LOCAL athletes have upped preparations ahead of next month’s African Cross Country Championship in Cape Town, South Africa.The local athletics federation (RAF) technical director Emmanuel Murenzi yesterday said that the first trials would be held on Sunday at Kicukiro."We shall have trials on Sunday as one of the yardsticks for being selected on the national team,” said Murenzi.South Africa has been appointed the host nation for the third Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) African Cross Country Championship slated for March 12.The event will he staged at Western Province Cricket Club (WPCC), with each event run over a 2km course that will start on the Rondebosch Boys High School field, include a loop through Keurboom Park and finish in front of WPCC.Senior men and women will compete over distances of 12km and 8km respectively, while junior men and women will run 8km and 6km respectively.   Each country will have up to six athletes per category, taking the maximum total participation of each country to 24.Some of the countries who have signed up for the event include Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Congo, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa.