Weekly Update - 21st Oct. 2026

Noel Carmody

3 hours ago

5 min read

Kent Cross Country League, Somerhill School, Tonbridge (Sat. 17th Oct.)

Were it not for the cool breeze, it could have been a fine summer’s day for the second round of the Kent Cross Country League at Somerhill. Not a patch of mud was to be found on the course. For all the favourable conditions, the gradient of the ascents remains the same and the defining feature of this otherwise pleasant course around the grounds of the school, writes Peter St-Amour.

Young Athletes (Mark Newell): For the second consecutive week, Charlotte Foster and Lizzie Sanders (U16Gs) claimed first and second place respectively, both well clear of the third place finisher. In her first cross country race for the club, Nuala English ran superbly to take 6th position, ensuring a comfortable 1st place in the team competition.

In the under 14 boy's race, Will Smith made his seasons debut and did not disappoint with a fantastic 2nd place. Max Foster backed up his previous 4th place finish with an excellent 5th place on this occasion.

Max Foster - Will Smith

In Under 12 age group there was a 5th place finish for Evelyn Fuller (pictured below) for the girls and a 9th place for Lewis Thompson in the boy's event.

Meri Cummins equalled her performance from the previous fixture with another fine 4th place. Not far behind, Celia Allen finished in 8th followed by Chloe Dolton in 11th. In the men's event, Ayotunde Dauda (9th) got the better of Daniel Whitehouse (16th) on this occasion.

In the under 20 races, which are run together with the seniors, Ava-Mai Clement competed in her first race for the club, finishing in 9th place. In the under 20 men's race, there was a close finish between Oliver Cook (7th) and Suhab Hassan (8th) with only two seconds separating them.

Senior Men (Peter St-Amour): Tonbridge mustered an additional ten senior men over their squad at Foots Cray, Cambridge strongly consistent with thirty-nine men present and correct. As was the case for round one, Bobby Babaker was our first finisher in 11th place followed once more by Danny Kendall (16th, first M45) and James Macdonald in 25th alongside Angus Vosper (27th) and Kyle Hurst (28th) separated by less than a second. Tonbridge took five of the top ten places, including surely-not-a-coincidence tribute act Jamie Macdonald in second place overall.

Bobby Babaker - Danny Kendall - James Macdonald

Following last week’s second place in the four to score, we finished third behind Tonbridge and Blackheath & Bromley, although remaining level on match points going into the next round. Despite slipping to third in the twelve to score on the day, we remain in second position overall in that competition behind Tonbridge and ahead of Blackheath & Bromley.

More impressive perhaps was our distribution with a Cambridge Harrier finishing roughly every thirty to sixty seconds, all the way from 16th through to 267th.

Senior Women: Twelve runners contested the women’s race, with Hannah Capey leading the team home in an excellent 31st place. Making her club debut Eleanor Crawshaw was 35th with Zoe Hasson-Schoenherr (41st) completing the three-to-score team. Congratulations to Rose Baker, who finished first in the W60 category. The team currently sit 7th in the three-to-score competition and 4th in the six-to-score competition.

Hannah Capey - Eleanor Crawshaw - Zoe Hasson-Schoenherr

The next round is closer to home at Danson Park on 14 November, by which time the days will certainly be shorter, but whether the conditions become any more traditionally XC remains to be seen.

Women's Run Series Half Marathon, Battersea Park (Sat. 17th Oct.)

Emily Tullo enjoyed a successful outing at the Women’s Run Series at Battersea Park on Saturday, recording a time of 1:30:54 over the course for fourth place overall, and taking first in the women’s 35 age group.

AJ Bell Great South Run, Portsmouth (Sat. 17th & Sun. 18th Oct.)

The AJ Bell Great South 5k and Junior South Run got the Great South Run weekend off to a fantastic start in Southsea, with a fast and atmospheric race along the seafront, offering stunning views across the Solent and plenty of support from enthusiastic spectators.

Sisters Saskia and Elke Moon both took on the challenge, with Saskia (U16) competing in the 5k and Elke (U14) tackling the 2.5k Junior South Run. Saskia crossed the finish line in an impressive 22:25 for the 5k, while Elke delivered a great performance over the 2.5k course, recording a time of 9:25.

The main event, the 10-mile race, took place on Sunday. One of Europe’s most popular mass-participation races over this distance, it attracts a strong elite field alongside thousands of runners.

Sam Murphy had an excellent run, finishing in an impressive 120th place with a time of 58:57. The club’s other finisher, James Moon, also put in a solid performance, crossing the line in 1:05:30 to secure 484th place.

Centurion Autumn 100 ,Goring-on-Thames (Sat. 17th & Sun. 18th Oct.)

The Autumn 100 is Centurion’s clever take on a 100-miler: four out-and-back spurs from Goring Village Hall, reports Christian Poulton.

Runners go north along the Thames Path to Little Wittenham, east along the Ridgeway to Swyncombe, west across the Downs to Chain Hill, and finally south down the Thames to Reading and back. You pass through race HQ every 40 km, which makes it a race you can plan in detail.

This year brought bright, clear skies and near-perfect running temperatures, although the Ridgeway and the Thames Path became bitterly cold overnight before dawn.

Of the 247 starters, 178 finished, a 72% completion rate. Kim Collison won in 14:17, Jennie Dunkley took the women’s title with a personal best of 16:45, and Bruce McLaren set a new MV60 record of 19:44. Fast as this year’s winning time was, it was still more than an hour outside the course record set last year by our own Hugh Tibbs. His staggering 13:03:59 made him the fastest ever trail 100-miler on UK soil.

I finished in 25:49:40, 52 minutes faster than in 2024, placing 141st overall and sixth in the MV60 category. The highlight was the final leg, when I passed 12 runners returning from Reading, including fellow V60 David Ickringill, whom I beat by 42 seconds after 161 km.

Maidstone Half Marathon (Sun. 18th Oct.)

Olesya Golovina delivered an impressive performance at the Maidstone Half Marathon, finishing 60th overall, fourth female and first in the W45 age category in a time of 1:40:22.

The challenging course is renowned for its demanding profile, with nearly 1,000 feet of elevation gain across a highly undulating route. Starting in Mote Park, runners head through local town roads before venturing into the Kent countryside, passing through or near villages such as Hollingbourne and Bearsted, with sections following the historic Pilgrims’ Way.