The English National Cross Country Championships returned to the North East on February 21, with Sedgefield hosting the event for the first time at Hardwick Park.
Organized in partnership with Sedgefield Harriers, supported by Durham County Council and sponsored by SportsShoes.com, the championships were held regionally for the first time since 2013 and the first time in County Durham in 25 years.
Of the 3,800 athletes entered, around 1,800 were junior runners, while the largest single field of the day was 1,300 in the senior men’s race.
The senior men faced a demanding three-lap course, while the senior women faced two laps of the same testing terrain. Hugo Milner underlined his return to full fitness by reclaiming the senior men’s title with a decisive move in the final lap of the 12.4km race.
The Derby AC athlete, who won the championship in 2024 but missed last year through injury, went straight ahead from the gun. After a commanding victory at the UKA Cross Challenge in London, Milner adopted a similar tactic at Sedgefield, immediately stretching the field.
This time, however, he was not alone. Tonbridge AC’s James Kingston matched the early pace and the pair quickly established a clear advantage over the rest of the field. For most of the race, they ran stride for stride, each covering the other’s stride as the gap to the rear continued to grow.
The decisive moment came in the third and final period. Milner pushed the pace and, unlike earlier in the race, Kingston couldn’t respond. The Derby runner gradually pulled away and maintained his lead until the end, crossing the finish line in 37:07.
Kingston followed just three seconds later at 37:10 after a strong run throughout.
Richard Slade of Chiltern Harriers AC secured third place in 38:10, with Callum Johnson of Gateshead Harriers and Tonbridge’s Ted Higgins rounding out the top five.
Milner said. “I went out really hard and I thought if anyone comes with me, I’ll just keep up the pace. I wanted to see if anyone would try to stick with me and respect James (Kingston) because he really pushed the pace.
“After the first lap I thought it was pretty windy so I let James do most of the work and then in the last lap I realized I had a bit left so I really pushed forward. I had a bit of a stitch that last kilometer so I was just hanging on.”
The senior women’s 8.3km race was decided much later, with the outcome not clear until the closing stages of the second lap.
Lucy Jones and Molly Smith of Herne Hill Harriers stood out from the early stages alongside Bracknell AC’s Amelia Quirk. The trio got deep into the race before Smith lost touch, leaving Jones and Quirke to challenge for the title.
The pair remained locked heading to the finish, but Jones found a stronger edge in the closing stages to pull clear and take the win.
Jones, who finished fourth in the event last year, was targeting another top-four finish, but went one better to secure her first national cross country title. He was visibly excited after crossing the border.
Last year’s winner Jessica Gibbon of Reading AC finished fourth this time around, while Aldershot Farnham & District’s Niamh Brown finished fifth.
Jones said: “It was nice not to be at the festival for once, it was pretty dry which meant it went well. I sat down, felt good, then put in the time and it seemed to work.
“I was pretty confident that I felt good and if I needed to, I would be able to kick pretty hard. I started pushing with a kilometer to go and I felt a gap open up and I knew I just had to go.
“I didn’t have high expectations, I really wanted to finish at least fourth or higher, so I’m excited.”
Rebecca Flaherty produced the strongest performance of the day to win the women’s under-20 title.
The Bingley Harriers athlete moved clear over the 6.1km course and steadily extended her lead, eventually winning by 25 seconds. It was the biggest win in the championships.
Behind him, the fight was going on for the remaining places on the podium. Maisie Bellwood of Keighley & Craven AC came under pressure in the closing stages and Ava James of Brighton & Hove AC closed quickly.
Bellwood maintained his form to secure second place while James finished strongly to take third.
Rounding out the top five were Isabelle Holt from Blackburn Harriers and Tilly Nickell from Team Bath AC.
In contrast, the under-20 men’s 10.1km race produced the closest finish of the day.
Biruk Aduna Kebede of Clayton-le-Moors Harriers and Matthew Pickering of Aldershot Farnham & District broke early and remained locked together throughout the race. Neither athlete was able to establish a decisive break as the pair matched each other step by step over three laps.
The result was determined only in the closing meters. Rounding the final bend, both athletes raced for the line, but it was Kebede who held a slight advantage and was able to pull ahead to claim the title.
Pickering had to settle for second after a close battle that was only decided in the closing stages. Cambridge & Coleridge’s Cosmo Benyan was third, with Quinn Miele-Ingram (Radley AC) and Jack Sanderson (Settle Harriers) fourth and fifth respectively.
It was a closer race in the Under-17s.
Highgate Harriers’ Sonny Allen took victory in the women’s race ahead of Kitty Scott and Isabella Tutt who completed the podium.
The men’s under-17 race was decided in a sprint. Rory Barclay-Watt and Ben Allen were locked together heading into the final, but it was Barclay-Watt who found the stronger finish to win. Joseph Skanes secured third place.
In the under-15 race, Theo Creed won the boys’ title and Gabrielle Pinder won the girls’ race.
The youngest champions of the day were crowned in the under-13 category, with Madison Kindler and Luis Da Silva securing their respective wins.
Full results here.
