James Kingston – Inter-Counties cross-country champion with an Olympic dream

Tonbridge runner hopes his home cross-country achievements will sooner or later act as a springboard to the Winter Olympics.

As a cross-country runner, James Kingston received the English Nationwide in 2023, made the British group for the World Championships in 2024 and claimed victory within the UK Inter-Counties final month in Nottingham.

The 24-year-old Tonbridge AC man is aiming to make extra of an impression on the roads and the monitor in coming years, but when cross-country operating fulfils its Olympic dream and makes its Winter Video games debut in France in 2030 then he can be vastly motivated to maintain his cross-country spikes sharp.

“I had this dialogue with a coaching accomplice just lately,” he says. “If cross nation grew to become a Winter Olympics sport it might grow to be an enormous intention. It’s an important alternative to go to the Olympics and, if it occurred, it might be wonderful for the game. Smaller sports activities that nobody actually watches get a whole lot of views when the Winter Olympics are on. So it might be nice for cross nation if it occurred.”

If that did come to go, Kingston can be a powerful contender to make the British group. Regardless of nonetheless solely being 24, he has been a stalwart of the home scene lately, highlighted by his UK Inter-Counties win at Wollaton Corridor final month.

It got here after a disappointing early a part of the winter season, too, when he completed seventh on the Liverpool Cross Problem, failing to make the British group for the European Cross in Lagoa.

“I used to be actually dissatisfied at Liverpool,” he says. “I felt I used to be adequate to make the group however simply didn’t get out arduous sufficient in the beginning and located myself with an excessive amount of to do. However coaching went properly as much as the Nationwide [in Sedgefield in February] and I used to be overwhelmed there by an excellent runner, Hugo Milner, so I took a whole lot of confidence from that. Then, on the Inter-Counties, I felt actually good. All of it clicked within the weeks main as much as that race.”

Kingston believes the 2026 model of himself would comfortably beat the 2023-24 model who received the English Nationwide at Bolesworth Fortress and positioned 67th on the World Cross Nation Championships in Belgrade.

“If I raced myself after I received the Nationwide or ran within the World Cross then I’d be a good distance forward now,” he says. “I don’t assume my previous self [from 2023-24] would have received a medal at this yr’s Inter-Counties. It’s good to know I’m quite a bit stronger and may construct on this within the subsequent yr or two.”

Again in 2023-24 he was operating about 80-85 miles per week however now repeatedly hits 100. Outdoors athletics he works part-time within the Operating Hub retailer in Tonbridge, which provides him the pliability to coach and race. “I really feel yearly I’ve come on a bit,” he says.

On the monitor Kingston ran 13:41.91 for 5000m final yr in Brussels and hopes to do the identical race once more this summer time, with a sub-13:30 the objective.

“I believe that point ought to, and can, come down this summer time and I’d prefer to get inside 13:30,” he says. “I’d love to do a bit extra street this summer time, too. Generally I see individuals who I’ve overwhelmed comfortably on the cross operating a lot sooner on the monitor than me.”

Kingston additionally flirted with the roads final yr with a 64:35 half-marathon on the Nice North Run. “That was arduous!” he remembers. “I wished to do a half and went into it a bit naively with none fuelling plan or something. There was a horrible headwind for about 11 of the 13 miles and I used to be on my own for about 10 of the miles, too.

“I principally blew up a bit and nearly held on for a good time. I’m positive there’s much more there when there are a number of folks round me and there isn’t a disgusting headwind. It was a very good factor to do however probably not the sort of time I hoped for.”

For now, the marathon can wait. “It’s probably not in my plans in the meanwhile, though I would do one other half-marathon this yr,” he says. “I can do a half marathon and get better fairly rapidly however for the marathon I’d need to drop every part else and make it the No.1 objective.”

You get the sensation he’d drop every part for the prospect to run cross nation within the Winter Olympics, although. 

UKA Cross Problem 2025-26 highlights

Cardiff – November 8

Simply 17, Cynthia Chepkirui of Kenya stormed to victory within the senior ladies’s race as Megan Keith was the primary Brit in fourth.

With the assembly being a part of the World Athletics Cross Nation Tour, there’s a robust worldwide ingredient and the boys’s race noticed a Kenyan one-two-three led by Mathew Kipsang as Zak Mahamed was high Brit in fourth.

Innes FitzGerald loved a 50-second victory within the mixed under-20 and under-17 ladies’s race, whereas Holly Dixon and Jack Higgins received one mile races that acted as British trials for the combined relay on the Euro Cross.

Liverpool – November 22

The Euro trials at Sefton Park noticed Scott Beattie and Rory Leonard place one-two within the males’s race.

Elsewhere there have been good wins for Cari Hughes forward of Poppy Tank within the senior ladies’s race, Innes FitzGerald within the under-20 ladies’s and Michael Clark within the under-20 males’s race in entrance of William Rabjohns and Alex Lennon.

London – February 7

Parliament Hill was the venue as Hugo Milner returned from a stress fracture harm to win the boys’s race forward of Richard Slade and James Kingston.

Eleanor Curran produced certainly one of her greatest ever wins with an 11-second victory within the senior ladies’s race forward of Scout Adkin and Niamh Brown.

The under-20 victories, in the meantime, went to Jack Marwood and Emma Stewart.;

Nottingham – March 7

Wollaton Corridor in Nottingham noticed James Kingston and Jess Gibbon successful the senior titles. Kingston beat Jacob Cann and Richard Slade whereas Gibbon beat Eleanor Curran and Niamh Bridson-Hubbard.

Below-20 victories went to Ava James an Alex Lennon, whereas Madison Kindler continued her a streak of superb victories within the under-13 ladies race.