Now studying at Cardiff University, the U20 athlete found time to return to the island and upstage a stellar local field – including all of Lee Merrien, Steve Dawes and James Priest – at a horrendously muddy St Germain Nature Reserve, which brought a sense of deja vu.
After all, Rees had in January won at the same venue to confirm his first domestic cross-country league title.
The CA Duquemin Open event mixed the standard high-participation ‘cross’ running with athletes contesting club championships over various distances, including U20 Eleanor Jamieson taking the senior women’s crown against the in-form Eloise Scholes.
Although the sun came out on the day, competitors had to deal with high winds and the effects of previous rainfall, which left mud and standing water aplenty around the course – especially in the upper field where the race started and finished.
Rees simply glided over whatever was thrown his way, leading the six-lap and roughly 9.5km senior men’s race throughout.
He completed the first lap with veteran Dawes just behind in a throwback to their rivalries over the summer.
The returning Thierry Le Cheminant – another former Guernsey league champion – then presented an intriguing challenge, but he would soon fade.
Rees hit half-way 8sec. clear of Dawes and ready to pull away further, with reigning champion Merrien now poised in third.
Ultimately, Rees went on to win in 36min. 16sec. and take his maiden club crown.
V45 Merrien finished runner-up in 36-53 after showing his resilience in the second half as George Mason, who had vied with the London 2012 Olympian for the opening circuits, completed the podium another 31sec. back.
Current cross-country series leader Dawes faded to fourth, finishing in 37-48, with previous champion Priest settling for fifth in 38-57.
V45 Matt Jamieson continued his comeback to tip-top form by taking sixth in this stacked field with 39-25.
A more distant seventh in 40-56, but having impressed with a well-measured race, the improving George Nichols was another notable performer.
‘It feels amazing,’ Rees said of his victory against some of Guernsey endurance running’s classiest acts.
‘Running with Lee and Steve is always great, and to actually put up a good race – that’s the first time I’ve probably come close to beating them, let alone winning today – it’s great.
‘In the last lap or two, Lee was starting to catch up to me, but it was just time to put the hammer down and finish.’
Speaking of his new set-up in Cardiff, he added: ‘Training there’s amazing. I’m training with a great group of people who are a lot better than me.
‘I’ve managed to do some good races – Liverpool Cross, Cardiff Cross – and it’s nice to be back here racing with everybody.’
Following on from her maiden senior-level victory a month ago, Matt’s daughter Eleanor Jamieson went big again on Saturday.
Racing over five laps, she pulled away in the middle from a cruising Scholes, who had recently smashed her 5km personal best with a 17-20 in Battersea.
Fresh from her own PB in Battersea, Jamieson underlined her fine form by taking the victory in 36-56.
Scholes took the runner-up spot 33sec. behind, with relatively new face Katie Birch rounding out a very new-look podium in 38-15.
‘It was really good,’ Jamieson said after her maiden club crown.
‘I was really determined, and when I realised going across the third lap that there was getting quite a big gap [to Scholes], I was like, “Yes, I’ve got to keep doing this – keep going”.
‘The plan was to keep her within my sights, because that’s, from training and other cross-countries, kind of where I saw it happening.
‘But quite early on she fell a bit far back, so I just thought to keep it up and if she passes me, that’s fine because I know she’s quicker.’
With plenty of tomorrows in distance running, Jamieson has her eyes on one day making the Island Games – likely in the steeplechase.
‘I want to keep getting quicker and then hopefully, whether it’s in the next one or the one after that, get into the Island Games – that would be really nice.’
Over four laps, Freddie Furley took the U17 crown in 25-58, 18sec. clear of challenger James Stafford-Bell.
Josh Pailing earned a junior title after winning the three-lap U15 and sport race in 19-34. Grace King was top girl in 21-22.
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