All the news from Pontefract in West Yorkshire.
Calum Johnson and Katie Hawkins took the individual race honors and the titles were handed out at the clubs on Saturday (January 24).
In the senior men’s race, Johnson was comprehensively defeated by 2025 champion Angus McMillan as Harry Wakefield was third to take bronze for the second year in a row.
Johnson has a habit of peaking for major championship races, the first being the 2020 English National, as well as two cross-country wins since then.
There was team gold for Salford as they had six of their goalscorers in the top 11 as Leeds City stayed in contention.
Hawkins narrowly won by 30 meters over Alice Wright and Rachel Brown with Jenny Walsh a further 30 meters back.
The women’s team title went to Vale Royal, led home by seventh-placed Grace Roberts, as last year’s winners Leeds slipped to third behind Salford.
In the junior men’s event, just four teams made the cut, led by Morpeth, but it was Clayton-Le-Murse’s Ethiopian refugee Biruk Kebede who had a few meters to spare over Settles’ Jack Sanderson in the individual events.
Kebede has made a name for himself on both the track and the road and lived up to his favorite tag here.
Behind the top two was William De Vere Owen who led the Morpeth team.
Sarah Bourne took a comfortable win in the junior women’s race, but runner-up was Jasmine Wright, who took Salford to the team honours.
Men. 1 C Johnson (Gate) 38:21; 2 A McMillan (York) 38:57; 3 H Wakefield (Salph) 39:40; 4 H Johnson (Salph) 39:44; 5 S Flanagan (Leeds) 39;46; 6 D Garbutt (Durham) 40:01
M40: 1 A Baker Leeds) 41:43
M45: 1 I Fisher Macc) 42:35
M60: 1 M Roscoe Leeds) 50:01
TEAM: 1 Salford 45; 2 Leeds 121; 3 Sales 315
16 teams finished
U20: 1 B Kebede (CleM) 26:29; 2 J Sanderson (Settle) 26:31; 3 W De Vere Owen (Morp) 27:07
TEAM: 1 Morpeth 35; 2 Rotherham 51; 3 Darlington 90
Women. 1 K Hawkins (Salph) 30;15; 2 A Wright (Sale) 30:25; 3 R Brown (Border) 30:27; 4 J Walsh (Leads) 30:40; 5 E Tait (Gate) 31:04; 6 B Reid (Traff) 31:13
W40: 1 K Walshaw Morp) 32;11
W45: 1 L Powell (Smith (B’bourne) 32:27
W50: 1 H Haig (Holf) 33:12
TEAM: 1 Vale Royal 59; 2 Salford 99; 3 Leeds 104
15 teams finished
U20: 1 S Bourne (Ter) 20:55; 2 J Wright (Salph) 21:18; 3 AND Oshua (Vale R) 21:27; 4 S Roydis (Salpus) 21:46; 5 R Gildaley (Eden) 21:50; 6 A Smith ILiv) 22:02
TEAM: 1 Salford 15; 2 Vale Royal 31; 3 Warrington 38
Young athletes
Jake Ireland, the 2025 England Under-15 national team champion, led the Under-17s home after a close race with Jake Norris and Luke Morris, but sixth was Adrian White, who led Trafford in the team gold men’s race.
For the women’s under-17s, it was Cardiff Cross winner and Euro team medalist Beth Lewis who led York City to an individual victory. The City of York runner was 20m clear of Wakefield’s Isabella Tutt, but team honors went elsewhere. Salford just got the better of Rotherham in a close battle.
It was also close in the under-15 boys singles, with Cheshire champion Joseph Osuji getting rid of Edward Rose and Thomas Hastings.
Preston, captained by Albert Yates, took the team gold medals in 13th place.
English schools girls’ 1500m champion Gabrielle Pinder had one of the biggest advantages of the junior runners with a 200m win over Olivia Lee in the under-15 girls’ race as Saley took the team honours.
Gus Fisher earlier gave Macclesfield Harriers a second individual gold by winning the under-13 boys event when the team went to the Warriors Pentathlon.
For the youngest girls, it was novice triathlete Carlotta Bailey, moving Sienna Lavigne by about 50 meters.
U17 Men. 1 J Ireland Macc) 18:25; 2 Jay Norris (Leeds) 18:30; 3 L Morris (W Chesh) 18:33; 4 Cook (Gateway) 18:40; 5 S Aspey (B’burn) 18:58; 6 A White (Traffic) 18:58
TEAM: 1 Trafford 51; 2 Leeds 132; 3 Macclesfield 151
U15: 1 J Osuji (Macc) 14:10; 2 E Rose (Roth) 14:14; 3 T Hastings (Wake) 14:15; 4 J Dawe (Hallam) 14:28; 5 P Wayman (Border) 14:35; 6 R Carter (Bing) 14:39
TEAM: 1 Preston 88; 2 Darlington 99; 3 Trafford 144
U13: 1 G Fisher (Macc) 10:48; 2 J Preston (K&C) 11:01; 3 L Walsh (Border) 11:02; 4 N Penfold (NSP) 11:16; 5 J Lombard (Salf) 11:22; 6 L Sawyer (W Chesh) 11:26
TEAM: 1 Warriors Pentathlon 108; 2 Leeds 119; 3 NSP 131
U17 women. 1 B Lewis (York) 17:49; 2 I Tutt (Wake) 17:57; 3 P Henson (Leeds) 18:35; 4 P Langlands (Linc W) 18:37; 5 M Schofield (Roth) 18:45; 6 G Turner (Roth) 18:57
TEAM: 1 Salford 73; 2 Rotherham 76; 3 Warriors Pentathlon 105
U15: 1 G Pinder (N Marske) 14:46; 2 O Lee (Der) 15:31; 3 O Murphy (Birtley) 15:38; 4 B Soper (Sale) 15:44; 5 J Thake (Hallam) 15:47; 6 M McGoldrick (Settle) 15:50
TEAM: 1 Sale 69; 2 Lincoln Wellington 85; 3 Warriors Pentathlon 96
U13: 1 C Bailey (Hallam) 11;29; 2 S Lavin (P’fract) 11:45; 3 D McVicar (Warriors) 11;47; 4 B Bailey Bing) 12:00; 5 M Porter (Linc W) 12:02; 6 J Lenton (Der) 12:09
TEAM: 1 Bingley 73; 2 Lincoln W 88; 3 NSP 98
