Cross country mixed relay prize money
Australia won the mixed relay at the 2026 World Cross Country Championships in 22:23 and the federation took $12,000. Second was worth $8,000 and the money runs four deep, so $30,000 left the championships on this race. Not a dollar of it belongs to any of the four people who ran it.
Fifteen countries entered a team in Tallahassee and four of them were paid. The race has been held twice, in Tallahassee 2026 and Belgrade 2024, and has paid $60,000 in all. The $30,000 card is the same at both, $12,000 to the winners. The championships put up $310,000 across the five races on the programme.
The 2026 race
Tallahassee, 10 January 2026
| POS | COUNTRY | THE QUARTET | TIME | TO THE FEDERATION |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | Oliver Hoare, Linden Hall, Jack Anstey, Jessica Hull | 22:23 | $12,000 |
| 2 | France | Alexis Miellet, Sarah Madeleine, Antoine Senard, Agathe Guillemot | 22:26 | $8,000 |
| 3 | Ethiopia | Wegene Adisu, Gela Hambese, Milkesa Fikadu, Hirut Meshesha | 22:34 | $6,000 |
| 4 | Kenya | Reynold Cheruiyot, Winfred Nzisa Mbithe, Kyumbe Munguti, Purity Chepkirui | 22:42 | $4,000 |
| 5 | United States | Ethan Strand, Sage Hurta-Klecker, Wes Porter, Gracie Morris | 22:43 | — |
| 6 | South Africa | Luan Munnik, Karabo More, Christopher Swart, Carina Viljoen | 23:04 | — |
| 7 | Great Britain | George Couttie, India Weir, Adam Fogg, Alexandra Millard | 23:11 | — |
| 8 | Uganda | Silas Chemutai, Sylvia Chelangat, Daniel Comboni, Brenda Chekwemoi | 23:43 | — |
| 9 | Canada | Foster Malleck, Kate Current, Jean-Simon Desgagnés, Regan Yee | 23:43 | — |
| 10 | Japan | Takumi Shiobara, Yuzu Nishide, Kiyoto Ono, Momoa Yamada | 24:08 | — |
| 11 | Tanzania | Daniel Sinda, Elizabeth Boniphance Ilanda, Ambrosi Amma, Regina Deogratius Mpigachai | 24:11 | — |
| 12 | India | Ajay Kumar Saroj, . Pooja, Yoonus Shah, Ankita | 24:13 | — |
| 13 | China | Ningkai Sun, Hui Xu, Shuiqing Yu, Huiru Liu | 24:38 | — |
| 14 | New Zealand | Christian De Vaal, Tillie Hollyer, David Lee, Boh Ritchie | 24:48 | — |
| 15 | Mexico | Israel Tinajero Álvarez, Maria Fernanda Medina, Roberto Angel Marquez, Veronica Angel | 25:11 | — |
| 15 | teams scored | 15 countries ran | — | $30,000 |
Australia won it in 22:23 and took $12,000. Four of the 15 teams were paid, $30,000 between them, and every cheque went to a federation. Four runners take a leg each, one after another, and the whole race is over in the time a senior runner needs for eight kilometres of the ten.
