After taking place in Nottingham last year the Nationals made a return to Parliament Hill for a record 16th time and despite the absence of defending senior champions Jess Judd and Ben Connor, the action did not disappoint with over 9000 runners competing across the 10 races.

Phoebe Law couldn’t have announced herself on the national senior ranks in any better fashion than she did today with a brilliant victory in senior women’s race.

The South of England champion, who was a fourth-place finisher in 2016’s U20 race, pulled away in the second lap to open up a sizeable gap before taking the tape 21 seconds ahead of Louise Small.

It was a consecutive silver for Aldershot’s Small who crossed the line in 28:54 with City of Norwich’s Iona Lake taking bronze in 29:05.

Georgia Taylor-Brown followed up her bronze at the Northern Championships with strong fourth place finish, and along with club mate Katie Hewson in fifth, Danielle Fegan in 19th and Ellen Downs in 48th clinched team gold for Sale Harriers.

There will be plenty of memorable cross-country moments as runners charged the iconic uphill start on the Hampstead Heath course and the senior men’s race as always lived up to its billing.

First senior national title for Hickey

Adam Hickey, the runner-up in 2016, went one better this time and clinched his first senior national gold with a nine-second win over Highgate Harriers Andy Maud.

A consistent performer through the cross country ranks, Southend’s Hickey will be delighted the win in 39:35 after coming back from hernia surgery last year.

Maud crossed the line for silver in 39:44, with the final podium step going to South of England champion John Gilbert in 40:01

Today’s victory was also made that bit sweeter for Hickey after getting the better of Kent AC’s Gilbert who he finished behind at the South of England Champs.

After finishing 15th last year, Peter Huck impressed to finish fourth, while last year’s fourth man Chris Olley was fifth.

Tonbridge’s Olley repeated what he did in Nottingham and led his club to the team title, with the help of George Duggan (14th), Ben Cole (18th), Robbie Farnham-Rose (26th), Maximillian Nicholls (33rd) and Ryan Driscoll (35th).

Mahamed Mahamed storms to U20 crown

In the absence of Alex Yee and Ben Dijkstra, Mahamed Mahamed was the strong favourite for the men’s U20 race and brushed off any pressure from that tag and stormed to a first U20 gold.

Mahamed has impressed throughout this cross country season, and after claiming the BUCS 3000m indoor title last weekend, on the back of a road 5k best in Armagh, is demonstrating his strengths across any terrain.

Neck and neck with Northern U20 champion Emile Cairess at the midpoint in today’s race it was making for an interesting battle. However, as the action unfolded over the final 5km, it was clear there was only going to be one winner with the Southampton runner powering to victory in 31:26, almost a minute ahead of his Leeds City rival.

Having won U17 gold at Parliament Hill in 2015, the 20-year-old now has one more fond memory of the course that sits on the backdrop of the sprawling London metropolis.

Cairess, who finished sixth last year, took silver in 32:23 and Thomas Mortimer bronze in 32:54.

Alex Gruen in 14th led Milton Keynes Distance Project to team gold.

Three in a row for Knowles-Jones

Defending champion Harriet Knowles-Jones leaves the junior ranks in style after a commanding performance to win a third consecutive U20 women’s crown.

It is a fourth straight national win for the Warrington AC runner, who won the U17 title back in 2015, the last time Parliament Hill staged the Nationals.

Knowles-Jones, who won European U20 gold in December after sliver and bronze in previous years, crossed the line in 24:07 over a minute ahead of South of England runner-up Niamh Brown in 25:16. The Aldershot runner was followed closely by Scarlet Dale in 25:21.

Francesca Brint led Sale Harriers to team title ahead of 2017 winners Aldershot.

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After taking place at Wollaton Park in Nottingham last year the Saucony English National Cross Country Championships makes a return to Parliament Hill for the 16th time since the first in 1950.

With over 9000 entries across all races, there will be plenty of memorable cross country moments as runners charge the iconic uphill start on the Hampstead Heath course.

With a packed winter and spring calendar of racing from those entered there will surely a few big names missing on the start line in the senior races. One man not entered is last year’s winner Ben Connor, who after this huge 61:12 half marathon personal best in Barcelona has his sights on the World Half Marathon Championships in Valencia next month.

The 2016 national champion Jonny Hay is entered. The Aldershot athlete has had a fairly low key winter of racing, with a 14:12 personal best at the Armagh 5k last week his only outing from December.

Also entered is Northern cross country champion Carl Avery as well as South of England and Midlands winners John Gilbert and Alex Brecker.

