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Muddy marvellous! Nolan wins first London cross-country title

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City slickers: Croydon Harrier Dom Nolan (No137) is already prominent as the men’s field makes its way up Parliament Hill at the start of the London Cross-country championships

Croydon Harrier Dominic Nolan is London Cross-country champion.

Nolan, 28, ploughed through boggy conditions to beat a field of more than 400 over six miles of one of the world’s best-known and toughest courses, around Parliament Hill Fields and across Hampstead Heath yesterday.

There had been so much rain recently that the London Youth Games races planned for Saturday on the same course were cancelled (to the bewilderment of many of the clubs and borough organisers involved), but there was no stopping Nolan and the seniors from across the capital from running yesterday.

Nolan won his first London title in 36min 41sec, comfortably ahead of Syefu Jamaal.

Nolan adds the London gold medal to the Surrey County title he won at Lloyd Park in January, as the former English 10,000metres champion enjoys some of the best form of his career.

Clubmate James Hancock placed sixth, as the Croydon Harriers team finished ninth, one point – that is, a single finishing position – behind local rivals Herne Hill Harriers and two points behind seventh team Belgrave Harriers.

Penny Oliver was the first Croydon Harrier woman, 13th in 24:46 in her four-mile(ish) race, with the team 16th, as Herne Hill’s women won team bronze medals.

Nolan’s next race is expected to be at Sefton Park, Liverpool, on Saturday, when he will be running for a place in Britain’s European Championships team.


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