The 2024 race
Belgrade, 30 March 2024
| POS | COUNTRY | THE QUARTET | TIME | TO THE FEDERATION |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenya | Reynold Cheruiyot, Virginia Nyambura, Kyumbe Munguti, Purity Chepkirui | 22:15 | $12,000 |
| 2 | Ethiopia | Taresa Tolosa, Dahdi Dube, Adehena Kasaye, Birri Abera | 22:43 | $8,000 |
| 3 | Great Britain | Thomas Keen, Alexandra Millard, Adam Fogg, Bethan Morley | 23:00 | $6,000 |
| 4 | Morocco | Hafid Rizqy, Rahma Tahiri, Hicham Akankam, Kaoutar Farkoussi | 23:08 | $4,000 |
| 5 | Uganda | Hosea Kiprop, Linda Chebet, Sam Kapkerung Kiprotich, Knight Aciru | 23:10 | — |
| 6 | France | Nicolas-Marie Daru, Charlotte Mouchet, Romain Mornet, Flavie Renouard | 23:17 | — |
| 7 | Japan | Yutaro Niinae, Nozomi Tanaka, Naoki Takada, Yuya Sawada | 23:18 | — |
| 8 | United States | Kasey Knevelbaard, Ella Donaghu, Johnathan Reniewicki, Katie Izzo | 23:21 | — |
| 9 | South Africa | Christopher Swart, Danielle Verster, Boikanyo Motlhamme, Simonay Weitsz | 23:37 | — |
| 10 | Serbia | Elzan Bibić, Milica Tomašević, Nikola Raičević, Teodora Simović | 24:31 | — |
| 11 | Mexico | César Daniel Gomez Ponce, Margarita Hernandez Flores, Emmanuel Reyes, Miranda Duran | 25:06 | — |
| 12 | Kazakhstan | Maxim Frolovskiy, Tatyana Neroznak, Vadim Levchenkov, Akbayan Nurmamet | 25:31 | — |
| 13 | FIJ | Evueli Toia, Adi Fulori Masau, Vishant Reddy, Adi Ama Masau | 28:51 | — |
| 13 | teams scored | 13 countries ran | — | $30,000 |
Kenya won it in 22:15 and took $12,000. Four of the 13 teams were paid, $30,000 between them, and every cheque went to a federation. Four runners take a leg each, one after another, and the whole race is over in the time a senior runner needs for eight kilometres of the ten.
What each place is worth
One ladder, and every rung of it a federation cheque
| PLACE | THE FEDERATION GETS | TALLAHASSEE 2026 | BELGRADE 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | $12,000 | Australia | Kenya |
| 2nd | $8,000 | France | Ethiopia |
| 3rd | $6,000 | Ethiopia | Great Britain |
| 4th | $4,000 | Kenya | Morocco |
| The race | $30,000 | $30,000 paid | $30,000 paid |
The winners take 40% of what the race pays out and 4th takes 13%. It is the shallowest ladder at these championships by a distance: a senior race puts up $140,000 and pays twelve cheques, and this one puts up $30,000 and pays four. The ladder stops at 4th, so eleven of the fifteen teams in Tallahassee ran for nothing.
What each country took from this race
$60,000 across the two championships
| # | COUNTRY | TO THE FEDERATION | TEAM TITLES | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenya | $16,000 | 1 | $16,000 |
| 2 | Ethiopia | $14,000 | — | $14,000 |
| 3 | Australia | $12,000 | 1 | $12,000 |
| 4 | France | $8,000 | — | $8,000 |
| 5 | Great Britain | $6,000 | — | $6,000 |
| 6 | Morocco | $4,000 | — | $4,000 |
| 6 | countries paid | $60,000 | 2 | $60,000 |
Kenya has taken $16,000 of the $60,000 this race has paid, 26.7% of it. Every column here is a federation column, because a relay has no individual result and nothing to pay a person for. Two countries have been paid at both championships, which on a four-deep card means reaching the first four twice.
Everyone who ran the mixed relay
All 106 of them, across the two championships
- Oliver Hoare
- Linden Hall
- Jack Anstey
- Jessica Hull
- Alexis Miellet
- Sarah Madeleine
- Antoine Senard
- Agathe Guillemot
- Wegene Adisu
- Gela Hambese
- Milkesa Fikadu
- Hirut Meshesha
- Reynold Cheruiyot
- Winfred Nzisa Mbithe
- Kyumbe Munguti
- Purity Chepkirui
- Ethan Strand
- Sage Hurta-Klecker
- Wes Porter
- Gracie Morris
- Luan Munnik
- Karabo More
- Christopher Swart
- Carina Viljoen
- George Couttie
- India Weir
- Adam Fogg
- Alexandra Millard
- Silas Chemutai
- Sylvia Chelangat
- Daniel Comboni
- Brenda Chekwemoi
- Foster Malleck
- Kate Current
- Jean-Simon Desgagnés
- Regan Yee
- Takumi Shiobara
- Yuzu Nishide
- Kiyoto Ono
- Momoa Yamada
- Daniel Sinda
- Elizabeth Boniphance Ilanda
- Ambrosi Amma
- Regina Deogratius Mpigachai
- Ajay Kumar Saroj
- . Pooja
- Yoonus Shah
- Ankita
- Ningkai Sun
- Hui Xu
