SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand will showcase all the events on offer from 3:30pm to 8:00pm (AEDT) on Saturday, February 18.
World Athletics have confirmed more than 230 athletes (134 men, 102 women) will participate in the senior races, with 81 men and 73 women to contest the U20 categories.
Located over the iconic Mount Panorama course, senior races will comprise five laps of a gruelling two-kilometre circuit, with four laps lined up for the U20 men and three for the U20 women.
Fifteen teams of four will then challenge for mixed relay honours, where each member must complete one lap through one of the most stunning landscapes of Australian sport.
Commonwealth champion Oliver Hoare, Tokyo Olympic finalist Jessica Hull, World Championships finalist Stewart McSweyn, and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Abbey Caldwell will represent Australia in the relay for a chance at a medal.
Defending champions Ethiopia will return in the mixed relay with the help of Olympic steeplechase finalist Getnet Wale, while world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech will line up for Kenya.
East African nations are well acquainted with distance running podiums, and defending champion Joshua Cheptegei will be out to defend his senior title against fellow Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo and Kenya's Geoffrey Kamworor.
Meanwhile, two-time U20 winner Letesenbet Gidey will attempt to win her first senior World Cross Country title in the women’s race, though she’ll have to contend with Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet and Eritrea’s Rahel Daniel, as well as Australian trio Rose Davies, Leanne Pompeani and Caitlin Adams.
The next crop of Australian runners, headlined by Amy Bunnage and Archie Noakes, will also face stiff competition in the U20 races as world champions Medina Eisa (Ethiopia), Faith Cherotich and Reynold Cheruiyot (Kenya) head down under.
It all promises to be another enthralling edition of distance running's showpiece event, one that will air live on SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand from 3:30pm (AEDT) on February 18.