Charlie Hulson, the men’s champion the last time Parliament Hill hosted the nationals in 2015, is entered and will surely be among the favourites if competing. Hulson, who finished sixth last year, has been in excellent form on the roads with personal best in Telford and Armagh last Thursday.

On the third podium step at last year’s nationals, was Sam Stabler. Stabler has been in good form this year in cross country and pipped Hulson to the Armagh 5k title last week. However, he sits out this year and will next race at the Inter Counties Championships in March.

Providing BUCS cross country champion Alex Yee has recovered from his foot injury the battle with Ben Dijkstra and Mahamed Mahamed should make a thrilling junior men’s race.

Last year the men’s team title was won by Tonbridge, and after sitting out the South of England Championships, the club will be heavily represented once again led by fourth-placed in Nottingham Chris Olley.

A special mention also goes to ‘class of 2018‘ duo Dave Norman and Ben Fish who will be on the start line in Hampstead Heath. For Norman, it is his 21st National and fifth time at Parliament Hill.

Defending champion Jess Judd is entered for the women’s 8km race, as is 2017 South of England champion Phoebe Law.

After finishing second and third last year, Aldershot’s Louise Small and Leeds City’s Claire Duck, will surely challenge again for top honours.

With Aldershot winning the team title in 2017 they will be once again favourites with a host of top names entered including Emily Hosker Thornhill, Philippa Bowden and Lauren Hall.

Defending champion Harriet Knowles-Jones will be a strong favourite in the junior race. After winning European junior cross country gold in December the 19-year-old went on to clinch the BUCS title at the beginning of February.

The women’s senior 8km race starts at 2:20pm with the men’s 12km at 3:00pm, while the junior races are at 1:05pm (women) and 1:35pm (men).

Jones and Oates to renew rivalry in Falkirk

Scotland is leading the way with changes to cross country and after equal distance for both the senior men and women at the Lindsays Scottish Cross Country Championships, all age groups compete over the same distance on Saturday.

RELATED: Should male and female cross country races be the same distance?

With over 2000 entries cross country will once again flourish at Callendar Park over the nine races. 2017 champion Callum Hawkins sits out this year as he continues his preparations for the marathon at the Commonwealth Games.

That leaves Kristian Jones and Lachlan Oates ready to renew their rivalry after finishing second and third last year. Most recently the pair finished first and second at the Scottish Inter District Championships.

Photo: Bobby Gavin

Injury forces women’s champion Moran MacLarty to miss out and Steph Pennycook will start as one of the favourites.

Last week Pennycook ran a 3k road personal best in Armagh and also wore the Scottish vest in the 4x1K International Relay at the Great Edinburgh XC in January.

Fellow Edinburgh Uni Hare and Hounds athlete and North of England XC champion Mhairi Maclennan will be among those leading the challenge.

Photo: Bobby Gavin

The full competition will broadcast ‘as live’ on Saturday evening and in a technology first, the coverage will also include drone footage.

“We’re really excited to step up our coverage of this flagship event this year by introducing these innovations, said Scottish Athletics Head of Communications, Peter Jardine. “We hope adding both drone footage and a same day as-live broadcast will add to the excitement and sense of occasion that already surrounds this fantastic day of athletics in Falkirk.”

The women’s senior race starts at 1:25pm with the men’s at 2:55pm.

Griffiths and Kidger aim to retain Welsh titles

Photo: Paul Stillman

Fresh from a successful first race back after injury Dewi Griffiths returns to a happy hunting ground of Swansea’s Singleton Park. The Swansea Harrier has won six straight Welsh titles and will start as the strong favourite once again as edges closer to Steve Jones’ record of nine.

With the senior races incorporating the Welsh Masters Championships, Ryan McFlynn who finished second last year behind Griffiths starts for the first time as a masters athlete.

Iolo Hughes finished third last year and the New Mexico student is stateside having a full indoor season.

Dominant Swansea won the men’s title last year and as well as Griffiths, fellow Harriers Marc Hobs, Phil Matthews and Jack Gooch will aim to retain that crown.

Favourite in women’s senior race will be defending champion Beth Kidger. The Brighton Phoenix runner won last year ahead of Clara Evans and Lucy Marland who lead the Cardiff AAC team to victory last year.

2016 team winners Swansea will hope get back to their title and Andrea Whitcomb and Alaw Benyon-Thomas will head that charge.

The women’s 6.42km senior race starts at 12:15pm with the men’s 10.1km race at 2:55pm.

