Maiden Castle in Durham hosted the National Cross-Country Championships and this was the fifty-fourth running of the junior men's race. View From sponsored the event and the course consisted of a mixture of fast playing fields, challenging hills and had some great views.
Lee McCash (Sale Harriers) led after the initial stampede, Ben Tickner (Wells City Harriers) then took the lead at the end of the opening medium loop. Chris Thompson (Aldershot, Farnham & District AC), Chris Bolt (Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers), northern champion Steve Vernon (Stockport Harriers) and McCash were in the lead pack with Andy Sherman (Swindon Harriers) and Adam Bowden (Harrow AC) giving chase. At the end of the first large lap Thompson had 10 metre lead with Bolt second and McCash in contention. Thompson increased his lead around the last lap and crossed the line in 31:17, ten seconds clear of runner-up Bolt who just edged McCash.
Thompson told Bob Frank at Athletics Weekly: "It was a very conservative first lap today and the group wasn't really whittling down but then it started to with two laps to go. I wasn't sure how I'd feel because I've had a dodgy tummy but I made an effort going up the hill and then I just opened it out coming downhill. I felt in control but I knew Chris and Lee were battling against each other, so I had to keep it going. But with the start being so slow it was really like a one and a half lap race."
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