Shafer and Herzog triumph in Tilburg

Adrienne Herzog won in Tilburg on Sunday.

Ukraine's Vitaly Shafar and local star Adriënne Herzog took the honours at the 53rd International loket.nl Warandeloop in the Dutch city of Tilburg on Sunday, one of five European Athletics Cross Country Permit races on the opening weekend of this winter's series.

Shafar impressed when he won the men´s 10km race in 30:30, taking the lead in the early stages of the race and holding it all the way to the line.

Khalid Choukoud defended his Dutch title, the Tilburg event incorporating the Dutch country championships for the first time, when he finished second in 30:42 while third was Jesper Van der Wielen in 31:00.

Van der Wielen is still only 20 but took third place over 5000m at the 2011 European Athletics U23 Championships in the summer and he is aiming for a top 10 place at the SPAR European Cross Country Championshipsin two weeks time.

The SPAR European Cross Country Championships will be held in Velenje, Slovenia, on 11 December.

Herzog, the 2009 SPAR European Cross Country Championships senior women’s bronze medallist, won in Tilburg 12 months ago and repeated the feat this year when she crossed the line after 8km of running in 27:29.

Herzog had a race-long battle with Germany's Simret Restle, just pulling away from her rival in the final 500m, Restle finishing in 27:31.

Another German, marathoner Sabrina Mockenhaupt, who has a special fondness for Tilburg as it was in the same city – although not on exactly the same course – that she had her biggest international triumpgh when she took the 2005 SPAR European Cross Country Championships silver medal, was third in 28:09.

More than 4700 runners competed in the more than 30 races, which were staged over two days last weekend, an event record.