# 1983 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Senior women's race

The Senior women's race at the 1983 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in Gateshead, England, at the Riverside Park on March 20, 1983. A report on the event was given in the Glasgow Herald and in the Evening Times.
Complete results, medallists, and the results of British athletes were published.

## Race results
### Senior women's race (4.072 km)
#### Individual

| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time |
| | Grete Waitz | Norway | 13:29 |
| | Alison Wiley | Canada | 13:37 |
| | Tatyana Pozdnyakova | Soviet Union | 13:37 |
| 4 | Joan Benoit | United States | 13:57 |
| 5 | Betty Springs | United States | 14:00 |
| 6 | Svetlana Ulmasova | Soviet Union | 14:01 |
| 7 | Francine Peeters | Belgium | 14:03 |
| 8 | Fiţa Lovin | Romania | 14:04 |
| 9 | Margaret Groos | United States | 14:04 |
| 10 | Aurora Cunha | Portugal | 14:06 |
| 11 | Alla Yushina | Soviet Union | 14:08 |
| 12 | Nancy Rooks | Canada | 14:09 |
| 13 | Jan Merrill | United States | 14:12 |
| 14 | Agnese Possamai | Italy | 14:14 |
| 15 | Doina Melinte | Romania | 14:15 |
| 16 | Anne-Marie Malone | Canada | 14:17 |
| 17 | Pilar Fernandez | Spain | 14:18 |
| 18 | Christine Benning | England | 14:19 |
| 19 | Christina Boxer | England | 14:20 |
| 20 | Carolyn Schuwalov | Australia | 14:20 |
| 21 | Yelena Sipatova | Soviet Union | 14:21 |
| 22 | Midde Hamrin | Sweden | 14:21 |
| 23 | Lynn Kanuka | Canada | 14:22 |
| 24 | Rosa Mota | Portugal | 14:24 |
| 25 | Nadia Dandolo | Italy | 14:24 |
| 26 | Christine Hughes | New Zealand | 14:26 |
| 27 | Sue Bruce | New Zealand | 14:26 |
| 28 | Kath Binns | England | 14:26 |
| 29 | Jane Furniss | England | 14:27 |
| 30 | Jacqueline Lefeuvre | France | 14:30 |
| 31 | Mary O'Connor | New Zealand | 14:31 |
| 32 | Mehan Sloane | Australia | 14:31 |
| 33 | Eva Ernström | Sweden | 14:32 |
| 34 | Albertina Machado | Portugal | 14:34 |
| 35 | Ingrid Kristiansen | Norway | 14:35 |
| 36 | Maria Radu | Romania | 14:36 |
| 37 | Wendy van Mierlo | Canada | 14:36 |
| 38 | Barbara Moore | New Zealand | 14:36 |
| 39 | Adriana Mustață | Romania | 14:36 |
| 40 | Nan Doak | United States | 14:36 |
| 41 | Janis Hams | Australia | 14:37 |
| 42 | Kathy Hadler | United States | 14:38 |
| 43 | Montserrat Abello | Spain | 14:39 |
| 44 | Debbie Elsmore | New Zealand | 14:40 |
| 45 | Lizanne Bussières | Canada | 14:40 |
| 46 | Joëlle De Brouwer | France | 14:41 |
| 47 | Patricia Deneuville | France | 14:41 |
| 48 | Deirdre Nagle | Ireland | 14:44 |
| 49 | Laura Blanco | Spain | 14:44 |
| 50 | Kim Lock | Wales | 14:46 |
