# 1978 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Senior women's race

The Senior women's race at the 1978 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in Glasgow, Scotland, at the Bellahouston Park on March 25, 1978. 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 (4.728 km)
#### Individual

| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time |
| | Grete Waitz | Norway | 16:19 |
| | Natalia Mărăşescu | Romania | 16:49 |
| | Maricica Puică | Romania | 16:59 |
| 4 | Julie Shea | United States | 17:12 |
| 5 | Cornelia Bürki | Switzerland | 17:13 |
| 6 | Monika Greschner | West Germany | 17:14 |
| 7 | Jan Merrill | United States | 17:17 |
| 8 | Georgeta Gazibara | Romania | 17:18 |
| 9 | Joyce Smith | England | 17:23 |
| 10 | Carmen Valero | Spain | 17:26 |
| 11 | Kathy Mills | United States | 17:27 |
| 12 | Christine Benning | England | 17:28 |
| 13 | Agnese Possamai | Italy | 17:32 |
| 14 | Mary Purcell | Ireland | 17:35 |
| 15 | Brenda Webb | United States | 17:36 |
| 16 | Penny Yule | England | 17:37 |
| 17 | Antoaneta Iacob | Romania | 17:37 |
| 18 | Mary Stewart | England | 17:39 |
| 19 | Tatyana Kazankina | Soviet Union | 17:43 |
| 20 | Celina Sokolowska [pl] | Poland | 17:44 |
| 21 | Christa Vahlensieck | West Germany | 17:45 |
| 22 | Judith Shepherd | Scotland | 17:50 |
| 23 | Cindy Bremser | United States | 17:51 |
| 24 | Kathy d'Arcy | Canada | 17:53 |
| 25 | Brigitte Kraus | West Germany | 17:54 |
| 26 | Fiţa Lovin | Romania | 17:55 |
| 27 | Renata Pyrr | Poland | 17:56 |
| 28 | Kath Binns | England | 17:57 |
| 29 | Renata Pentlinowska | Poland | 17:58 |
| 30 | Joëlle De Brouwer | France | 17:59 |
| 31 | Veronica Duffy | Ireland | 18:01 |
| 32 | Loa Olafsson | Denmark | 18:01 |
| 33 | Renate Kieninger | West Germany | 18:02 |
| 34 | Tineke Kluft | Netherlands | 18:03 |
| 35 | Cristina Tomasini | Italy | 18:05 |
| 36 | Connie Olsen | Denmark | 18:05 |
| 37 | Pilar Fernandez | Spain | 18:06 |
| 38 | Nancy Rooks | Canada | 18:06 |
| 39 | Chantal Navarro | France | 18:09 |
| 40 | Nina Snyrikova | Soviet Union | 18:12 |
| 41 | Margherita Gargano | Italy | 18:13 |
| 42 | Joëlle Audibert | France | 18:14 |
| 43 | Wendy Smith | England | 18:15 |
| 44 | Nadine Claes | Belgium | 18:15 |
| 45 | Maria Mödl | West Germany | 18:17 |
| 46 | Monika Gaisjier | Poland | 18:17 |
| 47 | Monique Seys | Belgium | 18:18 |
| 48 | Christine Ward | Ireland | 18:18 |
| 49 | Mona Kleppe | Norway | 18:18 |
| 50 | Encarnación Escudero | Spain | 18:18 |
| 51 | Marijke Moser | Switzerland | 18:20 |
| 52 | Brigit de Nijs | Netherlands | 18:20 |
| 53 | Magda Ilands | Belgium | 18:20 |
| 54 | Magda Kubasiewicz | Canada | 18:21 |
| 55 | Véronique Renties | France | 18:23 |
| 56 | Svetlana Ulmasova | Soviet Union | 18:28 |
| 57 | Heidi Vien | Norway | 18:29 |
| 58 | Oddrun Mosling | Norway | 18:29 |
| 59 | Kate Davis | Ireland | 18:30 |
| 60 | Carla Beurskens | Netherlands | 18:35 |
| 61 | Elsbeth Liebi | Switzerland | 18:36 |
| 62 | Montserrat Abello | Spain | 18:41 |
| 63 | Hilary Hollick | Wales | 18:43 |
| 64 | Bernadette van Roy | Belgium | 18:44 |
| 65 | Denise Verhaert | Belgium | 18:45 |
| 66 | May-Britt Stange | Norway | 18:46 |
| 67 | Sara Neil | Canada | 18:48 |
| 68 | Derbhla Mellerick | Ireland | 18:50 |
| 69 | Margaret Coomber | Scotland | 18:50 |
| 70 | Raisa Sadreydinova [de] | Soviet Union | 18:52 |
| 71 | Danuta Zbiewski | Poland | 18:53 |
| 72 | Ulrike Kullmann | West Germany | 18:54 |
| 73 | Annie van Stiphout | Netherlands | 18:55 |
| 74 | Gabriela Gorzynska [pl] | Poland | 18:59 |
| 75 | Barbara Bendler | Switzerland | 19:01 |
| 76 | Mercedes Calleja | Spain | 19:04 |
| 77 | Janet Downton | Canada | 19:05 |
| 78 | Viviane Croisé | France | 19:07 |
| 79 | Fiona McQueen | Scotland | 19:12 |
| 80 | Lone Dybdahl | Denmark | 19:13 |
| 81 | Amelia Lorza Lopez | Spain | 19:14 |
| 82 | Annick Loir | France | 19:17 |
| 83 | Jean Lochhead | Wales | 19:19 |
| 84 | Siobhan Lonergan | Ireland | 19:33 |
| 85 | Judy Graham | United States | 19:47 |
| 86 | Kersti Jakobsen | Denmark | 19:55 |
| 87 | Janet Higgins | Scotland | 19:59 |
| 88 | Karin de Nijs | Netherlands | 20:03 |
| 89 | Kerry Robinson | Scotland | 20:07 |
| 90 | Valentina Ilynikh [ru] | Soviet Union | 20:09 |
| 91 | Violet Hope | Scotland | 20:19 |
| 92 | Anna James | Wales | 20:28 |
| 93 | Ann-Marie Fox | Wales | 20:37 |
| 94 | Karina Bennike | Denmark | 21:10 |
| 95 | Jean Cameron | Canada | |
| 96 | Ann Disley | Wales | |
| 97 | Carol Nicholas | Wales | |
| — | Silvana Cruciata | Italy | DNF |
| — | Gabriella Dorio | Italy | DNF |

