Stowe on Saturday 26/02/2000 10 Km (Junior Men)
The National Trust property Stowe Park was the setting for the fifty-third staging of the Junior Men's English National Cross-Country Championships. The race was sponsored by sports company View From for the third consecutive year. The course consisted of farmland and included some challenging hills.
After half a mile Chris Bolt (Bracknell AC) and southern champion Chris Thompson (Aldershot, Farnham & District AC) were setting the pace. At two miles Steve Hepples (Loftus AC), Steve Vernon (Stockport Harriers), Bolt, Robert Maycock (Sale Harriers), Angus McLean (Team Solent) and Ollie Laws (Telford AC) had joined Thompson to make a leading group. At the end of the first lap Chris Thomson was pulling away, with Bolt second 20 metres back with the chasing runners spreading out. On the second lap Bolt caught Thompson and opened up a 15-metre lead. Thompson whittled down the gap and caught Bolt. With the finish line in sight Bolt made another effort but was unable to maintain the pace and Thompson went through to win by 16 seconds. Bolt took silver and Maycock bronze.
Chris Bolt (Bracknell AC) silver medalist in the Junior Men's race
Thompson told Martin Duff at Athletics Weekly: "I saw him [Bolt] put in a big effort and I said: 'I'm not going with it', my plan was to wait and see what I could do. I think he surprised me, but I thought I'm going to keep at it. He put in another spurt and I thought that was a last-ditch effort, I was confident I could get him. I couldn't feel my body down that home straight!"
Thompson led Aldershot, Farnham & District AC to the team honours with a 28-point victory over Sale Harriers with Milton Keynes AC third.