Weekly Update - 10th Dec. 2025

Kent Cross Country League #4, Swanley Park (Sat. 6th Dec.)

Ayotunde Danda (pictured), who had taken two consecutive 3rd-place finishes in his previous under-15 boys’ races, went even better this time, writes Mark Newell. Staying with the leaders throughout, he unleashed a powerful sprint in the final 100 metres to claim a superb victory. Herbie Tobin (11th) and Austin Richards (15th) also ran well, helping the team to finish second overall on the day.

Our under-17 women produced a brilliant team performance and were crowned Kent League champions for the season. Meredith Cummins achieved her highest finish with 3rd place, securing 3rd overall in the season standings. Strong runs from Elena Oliphant (5th) and Celia Allen (8th) ensured the team also took first place on the day.

Meredith Cummins - Elena Oliphant -  Celia Allen

Peggy O’Leary produced her best result of the season with an impressive 5th-place finish in the under-13 girls’ race, missing out on 4th by just one second. In the under-13 boys’ race, Harry Baldwin continued his recent progress with an excellent 14th place.

In the under-15 girls’ event, Charlotte Foster battled for the lead for most of the race, eventually taking a strong second place. Lizzy Sanders delivered another consistent performance, securing a top-ten finish in 6th.

In the under-17 men’s race, Olly Cook delivered a high-quality performance to finish 5th, with Daniel Whitehouse close behind in 8th.

Well done to all our young athletes for their hard work and dedication throughout this cross-country season!

Lanzarote International Marathon & Supporting Races (Sat. 6th Dec.)

Congratulations to Theresa Massey, who completed her 100th marathon on Saturday in Lanzarote, finishing in a time of 4:32:39. What an incredible milestone — well done, Theresa!

Theresa was one of a group of club members who travelled to Lanzarote for the event. Maria Macdonald also completed the marathon, finishing in 4:54:01.

Theresa Massey - Stephanie Dungate - Anna Rowland - Maria Macdonald - Tracy Brown

In the half marathon, strong performances came from Anna Rowland (2:32:03), Stephanie Dungate (2:41:20), and Tracy Brown (2:46:40). Meanwhile, in the 10k, Les Pullen recorded a time of 1:30:12.

RunThrough Battersea Park 10k (Sat. 6th Dec.)

Olesya Golovina recorded a 45 second PB for 10k in Battersea Park on Saturday, clocking 46:14.

36th Cardington Cracker Fell Race, Shropshire/Welsh Borders (Sun. 7th Dec.)

The Cardington Cracker Fell Race has become an established event, with three Cambridge Harriers competing in the race this year, writes Christian Poulton.

The race commences and concludes in Cardington near Church Stretton. Although the Shropshire hills are not the highest, the course is challenging and summit conditions can be demanding.

On a damp misty morning, James Floyd, recently returned from injury, Clem Dixon and Christian Poulton took part. The race initially traverses farmland before featuring three steep climbs up The Lawley Caer Caradoc and Willstone Hill and three relatively runnable descents interspersed with more farmland. Some sections are particularly wet and muddy and contain slippery stiles or gates to be crossed or climbed over in some instances. The final mile is a fast downhill run through more farmland back to the start/finish line.

The race was well organised by Telford Athletic Club with numerous marshals positioned at potential wrong turns and flags to guide runners off the hills.

The final finish positions were: 41st Christian Poulton No 310) 1:44:02 (2nd M55), 73rd James Floyd (No 261) 1:55:59 & 120th Clem Dixon 2:32:04 (133 finishers).

Lee Valley December Open (Sun. 7th Dec.)

The indoor season got fully underway with the first open meeting of the winter at Lee Valley, writes Mick Bond, with three of our under 17 women taking advantage of this early season start.

In the 60m hurdles athletes get two races and Tess Hepple finished third in the first round A-race in 8.91s but then had a stunning second round setting not just a PB of 8.76s, but pushing last year’s national champion Izzy Rae into 3rd place. Lizzie McKen  was promoted to the A race after winning the B-race in 9.54s and improved to 9.51s in the second round.

Phoebe Folarin won the women’s high Jump with a new PB and first time clearance at 1.66m.

South London Athletics Network Indoor Christmas Open, Sutton (Sun. 7th Dec.)

At Sutton’s indoor track Jack Jones running 7.13s for 60m flat a 0.15 improvement on his PB.

Valencia Marathon, Feria Valencia (ESP) (Sun. 7th Dec.)

Two of our club members delivered outstanding performances at the Valencia Marathon on Sunday, both achieving significant personal bests. Nam Bui slashed an incredible 27 minutes from his previous best, finishing in 3:10:36. Meanwhile, U23 athlete Sophie Morris also impressed, cutting 7 minutes from her PB to record a time of 3:54:27.

Singapore Half Marathon (Sun. 7th Dec.)

Delilah Lester, who celebrated her 16th birthday in October, made her half-marathon debut in Singapore, where she now lives, completing the race in an impressive 2:00:52.

Club Marathon Draw

The club’s draw for places in the 2026 London Marathon took place on Tuesday (9th Dec). The lucky recipients were Ian Miller, Roderick Cookey-Bresi and Leslie Pullen. The reserves selected were Tracy Brown and Jon Sargent.