This Wednesday, 10th December, we'll be hosting our very first cross country event. We've organised races in the past - and many of them, from barmy street-relays with baguettes for batons, to track racing under the shadow of the Olympic stadium - but never anything like this.

If you are unfamiliar (and somehow escaped the ubiquitous school cross country that every student seems to dread), cross country is simply as the name suggests: a running race that takes place off road, over hill, dale, field and pasture. Races vary in distance, usually between 8 and 12km, and unlike trail running, often doesn't follow a maintained path or route.

Otherwise known as XC, the sport is likely one of the oldest forms of racing as we know it. The UK is seen, debatably, the home of cross country, where clubs date back to the mid 19th Century. Mud, hills, cold are all part and parcel of XC in the UK and worldwide. Being a winter sport, there's of the little glamour and glitz that comes with road and track racing. No times, no records, and often no accurately measured distances – the aim is simple: who can get to the finish first.

Our Runlimited team consists of a few seasoned cross country runners, having raced for their respective clubs many times over their careers in running. But what is it that makes us want to put on an XC meeting of our own?

Introducing Winter Nights XC presented by Bandit and Maurten: a cross country event like no other, with a very Runlimited take on a traditional form of racing. We're going shorter, faster, racing closer, all under the floodlights and the night sky. This will be like nothing you'll have run before.

For this, we took inspiration from the worlds of cyclocross and motocross, focusing on generating a series of close races on a unique course. So what better venue to host than London's Herne Hill Velodrome, home to the hugely popular Muddy Hell, a cyclocross race on Halloween night. Expect cowbells, high-energy, headlamps and some damn close racing!

But, we couldn't do this alone. So we've roped in our pals over at Bandit Running and Maurten to bring this all to life. After the success of their Grand Prix race over the summer, we knew we could call on Bandit to support us to develop a unique racing format that blends community running with the club-level elites of the UK. Maurten similarly have deep connections to running and cycling, making a perfect match for the evening.

The Evening: What to Expect

Things will be kicking off at 6:00pm at Herne Hill Velodrome when the gates will open up for runners. Setting off at 6:30pm will be the 3 x 1km relay, the first race of the evening. With runners each running 1 lap of the twisting, turning course, the relay promises to be the perfect into to XC for anyone. Hot Boys Athletics currently look like the team to beat, but will they be challenged from any others?

Following the relay, we'll have the Open Women's and Open Men's races going over the 5 lap, (roughly) 5km course. We're expecting nearly 40 runners in each, so tight races are almost guaranteed! We have Runlimited crew ready to race, who can take down our team? Winners of the Open division will take home an entry to the sold-out Berlin Half Marathon, provided kindly by Maurten, and top-3 finishers will also receive a generous fuelling pack.

To close the night, cash prizes have been thrown in for the Elite Women and Elite Men to juke it out over the same 5km course. On the Women's side, we have Lucy Jones, winner of the club race at London Marathon; Niamh Bridson-Hubbard, top-10 at the recent European Trials XC; and Becky Briggs, sub 2:30 marathon runner. A host of others are there to take their shot at the prize.

For the Men, Jeremy Dempsey, sub-4 minute miler and top 10 at the National XC Champs might be the man to beat, but clubmate and 29:03 10km runner Dylan Evans will be looking to take him down. Flurry Grierson is also in the mix, he was 3rd at the National XC Champs in Feb and his orienteering background may well suit the winding nature of the course.

To keep the energy electrically charged, Matt Seddon will be on the mic to MC the evening. He'll be commentating on each race and hopefully chatting to some of our race winners, too!

Beers and drinks will be provided by the Herne Hill Velodrome café and bar, whilst there will be pizza from D4100 from their truck on-site.

Spectating is free: the louder, the closer the better!

See you there!

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Written by Liam Dee