Andrew Pearson (runner)

Andrew Pearson (born 14 September 1971) is a British long-distance runner who mainly had success in cross country running. He made eight appearances at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and was an individual and team bronze medallist at the 1995 European Cross Country Championships (his highest honour). He also won silver medals at the European Mountain Running Championships in 1998.

Andrew Pearson
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing the  United Kingdom
European Cross Country Championships
1995 AlnwickSenior race
1995 AlnwickSenior team

Career

A Yorkshire-based athlete with Longwood Harriers Athletic Club,[1] Pearson won the intermediate category of the 1988 English Schools' Cross Country.[2] International appearances followed in the junior section of the 1989 and 1990 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, where he placed 62nd then 42nd, respectively.[3] He became his country's top junior cross country runner, with a win at the national trials in 1990 and wins at the English Cross Country Championships in 1991 and 1992.[4]

Pearson made his senior international debut at the 1993 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and with his 32nd-place finish he led the British team to seventh in the rankings (two places ahead of fellow Briton Eamonn Martin, who won the London Marathon that year.[5] He placed in the top 15 at the 1993 Great North Run and this led to his selection for the 1994 World Half Marathon Championships.[1] He only managed 60th place there, being the last scoring runner in the British men's team that ranked 12th overall.[6] Pearson reached his mid-twenties before establishing himself at the peak of the sport domestically. He was runner-up in the senior race at the 1995 English Cross Country Championships, then became Britain's top-ranked cross country runner in 1996, although he was runner-up to Keith Cullen at the national trials that year.[4][7]

The 1995 season proved to be Pearson's most successful internationally. At the 1995 IAAF World Cross Country Championships he reached twentieth place – 35 places ahead of the next British runner Keith Cullen.[8] His sole international cross country medals came at the 1995 European Cross Country Championships. He took the bronze medal and led a team of Cullen, Jon Brown and David Taylor to the men's team bronze medals.[9]

Pearson had some success on different surfaces in the years following this, including a AAA Championships title in the 10-mile run in 1997[10] and individual and team silver medals at the 1998 European Mountain Running Trophy, finishing behind Antonio Molinari.[11]

He made five straight British teams for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships from 1995 to 1999.[3] Though he never won the national trials event, he was runner-up two further times in 1998 and 1999.[4] After 1995, he fell behind in the national team, with Brown and Cullen typically leading the British men's team. Pearson placed around the middle of the field at the World Cross Country, finishing in the top 60 athletes in 1996, 1997 and 1998, before falling back to 65th in his last outing at the competition.[3]

After his last international appearance in 1999, he focused mainly on road running as he progressed into his thirties. He won the Nottingham Half Marathon in 2001 and was the 2010 winner of the Sheffield Half Marathon.[12] He had back-to-back wins at the Leeds Half Marathon in 2009 and 2010.[1]

International competitions
Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
1989 World Cross Country Championships Stavanger, Norway 62nd Junior race 27:54
1990 World Cross Country Championships Aix-les-Bains, France 42nd Junior race 24:21
9th Junior team 160 pts
1993 World Cross Country Championships Amorebieta, Spain 32nd Senior race 34:18
7th Senior team 353 pts
1994 World Half Marathon Championships Oslo, Norway 60th Half marathon 1:04:30
12th Team 3:10:51
1995 World Cross Country Championships Durham, United Kingdom 20th Senior race 35:07
9th Senior team 354 pts
European Cross Country Championships Alnwick, United Kingdom 3rd Senior race 26:47
3rd Senior team 55 pts
1996 World Cross Country Championships Stellenbosch, South Africa 51st Senior race 36:07
5th Senior team 252 pts
1997 World Cross Country Championships Turin, Italy 56th Senior race 37:18
6th Senior team 325 pts
1998 World Cross Country Championships Marrakesh, Morocco 59th Senior race 36:41
10th Senior team 216 pts
European Mountain Running Trophy Sestiere, Italy 2nd Senior race 53:44
2nd Senior team 24 pts
1999 World Cross Country Championships Belfast, United Kingdom 65th Senior race 42:48
8th Senior team 159 pts
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References
  1. Andrew Pearson. Power of 10. Retrieved on 2016-01-21.
  2. English Schools Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-01-21.
  3. Andrew Pearson. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-01-21.
  4. British Cross Country Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-01-21.
  5. Magnusson, Tomas (2007-09-08). IAAF World Cross Country Championships - 11.8km CC Men - Amorebieta Jaureguibarria Date: Sunday, March 28, 1993. Athchamps (archived). Retrieved on 2016-01-21.
  6. IAAF WORLD HALF MARATHON CHAMPIONSHIPS - KAVARNA 2012 - FACTS & FIGURES - Incorporating the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships (1992-2005/2008-2010) & the IAAF World Road Running Championships 2006/2007. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-01-21.
  7. Athletics Andrew Pearson. The Independent(1996-02-21). Retrieved on 2016-01-21.
  8. Magnusson, Tomas (2007-04-17). IAAF World Cross Country Championships - 12.0km CC Men - Durham University of Durham Date: Saturday, March 25, 1995. Athchamps (archived). Retrieved on 2016-01-21.
  9. European Cross Country Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-01-21.
  10. AAA 10 Miles Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-01-21.
  11. European Mountain Running Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-01-21.
  12. Robin Hood Marathon. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2016-01-21.
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