Wollaton Park in Nottingham staged the final of the British Athletics Cross Challenge on Saturday
The spectacular backdrop of Wollaton Hall again gave a wonderful backdrop to the season finale of the British Athletics Cross Challenge as Brett Rushman and Jess Gibbon took the senior races, with the men’s mid-afternoon race seeing unseasonably warm temperatures that reached 19C.
Unlike at Parliament Hill for the English National two weeks earlier, there was no mud and races were effectively parkland events over courses that appeared to be closer to the advertised distances than was the case here last year.
Just as in the English National, it was counties from the South of England who took most of the team titles with Surrey alone taking six of their nine first placings to confirm where the centre of gravity over the country lies.
It was Northern Ireland who won the only other team championship. North of England took eight team podium spots, Scottish areas three and the Midlands one, but teams from Wales failed to trouble the scorers in the medal hand-outs.
It was a similar story for individual wins where the South of England notched six to the Midlands four.
(David Hewitson)
Men
Rushman was always in the mix of the final race of the day, as was eventual runner-up James Kingston, but third spot was up for grabs until the fourth and final lap.
Then it was Cameron Allen who came through to snatch the bronze medal from Omar Ahmed and Avon & Somerset’s Jack Millar.
Both of these had looked in contention for a podium spot earlier, as had Suffolk’s John Millar, but it was Warwickshire’s Ahmed who pushed the pace on the first short 2km lap, and opened up about 10 or so metres on a large group.
In there were Kingston and the two Millars, who were causing the announcers to get in somewhat of a tangle, despite their strikingly differently coloured vests.
The next to make an early bid for glory was John Millar, who went ahead and opened up a few metres on Ahmed, but Kingston, Jack Millar and the North East’s Cameron Allen were close.
Finally, then it was Rushman’s turn to show ahead as he took Kingston and Jack Millar clear of the rest. That looked to be the end of it but Allen and Ahmed had not given up and gave chase for the third podium spot to relegate Jack Millar to fifth.
Brett Rushman (David Hewitson)
The race though belonged to Rushman, who piled down the final hill to take the gold medal. He said: “I have had the best cross-country season of my life but I was worried that James (Kingston) was going to get it.”
Talking of the opening skirmishes, Rushman, who had run a 28:48 10km on the road in Valencia in January, added: “I wasn’t worried as it was early in the race.” He now goes for a fast Podium 5km run out.
Northern Ireland took the team race, led home by Conal McLeans ninth spot. They also dominated the nine-to-score challenge but only nine counties finished a full complement.
Men: 1 B Rushman (Herts) 29:45; 2 J Kingston (Kent) 29:55; 3 C Allen (N East) 30:18
TEAM (6 to score): 1 N Ireland 149; 2 Surrey 218; 3 Yorkshire 223
TEAM (9 to score): 1 N Ireland 383; 2 North East 707; 3 Lancashire 869
(David Hewitson)
Women
After her commanding victory in the English National at Parliament Hill two weeks earlier, Jess Gibbon was the one to beat and so it proved.
With the biggest win of the day and in totally different conditions to those at Hampstead Heath, the Reading AC runner was in a class of her own to eventually win by 33 seconds over the three lap 8km race.
Sophie Tarver and Georgia Taylor-Brown were there initially before it was Olympic silver and triathlon relay gold medallist Taylor-Brown who firstly joined Gibbon at the front before conceding.
Georgia Taylor-Brown (David Hewitson)
For the second half of the race there were few changes as the gaps grew bigger and the gap to third placed Tarver was also clear or all to see.
Talking about tactics, Gibbon said: “I never know whether to go off hard or hang in, as I am a bit ambitious, but here Georgia pushed me.”
A few days after her English National win, the former European champion was well headed in a Battersea Park 5km but added that as she lived there, she may or less have done it anyway for a bit of speed.
Talking of her job outside athletics, Gibbon said: “I work in finance for the On shoe brand, as part of their ambassador programme and they have supported me.”
