Saucony English National Cross Country Champs preview

Everything you need to know including the leading contenders and streaming information on this weekends historic event at Bolesworth Castle

Some 147 years after the English National Cross-Country Championships was first run in Buckhurst Hill 32 ran and the race was declared void after competitors went off course the event makes its first appearance at Bolesworth Castle which is mid-point of Wrexham, Chester and Crewe.

A scenic setting is assured for one of Britains greatest sporting events although the remoteness of the event and lack of nearby public transport does mean the majority of participants will be forced to travel by car.

The venue is better known for hosting equestrian events and concerts and this summer Gwen Stefani is a headline act there.

Timetable
11:00am 56th Under 17 Women 5km
11:25am 20th Under 15 Boys  4km
11:45am 53rd Under 13 Girls 3km
12:05pm 77th Under 17 Men 6km
12:30pm 19th Under 13 Boys 3km
12:45pm 57th Under 15 Girls 4km
1:05pm 31st Junior Women 6km
1:35pm 90th Senior Women 8km
2:20pm 75th Junior Men 10km
13:00pm 135th Senior Men 12km

My first National cross-country experience came exactly 50 years ago when too young to compete (there were no under-13 and under-15 races in 1973) and I spectated at Parliament Hill to see a notable race where Dave Bedford a few months before setting a world 10,000m record on the other side of London at Crystal Palace won the title but was headed by Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Rod Dixon, who was part of a guesting New Zealand team.

A few weeks later Dixon finished third in the inaugural World Cross Country Championships and New Zealand finished third with a weakened England team only fifth (but they did win the womens team event that year).

Dixon won in 43:42 with Bedford (43:55), Roger Clark (44:07) and Tony Simmons (44:26) taking the medals and others placing in the top 10 included Steve Kenyon (44:29), Bernie Ford (44:31), Ricky Wilde (44:44), Grenville Tuck (44:48) and Mike Baxter (44:53). Brendan Foster, who would win this race four years later at the same venue, was 12th and in the winning Gateshead team. Its safe to say the 2023 depth wont compare with 1973.

Former UK record-holder Mike Freary was 15th, European and Commonwealth marathon champion Ron Hill was 25th, future Olympic marathon medallist Charlie Spedding was 36th and future Commonwealth 10,000m silver medallist Dave Black was 38th and former Commonwealth Games marathon champion Jim Alder was 39th.

Neil Coupland won the junior mens race from future Olympians Dennis Coates, Barry Smith and Tony Staynings while Ray Crabb won the youths race from Barry Moss (who finally lost his UK under-17 record set in 1972 to Corey Campbell last year) and Jerry Odlin.

Incidentally my first National participation took place as soon as I was old enough to run one in 1975 at Leicester where I can still recall Simmons winning the mens race and a certain Steve Ovett the junior race and I have been to the vast majority of English Nationals since.

My memory of some of the early Championships such as Leeds is getting a specially commissioned train hired by the South of England AA up to the event full of fellow runners and then being greeted by a cordon of buses at the station to take you to the start. Im sure similar arrangements would see better turn outs from the traditionally softer South when the North usually holds them!

Last year, Mahamed Mahamed won the senior mens race and led Southampton to a 56-point victory and he is entered alongside his brother Zak, who ran in the World Cross Country Championships in Australia the previous week. On paper, Southampton again have a strong team.

Back in the 1970s, the English National used to be the trial for the International or World Cross Country Championships and most of the leading UK runners wanted to compete in it. Much has changed.

While being entered does not guarantee an athlete will turn up, the 2020 winner Calum Johnson of Gateshead is also entered (despite racing the Seville Marathon last weekend) while others who may place highly include Kadar Omar (Birchfield), Phil Sesemann (Leeds), South of England champion James Kingston (Tonbridge), North of England champion Joe Steward (Salford) and Midlands champion Jack Gray (Cambridge and Coleridge).

The womens event, which was first run in 1927, was held separately until the 1990s, will not feature the defending champion Jess Gibbon or indeed any of the 2022 medallists but former winner Jess Warner-Judd is and the European top-10 placer at both the 10,000m and cross-country looks the stand out entry.

Also entered is the 2012 and 2014 champion and a Midland title winner this year Gemma Steel (Charnwood) and South of England champion Georgie Bruinvels (Aldershot) and Northern winner Phillipa Williams (Hallamshire).

Former under-20 winner Amelia Quirk is entered after finishing a brilliant 25th in Australia the week before.

Other possible high placers include Olympic triathlon relay champion Georgia Taylor-Brown (Sale), Lucy Reid (Tonbridge), Georgie Grgec (Herne Hill) and Niamh Bridson-Hubbard (Blackheath).

Leeds defend their title and again have a strong squad.

Under-20 entries include area champions Skip Snelson (Banbury), Matt Ramsden (Blackburn) and Sam Hodgson (Windsor), as is the latters team-mate Luke Birdseye, who was a brilliant 28th in the World Championships in Australia but behind Hodgson at Beckenham.

Other entries include Edward Bird (Poole) and Jacob Deacon (Chorley) who were respectively 18th and 26th in Bathurst last week.

In the under-20 womens race Ellen Weir (Hercules Wimbledon) is again entered but so is South of England champion Megan Gadsby and runner-up Hattie Reynolds (both Norwich) who headed Weir at Beckenham, UK champion Pippa Roessler (Aldershot), Midland champion Georgina Campbell (Stratford) but Northern winner Ella Greenway (Cleethorpes) is not entered having finished fifth in last weeks UK 800m Championships.

The under-17 entries include two Bathurst competitors, Rebecca Flaherty (Bingley) and Zoe Gilbody (Wreake) who, despite competing against older athletes, finished an encouraging 23rd and 33rd respectively out in Australia.

Gilbody won the Midland title this year by over a minute and took the English National 2020 under-13 title.

Other entries include the other area champions Amelie Lane (Wharfedale) and Lizzie Wellsted (Colchester) together with South of England runner-up (by a second!) Sophie Jacobs (St Albans) and her clubmate and 2:03.34 800m performer Phoebe Gill.

In the under-17 mens race South of England champion James Dargan (Aldershot), Midlands winner Alex Adams (Stratford) and Northern champion Liam McCay (Liverpool) stand out as obvious contenders.

Under-13 winner last year Jake Meyburgh (Windsor) moves up to under-15 age group this time and the South of England champion will be up again against the older Luke Lennon (Sutton) and Finlay Goodman (Brighton) who pushed him all the way in Beckenham.

Also entered is Midlands and Northern champion Oliver Cresswell (Birchfield) and George Wilson (Cleethorpes).

In the under-15 girls race the English Schools and Midlands champion Shaikira King (Wreake) looks favourite.
Also entered is South of England winner Lyla Belshaw (Colchester) and Northern champion Isabella Waugh (Rotherham).

In the under-13 boys Thomas Thake (Hallamshire) looks a huge favourite. Runner-up against older runners last year, he is unbeaten this year.

Midlands champion Ewan Withnall (Burton), South of England champion Jacque Smith (Marshall Milton Keynes) should also place highly.

In the under-13 girls category the area winners Maisie Mullett (Wreake), Isabella Buchanan (HY) and Olivia Murphy (Birtley) look among the favourites.

You can watch the action below live.

AW will feature a full report on our website after the event and also will provide updates on social media.

Additional information on the event can be found here