The post Runners set to battle for National Cross Country honours appeared first on Fast Running.

Alex Yee and Harriet Knowles-Jones won at the BUCS Cross Country Championships hosted by Brunel University on Saturday (February 3).

Almost eight months after he sustained broken ribs, vertebrae and a collapsed lung in a bike crash, Alex Yee showed he’s back with a fantastic win to seal the men’s title in true cross country conditions at Hillingdon House Farm.

In his first race following the serious collision at the ITU Triathlon World Cup in June of last year, the Leeds Beckett University athlete demonstrated once again what a talent he is.

Despite suffering a cut to his foot early in the race and a stumble on the river crossing the talented triathlete and runner battled on to take the win three seconds ahead of his nearest challenger.

The 19-year-old crossed the line in crossed the line in 32:35, with Imperial College London’s Chris Olley finished second in 32:38 over the 10km course.

Last year in May prior to the accident, Yee posted 13:37 for 5000m to break the British junior record that had stood since 1981.

Five seconds behind Olley for third was last year’s short race winner Emile Cairess of St. Mary’s.

Southampton Solent’s Mahamed Mahamed, who made his Britsh senior debut at the European Cross Country Championships in December, finished fourth in 32:47. Jack Millar of Oxford completed the top five spots with 33:19.

Front Mens A race #BUCSXC pic.twitter.com/O2lwM90axm

— LSAC (@LufbraAthletics) February 3, 2018

The men’s team gold went to St. Mary’s, with Cambridge second and Oxford University third.

Harriet Knowles-Jones, the European U20 cross country champion, was the unexpected winner out of over 700 runners in a close women’s race.

The University of Manchester runner took the title in 22:39, four seconds ahead of last week’s South of England champion Phoebe Law and Philippa Bowden. St. Mary’s runner Law and Brunel’s Bowden crossed the line in 22:43.2 and 22:43.9 respectively.

“I am so happy, it was completely unexpected,” said Knowles-Jones afterwards. “Because it was longer than I am used to the plan was just to hold on. The bunch never really broke up, I am not too close races like that.”

St. Mary’s Emily Hosker-Thornhill, who finished second last year crossed the line in fourth over the 6.5km course.

Race favourite Jess Judd, who overall has had a very impressive cross country season, finished fifth in 23:09, followed by Bath’s Jenny Nesbitt and Northern XC champion Mhairi Maclennan in sixth and seventh respectively.

Judd led Loughborough University to team gold, with St Mary’s taking silver ahead of Birmingham.

St. Mary’s Luke Prior won the men’s short course in 26:58. Second and third over the 7.9km course was Loughborough pair Kieran Reilly and Freddie Carcas leading their university to team gold, followed by St Mary’s and Oxford University.

Full results can be found here.

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The post Alex Yee and Harriet Knowles-Jones win BUCS cross country appeared first on Fast Running.

Lining-up alongside the trio for the January 13 cross country event are Emelia Gorecka, Jess Judd, Dewi Griffiths and Andy Vernon.

Muir once again leads the British quartet for the senior mixed relay making her fourth successive appearance and is yet to be beaten in the event.

Alongside Muir, Alex Bell – one of nine British senior debutants in the team – is joined by Adam Clarke and Tom Marshall; the latter anchored the British team to the first ever European Cross Country Championships gold at the weekend.

Gorecka, who won the senior women’s race in 2015, is joined in the senior women’s team by fellow European team gold medallist Elle Vernon and the U20 Champion Knowles-Jones. Judd, a U23 bronze medalist in Samorin also makes the team.

Connor headlines the senior men’s team and is joined by Griffiths and Vernon. Also included in the team is British debutants last weekend Sam Stabler and Alex Teuten.

Four European cross team gold medallists star in the U20 women’s race – Phoebe Barker, Niamh Brown, Cari Hughes and Khahisa Mhlanga.

The highest placed finisher in the U20 men’s race on Sunday, Matthew Willis, leads the U20 men’s entries for the British team.

The European team was announced on Wednesday 14 December and features Fionnuala McCormack amongst others.

Senior Women
Katie Bingle, Philippa Bowden, Emelia Gorecka, Amy Griffiths, Jess Judd, Harriet Knowles-Jones, Phoebe Law, Mhairi MacLennan and Elle Vernon.

