The Senior women's race at the 1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in Madrid, Spain, at the Hipódromo de la Zarzuela on March 28, 1981. A report on the event was given in the Glasgow Herald.

Complete results, medallists, and the results of British athletes were published.

Race results

Senior women's race (4.41 km)

Individual Rank Athlete Country Time Grete Waitz 14:07 Jan Merrill 14:22 Yelena Sipatova 14:22 4 Agnese Possamai 14:25 5 Tatyana Sychova 14:25 6 Betty Springs 14:28 7 Svetlana Ulmasova 14:28 8 Debbie Scott 14:31 9 Tatyana Pozdnyakova 14:34 10 Asunción Sinobas 14:38 11 Dorthe Rasmussen 14:39 12 Dianne Zorn 14:39 13 Julie Shea 14:41 14 Christine Benning 14:41 15 Mary Shea 14:42 16 Ingrid Kristiansen 14:47 17 Lynn Kanuka 14:47 18 Rosa Mota 14:49 19 Cornelia Bürki 14:50 20 Carla Beurskens 14:51 21 Irina Bondarchuk 14:55 22 Jane Furniss 14:56 23 Cristina Tomasini 14:57 24 Joëlle De Brouwer 14:59 25 Mary O'Connor 15:00 26 Lorraine Moller 15:00 27 Anne Audain 15:02 28 Paula Fudge 15:02 29 Silvana Cruciata 15:02 30 Brenda Webb 15:02 31 Sheila Currie 15:02 32 Giana Romanova 15:02 33 Alba Milana 15:02 34 Deirdre Nagle 15:02 35 Gail Rear 15:02 36 Francie Larrieu 15:02 37 Annick Lebreton 15:08 38 Fionnuala Morrish 15:08 39 Patricia Appleby 15:08 40 Veronica Poryckyj 15:08 41 Francine Peeters 15:09 42 Sandra Arthurton 15:09 43 Amelia Lorza Lopez 15:09 44 Helena Heikkinen 15:13 45 Carole Bradford 15:13 46 Nadia Dandolo 15:13 47 Gunvor Hilde 15:13 48 Martine Bouchonneau 15:13 49 Marina Loddo 15:13 50 Kath Binns 15:13 51 Anne Lord 15:13 52 Marie-Christine Deurbroeck 15:13 53 Annie van Stiphout 15:19 54 Monique Seys 15:19 55 Mercedes Calleja 15:19 56 Carol Meagan 15:24 57 Elise Wattendorf 15:25 58 Tuija Toivonen 15:25 59 Mona Kleppe 15:25 60 Hilary Hollick 15:25 61 Alison Wiley 15:32 62 Desiree Leatherby 15:32 63 Barbara Moore 15:32 64 Alice Silva 15:32 65 Wendy Smith 15:35 66 Mehan Sloane 15:35 67 Saskia Brouwer 15:35 68 Christine Price 15:35 69 Randi Bjørn 15:35 70 Denise Verhaert 15:40 71 Pilar Fernandez 15:40 72 Marleen Meuris 15:40 73 Aurora Cunha 15:40 74 Patricia Marchand 15:40 75 Lynne MacDougall 15:40 76 Mercedes Buceta 15:40 77 Tuula Konttinen 15:40 78 Joke Bruggen 15:40 79 Yvonne Murray 15:40 80 Isabelle Matthys 15:40 81 Marga Wiegman 15:50 82 Silvia Ruegger 15:50 83 Zehava Shmueli 15:50 84 Vreni Forster 15:50 85 Päivi Pihlajamäki 15:50 86 Rosemary Longstaff 15:50 87 Bronwen Cardy 15:50 88 Charlotte Kaagh 15:50 89 Gaylene Clews 15:50 90 Siobhan Treacy 15:50 91 Mie Poulsen Jensen 15:59 92 Tina Krebs 15:59 93 Rhonda Mallinder 15:59 94 Susana Irazusta 15:59 95 Alison Wright 16:01 96 Maria Steels 16:06 97 Wilma Rusman 16:06 98 Regina Gonçalves 16:06 99 Albertina Machado 16:06 100 Patricia Deneuville 16:07 101 Jean Lochhead 16:13 102 Ulla Nielsen 16:17 103 Barbara Harvie 16:17 104 Daniela Gassmann 16:22 105 Carey May 16:28 106 Yana Jones 16:30 107 Mette Holm Hansen 16:32 108 Kathy Williams 16:35 109 Hilde Stavik 16:40 110 Linsey Macdonald 16:55 111 Francisca Xavier 17:33 112 Rosa Neves 17:56 113 Sara Tavares 18:12 114 Maria Silva 18:22 115 Gertimulda Sepulveda 18:40 116 Isabel Andre 18:46 — Rita Borralho DNF — Maricica Puică DNF

