Niamh Brown and Hugo Milner win English National titles

A sun-drenched Weston Park in Telford hosted the 2024 Saucony-sponsored championships on September 14 after flooding led to a postponement in February

Hugo Milner and Niamh Brown won the overall men’s and women’s championships in the event that was postponed from February because the car parking areas were unusable due to saturated ground.

There were no such problems in the September sunshine, but a complete absence of mud and the going reminded many old stagers of the parkland races that used to take place at this time of year 30 or 40 years ago.

Some doubted that the delayed championship, that was run with age groups relating to 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 senior men’s event held over a 12km three-lap course, as three former champions were soon prominent. However, it was triathlete Hugo Milner who broke away with Derby team-mate Ben Connor, the 2017 champion. This left 2020 winner Calum Johnson and last year’s first across the line, James Kingston, struggling to maintain contact from the start.

The two Derby men were never headed and opened out a lead of around 100 metres over Kingston and Johnson on the first lap out in the country. Behind, Will Battershill and Seyed Taha Ghafari led the rest.

With three former champions in the top four mid-race and Milner, who reckons that he is the No.2 triathlete to Olympic champion Alex Yee in the UK at the moment, looking good for victory.

Milner opened up a lead of 100m over Connor and then almost 200m by the line and it was Kingston who claimed third.

Ben Connor leads Hugo Milner (Graham Smith)

The all-winners’ party at the front was then spoilt by Battershill, who just pipped Johnson to fourth to help his Bristol & West sextet claim the team medals. Perhaps his 63:49 in the Great North Run six days earlier had taken its toll.

Talking after the race, Milner, who was fourth in last winter’s European Championships, said: “People were surprised I am doing this as I don’t need to practice cross-country, but I only live an hour away.

“I felt really good from the start but I was pushed all the way and almost fell over with 1km to go.”

Next up for the 26-year-old are triathlons at European and world level.

For Connor, it has been seven years since his victory in this race but his and Milner’s early pace was described by Kingston. “I came to defend my title, but saw the start list and that changed my expectations but they went 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 J 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 ahead in the senior women’s race over two laps totalling 8km, en route to leading her Aldershot team to another set of gold medals in this age group.

The 2016 under-17 champion, who was fourth in the UK Inter-Counties but only 23rd in this race last year, said that she was pleased to be back winning a national title after all of these years.

Holly Dixon, who was 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. Behind there were a couple of good performances from veterans and it was this year’s Midlands champion Gemma Steel who came through to take the bronze medal – her first in this race since another third spot in 2013.

Niamh Brown leads Holly Dixon (Graham Smith)

The Charnwood Harrier has been racing below par in recent weeks and admitted that she nearly decided not to run following an Achilles tendon injury which has now cleared up.

Further mention must be made of the seventh-placed Ellen Leggate, the 2001 AAA women’s 1500m bronze medallist, who now graces the W45 age group and who had earlier seen daughter Jenny, the South of England bronze medallist, place fifth in the under-20 event.

A second English National title has been a long time coming for Brown, who had won the under-17 championship way back in 2016.

Women: 1 N Brown (AFD) 30:53; 2 H Dixon (Camb H) 30:11; 3 G Steel (Charn, W45) 30:43; 4 J Walsh (Leeds) 30:50; 5 E Gordon (Belg) 30:59; 6 M Gadsby (Norw) 31;17; 7 E Leggate (C&C, W45) 31:28; 8 C McKnespiey (Leeds) 31:30; 9 S Dufor-Jackson (Vale R) 31:42; 10 H Carruthers (Tip) 31:55

Team: 1 AFD 68; 2 THH 88; 3 Leeds 120

Young athletes’ races

Under-20 men

The junior men’s race was claimed by this year’s all-conquering Eritrean refugee Aron Gebremariam but his win was not without controversy as a question had been raised by Aldershot about the Birchfield Harrier’s eligibility for the event.

Now 18, but not so on the original date that this championship was due to have been run, it was alleged that Gebremariam should have been registered as a foreign athlete.

A spokesman for his Birchfield club said that such a registration could not be made before the original race date as it was believed that the rules did not allow for any runner to be registered if they were only 17.

Gebremariam was, however, allowed to start here as a guest but after he had won, albeit this time by hanging back early on before opening out a lead in the last couple of kilometres, John Temperton for UKA suggested that the situation was complicated. He said that the ‘rules’ were not clear on such matters but that the situation could eventually be cleared up in the winner’s favour.