- Shuiqing Yu
- Huiru Liu
- Christian De Vaal
- Tillie Hollyer
- David Lee
- Boh Ritchie
- Israel Tinajero Álvarez
- Maria Fernanda Medina
- Roberto Angel Marquez
- Veronica Angel
- Virginia Nyambura
- Taresa Tolosa
- Dahdi Dube
- Adehena Kasaye
- Birri Abera
- Thomas Keen
- Bethan Morley
- Hafid Rizqy
- Rahma Tahiri
- Hicham Akankam
- Kaoutar Farkoussi
- Hosea Kiprop
- Linda Chebet
- Sam Kapkerung Kiprotich
- Knight Aciru
- Nicolas-Marie Daru
- Charlotte Mouchet
- Romain Mornet
- Flavie Renouard
- Yutaro Niinae
- Nozomi Tanaka
- Naoki Takada
- Yuya Sawada
- Kasey Knevelbaard
- Ella Donaghu
- Johnathan Reniewicki
- Katie Izzo
- Danielle Verster
- Boikanyo Motlhamme
- Simonay Weitsz
- Elzan Bibić
- Milica Tomašević
- Nikola Raičević
- Teodora Simović
- César Daniel Gomez Ponce
- Margarita Hernandez Flores
- Emmanuel Reyes
- Miranda Duran
- Maxim Frolovskiy
- Tatyana Neroznak
- Vadim Levchenkov
- Akbayan Nurmamet
- Evueli Toia
- Adi Fulori Masau
- Vishant Reddy
- Adi Ama Masau
Every name here ran a leg of a mixed relay final, and not one of them was paid for it in their own name. 19 of the 106 have a page in this section, where what they earn on the Diamond League circuit is theirs and is counted to the dollar.
Frequently asked questions
How much prize money does the mixed relay pay at the World Cross Country Championships?
The race carries $30,000 a championships, split four ways: $12,000 for 1st, $8,000 for 2nd, $6,000 for 3rd and $4,000 for 4th. Every dollar of it is paid to a federation, because a relay has no individual result to pay. Across the two championships the race has handed over $60,000.
Who won the 2026 mixed relay at the World Cross Country Championships?
Australia, in 22:23, from fifteen teams in Tallahassee. The federation took $12,000 and the four who ran it (Oliver Hoare, Linden Hall, Jack Anstey, Jessica Hull) were paid nothing in their own names. The fastest winning run here is still Kenya's 22:15 in Belgrade.
How many places does the mixed relay pay?
Four, out of fifteen teams that ran the last one. 4th is worth $4,000 and 5th is worth nothing. It is the shallowest card at these championships, and it is also the shortest race on the programme.
Do the four runners in the mixed relay get any of the prize money?
No. The $12,000 for a win is one payment to the country, and how a federation splits it between the four who ran is its own business. A team is two men and two women alternating, so it is the one race here a country cannot be paid in without entering both sexes. The senior races on the same programme pay $30,000 to the individual winner, and that money does belong to the runner.
Which country has won the most prize money in the mixed relay?
Kenya, on $16,000 of the $60,000 this race has paid out, 26.7% of it. That is two paid finals and one title, all of it the federation's. 6 countries have been paid in this race.
How many of these runners have run the mixed relay at both championships?
Six of the 106 named in the race across the two editions: Reynold Cheruiyot, Kyumbe Munguti, Purity Chepkirui, Christopher Swart, Adam Fogg and Alexandra Millard. Cross country is a winter championships held every other year, and a field turns over hard between stagings.
Is there a world record bonus in the mixed relay?
There is no such thing. Every cross country course is different, so there is no record to break and no bonus to pay: the card is the ladder and nothing else. A world record on the track at the World Championships adds $100,000 on top of the place money; here a winning run is worth $12,000 whatever the clock says.
Where to next
The rest of the athletics money
World Cross Country prize money holds every race on both programmes, the 65 countries that ran and the $620,000 the two championships put up. World Championships prize money is where the same distance runners are paid on the track, $70,000 for a title, and World Relays prize money is the other championship where the cheque never has a runner's name on it. Diamond League prize money is the circuit most of this field races all summer, and the one place their earnings are their own.