Teams Rank Team Points Yelena Sipatova 3 Tatyana Sychova 5 Svetlana Ulmasova 7 Tatyana Pozdnyakova 9 (Irina Bondarchuk) (21) (Giana Romanova) (32) 24 Jan Merrill 2 Betty Springs 6 Julie Shea 13 Mary Shea 15 (Brenda Webb) (30) (Francie Larrieu) (36) 36 Agnese Possamai 4 Cristina Tomasini 23 Silvana Cruciata 29 Alba Milana 33 (Nadia Dandolo) (46) (Marina Loddo) (49) 89 4 Dianne Zorn 12 Mary O'Connor 25 Lorraine Moller 26 Anne Audain 27 (Gail Rear) (35) (Barbara Moore) (63) 90 5 Debbie Scott 8 Lynn Kanuka 17 Sheila Currie 31 Veronica Poryckyj 40 (Alison Wiley) (61) (Silvia Ruegger) (82) 96 6 Christine Benning 14 Jane Furniss 22 Paula Fudge 28 Sandra Arthurton 42 (Kath Binns) (50) (Wendy Smith) (65) 106 7 Grete Waitz 1 Ingrid Kristiansen 16 Gunvor Hilde 47 Mona Kleppe 59 (Randi Bjørn) (69) (Hilde Stavik) (109) 123 8 Deirdre Nagle 34 Fionnuala Morrish 38 Patricia Appleby 39 Carol Meagan 56 (Siobhan Treacy) (90) (Carey May) (105) 167 9 Asunción Sinobas 10 Amelia Lorza Lopez 43 Mercedes Calleja 55 Pilar Fernandez 71 (Mercedes Buceta) (76) (Susana Irazusta) (94) 179 10 Joëlle Debrouwer 24 Annick Lebreton 37 Martine Bouchonneau 48 Patricia Marchand 74 (Isabelle Matthys) (80) (Patricia Deneuville) (100) 183 11 Francine Peeters 41 Marie-Christine Deurbroeck 52 Monique Seys 54 Denise Verhaert 70 (Marleen Meuris) (72) (Maria Steels) (96) 217 12 Carla Beurskens 20 Annie van Stiphout 53 Saskia Brouwer 67 Joke Bruggen 78 (Marga Wiegman) (81) (Wilma Rusman) (97) 218 13 Rosa Mota 18 Alice Silva 64 Aurora Cunha 73 Regina Gonçalves 98 (Albertina Machado) (99) (Rita Borralho) (DNF) 253 14 Helena Heikkinen 44 Tuija Toivonen 58 Tuula Konttinen 77 Päivi Pihlajamäki 85 264 15 Cornelia Bürki 19 Elise Wattendorf 57 Vreni Forster 84 Daniela Gassmann 104 264 16 Anne Lord 51 Desiree Leatherby 62 Mehan Sloane 66 Rosemary Longstaff 86 (Gaylene Clews) (89) (Rhonda Mallinder) (93) 265 17 Dorthe Rasmussen 11 Charlotte Kaagh 88 Mie Poulsen Jensen 91 Tina Krebs 92 (Ulla Nielsen) (102) (Mette Holm Hansen) (107) 282 18 Carole Bradford 45 Hilary Hollick 60 Bronwen Cardy 87 Jean Lochhead 101 (Yana Jones) (106) (Kathy Williams) (108) 293 19 Christine Price 68 Lynne MacDougall 75 Yvonne Murray 79 Alison Wright 95 (Barbara Harvie) (103) (Linsey Macdonald) (110) 317 20 Francisca Xavier 111 Rosa Neves 112 Sara Tavares 113 Maria Silva 114 (Gertimulda Sepulveda) (115) (Isabel Andre) (116) 450 Note: Athletes in parentheses did not score for the team result

Participation An unofficial count yields the participation of 118 athletes from 22 countries in the Senior women's race. This is in agreement with the official numbers as published.

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See also 1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Senior men's race 1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Junior men's race

References