Weekly Update - 18th Mar. 2026

English Schools Cross Country Championships, Liverpool (Sat. 14th Mar.)

Five of our young athletes proudly represented London at this year’s English Schools Cross Country Championships in Liverpool, delivering a series of strong and inspiring performances, reports Mark Newell.

In the junior girls race, Charlotte Foster produced a standout run, finishing 5th out of 349 in 10:59. She hit her pre‑season goal of a top‑eight finish and has earned selection to represent England at the SIAB Schools International in Bangor, Wales this coming weekend - a tremendous achievement. Lizzie Sanders also impressed, placing 49th in 11:39, the second London finisher. Together, Charlotte and Lizzie helped secure 3rd place for the London team.

Daniel Whitehouse (128th) and Celia Allen (149th) both finished comfortably in the top half of their respective intermediate age group races. Oliver Cook competed in the senior boys race placing 151st.

Hampton Court Palace 10km (Sat. 14th Mar.)

Jonathan Sargent knocked over a minute from his 10k personal best on finishing third at the Hampton Court Palace 10k on Saturday with a time of 35:42.

England Masters AA Indoor Inter-Area Challenge, Lee Valley (Sat. 14th Mar.)

A strong contingent of our masters athletes represented their respective masters clubs at the England Masters AA Indoor Challenge at Lee Valley, delivering an excellent set of performances.

There were age group victories for Chris Loudon, who took gold in the M35–49 1500m with a season’s best of 4:05.61, and Tim Carter, who won the M70+ long jump with a leap of 3.61m.

Wole Odele also impressed, securing second place in the M60–69 400m in a time of 59.66.

Meanwhile, Natalie Mann produced a standout performance in the W35–49 shot put, achieving a personal best of 8.46m to further extend her own W40 club record.

Two Rivers Marathon, Zaltbommel (NED) (Sun. 15th Mar.)

The quaint town of Zaltbommel is situated in the Bommelerwaard, a stretch of land between two great rivers: the Waal to the North is the southernmost of the branches into which the Rhine splits when it reaches the Netherlands, the Maas to the South has come through Belgium from France where it is called the Meuse. The marathon hosted by Zaltbommel is mostly run on roads and cycle paths on dykes above one or other of these rivers; it features nice views, pretty villages with enthusiastic support, and it is dead flat. It attracts about 1000 runners including those doing the Duo, a two legged relay option that is often offered in the Netherlands. Before you complain about how over-subscribed, over-crowded and over-priced many big city marathons are, remember that you have a choice. Clem Dixon - 482nd 4:24:51.

Sutcliffe Indoor Indoor 60's, Eltham (Sun. 15th Mar.)

The final of our indoor 60m promotion events took place last Sunday, reports Mick Bond. Although entries were lower than two weeks earlier - understandably so at the tail end of the indoor season - there were still some excellent performances from club members.

Doyin Aderinto produced a season’s best of 7.63, making her the second-fastest woman of the day. Hans Nmaju was the fastest male sprinter, clocking 7.03 - just shy of his all-time personal best.

There were also strong runs from others across the club. Nirah Valinejad recorded a personal best of 7.90, while Under-15 athlete Rida Oluwa matched that momentum with a PB of 8.00. Javelin thrower Freddie Luckett also impressed on the track, posting a best time of 7.32.

Barcelona Marathon (Sun. 15th Mar.)

On Sunday Lucy Marlow completed the Barcelona marathon in a time of 3:23:39.

Bath Half Marathon (Sun. 15th Mar.)

Orin Vitalis (U23) made his debut over the half marathon in Bath, clocking 1:52:46.