Cumbria’s cross country championships proved a family affair – as two brothers raced their way to gold medals.
Scott and Ben Nutter, from Blencogo near Wigton, were both winners at the event in Penrith.
Scott, 22, won the senior men’s race while 18-year-old Ben led the field in the under-20 men’s race.
It was a second such victory for former Nelson Thomlinson School student Scott, who was back home in Cumbria during the Christmas break from his studies at Wingate University in North Carolina, USA.
And Ben, who also attends Nelson Thomlinson, added the title to a number of his own successes locally.
The two Border Harriers produced strong performances at Penrith’s Hunter Hall School, Scott hanging back in the early stages before a group of four moved away from the field, Scott then making a break in the third lap of four and holding his head until the line in the senior race.
The under-20 race saw Ben move into the lead on a steep short hill at the start of the second lap, going on to increase the gap to the end, defeating some more fancied opponents to win his first county cross-country title.
Dad Neil was proud to see Scott and Ben successful on the same day as they look to progress their running ambitions further.
Neil said: “They’ve both been running since they were about eight years old.
“They used to run for Barnsley Athletic Club until we moved up to Cumbria in 2020. They’ve been county champions and northern England champions at different events, but always in different age groups.
Ben, left, attends Nelson Thomlinson School in Wigton while Scott, right, is studying in the USA (Image: Submitted)
“I’m looking forward to seeing them both at senior level, when they’ll be against each other – but they’ll make a good team too.
“I think it’s a pretty rare thing for two brothers to win titles on the same day like this. It was nice to see Scott run in the flesh, with him being in America for most of the time.
“And Ben was certainly not the favourite for his race, but he stayed with the lad who’d beaten him quite a bit this season, and then just went away.”
Scott, says Neil, tends to favour longer distances than Ben, often competing in the 5,000m and 10,000m on the track, and setting the 22nd fastest 10,000m time in the UK in 2024.
Ben, meanwhile, is a county champion at 800m at under-17 and under-20 level, and has also won the Wigton 10k race for the last three years. He is coached by Graham Millican at Border Harriers.
Scott is studying for a maths degree in the USA having been offered a sports scholarship at Wingate four years ago.
“It is so focused on sport – they put a lot of emphasis on it there,” said Neil.
“It’s taken him everywhere. He’s based on the east coast but he’s run in California, Boston, all sorts of places.
“It’s been a great opportunity for him. He’s always been good but he benefits from some really good coaches there and they really invest in him.
“This is his last year, so he’ll have decisions to make on what to do next, while Ben is doing his A Levels this year too
“Scott would like to be professional and, with Border Harriers, Ben trains with them a couple of times a week at the Sheepmount, and it’s Scott’s club when he’s in the UK too.
“They’ve both got a car now so they are always taking themselves off into the hills around Keswick and places like that.
“Over the years me and my wife Sally have just put that effort in to support them, and take them everywhere, all over the country.”
Full results from the Cumbria AA cross country championships can be found HERE