Andrew Pearson (born 14 September 1971) is a British

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

who mainly had success in

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...

. He made eight appearances at the

IAAF World Cross Country Championships World Athletics Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Formerly held annually and organised by World Athletics (formerly the IAAF), it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the Int ...

and was an individual and team bronze medallist at the

1995 European Cross Country Championships The 2nd European Cross Country Championships were held at Alnwick in England on 2 December 1995. Paulo Guerra took his second title in the men's competition and Annemari Sandell won the women's race. Results Men individual 9km 103 runners finish ...

(his highest honour). He also won silver medals at the

European Mountain Running Championships The European Mountain Running Championships is an annual international mountain running race. Inaugurated in 2002, it is organised by the European Athletic Association (EAA) in July each year. The venue for the championships is changed each year. ...

in 1998.

Career

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

-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. International appearances followed in the junior section of the

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

and

1990 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 1990 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in Aix-les-Bains, France, at the Hippodrome de Marlioz on March 25, 1990. A report on the event was given in the Glasgow Herald. Complete results for senior men, junior men, senior ...

, 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 The 1993 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in Amorebieta, Spain, at the Jaureguibarría Course on March 28, 1993. A report on the event was given in ''The New York Times'' and in the Herald. Complete results for senior men, ...

and with his 32nd-place finish he led the British team to seventh in the rankings (two places ahead of fellow Briton

Eamonn Martin Eamonn or Éamon or Eamon may refer to: *Eamonn (given name), an Irish male given name *Eamon (singer) (born 1983), American R&B singer-songwriter and harmonicist * ''Eamon'' (video game), a 1980 computer role-playing game for the Apple II *"Éamon ...

, who won the

London Marathon The London Marathon is an annual marathon held in London, United Kingdom, and is the 2nd largest annual road race in the UK, after the Great North Run in Newcastle. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held ...

that year. He placed in the top 15 at the 1993

Great North Run The Great North Run (branded the Simplyhealth Great North Run for sponsorship purposes) is the largest half marathon in the world, taking place annually in North East England each September. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and Sou ...

and this led to his selection for the

1994 World Half Marathon Championships The 3rd IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on September 24, 1994, in Oslo, Norway. A total of 214 athletes, 127 men and 87 women, from 48 countries took part. Complete results were published. Medallists Race Results Men's Wome ...

. He only managed 60th place there, being the last scoring runner in the British men's team that ranked 12th overall. 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. 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. His sole international cross country medals came at the

. He took the bronze medal and led a team of Cullen, Jon Brown and David Taylor to the men's team bronze medals. Pearson had some success on different surfaces in the years following this, including a

AAA Championships The AAA Championships was an annual track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association of England. It was the foremost domestic athletics event in the United Kingdom during its lifetime, despite the existence of the officia ...

title in the 10-mile run in 1997 and individual and team silver medals at the 1998 European Mountain Running Trophy, finishing behind Antonio Molinari. He made five straight British teams for the

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 Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ac ...

as he progressed into his thirties. He won the Nottingham Half Marathon in 2001 and was the 2010 winner of the

Sheffield Half Marathon The Sheffield Half Marathon is an annual half marathon held in Sheffield, England. It was started as a marathon in 1929 for two years, with a half marathon run at the same time. It restarted again 1946 after the Second World War. In 2003 it was red ...

.Robin Hood Marathon

Association of Road Racing Statisticians The Association of Road Racing Statisticians is an independent, non-profit organization that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics regarding road running races. The primary purpose of the ARRS is to maintain a valid list of world road record ...

. Retrieved on 2016-01-21. He had back-to-back wins at the

Leeds Half Marathon Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populatio ...

in 2009 and 2010.

International competitions

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pearson, Andrew Living people 1971 births Athletes from Yorkshire English male long-distance runners