Some of the world's best runners were in Tallahassee on Saturday, January 10 for the World Athletic Cross Country Championships. It was city's first effort to host a major international sporting event.
Teams from across the globe took on the challenging course at the Apalachee Regional Park. Although not every registered runner competed. U.S. Immigration denied the visa entry of 14 members of the Ethiopian team for undisclosed reasons. Still, the events went on as more than 10,000 spectators cheered their favorites. Although it was Leon County's first time organizing an athletic contest of this magnitude, County Commission Chair Christian Caban said it likely won't be the last.
"We want to bring them back! We've had some great conversations with leadership. They've already stated publicly that this is the best course and best facility of this event, so we're going to do whatever we can to keep them here."
The county estimates the local economic impact from the event to be around $4.3 million.
