A sunny park at Weston Park in Telford hosted the 2024 Saucony-sponsored championships on September 14 after flooding forced a postponement in February.
Hugo Milner and Niamh Brown won the men’s and women’s overall championships at the event, which was postponed from February because the car parks were unusable due to saturated ground.
There were no such problems in the September sun, but the mud and complete lack of movement reminded many of the old stages of parkland racing at this time of year 30 or 40 years ago.
Some suspected that the delayed championships, with age groups from the original date last February, would lack quality at the sharp end, but that was generally not the case.
Men
That quality was definitely there in the men’s 12km three-lap race, as the three former champions soon stood out. However, it was triathlete Hugo Milner who broke away from Derby team-mate Ben Connor, the 2017 champion. This left 2020 winner Callum Johnson and last year’s front-runner James Kingston to battle it out from the start.
The two Derby players never lost their heads and opened up a lead of around 100 meters over Kingston and Johnson in the first round of the country. At the back, Will Battershill and Syed Taha Ghaffari led the rest.
With three former champions in the middle race top four and Milner, who is believed to be the No. 2 triathlete in Great Britain at the moment to Olympic champion Alex Yee, looking good for the win.
Milner opened up a 100m lead over Connor and then almost 200m to the line and it was Kingston who claimed third.
Ben Connor is played by Hugo Milner (Graham Smith).
The all-winners’ party at the front was then spoiled by Buttershill, who pipped Johnson to fourth to help his Bristol & West sextet claim the team medals. Perhaps his 63:49 at the Great North Run six days earlier paid off.
After the race, Milner, who finished fourth at last winter’s European Championships, said: “People were surprised that I was doing it because I don’t need to do cross country, but I only live an hour away.
“I felt really good at the start, but I was pushed the whole way and almost fell with 1km to go.”
Next up for the 26-year-old is triathlon at European and world level.
It has been seven years since Conor won this race, but his and Milner’s early pace was described by Kingston. “I came to defend my title, but I saw the starting list and it changed my expectations, but they were crazy from the start.”
Hugo Milner (Graham Smith)
Men. 1 H Milner (Der) 37:28; 2 B Connor (Der) 37:53; 3 J Kingston (Ron) 38:02; 4 W Battershill (B&W) 38:13; 5 C Johnson (Gate) 38:15; 6 S Ghafari (High) 38:25; 7 J Gray (C&C) 38:54; 8 Jay Millar (B&W) 38:55; 9 S McCallum (HW) 38:57; 10 S Eglen (AFD) 38:55
team 1 Bristol & W 138; 2 Highgate 168; 3 Leeds 189
Women
Niamh Brown was always at the forefront of the senior women’s race over a total of 8km over two circuits to lead her Aldershot team to another collection of gold medals in this age group.
The 2016 under-17 champion, who was fourth in the UK cross-country race but only 23rd in the race last year, said she was delighted to win the national title again after so many years.
Holly Dixon, third in the South of England Championships, was a clear second for most of the way as the first two medals were decided early on. There were some good performances from the veterans at the back and it was this year’s Midlands champion Gemma Steele who took the bronze medal, her first in this race after another third place in 2013.
Niamh Brown stars as Holly Dixon (Graham Smith)
The Charnwood Harrier has been running at a low level in recent weeks and admitted he almost decided not to run after an Achilles tendon injury, which has now been cleared.
Additional mention goes to seventh place finisher Ellen Leggate, 2001. The AAA women’s 1500m bronze medalist, who now excels in the W45 age group and who earlier saw daughter Jenny, the South of England bronze medallist, fifth in the under-20s. event
A second England national title has been a long time coming for Brown, who won the Under-17 Championship in 2016.