Taylor-Brown said of her run: “I chased her for two laps and thought I’d hang on for as long as I can but (earlier) I was surprised and committed at the start.”
Jess Gibbon (David Hewitson)
With the next Olympic Games three years away and no triathlon in the next Commonwealth Games, Taylor-Brown said she will mainly take a break from her No.1 sport and go for some cross-country and cycling races.
With six to score in the women’s team race it was the greater depth of the Surrey squad that came good.
Women: 1 J Gibbon (Oxon) 27:01; 2 G Taylor-Brown (G Manch) 17:34; 3 S Tarver (Mersey) 28:04
TEAM: 1 Surrey 120; 2 Yorkshire 215; 3 Lancashire 290
Young athletes’ races
U20 men
Refugee Aron Gebremariam retained his under-20 men’s title after tracking the early leaders as several different juniors took turns in front.
After the first lap, it was Sebastian Beedell who led with Sam Plummer on his shoulder and Gebremariam tucked in on the inside. Joseph Grange and Sidney Tilley were also there in a leading group of nine.
Eventually the break came and Gebremariam took William Rabjohns and Beedell away from the rest for a predictable win. “My coach told me not to go with them, but everything was planned.
Aron Gebremariam (David Hewitson)
“I have been out injured for two to three months,” continued the Birchfield runner who, once again pleaded for help with his British passport application.
Gebremariam now goes for a Podium 5km time in his next race.
U20 Men: 1 A Gebremariam (Warks) 25:00; 2 W Rabjohns (Dors) 25:05; 3 S Beedell (Cambs) 25:08
TEAM: 1 Essex 54; 2 Suffolk 102; 3 Warwickshire 104
U17 men
Alex Lennon was the one to beat in the under-17 men’s race over two laps totaling 6km and so it proved as none of the others could but it was all very close in the early stages as no runner really wanted to take things on.
Lennon said: “I ran a very strong last mile and it was my best race and I got away up the hill. I heard people shouting and they said: ‘you’ve got it’.”
Chasing in the Sutton & District runner’s wake, James Alexander got closest and wound up a clear second as Luke Dunham beat Sam Wilson for third.
Alex Lennon (David Hewitson)
After a slip up in the Surrey championships, this was Lennon’s third major win of 2025 following South of England and English National victories.
U17 Men: 1 A Lennon (Surrey) 18:56; 2 J Alexander (Scot W) 19:02; 3 L Dunham (Herts) 19:13
TEAM: 1 Surrey 65; 2 Yorkshire 66; 3 Scotland West 91
U15 boys race (David Hewitson)
U15 Boys
Ewan Withnall looked in control of the under-15 boys’ championship throughout and front ran a controlled race despite pressure from minor place takers Finn MacLennan and Caspian Holmes. This was the closest finish to a race all day but Jake Ireland who eventually tailed off slightly in fourth was looking like a medalist mid-race.
This victory secured the British Athletics Cross Challenge top prize and the Burton Midland champion said: “After a bad National (where he was seventh) I wanted to win and was more or less in front the whole way but you have to pace yourself.”
Ewan Withnall (David Hewitson)
U15 Boys: 1 E Withnall (Der) 13:56; 2 F MacLennan (Camb) 13:37; 4 C Holmes (Surrey) 13:39
TEAM: 1 Surrey 75; 2 Yorkshire 82; 3 Sussex 115
U13 Boys
Jack Shingler was a clear winner some six seconds clear of a scramble for silver that just saw Zak Rush head James-Dean Docherty at the line as Philip Kounoupas-Prastalo just lost out on a podium place.
This was the Cheltenham runner’s first big race of the year and the best of his short career to date and followed a ninth spot in the delayed English National last September.
