Weekly Update - 12th Nov. 2025

UK Athletics Cross Challenge #1 , Cardiff (Sat. 8th Nov.)

The first fixture of the 2025/26 UK Athletics Cross Challenge series – a World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold level meeting – got underway at Llandaff Fields in Cardiff on Saturday.

Holly Dixon booked her spot on the Novuna GB & NI mixed relay team for the European Cross Country Championships next month in Lagoa, Portugal.

Holly ran confidently around the iconic Cardiff course to take the women’s short course title in a time of 5:02.

London Cross Country Championships, Parliament Hill (Sat. 8th Nov.)

Temperate, dry conditions may have rendered the course uncharacteristically firm under foot, but do nothing to change the legendary topography of Parliament Hill. 441 runners lined up for the start of the Senior Men’s race, the final event at Saturday’s London XC Championship, including sixteen from Cambridge Harriers, writes Peter St-Amour.

A short first loop teased before launching into three longer laps to make up the 10k distance. With a smaller field than when the Nationals take place here - and without the Sparta style start headlong sprint up the full length of the hill - congestion was not an issue.

Cambridge Harriers took twentieth place in the team competition, with the first four to score being Mattia Bernardi (No 56 - 71st), Peter Reynolds (No 69 - 124th), Gavin Hows (No 60 - 125th) and Jonathan Sargent (No 70 - 151th). London Heathside took the team prize, aided by considerable depth from a squad of thirty two runners.

The senior women's team placed twenty-first; the scoring team comprising Hayley Newman (No 654 - 104th), Hannah Capey (No 647 - 108th), Rose Baker (No 644 - 167th) and Marian Hine (173rd).