Women. 1 N Brown (AFD) 30:53; 2 H Dixon (Camb H) 30:11; 3 G Steel (Charn, W45) 30:43; 4 Jay Walsh (Leeds) 30:50; 5 E Gordon (Belg) 30:59; 6 M Gadsby (Norway) 31;17; 7 E Leggate (C&C, W45) 31:28; 8 C McKnespiey (Leeds) 31:30; 9 S Dufour-Jackson (Vail R) 31:42; 10 H Carruthers (Tip) 31:55
team 1 AFD 68; 2 THH 88; 3 Leeds 120
Race of young athletes
Men up to 20 years old
The junior men’s race was claimed by this year’s all-conquering Eritrean refugee Aron Gebremariam, but his victory was not without controversy as Aldershot questioned the Birchfield Harrier’s eligibility for the event.
Now 18, but not quite at the original date when this championship was to be held, Gebremariam was supposed to be registered as a foreign athlete.
A spokesman for his Birchfield club said no such registration could be made before the start date of the race as it was believed the rules did not allow any runners to be registered if they were only 17 years old.
However, Gebremariam was allowed to start here as a guest, but when he won, albeit this time from an early lead before opening up the lead in the final two kilometres, John Temperton for UKA suggested the situation was complicated. He said the “rules” on such matters are not clear, but the situation may eventually turn out in favor of the winner.
None of this took away from Gebremariam’s victory as his unbeaten 2023/24 winter season came to an end.
South Londoner George Ogden led most of the race before suffering a late charge but was a comfortable second.
Aron Gebremariam (Graham Smith)
U20: 1 A Gebremariam (Bir) 32:34; 2 G Ogden (S Lawn) 33:02; 33 J Doye (WG&EL) 33:34; 4 M Ruby (Pool) 33:40; 5 M Taylor (Ton) 33:44; 6 O James (Bmt) 33:47
team 1 Aldershot F&D) 55′ 2 Tonbridge 73; 3 Cambridge & Coleridge 124
Women up to 20 years old
In the junior women’s race, Emilia Platt, just 13th in the 2023 championship, led most of the way but said: documentary program”.
It was a six-month Alpine Run program organized by ex-con John McEvoy, whose website states that it is “a program that helps disadvantaged teenagers and young adults in the UK engage in meaningful change and positive self-reflection. the future.”
The mountain training certainly paid off for Platt, who was led by Eleanor Strevens and Holly Widal, who were barely separated at the line.
Widal, the 2019 Under-15 champion, admitted he had a tough few years and said: “He (Strvens) passed me in the second loop and then I passed him with 600 meters to go but just lost at the line.”
Emilia Platt (Graham Smith)
U20 women. 1 E Platt (Bed H) 20:57; 2 E Strevens (E’brne) 21:14; 3 H Weedall (Vale R) 21:14; 4 E Warren (G&G) 21:15; 5 J Leggate (C&C) 21:42; 6 L Armitage (Sale) 21:59
team 1 Vale R 32; 2 C&C 32; 3 Epsom & E 44
Men up to 17 years old
It was all East Anglia here as Norwich’s Mike Clarke and Chelmsford’s Sam Plummer were always on top before finishing in that order. Further back, Peterborough’s Tom Preston finished third.
South of England Championship runner-up Clarke spoke about her win and said:
He added that this came after a shorter track program, but said of his race: “I tried to keep a good pace.”
Plummer, who had led Clark down south, lost this time by about 30 yards.
Michael Clarke (Graham Smith)
U17: 1 M Clark (Norway) 18:45; 2 S Plummer (Chelm) 18:50; 3 T Preston (P’boro & NV) 18:53; 4 D Millard (Mock) 18:54; 5 E Busfield (Der) 18:58; 6 L Dunham (Herts P) 19:04
team 1 AFD 109; 2 Norwich 109; 3 Hercules Wimbledon 164
Women up to 17 years old
The first race was away to the under 17 ladies in a later than usual afternoon start and Freya Bradley looked to be in control throughout. Behind, Isla McGowan was some distance back in second before dropping back as former under 13 champion Zoe Guilbodie, in her new Telford colours, took a comfortable second ahead of Tillie Nickell.