| 51 | Fiona McQueen | Scotland | 14:47 |
| 52 | Mona Kleppe | Norway | 14:48 |
| 53 | Kathy Mearns | Scotland | 14:48 |
| 54 | Lucilia Soares | Portugal | 14:48 |
| 55 | Asuncion Sinobas | Spain | 14:49 |
| 56 | Alba Milana | Italy | 14:49 |
| 57 | Ana Isabel Alonso | Spain | 14:50 |
| 58 | Linda Milo | Belgium | 14:51 |
| 59 | Zehava Shmueli | Israel | 14:53 |
| 60 | Teresa Purton | England | 14:55 |
| 61 | Randi Bjørn | Norway | 14:57 |
| 62 | Birgitta Wåhlin | Sweden | 14:57 |
| 63 | Sharon Dalton | Australia | 14:58 |
| 64 | Lyudmila Medvedeva | Soviet Union | 14:58 |
| 65 | Charlotte Kaagh | Denmark | 15:01 |
| 66 | Sylvie Bornet | France | 15:02 |
| 67 | Elise Lyon | Scotland | 15:04 |
| 68 | Maria Rébélo | France | 15:07 |
| 69 | Marie-Christine Deurbroeck | Belgium | 15:08 |
| 70 | Debbie Peel | England | 15:10 |
| 71 | Louise Copp | Wales | 15:11 |
| 72 | Glenys Kroon | New Zealand | 15:12 |
| 73 | Conceição Ferreira | Portugal | 15:12 |
| 74 | Jeanette Nordgren | Sweden | 15:13 |
| 75 | Cristina Agusti | Spain | 15:15 |
| 76 | Véronique Renties | France | 15:16 |
| 77 | Jean Lorden | Scotland | 15:16 |
| 78 | Rita Borralho | Portugal | 15:17 |
| 79 | Ann Hilliard | Ireland | 15:19 |
| 80 | Betty van Steenbroeck | Belgium | 15:20 |
| 81 | Rhonda Mallinder | Australia | 15:21 |
| 82 | Laura Fogli | Italy | 15:23 |
| 83 | Louise McGrillen | Ireland | 15:24 |
| 84 | Eefje van Wissen | Netherlands | 15:24 |
| 85 | Ann-Marie Fox | Wales | 15:33 |
| 86 | Sicau West | Romania | 15:36 |
| 87 | Marit Holtklimpen | Norway | 15:37 |
| 88 | Greta Hickey | Ireland | 15:38 |
| 89 | Jean Lochhead | Wales | 15:39 |
| 90 | Dalila Mehira | Algeria | 15:39 |
| 91 | Mie Poulsen Jensen | Denmark | 15:39 |
| 92 | Linda van Vliet | Netherlands | 15:41 |
| 93 | Trijnie Smeenge | Netherlands | 15:42 |
| 94 | Yvonne Murray | Scotland | 15:45 |
| 95 | Eithne Kenny | Ireland | 15:47 |
| 96 | Yvonne Haglund | Sweden | 15:54 |
| 97 | Lynne MacDougall | Scotland | 15:54 |
| 98 | Mébarka El Hadj Abdellah | Algeria | 15:59 |
| 99 | Noeleen Mullan | Northern Ireland | 15:59 |
| 100 | Fiona Harwood | Wales | 16:02 |
| 101 | Desirée Heijnen | Netherlands | 16:04 |
| 102 | Rosemary Harron | Northern Ireland | 16:06 |
| 103 | Sally James | Wales | 16:07 |
| 104 | Sally Pierson | Australia | 16:08 |
| 105 | Paula Hawtin | Northern Ireland | 16:09 |
| 106 | Angela McCullagh | Northern Ireland | 16:10 |
| 107 | Mary Martin | Ireland | 16:18 |
| 108 | Camilla Harron | Northern Ireland | 16:28 |
| 109 | Baukje Hiemstra | Netherlands | 16:49 |
| 110 | Christine Lord | Northern Ireland | 16:55 |
| — | Alla Libutina | Soviet Union | DNF |

