Tonbridge runner hopes his domestic cross-country achievements will one day act as a springboard to the Winter Olympics.

As a cross-country runner, James Kingston won the English National in 2023, made the British team for the World Championships in 2024 and claimed victory in the UK Inter-Counties last month in Nottingham.

The 24-year-old Tonbridge AC man is aiming to make more of an impact on the roads and the track in coming years, but if cross-country running fulfils its Olympic dream and makes its Winter Games debut in France in 2030 then he would be hugely motivated to keep his cross-country spikes sharp.

“I had this discussion with a training partner recently,” he says. “If cross country became a Winter Olympics sport it would become a big aim. It’s a great opportunity to go to the Olympics and, if it happened, it would be amazing for the sport. Smaller sports that no one really watches get a lot of views when the Winter Olympics are on. So it would be great for cross country if it happened.”

If that did come to pass, Kingston would be a strong contender to make the British team. Despite still only being 24, he has been a stalwart of the domestic scene in recent years, highlighted by his UK Inter-Counties win at Wollaton Hall last month.

It came after a disappointing early part of the winter season, too, when he finished seventh at the Liverpool Cross Challenge, failing to make the British team for the European Cross in Lagoa.

“I was really disappointed at Liverpool,” he says. “I felt I was good enough to make the team but just didn’t get out hard enough at the start and found myself with too much to do. But training went well up to the National [in Sedgefield in February] and I was beaten there by a very good runner, Hugo Milner, so I took a lot of confidence from that. Then, at the Inter-Counties, I felt really good. It all clicked in the weeks leading up to that race.”

Kingston believes the 2026 version of himself would comfortably beat the 2023-24 version who won the English National at Bolesworth Castle and placed 67th at the World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade.

“If I raced myself when I won the National or ran in the World Cross then I would be a long way ahead now,” he says. “I don’t think my old self [from 2023-24] would have won a medal at this year’s Inter-Counties. It’s nice to know I’m a lot stronger and can build on this in the next year or two.”

Back in 2023-24 he was running about 80-85 miles per week but now regularly hits 100. Outside athletics he works part-time in the Running Hub store in Tonbridge, which gives him the flexibility to train and race. “I feel every year I’ve come on a bit,” he says.

On the track Kingston ran 13:41.91 for 5000m last year in Brussels and hopes to do the same race again this summer, with a sub-13:30 the goal.

“I think that time should, and will, come down this summer and I’d like to get inside 13:30,” he says. “I’d like to do a bit more road this summer, too. Sometimes I see people who I’ve beaten comfortably on the cross running much faster on the track than me.”

Kingston also flirted with the roads last year with a 64:35 half-marathon at the Great North Run. “That was hard!” he remembers. “I wanted to do a half and went into it a bit naively without any fuelling plan or anything. There was a horrible headwind for about 11 of the 13 miles and I was by myself for about 10 of the miles, too.

“I basically blew up a bit and just about held on for a decent time. I’m sure there’s a lot more there when there are a few people around me and there isn’t a disgusting headwind. It was a good thing to do but not really the kind of time I was hoping for.”

For now, the marathon can wait. “It’s not really in my plans at the moment, although I might do another half-marathon this year,” he says. “I can do a half marathon and recover quite quickly but for the marathon I’d have to drop everything else and make it the No.1 goal.”

You get the feeling he’d drop everything for the chance to run cross country in the Winter Olympics, though. 

UKA Cross Challenge 2025-26 highlights

Cardiff – November 8

Just 17, Cynthia Chepkirui of Kenya stormed to victory in the senior women’s race as Megan Keith was the first Brit in fourth.

With the meeting being part of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour, there is a strong international element and the men’s race saw a Kenyan one-two-three led by Mathew Kipsang as Zak Mahamed was top Brit in fourth.

Innes FitzGerald enjoyed a 50-second victory in the combined under-20 and under-17 women’s race, while Holly Dixon and Jack Higgins won one mile races that acted as British trials for the mixed relay at the Euro Cross.

Liverpool – November 22

The Euro trials at Sefton Park saw Scott Beattie and Rory Leonard place one-two in the men’s race.

Elsewhere there were good wins for Cari Hughes ahead of Poppy Tank in the senior women’s race, Innes FitzGerald in the under-20 women’s and Michael Clark in the under-20 men’s race in front of William Rabjohns and Alex Lennon.

London – February 7

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

Eleanor Curran produced one of her biggest ever wins with an 11-second victory in the senior women's race ahead of Scout Adkin and Niamh Brown.

The under-20 victories, meanwhile, went to Jack Marwood and Emma Stewart.;

Nottingham – March 7

Wollaton Hall in Nottingham saw James Kingston and Jess Gibbon winning the senior titles. Kingston beat Jacob Cann and Richard Slade while Gibbon beat Eleanor Curran and Niamh Bridson-Hubbard.

Under-20 victories went to Ava James an Alex Lennon, while Madison Kindler continued her a streak of fine victories in the under-13 girls race.