None of this took the shine off Gebremariam’s victory as his undefeated winter 2023/24 cross-country season was rounded off.

South London’s George Ogden had led for most of the race before succumbing to the late charge, but was a comfortable second.

Aron Gebremariam (Graham Smith)

U20: 1 A Gebremariam (Bir) 32:34; 2 G Ogden (S Lon) 33:02; 33 J Doye (WG&EL) 33:34; 4 M Ruby (Poole) 33:40; 5 M Taylor (Ton) 33:44; 6 O James (B’mth) 33:47

Team: 1 Aldershot F&D) 55’ 2 Tonbridge 73; 3 Cambridge & Coleridge 124

Under-20 women

The junior women’s race saw Emilia Platt, who was only 13th in 2023 championship, lead for most of the way but said: “Normally my strategy is to get stronger as I go on but I have been doing mountain running for six months, as part of a documentary programme.”

This was a six-month Alpine Run Project organised by an ex-con John McEvoy, whose website notes that it is “a programme to help disadvantaged adolescents and young adults around the UK engage in trail running for meaningful change and a positive outlook of their future”.

The mountain training certainly paid off for Platt who headed Eleanor Strevens and Holly Weedall, both of whom could barely be separated at the line.

The 2019 under-15 champion Weedall admitted she had experienced a difficult few years and said: “She (Strevens) passed me on the second loop then I overtook her with 600m to go but just lost out on 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

Under-17 men

It was all East Anglia here as Norwich’s Mike Clark and Chelmsford’s Sam Plummer were always in the front of things before finishing in that order. Behind, Peterborough’s Tom Preston came through for third.

South of England championships second placer Clark talked about his win and said: “Everyone had to move around their training for cross-country.”

He added that this came after a shorter track programme, but of his race said: “I tried to maintain a good pace.”

Plummer, who had headed Clark in the Southern, lost out this time by about 30 metres.

Michael Clark (Graham Smith)

U17: 1 M Clark (Norw) 18:45; 2 S Plummer (Chelm) 18:50; 3 T Preston (P’boro &NV) 18:53; 4 D Millard (Taunt) 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

Under-17 women

The first race away had been the under-17 women’s event at the later than normal start time of noon and Freya Bradley appeared to be in control throughout. Behind, Isla McGowan was second for some distance before falling back as former under-13 champion Zoe Gilbody, in her new Telford colours, came through for a comfortable second ahead of Tilly Nickell.

Bradley, the English Schools 3000m silver medallist, talked about the course, which was undulating and said: “There was quite a lot of downhill, which was quite good.”

The Westbury Harrier added: “I have not been running that long.” Indeed, her Power of 10 profile really only seriously begins 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

Under-15 boys

Mikey Bacon led after the first mile from Pia Aron and Arthur Elliot before Yared Alem came through to take second mid-race. He said: “Mikey broke clear at the start of the second lap.”

For his part, Bacon said: “I pretty much led all of the way and it’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 Aron (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

Under-15 girls

The quality in the race was clear for all to see and it was the indefatigable Olivia Forrest, the Inter-Counties champion, who was soon ahead before seemingly inexplicably losing the lead. It was Torbay’s Paige Quinn who came through to take the race from the improving Ellarose Whitworth, with Forrest limping home third.

Quinn said: “I’ve been getting big 5km improvements (on the road) and here it was the first time that I have crossed a finish line in first place.”

She heads the age group rankings and is second on the all-time 5km lists with 16:31.

Whitworth said that she didn’t think she was at her best while Forrest, who was third in the European under-18 3000m this summer, explained her loss and said: “I got a conker caught on my spike.”

Clearly upset, she vowed to not let it affect her winter season, but perhaps the spikes in question might have been a little shorter on the dry ground.

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

Under-13 boys

In a close race, Theo Creed took the youngest boys age group but he was lucky as he said: “I nearly tripped at the start but at half-way I was ahead so upped the pace and my stamina is very good.”

Behind, Byron Roberts came through to take second.

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

Under-13 girls

Sporting her new colours after switching from Milton Keynes, Kara Gorman, who was third in the Inter-Counties, won in a canter and said that she had joined Windsor to be trained by the former Samy twin Shireen Higgins. She headed Isabella Buchanen, the English Schools 1500m second placer, by around 60 metres.

Kara Gorman (Graham Smith)

U13: 1 K Gorman (WSEH) 11:24; 2 I Buchanen (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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