The English National Cross Country Championships is an annual English cross country running event which takes place in late February following the regional championships (Southern, Midlands and Northern) which all take place on the same weekend usually in late January. The event is the oldest national cross country championship in the world, having been first run in 1876. The English, Welsh and Scottish National Cross Country Championships are all usually held on the same day.
Format There are categories for senior men and women, junior men and women, U17, U15, U13 and club teams. The course is 12 km for men and 8 km for women and the fact that the distances for senior men and senior women is different has recently been a topic for discussion and review. Following a review of various surveys the English Cross Country Association voted to keep the race distances at 12 km for the senior men and 8 km for the senior women for the 2019 championship.
The event is organised by the English Cross Country Association and currently sponsored by Saucony UK. As well as individual competition, senior athletes represent their athletics club for points scoring and team awards. Club teams consist of six senior men or four senior women.
Venues The venue for the English National Cross Country Championships is not fixed and is usually hosted in turn by the regional associations. The men's and women's venues were held at different locations until 1995, when both were held at the same venue for the first time.
History The first championship in 1876 was known as the 'National' and was declared void because all 32 runners went off course. The women's event was first held in 1927. The senior event winners are shown in the table. Up to 1994, the women's event was run separately at a different location from the men's race.
Past winners Men YearLocation (m/w)Men's senior teamMen's senior individualNote/Ref1876 Buckhurst Hill declared void (32 ran)1877 Roehampton Thames Hare & Hounds Percy H Stenning (Thames H&H)1878 Roehampton Spartan Harriers Percy H Stenning (Thames H&H)1879 Roehampton Thames Hare & Hounds Percy H Stenning (Thames H&H)1880 Roehampton Birchfield Harriers Percy H Stenning (Thames H&H)1881 Roehampton Moseley Harriers George A Dunning (Clapton Beagles)1882 Roehampton Moseley Harriers Walter George (Moseley H)1883 Roehampton Moseley Harriers George A Dunning (Clapton Beagles)1884 Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield Moseley Harriers Walter George (Moseley H)1885 Manchester Liverpool Harriers William Snook (Birchfield H)1886 Croydon Birchfield Harriers J E 'Flyer' Hickman (Godiva H)1887 Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield Birchfield Harriers J E 'Flyer' Hickman (Godiva H)1888 ManchesterBirchfield Harriers Edward W Parry (Salford H)1889 Kempton Salford Harriers Edward W Parry (Salford H)1890 Sutton Coldfield Salford Harriers Edward W Parry (Salford H)1891 Prenton, Birkenhead Birchfield Harriers James Kibblewhite (Spartan H)1892 Ockham Birchfield Harriers Herbert A Heath (SLH)1893 Redditch Essex Beagles Herbert A Heath (SLH)1894 Blackpool Salford Harriers George Crossland (Salford H)1895 Wembley Birchfield Harriers Steve Cottrill (Thames Valley H)1896 Water Orton Salford Harriers George Crossland (Manchester H)1897 Trafford Park Salford H & Manchester H Sidney Robinson (Northampton & County AC)1898 Horton, Northants Salford Harriers Sidney Robinson (Northampton & County AC)1899 Wembley Highgate Harriers Charles Bennett (Finchley H)1900 Rotherham Finchley Harriers Charles Bennett (Finchley H)1901 Leicester Essex Beagles Alfred Shrubb (SLH)1902 Lingfield Highgate Harriers Alfred Shrubb (SLH)1903 Haydock Birchfield Harriers Alfred Shrubb (SLH)1904 Wolverhampton Highgate Harriers Alfred Shrubb (SLH)1905 Lingfield Highgate Harriers Albert Aldridge (Highgate H)1906 Haydock Sutton H & AC Charlie J Straw (Sutton H & AC)1907 Colwall Birchfield Harriers George Pearce (Highgate H)1908 Newbury Hallamshire Harriers Arthur Robertson (Birchfield H)1909 Haydock Birchfield Harriers James Murphy (Hallamshire H)1910 Derby Hallamshire Harriers Fred C Neaves (Surrey AC)1911 Taplow Hallamshire Harriers Fred N Hibbins (Thrapston H & AC)1912 Haydock Hallamshire Harriers Fred N Hibbins (Thrapston H & AC)1913 Wolverhampton Birchfield Harriers Ernest Glover (Hallamshire H)1914 Chesham Surrey AC Charles Ruffell (Highgate H) 1915-1919 cancelled due to the World War I1920 Windsor Great Park Birchfield Harriers Charlie Gibbon 1921 Doncaster Birchfield Harriers Wally Freeman (Birchfield H)1922 Hereford Birchfield Harriers Harry Eckersley 1923 Beaconsfield Birchfield Harriers Joe Blewitt (Birchfield H)1924 Doncaster Birchfield Harriers Cpl Bill Cotterell (Royal Corps of Signals)1925 Hereford Birchfield Harriers Cpl Bill Cotterell (Royal Corps of Signals)1926 Wolverton Birchfield Harriers Jack Webster (Birchfield H)1927 Crewe/Luton Hallamshire Harriers Ernie Harper (Hallamshire H)1928 Leamington/Chigwell Birchfield Harriers Jack Webster (Birchfield H)1929 Beaconsfield/Perivale Birchfield Harriers Ernie Harper (Hallamshire H)1930 Sheffield/Wolverton Birchfield Harriers Wally B Howard (Kettering Town H)1931 Kettering/Epsom Birchfield Harriers Jack Potts (Saltwell H)1932 Wolverton/Coventry Birchfield Harriers Alec Burns (Elswick H)1933 Alderley Edge/Warwick Birchfield Harriers Tom Evenson (Salford H)1934 Dudley/Kettering Birchfield Harriers Sam Dodd (Wirral AC)1935 Beaconsfield/Longbridge Belgrave Harriers Frank Close (Reading AC)1936 Alderley Edge/Chidwell Row Birchfield Harriers Jack Potts (Saltwell H)1937 Stratford-upon-Avon/Perry Barr Birchfield Harriers Herbert D Clark (York H)1938 Reading/Luton Mitcham AC Jack Holden (Tipton H)1939 Worsley/Rugby Belgrave Harriers Jack Holden (Tipton H)1940-1945 cancelled due to the World War II1946 Leamington Spa/Cheltenham Belgrave Harriers Jack Holden (Tipton H)1947 Apsley/Oxford Sutton Harriers Archie A Robertson (Reading AC)1948 Sheffield/Sutton Coldfield Belgrave Harriers Sydney Wooderson (Blackheath H)1949 Birmingham/Worsley Sutton Harriers Frank E. Aaron (Leeds St Marks AC)1950 Aylesbury/Parliament Hill Sutton Harriers Frank E. Aaron (Leeds St Marks AC)1951 Richmond/Tadcaster Sutton H Frank E. Aaron (Leeds St Marks AC)1952 Great Barr/Perry Barr Victoria Park AAC Walter Hesketh (Manchester A & CC)1953 Reading/Birmingham Birchfield Harriers Gordon Pirie (SLH)1954 Birkenhead/Aylesbury Bolton United H & AC Gordon Pirie (SLH)1955 Bedford/Leeds South London Harriers Gordon Pirie (SLH) 1956 Warwick/Sutton Coldfield Sheffield United H & AC Ken Norris (Thames Valley H) 1957 Parliament Hill/Enfield South London Harriers Frank Sando (Aylesford PMSC)1958 Birkenhead/Winton South London Harriers Alan F Perkins (Ilford AC)1959 Peterborough/Birmingham Sheffield United H & AC Frederick Norris (Bolton United H & AC)1960 West Bromwich/Morden Park Derby & County AC Basil Heatley (Coventry Godiva)1961 Parliament Hill/Sheffield Derby & County AC Basil Heatley (Coventry Godiva))1962 Blackpool/Wolverhampton Derby & County AC Gerry North (Blackpool & Fylde AC)1963 Cambridge/Richmond Park Coventry Godiva Basil Heatley (Coventry Godiva)1964 Leicester/Bury Portsmouth AC Mel Batty (Thurrock H)1965 Parliament Hill/Birmingham Portsmouth AC Mel Batty (Thurrock H)1966 Sheffield/Watford North Staffs & Stone HAC Ron Hill (Bolton United H & AC)1967 Norwich/Blackburn Portsmouth AC Dick Taylor (Coventry Godiva)1968 Sutton Coldfield/Coventry Coventry Godiva Ron Hill (Bolton United H & AC)1969 Parliament Hill/Aldershot Tipton