Thousands of club runners flock to a muddy Parliament Hill in north London to be part of historic event which remains a highlight of the winter calendar
On a day of mild temperatures with treacherously greasy conditions underfoot, the mudlarks of the endurance running scene prospered. Neither Jess Gibbon nor Richard Slade consider themselves track runners, but on a challenging Parliament Hill course on Saturday (Feb 22) they proved unbeatable as they coasted to senior victories.
While their rivals struggled to keep their feet in a quagmire caused by recent heavy rains, Gibbon and Slade made light of it as Gibbon retained a women’s crown she last won in 2022 and Slade enjoying a big breakthrough at this level in the men’s race.
Parliament Hill is regarded as the spiritual home of English cross-country running and the history of the English ‘National’ dates back to 1876. World Athletics recognised this a few years ago by awarding the venue one of its coveted Heritage plaques and the 10 races on Saturday were preceded by a celebration of the achievement with long-time English Cross Country Association secretary Ian Byett and current secretary Eamonn Martin among those in attendance.
Once the races got underway the course inevitably cut up as the day went on. But cross-country runners from around the nation revelled in the conditions and enjoyed a day to remember.
English National (Gary Mitchell)
Gibbon’s previous National title was won at Parliament Hill three years ago. The Reading AC runner lives in London, too, and here she was in a class of her own as she powered away from the rest of the field.
It wasn’t always the case, though, as she sat in around 12th place at the top of the first hill due to the new sponsors, SportsShoes.com and Nike, offering a reward for whoever reached the top of the first climb in the senior races first.
Gibbon was interested in a bigger prize, however – the overall victory – and once the initial charge was over she eased into the lead and simply ran away from everyone to win by 42 seconds from runner-up Amelia Quirk over the 8km course.
In third, Olivia Mathias was a further half-minute behind Quirk with Sophie Tarver in fourth.
Quirk had beaten Gibbon at the Leeds Cross Challenge a fortnight earlier but the 28-year-old reversed the result here.
“I really surprised myself,” said Gibbon. “Everyone ‘gunned it’ to the top of the first hill but I held back. Back down the hill I found myself in the lead and already had 20 yards on the other girls. I felt really good so I thought ‘why not push on?’ I’ve got good memories of this place, so I just went for it.”
Leeds City took the women’s team title by just four points from Aldershot, Farnham & District.
Richard Slade (Gary Mitchell)
In the senior men’s race Slade pulled away from James Kingston on the final lap after the pair had slugged it out most of the way. In the end, Slade won by just over half a minute from Kingston with Flurry Grierson third, Louis Small fourth and Ben Alcock fifth.
Slade runs for Chiltern Harriers, went to university in Bath and now works as a software engineer and trains in Oxford with coach Matt Seddon’s Oxford University group. His training partners there include US Olympic marathoner Jared Ward and the set-up is clearly working well for Slade.
He has enjoyed encouraging results this winter on the circuit but was only 21st in the delayed English National last September. Go back a few years and he finished either just inside or just outside the top 100 at the English Schools. Eleven years ago he was a modest 212th at the English Schools and didn’t even qualify for the English Schools on the track, but of course he was not really training seriously at the time.
“I’ve been running since I was 10 but was pretty rubbish as a junior,” Slade admitted. “Training in Oxford lately has been really good for me, though, and running is the main thing I do now outside of my job.
“I wasn’t expecting to win here. At the start of the winter I thought maybe top 10 would have been massively successful but I’ve exceeded those expectations.”
Bristol & West men’s team (Gary Mitchell)
The team title went to Bristol & West with the long-time club stalwart Mike Down on hand to carry the trophy home.
Isabel Holt made the long trip down from the North of England with her parents and their family springer spaniel. She was the only member of her team, Blackburn Harriers, in the junior women’s race, too, but it was a trip worth making as she ran out a delighted winner ahead of Eliza Nicholson and Rebecca Flaherty.
Issy Holt (left) and Eliza Nicholson (Gary Mitchell)
“It was a hard course but I’m really pleased,” said Holt. “I felt strong on the hills so tried to use them. Next up is the Podium 5km in Leicester,” the Leeds-based athlete added.
Matthew Pickering’s victory in the junior men’s race was a little closer but no less satisfying as he finished two seconds ahead of Frank McGrath with Gianluca Mastrolonardo a further two seconds behind.
“When I got into the lead I was running over all the scenarios in my mind, such as how I could win, how I could lose and so on,” said Pickering, who hit the front at just after halfway into the 10km race. “It was a mental battle and a half after leading it from that far out.”
Matthew Pickering (3505) (Gary Mitchell)
The Aldershot, Farnham & District and St Mary’s University athlete, who is coached by Mick Woods, said he could hear McGrath, who he trains with, attacking him. “I just managed to hold on,” added Pickering, “as this title is so prestigious.
“Boy does it feel good to be called ‘king of the hill’. This is my biggest win yet – by a country mile!”
Pickering continued: “I knew it would be a challenge to win but I had it in the back of my mind it would be possible. I’m a gritty runner. I’m not the be-all and end-all on the track, but I love the mud and hills. I love making people hurt and I did it today.”
Lucy Wilkinson (Gary Mitchell)
Lucy Wilkinson reckons she’s never won a cross-country race in her life. Given this, she chose a fantastic event to break the duck as she stormed to victory in the under-17 women’s race at the English National. “I’ve never crossed the line first in a cross-country race,” she said. “I didn’t even win my county championship.”
Despite this, Wilkinson won by more than half a minute from runner-up Faith Taylor with Raya Petrova third.
Even more amazingly, she added: “I also had four months off running at the start of August and only came off crutches in October. I tore the tendon and cartilage in my hip and only started training properly at Christmas. It’s all thanks to my amazing club at Windsor and my coach Shireen (Higgins).”
Alex Lennon used his Parliament Hill experience to good use as he stormed to victory in the under-17 men’s race. The Sutton & District athlete reckons he has now competed at Parliament Hill around half a dozen times. “I’m a Londoner and thought this was a walk in the park when I got here,” he said, clearly feeling at home on Hampstead Heath.
“That was an absolute mud bath!” he added. “People alongside me on the first lap looked like zombies.
“I’ve never won Nationals. This is my biggest win ever. I’ve been doing good-bad, good-bad all year but it was the best feeling in the world coming through the finish line first.”
Runner-up was Rory Barclay-Watt with Jack Marwood third and Michael Clark a close fourth.
Gabby Pinder of New Marske Harriers won a much-anticipated under-15 girls’ clash ahead of Kitty Scott, Kara Gorman, Poppy Guest, Heidi Woodley and Jorjia March. “It was so difficult. The mud was so thick the whole way. With the hills there was no chance to get back into your stride, really,” said Pinder. “I was hoping to finish in the top three but didn’t expect to hold it to the end on such a tough course.”
Jake Ireland won perhaps the most exciting race of the day when he pulled clear of Yaried Alem in the closing metres of the under-15 boys race. The Macclesfield Harrier finished three seconds ahead of the runner-up from Leeds City with Alem falling over the line in exhaustion as Ireland celebrated with his arms spread.
“I’ve been practising my final 100m and then today just gave it my all,” said Ireland. “ I do a lot of fell running so this course was perfect for me as well.”
The under-13 victories went to Mia McGoldrick of Settle Harriers and Zakariya Rush of Solihull & Small Heath AC.
“I didn’t expect to win,” said McGoldrick. “I was third in the Northerns and was hoping for top 10 here so it shows that anything can happen.”
All results here.
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