#### Teams

| Rank | Team | Points |
| | United States Joan Benoit4 Betty Springs5 Margaret Groos9 Jan Merrill13 (Nan Doak)(40) (Kathy Hadler)(42) | 31 |
| | Soviet Union Tatyana Pozdnyakova3 Svetlana Ulmasova6 Alla Yushina11 Yelena Sipatova21 (Lyudmila Medvedeva)(64) (Alla Libutina)(DNF) | 41 |
| | Canada Alison Wiley2 Nancy Rooks12 Anne-Marie Malone16 Lynn Kanuka23 (Wendy van Mierlo)(37) (Lizanne Bussières)(45) | 53 |
| 4 | England Christine Benning18 Christina Boxer19 Kath Binns28 Jane Furniss29 (Teresa Purton)(60) (Debbie Peel)(70) | 94 |
| 5 | Romania Fiţa Lovin8 Doina Melinte15 Maria Radu36 Adriana Mustata39 (Sicau West)(86) | 98 |
| 6 | New Zealand Christine Hughes26 Sue Bruce27 Mary O'Connor31 Barbara Moore38 (Debbie Elsmore)(44) (Glenys Kroon)(72) | 122 |
| 7 | Portugal Aurora Cunha10 Rosa Mota24 Albertina Machado34 Lucilia Soares54 (Conceição Ferreira)(73) (Rita Borralho)(78) | 122 |
| 8 | Norway Grete Waitz1 Ingrid Kristiansen35 Mona Kleppe52 Randi Bjørn61 (Marit Holtklimpen)(87) | 149 |
| 9 | Australia Carolyn Schuwalov20 Mehan Sloane32 Janis Hams41 Sharon Dalton63 (Rhonda Mallinder)(81) (Sally Pierson)(104) | 156 |
| 10 | Spain Pilar Fernandez17 Montserrat Abello43 Laura Blanco49 Asuncion Sinobas55 (Ana Isabel Alonso)(57) (Cristina Agusti)(75) | 164 |
| 11 | Italy Agnese Possamai14 Nadia Dandolo25 Alba Milana56 Laura Fogli82 | 177 |
| 12 | France Jacqueline Lefeuvre30 Joëlle Debrouwer46 Patricia Deneuville47 Sylvie Bornet66 (Maria Rébélo)(68) (Véronique Renties)(76) | 189 |
| 13 | Sweden Midde Hamrin22 Eva Ernström33 Birgitta Wåhlin62 Jeanette Nordgren74 (Yvonne Haglund)(96) | 191 |
| 14 | Belgium Francine Peeters7 Linda Milo58 Marie-Christine Deurbroeck69 Betty van Steenbroeck80 | 214 |
| 15 | Scotland Fiona McQueen51 Kathy Mearns53 Elise Lyon67 Jean Lorden77 (Yvonne Murray)(94) (Lynne MacDougall)(97) | 248 |
| 16 | Wales Kim Lock50 Louise Copp71 Ann-Marie Fox85 Jean Lochhead89 (Fiona Harwood)(100) (Sally James)(103) | 295 |
| 17 | Ireland Deirdre Nagle48 Ann Hilliard79 Louise McGrillen83 Greta Hickey88 (Eithne Kenny)(95) (Mary Martin)(107) | 298 |
| 18 | Netherlands Eefje van Wissen84 Linda van Vliet92 Trijnie Smeenge93 Desirée Heijnen101 (Baukje Hiemstra)(109) | 370 |
| 19 | Northern Ireland Noeleen Mullan99 Rosemary Harron102 Paula Hawtin105 Angela McCullagh106 (Camilla Harron)(108) (Christine Lord)(110) | 412 |
* Note: Athletes in parentheses did not score for the team result

## Participation

An unofficial count yields the participation of 111 athletes from 22 countries in the Senior women's race. This is in agreement with the official numbers as published.
* Algeria (2)
* Australia (6)
* Belgium (4)
* Canada (6)
* Denmark (2)
* England (6)
* France (6)
* Ireland (6)
* Israel (1)
* Italy (4)
* Netherlands (5)
* New Zealand (6)
* Northern Ireland (6)
* Norway (5)
* Portugal (6)
* Romania (5)
* Scotland (6)
* Soviet Union (6)
* Spain (6)
* Sweden (5)
* United States (6)
* Wales (6)