Harriers Mike Tagg (Norfolk Gazelles)1970 Blackpool/Blackburn City of Stoke AC Trevor Wright (Hallamshire H)1971 Norwich/Wolverhampton Shettleston Harriers Dave Bedford (Shaftesbury H)1972 Sutton Coldfield/High Wycombe Tipton Harriers Malcolm Thomas (Thames Valley H)1973 Parliament Hill/Rawtenstall Gateshead Harriers Dave Bedford (Shaftesbury H)1974 Sheffield/Leicester Derby & County AC Dave Black (Small Heath H)1975 Stopsley/Parliament Hill Gateshead Harriers Anthony Simmons (Luton United AC)1976 Leicester/Blackburn Gateshead Harriers Bernie Ford (AFD)1977 Parliament Hill/Stoke Gateshead Harriers Brendan Foster (Gateshead H)1978 Leeds/High Wycombe Tipton Harriers Bernie Ford (AFD)1979 Stopsley/Runcorn Gateshead Harriers Mike McLeod (Elswick H)1980 Leicester/Rugeley Tipton Harriers Nick Rose (Bristol AC)1981 Parliament Hill/Colchester Tipton Harriers Julian Goater (Shaftesbury H)1982 Leeds/Carlisle Tipton Harriers Dave Clarke (Hercules Wimbledon AC)1983 Stopsley/Warwick AFD Tim Hutchings (Crawley AC)1984 Newark/Knebworth AFD Eamonn Martin (Basildon AC)1985 Milton Keynes/Birkenhead AFD Dave Lewis (Rossendale H & AC)1986 Newcastle/Leicester Tipton Harriers Tim Hutchings (Crawley AC)1987 Stopsley/Bexley Gateshead Harriers Dave Clarke (Hercules Wimbledon AC)1988 Newark/Leeds Birchfield Harriers Dave Clarke (Hercules Wimbledon AC)1989 Epsom/Birmingham Tipton Harriers Dave Lewis (Rossendale H & AC) 1990 Leeds/Rickmansworth Valli Harriers Richard Nerurkar (Bingley H & AC) 1991 Luton/Birkenhead Bingley H & AC Richard Nerurkar (Bingley H & AC) 1992 Newark/Cheltenham Tipton Harriers Eamonn Martin (Basildon AC) 1993 Parliament Hill/Luton Bingley H & AC Richard Nerurkar (Bingley H & AC) 1994 South Shields/Blackburn Blackheath Harriers Dave Lewis (Rossendale H & AC) 1995 Luton Blackheath Harriers Spencer Duval (Cannock & Stafford A) 1996 Newark Bingley H & AC John Nuttall (Preston H & AC) 1997 Havant Tipton Harriers Steffan White (Coventry Godiva) 1998 Leeds Bingley H & AC Dominic Bannister (Shaftesbury Barnet H) 1999 Newark Tipton Harriers Justin Pugsley (Birchfield H) 2000 Stowe Tipton Harriers Glynn Tromans (Coventry Godiva) 2001 Durham Bingley H & AC Mike Openshaw (Birchfield H) 2002 Bristol Bingley H & AC Sam Haughian (WSEH) 2003 Parliament Hill Leeds City AC Matt Smith (Tipton H) 2004 Leeds Belgrave Harriers Glynn Tromans (Coventry Godiva) 2005 Birmingham Salford H & AC Glynn Tromans (Coventry Godiva) 2006 Parliament Hill Leeds City AC Peter Riley (Leigh H & AC) 2007 Sunderland Leeds City AC Frank Tickner (Wells City H) 2008 Alton Towers Leeds City AC Tom Humphries (Cannock & Stafford AC) 2009 Parliament Hill Newham & Essex Beagles Frank Tickner (Wells City Harriers]) 2010 Leeds AFD Andy Vernon (AFD) 2011 Alton Towers Leeds City AC Steve Vernon (Stockport Harriers & AC) 2012 Parliament Hill Leeds City AC Keith Gerrard (Newham & Essex Beagles) 2013 Sunderland Morpeth Harriers & AC Keith Gerrard (Newham & Essex Beagles) 2014 Nottingham Bedford & County AC Steve Vernon (Stockport Harriers & AC) 2015 Parliament Hill Notts AC Charlie Hulson (Sale H) 2016 Donington Park Morpeth Harriers & AC Jonathan Hay (AFD) 2017NottinghamTonbridge ACBen Connor (Derby AC) 2018 Parliament Hill Tonbridge AC Adam Hickey (Southend-on-Sea AC) 2019 Harewood House, Leeds Leeds City AC Mahamed Mahamed (Southampton AC) 2020Nottingham Tonbridge ACCalum Johnson (Gateshead H)2021 cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic2022Parliament HillSouthampton ACMahamed Mahamed (Southampton AC)2023Bolesworth CastleLeeds City ACJames Kingston (Tonbridge AC)2024Weston ParkBristol & West AC Hugo Milner (Derby AC) 2025Parliament Hill Bristol & West AC Richard Slade (Chiltern Harriers AC)2026 East Hardwick Park Bristol & West AC Hugo Milner (Derby AC)
Women