Weekly Update - 4th Nov. 2026

English National Cross Country Relays, Berry Park, Mansfield (Sat. 31st Oct.)

Our ladies team of Holly Dixon, Hannah Capey and Amelia Lawrence did the club proud on Saturday in the at the English National Cross Country Relays, reports Hilary Lawrence. Holly on the first leg led for most of the way and was only nudged out of first place by 24 thousandths of a second by Molly Hudson (Derby AC). The team finished a very creditable 28th (out of over a 100 teams) across three legs of 3km each.

Amelia Lawrence - Hannah Capey - Holly Dixon

This is such a fun event, in what other sport would you have Olympians (we spotted Katie Snowden and Max Burgin) competing for their clubs alongside runners of all ages.

It would be great to get some more club teams entered next year especially junior teams.

RunThrough Greenwich Park (Sun. 1st Nov.)

The race took place on the undulating tarmac paths of Greenwich Park, with both distances starting and finishing alongside the bandstand. The 10k course provided a challenging test, featuring three ascents of The Avenue, climbing from the National Maritime Museum to the Royal Greenwich Observatory. These repeated climbs added a demanding element to the race.

Russell Buchanan took on the 10k, crossing the finish line in a solid time of 47:27 to claim victory in the M55 age group.

Alex Morris tackled the 5k, which consisted of 1.5 laps of the course, finishing in an excellent 19:27 to secure the U18 Men's age group win.

Wendover Woods Marathon, Buckinghamshire (Sun. 1st Nov.)

On discovering a weekend without a cross country race, reports Clem Dixon, in the calendar I hastily booked a random lowkey trail marathon. It wasn't until the day before that I had a proper look at what I had let myself in for: four laps with 225m of ascent on each, that's almost a Munro! And with just 44 finishers it was certainly low key (although there were many more doing the half and the 10k). Nice woods though. I was 15th in 4:19:25 (and 1st M65 by virtue of being the only one!).

Former Cambridge Harrier Passes Away

Former Cambridge Harrier Albert “Colin” Cole has sadly died at the remarkable age of 107.

Colin led an extraordinary life, combining sporting achievement with distinguished wartime service.

During the Second World War, he served as a radio operator aboard RAF air-sea rescue launches, taking part in Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940. Four years later, he was again on duty, patrolling off the Normandy coast during the D-Day landings.

In his younger days, Colin was also a fine athlete, becoming inter-counties champion over 200 yards.

His passing marks the loss of a remarkable former club member, a talented athlete and a veteran of two of the most significant operations of the Second World War.

Our thoughts are with his family and friends.