(NB: To be periodically updated) … last update October 2016
Ben (who has been a member of our training group since the age of 9) is the most outstanding young distance runner of his generation, having won a number of national and international titles on the Track, at Cross-Country (XC), and at Triathlon.
In August 2014 (aged 15) Ben hit the national headlines (& was featured on BBC Television) by claiming 2 Gold medals at Triathlon at the Youth Olympic Games held in Nanjing, China.
** Watch Ben’s Youth Olympic Triathlon victory here **
In October 2015 Ben added another global title with victory in the World Junior Men Duathlon Championships held in Adelaide, Australia.
In September 2016 Ben (aged 17) took a Bronze Medal in the World Junior Triathlon Championships held in Cozumel, Mexico; and helped the British Junior/U23 team to a team Silver in the Team Relay event.
Ben has been awarded a number of local, regional, and national awards, including: the 2014 ‘Athletics Weekly’ Junior Athlete of the Year; the 2014 & 2015 British Triathlon Federation Junior Male Triathlete of the Year; & the 2015 Leicester Mercury ‘Young Sportsman of the Year’ award.
Domestically and at the European level Ben has amassed an impressive list of titles and achievements. These include:
- Three English Schools’ XC titles (2013, 2014, & 2015)
- Two English Schools’ T&F titles at 1500m & 3000m (2013, & 2014)
- Two SIAB (Schools International) XC titles (2013, & 2014)
- Two England Athletics National titles (2013 U15B 3000m, & 2015 U17M 1500m)
- An English National XC title (U15B: 2014)
- An UK Inter-Counties XC title (U15B: 2014), &
- A European Junior Men Triathlon Championship Bronze Medal (2015)
In addition, Ben has posted a number of championship best performances, in some cases erasing records that had stood for over 40 years! He recorded the fastest 3000m time for his age group (U15B) in 2013 (& the 6th fastest on the UK All-Time lists), and in July 2014 became the fastest ever UK 15-year-old over 3000m with a time of 8 minutes & 23.08 seconds. In October 2014 Ben equalled Mo Farah’s U17M record (11 minutes & 19 seconds) around the Sutton Park (Birmingham) National Young Athletes’ Road Relay course. Two months later (November 2014) Ben set the second fastest ever UK U17M time for 5M on the road with a 24 minutes & 39 seconds clocking in finishing 3rd against seasoned senior athletes in the prestigious Wolverton 5M Road race. In 2015 Ben won the U17M race at the London Mini-Marathon in a new course record of 14 minutes & 00 seconds (for 3 Miles), & set the fastest ever 5000m time by an U17 UK athlete with a time of 14 minutes & 28.03 seconds.
Ben capped a highly successful 2015 winning the British European Junior XC Trials (held at Liverpool). Ben’s final competitive outing of 2015 saw Ben help the GB Team gain team silvers in the European Junior XC Championships in France.
Ben has featured both on the front cover & in a profile article in national publications, Athletics Weekly & Triathlon 220 Magazine (see image).
View … Ben’s Power of 10 Profile