As a youth, Kinch competed in the 3000m steeplechase but spent time away from the sport in his early twenties.
After being introduced to fell running and changing coaches to Tony Hulme, he began to have greater success.
[2] Kinch won both the British and English Fell Running Championships in 1994 and retained the titles the next year.
[5] He represented England at the World Mountain Running Trophy in 1994,[6] 1995, when he finished thirteenth,[7] and 1996.
[12] Kinch still holds the course records for the fell races at Dale Head[13] and Kinder Downfall.