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.
Career A Yorkshire-based athlete with Longwood Harriers Athletic Club,Andrew Pearson. Power of 10. Retrieved on 2016-01-21. Pearson won the intermediate category of the 1988 English Schools' Cross Country.English Schools Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-01-21. International appearances followed in the junior section of the 1989 and 1990 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, where he placed 62nd then 42nd, respectively.Andrew Pearson. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-01-21. 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.British Cross Country Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-01-21.
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.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. 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. He only managed 60th place there, being the last scoring runner in the British men's team that ranked 12th overall.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. 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.Athletics Andrew Pearson. The Independent(1996-02-21). Retrieved on 2016-01-21.
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.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. 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.European Cross Country Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-01-21.
Pearson had some success on different surfaces in the years following this, including a AAA Championships title in the 10-mile run in 1997AAA 10 Miles Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-01-21. and individual and team silver medals at the 1998 European Mountain Running Trophy, finishing behind Antonio Molinari.European Mountain Running Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-01-21.
He made five straight British teams for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships from 1995 to 1999. Though he never won the national trials event, he was runner-up two further times in 1998 and 1999. 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.
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.Robin Hood Marathon. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2016-01-21. He had back-to-back wins at the Leeds Half Marathon in 2009 and 2010.
International competitions 1989World Cross Country ChampionshipsStavanger, Norway62ndJunior race27:541990World Cross Country ChampionshipsAix-les-Bains, France42ndJunior race24:219thJunior team160 pts1993World Cross Country ChampionshipsAmorebieta, Spain32ndSenior race34:187thSenior team353 pts1994World Half Marathon ChampionshipsOslo, Norway60thHalf marathon1:04:3012thTeam3:10:511995World Cross Country ChampionshipsDurham, United Kingdom20thSenior race35:079thSenior team354 ptsEuropean Cross Country ChampionshipsAlnwick, United Kingdom3rdSenior race26:473rdSenior team55 pts1996World Cross Country ChampionshipsStellenbosch, South Africa51stSenior race36:075thSenior team252 pts1997World Cross Country ChampionshipsTurin, Italy56thSenior race37:186thSenior team325 pts1998World Cross Country ChampionshipsMarrakesh, Morocco59thSenior race36:4110thSenior team216 ptsEuropean Mountain Running TrophySestiere, Italy2ndSenior race53:442ndSenior team24 pts1999World Cross Country ChampionshipsBelfast, United Kingdom65thSenior race42:488thSenior team159 pts
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