News

LUCA Consulting on Becoming a Registered Charity

May 1, 2025 James Findon

LUCA is entering a consultation phase as we take steps towards becoming a registered charity. This is a major milestone in LUCA’s development, aimed at strengthening our organisation for the long term and supporting our mission to promote student athletics across London and the South East. Why This Matters Since its founding, LUCA has been a volunteer-led federation focused on delivering inclusive and competitive athletics opportunities. Becoming a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) would allow us to: We want to ensure this change reflects the needs and views of our member […]

News

When Two Deserve Gold: A Historic Conclusion to the LUCA XC League

March 7, 2025 James Findon

Historic First: Two Champions Crowned in LUCA XC League Women’s Title Race The LUCA Cross Country League came to a thrilling conclusion at Wormwood Scrubs with an unprecedented result in the women’s competition—two athletes sharing the league title for the first time in recorded history. The dramatic finale capped off an intense season of racing, which saw six athletes in the women’s race seperated by only 11 points. Evie Warren (Surrey) went into the final race having won at Parliament Hill and Mitcham and finishing second at Wimbledon. Grace Leyland […]

News

LUCA Cross Country League Finale: Everything to Play For in the Final Race

February 26, 2025 James Findon

The LUCA Cross Country League is set for an exciting conclusion as athletes prepare to race in the final fixture of the season. After months of competition at venues north and south of the river, Wormwood Scrubs will play host to the last race to determine the overall league champions, both for individuals and teams. With the standings still closely contested, the final event promises to be a thrilling spectacle, as athletes push themselves for one last chance to secure vital points. The race on Wednesday 26th February at Wormwood […]

News

UCL to host Duathlon

February 13, 2025 James Findon

UCL RAX will host its first ever Duathlon on Sunday the 2nd of March at Lee Valley VeloPark. LUCA clubs are welcome to compete. The race consists of running, biking, and then running again. The aim of the event is to be open to athletes of all abilities and is beginner friendly. There are two formats – a long and short race. In the long race, competitors will face a 4.8km run, 19.2km bike followed by a 3.2 km run. In the short race it is a 3.2km run, 9.6km bike […]

News

An Ode to University of London Athletics

December 8, 2024 James Findon

As the 2024-25 season unfolds, we bid farewell to the University of London Intercollegiate Athletics and Cross-Country Cups—competitions that shaped the foundation of university athletics as we know it today. Without the University of London Athletics Club (ULAC), the landscape of student athletics in London might look very different. Although ULAC no longer exists, its legacy is embedded in subtle yet enduring ways—like the colour purple in LUCA’s branding and even its very name, “London Universities and Colleges Athletics,” a nod to the University of London’s constituent colleges. This article […]

News

King’s retain indoor title and St George’s take UH Shield

December 2, 2024 James Findon

King’s Vice President Isabel Walton scored a championship leading 12 points to help earn King’s a third successive indoors title. Walton took gold in the 200m and triple jump and silver in the 60mH and high jump to claim the title of Most Valuable Player (MVP). King’s won the LUCA title in a day of high drama. The University of Kent lead the way for much of the day and demonstrated impressive breadth with points coming from across track and field. But King’s stretched into the lead during the finals […]

News

Historic Finish: St George’s and King’s Share Glory in Final UL Cross Country Championships

November 25, 2024 James Findon

St George’s and King’s College London shared the first silverware of the season in an historic final race of the University of London Intercollegiate Cross Country Championships. The championships, competed for by member institutions of the University of London will not be held from next season after a vote of the LUCA captain’s council. The championships have been held within LUCA XC and it’s precursor the London Colleges League for decades. Stanislas Babin of King’s College London won the men’s race and led King’s to gold in the men’s team […]

News

Heroes of the Hill: XC Begins

November 11, 2024 James Findon

The new season of the LUCA Cross-Country League began in style at Parliament Hill on 23rd October. Clear bright blue skies welcomed 275 runners from across London and the South East for the traditional curtain raiser of the LUCA season. UCL hosted the race which saw athletes race around multiple laps of 2.6km, including a notorious hill right at the start. In the Women’s race, reigning LUCA XC champion Evie Warren (Surrey) came in first, five seconds ahead of last year’s runner-up Grace Leyland (St George’s). The pair went into […]

News

Fixtures for 2024-25 season confirmed

October 16, 2024 James Findon

2024-25 Fixture List confirmed The 2024-25 LUCA season gets under way in less than a week. The LUCA XC League returns with it’s traditional Parliament Hill curtain raiser on Wednesday 23rd October, hosted by UCL. The four-race league will feature all the favourite venues including Mitcham Common, Wimbledon and Wormwood Scrubs. In a change from previous years, students at universities not affiliated with LUCA but in London or the South East will be score and be eligible for medals. These athletes must register on the website and pay their league […]

News

Play the cards you’re dealt: Elliot Giles

August 14, 2024 Maryam Hussain

Not many people can say they got the call up to the Olympics six days before their race… whilst camping in the Swiss Alps. Elliot Giles, from his tent in St Moritz received the news less than a week before the 800m heats. Having packed to stay in the mountains for a month, he said he’s been, “handed an ace in a game where I’ve played the cards I had.” Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said, “I feel like I should be jumping around for joy now but I […]