Great conditions, great performances at Hannut CrossCup
The Hannut fixture of the EnergyVision CrossCup took place on 25 January 2026. On a very unseasonal crisp, sunny - albeit chilly - day and a firm course underfoot one had to wonder is this really the Hannut we know and love so much for the rain and mud. Dry underfoot conditions disappointed the mud specialists but were a vast contrast from the wet conditions the previous year!
Senior Men
The men’s race got underway and a sensible start was made by the England team and Richard Slade (Chiltern Harriers AC / Bath University, Matt Seddon) was reasonably well placed in 13th by the time one lap was completed.
Further back, Jenson Connell (Leeds City AC / Leeds Beckett University, Andrew Henderson), Ed Buck (Newark AC, Bill Taylor) and Jack Millar (Bristol and West AC / Thames Hare and Hounds, David Bedwell) made up the England positions.
The pace was relentless as usual at the front but the England team were holding their own with Richard up to 11th and Ed through to 15th battling with Jenson in 17th. As the race developed and with the end in sight, Richard held his position, Ed was right behind him and Jenson solid with a 18th place finish.
Results
11th: Richard Slade (25:48)
12th: Edward Buck (25:52)
18th: Jenson Connell (26:07)
25th: Jack Millar (27:04)
Senior Women
There were great performances from the England team of Jess Gibbon (Reading AC), Ellie Curran, (Leeds City AC, Joe Townsend), Rebecca Flaherty (Bingley Harriers and AC / Oxford University) and Faye O’Hare at another gold level World Cross Country Tour event. The senior women ran a distance of 8km in two small laps and four large which had three jumps each lap to contend with.
The race started at pace with Belgium’s Jana Van Lent creating a split within the first small lap taking the African athletes with her including Sheila Jebet who finished second in Elgoibar last weekend. Sitting just off the back of that group was Jess Gibbon battling with Belgian, Lisa Rooms. Faye led the next group with Ellie and Rebecca packing well close behind.
The pace from Jana did not let up and she pulled away steadily. The procession continued throughout the race with Jess pushing on and coming through the field to finish in a fantastic sixth place. The remaining English trio of Ellie, Rebecca and Faye worked well together changing positions on many occasions and closed the gap on the two Belgian athletes, Ellie finishing fast in 11th place, Rebecca in 12th and Faye in 13th.
Results
6th: Jess Gibbon (28:55)
11th: Eleanor Curran (29:55)
12th: Rebecca Flaherty (30:06)
13th: Faye O’Hare (30:15)
Junior Women
Once again there were strong performances from the junior women. England was represented by Maisey Bellwood (Keighley & Craven AC), Tilly Nickell (Team Bath, Luke Gunn), Sabrina Coppola Johansen (Aldershot, Farnham & District AC, Mick Woods) and Evey Powell (Abingdon AC, Bernard Wilkins). This year’s 4.5km, three lap course was much firmer and less muddy compared with previous years, but the combination of grass, sand, hurdles and tight turns still made the course challenging.
The English women all started positively, and it wasn’t too long before a lead group of six was established which included the English quartet and the Belgian athletes, Byl and Verrijcken (who had won in Elgoibar the previous weekend). As the race entered the second lap the group was now down to four with Maisey and Tilly in the leading group, and Evey and Sabrina a few metres behind in fifth and sixth. Towards the end of the second lap Maisey had lost touch with the leading group and was now in fourth.
As the bell rang for the final lap Tilly made a bold effort to break away from the two Belgian athletes but was caught around 300m to go with Byl going onto claim victory. Meanwhile Maisey had worked hard to close the gap and with 100m to go relied on her 800m speed to sprint pass Tilly and then Verrijcken to finish second. Tilly narrowly missed a podium spot finishing just one second behind third. Sabrina and Evey maintained their positions well ahead of the rest of the field and crossed the line in fifth and sixth positions respectively.
Results
2nd: Maisey Bellwood (16:37)
4th: Tilly Nickell (16:39)
5th: Sabrina Coppola Johansen (17:01)
6th: Evey Powell (17:08)
Junior Men
Michael Clark (City of Norwich), coached by Jane Clarke and buoyed by his excellent performance at the World Cross Country Championships, wasted no time asserting himself at the front. Completing the opening lap of the infield, he was joined by Belgian athletes Axl Hermans and Romain Palm. The chasing group included fellow Englishman, Luke Dunham (Herts Phoenix, Andy Hobdell), making his England debut, while Jack Marwood (Salford Harriers AC, Ian Grime) completed the England trio.
Lap two saw the early challenge from Hermans and Palm fade as Michael continued to glide effortlessly around the course, maintaining a fierce tempo. Luke, after a strong opening, began to slip back slightly, while the more measured Jack was steadily moving through the field.
Entering the final lap, the podium positions appeared to be taking shape. Michael looked dominant, but Jack - clearly having an excellent day - had surged into second place. The question now was whether he could close the gap to his England teammate. In the final stages, it became clear that Michael’s bold front running would earn him a well deserved victory. Jack, delighted to be returning to form, secured an impressive second place. Local favourite and series leader Axl Hermans ran strongly to complete the podium. With athletes finishing rapidly, we awaited Luke, who closed the team scoring with a solid 11th place.
Results
1st: Michael Clark (14.13)
2nd: Jack Marwood (14.16)
9th: Luke Dunham (14.38)