{"id":20984,"date":"2025-06-12T14:42:15","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T18:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/?post_type=wfsu-news&#038;p=20984"},"modified":"2025-06-12T15:41:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T19:41:16","slug":"leon-county-is-continuing-its-prep-for-the-2026-world-athletics-cross-country-championships","status":"publish","type":"wfsu-news","link":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/leon-county-is-continuing-its-prep-for-the-2026-world-athletics-cross-country-championships\/","title":{"rendered":"Leon County is continuing its prep for the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Leon County Commissioners got an update this week on the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships. Apalachee Regional Park is set to host the event January 10.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s the first time the global championships have been held in the United States since 1992, when the event took place in Boston, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n<p>Officials say the event is expected to come with an economic impact to the tune of 4.5 million dollars as athletes and spectators travel to the area.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is going to be unlike any event held at Apalachee Regional Park before,&#8221; said Kerri Post, Director of the Leon County Division of Tourism. &#8220;Our theme is bold and inspiring \u2014 welcoming the world to Florida.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Planning for the event has been in motion since Leon County was awarded the bid in 2022. The Board of County Commissioners has allocated $500,000 in tourism funds to support execution, with more support expected.<\/p>\n<p>Officials say tickets, sponsorship opportunities, and community events \u2014 including a fun run and fan experiences \u2014 will roll out as final preparations begin. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2025 WFSU<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","wds_primary_category":0},"categories":[],"tags":[1136,1135],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Leon County is continuing its prep for the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships - WFSU Local Routes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wfsu-news\/leon-county-is-continuing-its-prep-for-the-2026-world-athletics-cross-country-championships\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Leon County is continuing its prep for the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships - WFSU Local Routes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Leon County is preparing for the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships. 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