Romano's Ice Cream kiosk was likely to have been rather busy at Wollaton Hall and Deer Park, Nottingham on Saturday 8 March 2025, where the UK National Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships were hosted in tee-shirt weather for active spectators.

Next year will see the 100th-anniversary of the inaugural Inter-Counties Cross Country held at Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire on 3 April 1926 and this historic event still attracts a strong entry from athletes selected to represent their home areas with pride – a total of 2,655 in 10 races plus 15 in the first para-athletes cross country race to be held with these championships.

The senior men's race was a thriller as Brett Rushman (Hertfordshire) finally broke clear for victory on the final hill, sprinting home ahead of James Kingston (Kent) and Cameron Allen (North East). Northern Ireland won the team title from Surrey and Yorkshire.

The senior women's race was more clear-cut as Jessica Gibbon (Oxfordshire) – the recently crowned National Cross Country champion – forced the pace and was rewarded with another title ahead of Tokyo Olympic triathlon relay champion and individual silver medallist Georgia Taylor-Brown (Greater Manchester). Sophie Tarver (Merseyside) was third and the gold team medals went south to Surrey, as Yorkshire and Lancashire scrapped for silver and bronze.

The next level is for junior athletes under 20 and provides a glimpse of the future of the sport. Aron Gebremariam (Warwickshire) narrowly retained his title in the men's race. Freya Bradley (Avon & Somerset) – the 2024 National Cross Country under 20 champion – took the women's race with a strong finish. Both are international stars in the making and ones to watch for the future.

The inaugural para-athlete Inter-Counties champions are Sam Fernando (Fife) - pictured above #6005 -and Ella Richards (Torbay) as the 15 mixed ability runners proved that cross country really can be a sport for all.

Surrey was the most successful county overall with six team wins from the 10 races. The remaining title winners were Northern Ireland, Essex, Kent and Berkshire.

Full results by FR Systems are at runABC race listing here. 

Photo courtesy Mark Hookway, Tonbridge AC