# 1981 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Senior women's race

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

#### Teams

| Rank | Team | Points |
| | Soviet Union Yelena Sipatova3 Tatyana Sychova5 Svetlana Ulmasova7 Tatyana Pozdnyakova9 (Irina Bondarchuk)(21) (Giana Romanova)(32) | 24 |
| | United States Jan Merrill2 Betty Springs6 Julie Shea13 Mary Shea15 (Brenda Webb)(30) (Francie Larrieu)(36) | 36 |
| | Italy Agnese Possamai4 Cristina Tomasini23 Silvana Cruciata29 Alba Milana33 (Nadia Dandolo)(46) (Marina Loddo)(49) | 89 |
| 4 | New Zealand Dianne Zorn12 Mary O'Connor25 Lorraine Moller26 Anne Audain27 (Gail Rear)(35) (Barbara Moore)(63) | 90 |
| 5 | Canada Debbie Scott8 Lynn Kanuka17 Sheila Currie31 Veronica Poryckyj40 (Alison Wiley)(61) (Silvia Ruegger)(82) | 96 |
| 6 | England Christine Benning14 Jane Furniss22 Paula Fudge28 Sandra Arthurton42 (Kath Binns)(50) (Wendy Smith)(65) | 106 |
| 7 | Norway Grete Waitz1 Ingrid Kristiansen16 Gunvor Hilde47 Mona Kleppe59 (Randi Bjørn)(69) (Hilde Stavik)(109) | 123 |
| 8 | Ireland Deirdre Nagle34 Fionnuala Morrish38 Patricia Appleby39 Carol Meagan56 (Siobhan Treacy)(90) (Carey May)(105) | 167 |
| 9 | Spain Asunción Sinobas10 Amelia Lorza Lopez43 Mercedes Calleja55 Pilar Fernandez71 (Mercedes Buceta)(76) (Susana Irazusta)(94) | 179 |
| 10 | France Joëlle Debrouwer24 Annick Lebreton37 Martine Bouchonneau48 Patricia Marchand74 (Isabelle Matthys)(80) (Patricia Deneuville)(100) | 183 |
| 11 | Belgium Francine Peeters41 Marie-Christine Deurbroeck52 Monique Seys54 Denise Verhaert70 (Marleen Meuris)(72) (Maria Steels)(96) | 217 |
| 12 | Netherlands Carla Beurskens20 Annie van Stiphout53 Saskia Brouwer67 Joke Bruggen78 (Marga Wiegman)(81) (Wilma Rusman)(97) | 218 |
| 13 | Portugal Rosa Mota18 Alice Silva64 Aurora Cunha73 Regina Gonçalves98 (Albertina Machado)(99) (Rita Borralho)(DNF) | 253 |
| 14 | Finland Helena Heikkinen44 Tuija Toivonen58 Tuula Konttinen77 Päivi Pihlajamäki85 | 264 |
| 15 | Switzerland Cornelia Bürki19 Elise Wattendorf57 Vreni Forster84 Daniela Gassmann104 | 264 |
| 16 | Australia Anne Lord51 Desiree Leatherby62 Mehan Sloane66 Rosemary Longstaff86 (Gaylene Clews)(89) (Rhonda Mallinder)(93) | 265 |
| 17 | Denmark Dorthe Rasmussen11 Charlotte Kaagh88 Mie Poulsen Jensen91 Tina Krebs92 (Ulla Nielsen)(102) (Mette Holm Hansen)(107) | 282 |
| 18 | Wales Carole Bradford45 Hilary Hollick60 Bronwen Cardy87 Jean Lochhead101 (Yana Jones)(106) (Kathy Williams)(108) | 293 |
| 19 | Scotland Christine Price68 Lynne MacDougall75 Yvonne Murray79 Alison Wright95 (Barbara Harvie)(103) (Linsey Macdonald)(110) | 317 |
| 20 | Angola Francisca Xavier111 Rosa Neves112 Sara Tavares113 Maria Silva114 (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.
* Angola (6)
* Australia (6)
* Belgium (6)
* Canada (6)
* Denmark (6)
* England (6)
* Finland (4)
* France (6)
* Ireland (6)
* Israel (1)
* Italy (6)
* Netherlands (6)
* New Zealand (6)
* Norway (6)
* Portugal (6)
* Romania (1)
* Scotland (6)
* Soviet Union (6)
* Spain (6)
* Switzerland (4)
* United States (6)
* Wales (6)