Weekly Update - 5th Nov. 2025

National XC Relays (3 x 3k) , Berry Hill Park, Mansfield (Sat. 1st Nov.)

Holly Dixon won the opening stage for the club in 9:38, a time that proved to be the second-best of the race. Georgia Huddleston completed the second leg in 11:55 with Hayley Newman (12:39) bringing the team home in 35th from 122 teams.

Hayley Newman - Holly Dixon - Georgia Huddleston

Cambridge Harriers 5 Mile Cross Country Race, Joydens Wood (Sat. 1st Nov.)

Amelia Lawrence won the Club 5 for the third time in a row knocking almost three minutes off her time from last year to now stand second in the all-time list of top ladies' times, writes Clem Dixon. I say 'all-time' but we only have results for these races going back to 2004 and they have been going for a lot longer than that; after the race Steve Smythe, John Wilkins and others could be heard reminiscing about when they had run (and won!) this race as far back as the 1960s and 70s (and Steve was running in a Cambridge vest that looked as if it was a relic from that era). If anyone has any earlier results we would love to have them, those that we do have, including those for this latest race are here.

Amelia Lawrence - James Macdonald

Neither Steve nor John were as close to the front as they would have been 50 years ago; this year training partners Kyle Hurst and Mattia Bernardi kept pace with James Macdonald for the first of the two large laps before James pulled away on the second to win by a minute from Kyle with Mattia another half a minute back in third. This was James's first win at this distance after multiple second places.

Second lady behind Amelia was Abbie White from Dartford Harriers with new Cambridge Harriers member Hannah Capey making her Joydens debut third. The bronze medal for third female Cambridge Harrier went to Marian Hine.

In all 52 of us enjoyed our five miles in the autumn sunshine, roughly a fifty-fifty split between Cambridge members and guests, before adjourning to the clubhouse for well-earned cake and butties. The next race in the series will be on the Saturday after Christmas.

New York Marathon (Sun. 2nd Nov.)

Rose Baker completed New York City Marathon, the seventh and final World Marathon Major of 2025, renowned for its challenging profile, full of bridges and hills, which tests even the most experienced runners. Rose crossed the finish line in 3:42:30.