After a breakthrough season in 2025, Surrey’s Alex Lennon returns to the English Schools’ Athletics Association Cross Country Championships as defending champion on March 14th. In an interview with Vinco, he talks about why the title means so much to him, his rivalry with Michael Clark and learning to relax before competition. 

British cross-country talent Alex Lennon won everything there was to win at national junior level last year. But there was one title which meant more to him than any other.

“English Schools was the biggest one. If you win that, it’s undoubted that you are the best in in the country,” he tells Vinco in an interview ahead of his title defence at Liverpool’s Sefton Park on March 14th. 

Lennon returns to the English Schools’ Athletics Association Cross Country Championships as reigning champion in 2026, after storming to an impressive victory last season. 

It was one of three major youth titles he picked up in that cross-country season, alongside the national and inter-counties championships.

It was also the most emotional, coming after Lennon had narrowly missed out on the title in the intermediate race the previous year. 

“That definitely built a fire within me. Not having won the English Schools title had left a bit of a hole in me, and I think that was one of the reasons I had such a successful 2025,” he says.

Successful is an understatement. Over the past 12 months, Lennon has staked his claim to be one of the most exciting young talents in British athletics.

The 17-year-old’s brilliant 2025 form earned him call-ups to the Great Britain and Northern Ireland cross country team for both the European Championships in Portugal and the World Championships in Tallahassee this winter. 

Those experiences have changed him as a runner, he tells Vinco, especially in terms of mentality.

“Previously, I always thought I would run better if I increased the pressure as much as I could. But now I just try to relax a bit and enjoy the experience,” he says. 

That also means a digital detox in the immediate build-up to competition. 

“From about three hours before the race, I go off my phone. I find it distracting if there is too much noise from TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram. I just want to be calm and stay composed and focused.” 

He will have to channel that cool-headedness again on March 14th when he goes up against the best school-age runners from all 46 English counties at Sefton Park. 

Lennon may have rampaged to victory last time out, but he predicts a tougher test this time around against the likes of Hertfordshire’s Jack Dunham and Norfolk’s Michael Clark. 

Clark in particular has become a long-term rival for Lennon, with the two teenagers clashing multiple times on the national and international stage last year.

“We have this kind of battle with each other and that means we are both improving. Having him there as motivation makes me train harder, work harder, eat better,” says Lennon. 

The last time they met at Sefton Park, it was Clark who came out on top, winning the British Athletics Cross Challenge event in Liverpool back in November. 

Yet Lennon insists he has what it takes to win in the famously muddy conditions in Liverpool this time around. 

“I have quite a low cadence, which seems to help me work through the mud better than other people,” he says.

While Clark is chasing his first ever English Schools title, Lennon knows what it takes to win the Championships. 

Yet far from resting on his laurels from last season, the Surrey star says he is more determined than ever to win the title this year.

“At English Schools, I’m going to go for the win no matter what.”

The 2026 ESAA Cross Country Championships take place at Liverpool’s Sefton Park on March 14th, and will be available to watch live exclusively on Vinco with a RunnerSpace+ subscription.