Charles Hicks (runner)

Charles Hicks (born 25 July 2001)^[1] is a British middle- and long-distance runner. He is a two-time European Cross Country under-23 champion (2021, 2022), the first British male or female to repeat as Euro U23 winner.

Charles Hicks

Hicks at the 2022 European Cross Country Championships in Turin
Personal information
Nationality	British/American
Born	(2001-07-25) 25 July 2001 (age 24) London, England
Home town	Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Education	Stanford University
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Middle-, long-distance running
College team	Stanford Cardinal
Club	Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers Bowerman Track Club
Coached by	Ricardo Santos 2019-23 Jerry Schumacher 2023-Present
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Great Britain European Cross Country Championships 2019 Lisbon U20 team 2021 Dublin U23 race 2022 Turin U23 race 2022 Turin U23 team 2021 Dublin U23 team

Hicks won the 2022 NCAA Division I Cross Country title. In 2025 he transferred allegiance to the United States, where he had lived since the age of 12^[2].

Career

Born and raised in London, Charles Hicks moved with his family to Florida at age 12. He studied cognitive science at Stanford University.^[3]

In 2021, he won the men's under-23 title at the European Cross Country Championships in Dublin.^[1]

In April 2022, Hicks set a British U23 10,000 metres record with a time of 27:40.16.^[4] On 19 November, the 21-year-old won the men's race at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships held in Stillwater, Oklahoma, becoming the first Stanford runner, the fourth British runner and the first British runner for over 30 years to win the NCAA XC individual title. He set a course record of 28:43.6 on a hilly 10-kilometer circuit.^[5][6][4] The following month, Hicks successfully defended his European Cross Country U23 title with a commanding 8-second victory in Turin, Italy.^[7][8]

On June 30, 2023, Hicks signed a professional contract with Nike to run for the Bowerman Track Club and be coached by Jerry Schumacher.^[9]

Statistics

Personal bests

Times taken from World Athletics.^[1]

• 1500 metres – 3:43.59 (Berkeley, CA 2021)
• 3000 metres – 7:43.84 (Seattle, WA 2022)
  • 3000 metres indoor – 7:53.90 (Fayetteville, AR 2023)
• 5000 metres – 13:24.58 (Stanford, CA 2022)
  • 5000 metres indoor – 13:09.38 (Boston, MA 2024)
• 10,000 metres – 27:40.16 (Stanford, CA 2022)

International competitions

Representing  Great Britain

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time
2019	European Cross Country Championships	Lisbon, Portugal	5th	XC 6.3 km U20	19:05
			1st	U20 team	25 pts
2021	European Cross Country Championships	Dublin, Ireland	1st	XC 8.0 km U23	24:29
			2nd	U23 team	24 pts
2022	European Cross Country Championships	Turin, Italy	1st	XC 7.662 km U23	23:40
			1st	U23 team	11 pts
2023	European Athletics U23 Championships	Espoo, Finland	1st	5000 metres	13.35:07

American championships

Representing The Bolles School High School (2015–2019) and Stanford Cardinal (2019–23)

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time
2016	NSAF Indoor Nationals	New York, New York	4th	Mile	4:29.97 PB
2018	NSAF Indoor Nationals	New York, New York	9th	Two miles	9:09.27 SB
2019	NSAF Indoor Nationals	New York, New York	3rd	3000 m	8:26.59 PB
			3rd	Two miles	8:59.81 PB
2021	NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships	Stillwater, Oklahoma	14th	10 km	30:21.0
	NCAA Division I Championships	Eugene, Oregon	15th	5000 m	13:33.89 SB
			7th	10,000 m	27:47.63 SB
	NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships	Tallahassee, Florida	4th	10 km	28:47.2
2022	NCAA Division I Indoor Championships	Birmingham, Alabama	3rd	3000 m	8:00.23
	NCAA Division I Championships	Eugene, Oregon	6th	10,000 m	28:17.88
	NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships	Stillwater, Oklahoma	1st	10 km	28:43.6
2023	NCAA Division I Indoor Championships	Albuquerque, New Mexico	9th	5000 m	14:01.34
	NCAA Division I Championships	Eugene, Oregon	6th	5000 m	14:09.03
			2nd	10,000 m	28:12.20

Source:^[10][11]