January 2017

UPDATE: GB Sprinters injured in road crash

January 30, 2017 Jay Reynolds

British sprinters begin recovery process following motorcycle crash in Tenerife two weeks ago. A little under two weeks ago, we reported that two British sprinters, James Ellington, 31, and Nigel Levine, 27, had suffered career-threatening injuries after both colliding with a car whilst riding a motorbike in Tenerife. They were in the Spanish island in order to attend a warm weather training camp. At the time, British Athletics chose not to give a full statement on the pair’s injuries beyond both being “conscious and stable” but subsequently revealed on Wednesday […]

Alexandra Palace LCL Results

January 30, 2017 William Jones

A cold and misty day set the scene for 125 runners at the Alexandra Palace LCL, and the dry conditions lead to a fast and competitive race. Congratulations to Dan Jarvis (St. Mary’s) and Emma Dixon (RVC) who won the mens’ and womens’ races respectively. Emma remains top of the league leaderboard, whilst Duncan Tomlin of UL remains top overall out of the men after another good result. With one more round left in the series it is difficult to see who – if anyone – can challenge them. Full […]

Fancy doing a proper hard race this year?

January 30, 2017 Seth Kennard

“Britain’s toughest event”, “World’s most demanding course” and perhaps my favourite, “a hardcore race to challenge the toughest of the tough”. There seem to be plenty of tough races out there, each one claiming to be tougher than the last. Some can be completed in a morning with a quick dunk in a muddy pond and climbing a few walls; others take much longer. But surely they can’t all be tougher than each other in a never ending circle of toughness? Well the circle of toughness must end somewhere, and […]

Mo Farah: ‘Daddy might not be able to come home’

January 29, 2017 James Findon

Sir Mo Farah, GB’s Double-Double Olympic champion has attacked Donald Trump’s ban on people from ‘muslim majority countries’. He said he fears he may now be separated from his family because of the American president’s immigration crackdown. The much decorated Olympic, World and European champion said that the Queen had made him a Knight, but Mr Trump seemed to have made him an ‘alien’. Farah lives with his family in Oregon in the US. He was born in Somalia, but holds a British passport and has dual nationality. President Trump’s executive order […]

Bolt loses gold medal after teammate tests positive

January 25, 2017 James Findon

The Jamaican 4X100 relay team is striped of its Beijing 2008 title as the International Olympic Committee sanctions Nesta Carter for doping. Usain Bolt can no longer claim to be a nine-time Olympic Gold medallist after the IOC confirmed that Jamaica’s 2008 Olympic winning relay team would be stripped of their title as a result of Nesta Carter testing positive for a banned substance. His was one of 454 selected samples retested by the IOC last year. It was confirmed to contain the banned stimulant methylhexaneamine. Carter ran the first […]

Alexandra Palace Race Details

January 22, 2017 Emma Butcher

Name: Alexandra Palace LUCA London Colleges League race What is it: Part of a series of cross-country races run by LUCA for all students from London universities – see more details at http://www.london-athletics.com/lcl/ When is it: 25th January at 3:15p.m. Where is it: Alexandra Palace, starts at Redston Playing Fields. See http://www.london-athletics.com/maps/allypally/ for travel details How far is it: Around 4km for women and 8km for men Course details: The full details of the course can be found at http://www.london-athletics.com/maps/ Registration: Carried out by clubs rather than individuals, so just get […]

Venues confirmed for the 2017 Outdoor Series

January 19, 2017 James Findon

St Mary’s and Newham will host the first and second outdoor meets of the 2017 outdoor series for the first time. The dates and venues were confirmed at a meeting of club captains last night. Captains gathered at Student Central to vote on proposals at the 5th meeting of the LUCA Council of Members. The council also voted to create a new the University of London Outdoor Championship, which will be nested within the final Outdoor Series meet at the Millennium Arena, Battersea. Battersea has hosted the final since the […]

London on ‘red alert’ as toxic smog covers the city

January 19, 2017 James Findon

The capital was today put on ‘red’ toxic air alert with millions urged to spend less time outdoors. Runners should exercise caution and those with pre-existing lung and heart problems should consider training indoors. Londoners signed up to the airText messaging system received a message this morning that read;“High air pollution forecast for Thursday. Consider spending less time outdoors, take medication. If unwell contact GP.” “People with asthma may find they need to use their reliever inhaler more often.” The alarm was raised by Mayor Sadiq Khan as a cloud of […]

GB Sprinters injured in road crash

January 18, 2017 James Findon

British sprinters James Ellington and Nigel Levine are “conscious and stable” following a motorbike crash in Tenerife. Early reports suggest that European relay champion Ellington has suffered career-threatening injuries. British Athletics has confirmed that both athletes sustained injuries following a road accident while on warm weather training camp in Tenerife. Both athletes are said to be “conscious and stable”. According to the Guardian, Ellington has broken bones in his tibia and fibula and also has a suspected fractured pelvis, while Levine was also taken to hospital although his injuries are not believed to be […]

LUCA team with parkrun to grow HiFi Junior event

January 14, 2017 James Findon

LUCA is calling on students of London to help at the Highbury Fields Junior parkrun. Parkrun is one of the biggest sporting success stories of the last decade. It has been credited in reversing the decline of running and rejuvenating a dying sport. Now parkrun is on a mission to engage more children in running. ‘Junior parkrun’ is everything we love about parkrun, but with a shorter route and aimed at youngsters. Former University of London Athletics President and Barts Student, Robert Walker founded the Highbury Fields Junior parkrun. The […]