Senior Men
Ben Connor, Patrick Dever, Nick Goolab, Dewi Griffiths, Mahamed Mahamed, Chris Olley, Sam Stabler, Alex Teuten and Andy Vernon

Senior Mixed Relay
Alex Bell, Adam Clarke, Tom Marshall and Laura Muir

U20 Women
Phoebe Barker, Niamh Brown, Cari Hughes, Khahisa Mhlanga, Eloise Walker and Erin Wallace

U20 Men
Jake Heyward, Ricky Lutakome, Tom Mortimer, Hugh Sadler, Lachlan Wellington and Matthew Willis

The post Britain names 34-strong team for Great Edinburgh XCountry appeared first on Fast Running.

Knowles-Jones, who won silver in 2015 and bronze in 2016 was determined to better that result this year. The Warrington athlete ran a smart race, sitting behind eventual bronze medallist Miriam Dattke of Germany for the first couple of laps before using her strength to take the lead over the 4.1 km course.

Crossing the line to clinch gold in her final year as a junior Knowles-Jones was clearly elated.

“I’ve completed the set so I can’t ask for any more. My mum was crying as I crossed the line, and I was almost crying, it’s an amazing feeling,” said Knowles-Jones winning the junior gold. “I was chuffed for her to see it; she comes out to pretty much every race.

“It’s been such a mad season, and I have been really nervous about this as it’s my last chance to get that gold as a junior so I can’t believe I did it. It means so much to me and it’s brilliant for the whole team to win the team gold too. It just makes for the perfect day.”

With the top three counting for team honours, Cari Hughes ninth and Khahisha Mhlanga 11th clinched the team gold for Britain. Niamh Brown finished 12th, with Phoebe Barker 43rd and Victoria Weir 52nd.

After silver in 2015 and bronze in 2016, it's gold for @KJHarriet in the U20 race at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships! pic.twitter.com/NeRANPYDaJ

— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) December 10, 2017

Norwegian teenage star Jakob Ingebrigtsen was the clear winner in the junior men’s race. The defending champion clinched the win with a strong kick to pull away from Ramazan Barbaros of Turkey and Louis Gilavert of France in Bronze.

Amongst the British team, it was Matthew Willis in 14th who led the British team home. Ben Dijkstra followed in 17th, William Richardson 23rd, Scott Beattie 27th, Jake Heywood 30th and 60th Lachlan Wellington. Cumulatively placing 6th in the team rankings.

Bronze for Jess Judd and team gold for under-23 women

From the off in the U23 women’s race, it was clear the winner was going to be one of German duo Alina Reh and 1500m specialist Konstanze Klosterhalfen. Jess Judd battled hard attempting to close the gap, but the early lead by the German athletes was just too much and Judd found herself out on her own for most of the race in third. In the latter stages, Rae overcame her compatriot to take the win. Klosterhalfen was second with Judd 20 seconds behind clinching the bronze.

“It was a lonely race out there, I was alone from the start and I wanted to catch the girls ahead but despite closing on every lap I couldn’t quite get to them,” commented Judd afterwards. “But I held on for third which was my main aim towards the end. I was thinking about my training in my head and tried hard not to spurt and use all of my energy and I stuck to my plan.”

The Chelmsford athlete’s battling performance was matched by teammates Amy-Eloise Neale in fourth and Amy Griffiths in fifth who with Judd sealed the second team gold of the day for the British women.

Rounding off the GB team Mhairi Maclennan finished ninth, Phoebe Law in 10th and Philippa Bowden finished a strong 13th.

Mahamed Mahamed leads GB to under-23 men team bronze

With 2016’s silver and bronze medallist still eligible for the men’s U23 this year, it was always likely to be a hard task getting amongst the medals for the British athletes.

Earlier in the race, last year’s silver medallist Yemaneberhan Crippa of Italy laid down the gauntlet, pushing the pace at the front, but he could not shake the French duo of Jimmy Grassier and Hugo Hay. In the closing stages, the French pair overtook the Italian and finished in a fine French 1-2 separated by only two seconds. Crippa held on to his bronze position until the line.

Mahamed Mahamed finished a brilliant 5th overall in Liverpool at the Euro Trials and there were high expectations on the Southampton athlete’s shoulders heading into the under-23 championships. Mahamed just missed the top 10 over the 8.1km course, placing 12th. His performance, along with Chris Olley 13th and Patrick Dever 16th clinched the team bronze medal for Britain. The team’s remaining athlete’s Joe Steward finished 25th, Jack Rowe 31st and Dan Jarvis 42nd.

In the senior races, Andy Butchart clinched individual bronze, while Great Britain’s senior women and mixed relay teams won gold. Senior race report can be found here.

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