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Nick runs 'em close at National XC

Matt Ward / 03.03.2009

This Saturday saw the English National Cross Country champs taking place in London, at the 'home' of XC running, Parliament Hill.

In spring-like conditions the 20 year-old Saab Salomon athlete and Bangor University student, Nick Swinburn, held his own in the company of much more experienced international runners to finish a fantastic 11th - managing to stay in contention with the leaders throughout the 12k race.

The Parliament Hill course suited Nick's mountain running abilities and his recent 30:34 10k road win at the Nick Beer race shows that he has the basic flat speed (coupled with his great hill running ability) to compete on a national level. The performance will certainly move Nick closer to international selection and bodes very well for the upcoming mountain racing season.

Another great performance came from Saab Salomon Outdoor Team newcomer John Heneghan who finished in a highly credible 27th, from the field of almost 1500. This run is particularly impressive considering that John had been suffering from a heavy cold.

Speaking after his great run Nick said "Before the race I had decided to take the first lap steady so was surprised when I was in the first 15 at the top of the first hill and I thought I might have set off too fast. At the end of the first 6k lap I was still in roughly the same position so I tried to push on a bit although I just seemed to end up going the slower, almost walking pace through some of the mud!"

"I was having a good battle with Andi Jones with him going ahead on the up hill and me catching on the downs. In the final kilometre I managed to pick up one more place, moving up to 11th. Overall I was pleased how the race went and hope I can run to a similar standard in the Inter-Counties in a fortnight".

Saab Salomon Outdoor Team manager Tim Lloyd said "I'm over the moon. The young guys are showing so much promise early on in the season. Nick should be especially happy with the great performances that he has produced in the last couple of weeks".