#### Teams

| Rank | Team | Points |
| | Romania Natalia Mărăşescu2 Maricica Puică3 Georgeta Gazibara8 Antoaneta Iacob17 (Fiţa Lovin)(26) | 30 |
| | United States Julie Shea4 Jan Merrill7 Kathy Mills11 Brenda Webb15 (Cindy Bremser)(23) (Judy Graham)(85) | 37 |
| | England Joyce Smith9 Christine Benning12 Penny Yule16 Mary Stewart18 (Kath Binns)(28) (Wendy Smith)(43) | 55 |
| 4 | West Germany Monika Greschner6 Christa Vahlensieck21 Brigitte Kraus25 Renate Kieninger33 (Maria Mödl)(45) (Ulrike Kullmann)(72) | 85 |
| 5 | Poland Celina Sokolowska [pl]20 Renata Pyrr27 Renata Pentlinowska29 Monika Gaisjier46 (Danuta Zbiewski)(71) (Gabriela Gorzynska [pl])(74) | 122 |
| 6 | Ireland Mary Purcell14 Veronica Duffy31 Christine Ward48 Kate Davis59 (Derbhla Mellerick)(68) (Siobhan Lonergan)(84) | 152 |
| 7 | Spain Carmen Valero10 Pilar Fernandez37 Encarnación Escudero50 Montserrat Abello62 (Mercedes Calleja)(76) (Amelia Lorza Lopez)(81) | 159 |
| 8 | Norway Grete Waitz1 Mona Kleppe49 Heidi Vien57 Oddrun Mosling58 (May-Britt Stange)(66) | 165 |
| 9 | France Joëlle De Brouwer30 Chantal Navarro39 Joëlle Audibert42 Véronique Renties55 (Viviane Croisé)(78) (Annick Loir)(82) | 166 |
| 10 | Canada Kathy d'Arcy24 Nancy Rooks38 Magda Kubasiewicz54 Sara Neil67 (Janet Downton)(77) (Jean Cameron)(95) | 183 |
| 11 | Soviet Union Tatyana Kazankina19 Nina Snyrikova40 Svetlana Ulmasova56 Raisa Sadreydinova [de]70 (Valentina Ilynikh [ru])(90) | 185 |
| 12 | Switzerland Cornelia Bürki5 Marijke Moser51 Elsbeth Liebi61 Barbara Bendler75 | 192 |
| 13 | Belgium Nadine Claes44 Monique Seys47 Magda Ilands53 Bernadette van Roy64 (Denise Verhaert)(65) | 208 |
| 14 | Netherlands Tineke Kluft34 Brigit de Nijs52 Carla Beurskens60 Annie van Stiphout73 (Karin de Nijs)(88) | 219 |
| 15 | Denmark Loa Olafsson32 Connie Olsen36 Lone Dybdahl80 Kersti Jakobsen86 (Karina Bennike)(94) | 234 |
| 16 | Scotland Judith Shepherd22 Margaret Coomber69 Fiona McQueen79 Janet Higgins87 (Kerry Robinson)(89) (Violet Hope)(91) | 257 |
| 17 | Wales Hilary Hollick63 Jean Lochhead83 Anna James92 Ann-Marie Fox93 (Ann Disley)(96) (Carol Nicholas)(97) | 331 |
| DNF | Italy (Agnese Possamai)(13) (Cristina Tomasini)(35) (Margherita Gargano)(41) (Silvana Cruciata)(DNF) (Gabriella Dorio)(DNF) | DNF |
* Note: Athletes in parentheses did not score for the team result

## Participation

An unofficial count yields the participation of 99 athletes from 18 countries in the Senior women's race, one athlete less than the official number published.
* Belgium (5)
* Canada (6)
* Denmark (5)
* England (6)
* France (6)
* Ireland (6)
* Italy (5)
* Netherlands (5)
* Norway (5)
* Poland (6)
* Romania (5)
* Scotland (6)
* Soviet Union (5)
* Spain (6)
* Switzerland (4)
* United States (6)
* Wales (6)
* West Germany (6)