sponsored by View From and was broadcast on Sky Sports 1. The course length increased by 2 km on the previous year's race to 8km.

Favourites for the individual race were reigning women's champion Andrea Whitcombe (Parkside AC) and area champions Tara Krzywicki (Charnwood AC) - Midland, Mara Myers (Parkside AC) - Southern and Penny Thackray (Hallamshire Harriers) - Northern.

The race conditions were excellent, a mild, sunny day, with firm ground underfoot, but all the athletes had to contend with the renowned Hill 60, so called because it slopes up at an angle of around 60 degrees.

The two Parkside AC runners Mara Myers and Andrea Whitcombe were the first to show, not much further back was Heather Heaseman (Altrincham & District AC). As the race developed Anne Buckley (Pudsey & Bramley AC) appeared between Myers and Whitcombe with P Powell (Blackburn Harriers) and Heasman close behind. The runners reached Hill 60 for the first time and Heaseman led the charge up the steep hill with Krzywicki and Myers in close pursuit and Buckley, Whitcombe and Lucy Elliott (Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers) next. Whitcombe began to struggle and pulled up, Myers looking strong moved ahead with Elliott chasing. Myers began to dominate on the second lap and went on to win in 28:59. Lucy Elliot was second 8 seconds adrift and Tara Krzywicki third.

Myers told Athletics Weekly: "Most of it felt quite easy but I felt weak on the hill the first time and I eased back a bit. It is a great consolation for missing the World Championships and to some extent has made up for it."

Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers won the team race by 47 points from Charnwood AC with Leeds City AC third. Shaftesbury were led by Lucy Elliott (2nd) and packed all their counters in the first 18 positions, Elliott was supported by Lisa Hollick (12th), H Sutherland (17th) and M Ellis (18th).