QUIRK AND REES TRIUMPHANT IN LEEDS AT CROSS CHALLENGE

Amelia Quirk and Logan Rees were among those victorious at the fourth leg of the 2024/25 UK Athletics Cross Challenge series in Temple Newsam, Leeds on Saturday (8th February).

Supported by Sportsshoes, the event also incorporated a UK Home International and Area Match, together with the Celtic Challenge, adding further quality competition to a scintillating day of action in West Yorkshire. Teams from England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Midland Counties, Northern Athletics and South of England were all taking on the challenging course.

Amelia Quirk (Mick Woods, Bracknell) showed her class to storm to the senior women’s race win ahead of fellow England teammates Jess Gibbon (Reading) and Mia Waldmann (Mark Booth, Reading), after a fine display.

The multiple GB & NI international started conservatively, sitting in a large pack which was led by Scotland’s Scout Adkin (Angela Mudge, Ambleside) for long stages, with Quirk and Gibbon also pushing the pace at the front over the course of the 8.2km course. As the laps unfolded, the pack stayed together but Quirk eyed the long uphill section to the finish as the place where she would make her move when the time came.

With less than half a kilometre to go, Quirk pressed ahead on the uphill stretch, opening a gap on Gibbon to wheel away to a solid victory. Gibbon came through close behind for second, narrowly ahead of Waldmann while Adkin was just pipped on the line by the fast-finishing Sophie Tarver (Bill Foster, Wirral).

Quirk said, “I just felt good, and I think I am not always the best at executing races, but I did really well. There was probably about 10 or 15 times that I was telling myself ‘it is time to go, it is time to go!’ but I had to tell myself not to. Every time we reached the little hill at the bottom, I was moving through so easily, so I knew that was where I was going to make my move, but I had to wait until the last lap.”

After a fierce battle between Logan Rees (Ron Morrison, Fife) and James Kingston (Mark Hookway, Tonbridge) in the senior men’s race, it was the Scottish athlete who showed his power to take one of the best wins of his career to date.

Rees and Kingston were locked in battle for long stages of the 10.2km course with Jack Millar (David Bedwell, Bristol and West) sticking with them for the majority before the duo broke away on the last loop and a half.

Rees – who was the second Cross Challenge finisher in Cardiff last November – looked determined throughout, but it was Kingston who headed the field as they entered the final circuit. With distance running down, Rees made a staggering sprint for the line up the final hill, streaking away to seal an impressive victory ahead of Kingston, with Millar holding on for third ahead of England’s Cameron Allen (Craig Winrow, Houghton Harriers).

Post-race, Rees commented, “I was pretty content sitting with the big group and waited until it broke up a bit, so I went as late as I could, and I managed to hold on. I have not had a good race outside of Scotland this winter, so it was good to get one here.

“I am a mountain runner by trade in my youth, so I was well suited to the course today. Every year of training, the endurance is building, and it is all coming together.”

After a battle royale throughout much of the contest between Eliza Nicholson (Tom Craggs, Blackheath and Bromley) and Isobel Holt (Edmund Finucane, Blackburn), the former made the definitive move halfway through the final lap which would ultimately lead to her winning the U20 women’s race.

After following the pace set by Northern Ireland’s Lucy Foster on the opening lap, the English duo took hold of the race thereafter. However, with just under 2km to go, Nicholson made the telling move which would seal her the victory. Holt – who had worked hard to stay with Nicholson’s pace – faded in the final 300m as she was overhauled by Scotland’s Zara Redmond (Sarah Dempsey, Kilbarchan) and South of England’s Lucy Wilkinson (Shireen Higgins, Windsor Slough Eton and Hounslow), so she would eventually finish in fourth place.

Quinn Miell-Ingram (Wendy Miell-Ingram) led home an all-England podium after a superb display in the U20 men’s race. The Radley athlete was in contention – in a big pack of athletes – for much of the race. Such was the nature of the contest, it took until the final lap for the field to eventually be strung out.

Jake Stevens (Invicta East Kent) made the first big move with 2km to go as he dictated the pace on the top end of the course with Miell-Ingram and Matthew Pickering (Mick Woods, Aldershot Farnham and District) keeping themselves attached to their teammate as the final stages played out. As the course turned left back uphill for the final run-in, Miell Ingram had the strength to power away from his England compatriots to take the Cross Challenge and Home International victory.

Pickering held off Stevens in second with another England athlete, Liam Conway (Richard Park, Cambridge and Coleridge) snatching fourth.

Ireland’s Freya Renton secured a fine victory in the U17 women’s race to seal the Celtic Cup. Ellarose Whitworth (Marc Thorpe, Lincoln Wellington) was the first Cross Challenge scorer as she came through in second place with Isla McGowan (Ros Kelling, Banbury) the next across the line – the latter adding to her first-place finishes from earlier in the series.

It was an England 1-2-3 in the U17 men’s race with a devastating kick from Matthew Clark (Andy Bibbey, Preston) earning his triumphant moment across the line. The trio including Luke Dunham (Andrew Hobdell, Herts Phoenix) and Myles Fraser (Andy Bibbey, Preston) came around the final bend into the uphill finish in a bunch, but the pack was split wide open as Clark made his move and accelerated away to the finish. Dunham and Fraser could not live with the pace of Clark but fought to the line to earn the podium places.

Kara Gorman (Shireen Higgins, Windsor Slough Eton and Hounslow) continued her fantastic Cross Challenge form with win number three of the series coming in Leeds, setting her up nicely for the Final next month. She was a dominant force in the U15 girls race, winning comfortably ahead of Beth Lewis (Andrew Railton, City of York) and Heidi Woodley (Paul Forrest, Brentwood Beagles) on a challenging course in West Yorkshire.

In a thrilling sprint finish, Ewan Withnall (Graham Lamb) held off the challenge of Osian Parry (Menai) to bag Cross Challenge win number three of the season. Withnall – winner in Cardiff and Liverpool – fought up the steep finish, and despite the Welshman’s best efforts, the Burton athlete held on the extend his lead in the Series. Further back, Oscar Purchase (Gavin Pavey, Exeter) sealed third position in the race.

In-form Madison Kindler (Paul Forrest, Brentwood Beagles) sealed victory in the U13 race, adding to top spots in her previous three Cross Challenge fixtures in Cardiff, Liverpool and Glasgow. She was a clear winner by ten seconds from Skye Widdows (Peter Witcomb, Brighton & Hove) with Mia McGoldrick (Settle) just behind.

The race win went to Thomas Hastings (Wakefield) in the U13 boys race as he won the uphill battle against Albert Yates (Peter Crook, Preston) and Edward Salter (Taunton), with the trio separated by just four seconds.

Imogen Beisley (Poole) and Gregor Wright (Haddington RC) were the first U11s across the line in the respective races.

The UK Athletics Cross Challenge moves onto Wollaton Park in Nottingham on Saturday 8 March 2025 for the series finale.

Visit this link  for full Results from Leeds