Alex Millard of Invicta East Kent was victorious at the British Athletics Cross Challenge in Milton Keynes.

Millard, running for England, pulled away from a three-strong group last Saturday at the end of the second lap to clock 24min11sec.

Her training partner, Grace Carson, was second in 24.18, followed by last year’s winner Jess Gibbon, a further four seconds back.

Millard missed out by one place on making the under-23 team for the Euro Cross last year and was particularly unfortunate, as her birthday made her one day out from being an under-20.

She told the British Athletics website: “It was frustrating but I’ve got two more years under-23, this year and next year so, hopefully, I can do it this year.”

In the men’s race, Mahamed Mahamed beat brother Zakariya after dropping last year’s winner Hugo Milner.