Bradley, the English Schools 3000m silver medallist, spoke of the wave-like course and said:
The Westbury Harrier added: “I haven’t run that long.” Indeed, his Power of 10 profile really began in earnest last year.
Freya Bradley (Graham Smith)
U17: 1 F Bradley (W’bury) 17:57; 2 Z Gilbody (Telf) 18:20; 3 T Nickell (T Bath) 18:52; 4 E Powell (Abing) 19:05; 5 I McGowan (Banb) 19:13; 6 J Heller (WSEH) 19:15
team 1 WSEH 45; 2 Salford 72; 3 Epsom & Ewell 182
Boys under 15 years old
Mikey Bacon led Pia Aron and Arthur Elliott after the first mile before Jared Alem pulled away in the second intermediate race. He said: “Mike came clear early in the second period.”
In turn, Bacon said: “I’ve led almost the whole way and that’s a bit unusual for me and I didn’t expect it.”
Mikey Bacon (Graham Smith)
U15: 1 M Bacon (Roth) 13:03; 2 Y Akem (Leeds) 13:20; 3 P Aaron (Traff) 13:32; 4 A Elliott (Stoke) 13:35; 5 T Vesty (Taunt) 13:38; 6 T Loughlin (T Bath) 13:38
team 1 Tonbridge 80; 2 Trafford 109; 3 Chelmsford 151
Girls up to 15 years old
The quality of the race was clear for all to see and it was the indefatigable Olivia Forrest, cross country champion, who soon took the lead before losing a seemingly inexplicable lead. It was Torbay’s Paige Quinn who came out on top in the race from the improving Elarose Whitworth, with Forrest limping along in third.
Quinn said. “I got big improvements with 5km (on the road) and here was the first time I crossed the finish line in first place.”
He leads the age group rankings and is second on the all-time 5km list with a time of 16:31.
Whitworth said he didn’t think he was at his best, while Forrest, who was third in the European Under-18 3000m this summer, explained his loss and said:
Clearly upset, he vowed not to let it affect his winter season, but perhaps the spikes in question could have been a little shorter on dry land.
Paige Quinn (Graham Smith)
U15: 1 P Quinn (Torbay) 14:32; 2 E Whitworth (Linc W) 14:38; 3 O Forrest (B’wood) 14:54; 4 S Allen (High) 14:58; 5 J Marsh (Chelm) 15:06; 6 D Connor (E’brne) 15:14
team 1 Chelmsford 58; 2 AFD 62; 3 Eastbourne R 101
Boys up to 13 years old
In a close race, Theo Creed took the youngest boys age group but he was lucky as he said: “I almost slipped at the start, but by the halfway point I was ahead, so I picked up the pace and my endurance is very good.”
Byron Roberts finished second behind.
Theo Creed (Graham Smith)
U13: 1 T Creed (HW) 10:41; 2 B Roberts (E’brne) 19:46; 3 C Nicholson (Lon H) 10:50; 4 O McDonald (Dac) 10:50; 5 O Beck (Wells) 10:57; 6 E Langley-Aybar (Brack) 11:01
team 1 Hercules Wimbledon 98; 2 WSEH 170; 3 Liverpool 197
Girls up to 13 years old
Training in her new colors after moving from Milton Keynes, Cara Gorman, who was third in the inter-county events, won the bout and said she had joined Windsor to be trained by ex-Sam’s twin Shireen Higgins. She led Isabella Buchanan, the English Schools’ 1500m runner-up, by about 60 metres.
Kara Gorman (Graham Smith)
U13: 1 K Gorman (WSEH) 11:24; 2 I Buchanan (Hy R) 11:35; 3 O Lee (Der) 11:42; 4 I Yorke (Warriors) 11:49; 5 G Pinder (N Marske) 11:51; 6 Z Allan (WSEH) 11:52
team 1 Chelmsford 85; 2 Warriors Pentathlon 105; 3 WSEH 153
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