Jack Shingler (David Hewitson)
U13 Boys: 1 J Schindler (Glouc) 10:59; 2 Z Rush (Warwks) 11:05; 3 J Docherty (Herts) 11:05
TEAM: 1 Berkshire 102; 2 Kent 103; 3 Middlesex 124
U20 Women
Zoe Gilbody took an early lead and continued at the front for most of the race after opening a gap on the rest. A close second to the younger Katie Pye in the previous week’s English Schools Cross Country Cup Final, the Telford runner looked to have the junior women’s race sewn up but then seemed to run out of steam up the last hill.
It was the diminutive Freya Bradley who powered up the final climb to Wollaton Hall to overtake the long-time leader and then come away for what looked like an easy victory but in actuality it was not as simple as that.
Freya Bradley and Zoe Gilbody (David Hewitson)
Bradley, who had won September’s English National from Gilbody, said: “Hills always do me well and I wanted to get a good start for the English Schools race.”
Behind, it was Charlotte Dillon, fifth in that Schools Cup race but only seventh in the Northern Championships, who took third to give northern based runners a rare medal here.
U20 Women: 1 F Bradley (Avon & S) 21:51; 2 Z Gilbody (Shrop) 22:04; 3 C Dillon (NE) 22:11
TEAM: 1 Kent 83; 2 Berkshire 96; 3 Surrey 98
U17 women
Katie Pye led the all-conquering Surrey squad to yet another team win after being pushed all of the was by Banbury’s Isla McGowan, second here, who secured the Cross Challenge prize.
Despite a win in the South of England Championship at Beckenham, the Aldershot runner said: “I’ve not been too well and have been ill since September but have now been diagnosed with Coeliac Disease.” This is an allergy to gluten a main constituent of the wheat flour used in bread.
Following this diagnosis, Pye won that English Schools Cup final a week earlier and the European under-18 3000m champion is now all set for the summer season ahead.
Katie Pye (David Hewitson)
“This week was the first race that I really got the tactics right,” added Pye.
McGowan, the Euro under-18 1500m silver medallist, put in her best performance of the winter to easily take second from Sabrina Coppola-Johansen.
U17 women: 1 K Pye (Surrey) 18:29; 2 I McGowan (Oxon) 18:34; 3 S Coppola-Johansen (Surrey) 18:54
TEAM: 1 Surrey 57; 2 Yorkshire 96; 3 Scotland East 98
U15 Girls
Kitty Scott gave Aldershot’s girls their second title as the afternoon wore on and lead yet another Surrey win in the Inter-Counties stakes, as their four scorers were all home in the top 17 runners to finish.
“I was trying to win but there were a lot of good girls, then that hill told on the last lap,” said Scott, who had won her age group in that Schools Cup the previous week.
Once again, the battle for minor placings was close and it was Gabrielle Pinder, who had headed Scott in the English National two weeks earlier, who headed Freya Brown for silver.
Kitty Scott (David Hewitson)
U15 Girls: 1 K Scott (Surrey) 14:53; 2 G Pinder (NE) 15:00; 3 F Brown (Scot E) 15:04
TEAM: 1 Surrey 35; 2 Scotland E 91; 3 Essex 170
U13 Girls
After a disappointing12th spot in the English National at Parliament Hill, South of England champion Madison Kindler bounced back to take the youngest girls age group but also the British Athletics Cross Challenge top award.
The margin over second placed Elizabeth Griffiths may have been only seven seconds with Elizabeth Griffiths just snatching third from Jessica Thake and Eve Beddow
Madison Kindler (David Hewitson)
U13 Girls: 1 M Kindler (Essex) 11:58; 2 E Griffiths (Leic & R) 12:05; 3 E Hutchings (Avon & S) 12:11
TEAM: 1 Surrey 46; 2 Merseyside 66; 3 Berkshire 111
The meeting had opened with a para-athletics event and Sam Fernando and Ella Richards, both of whom have co-ordination impairment, were the first male and female home from a field of 15.
Sam Fernando (David Hewitson)
Full results here.
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