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Imperial Takes on the Heat and the Spirit of Ekiden in 114km Relay from Windsor to Reading

June 24, 2025 Euan Turner

Last Friday, Imperial competed in the second edition of the UK Ekiden. On an absolutely scorching day, we relayed our Tasuki from Windsor Castle to Reading and back, 114km in 8:25:23 over 10 legs. The event started the night before with introductions to the fabulous team that organised this year’s Ekiden, many of the high-profile sponsors (CEOs of Asics, the FT Nikkei and Japan Airlines), two Japanese teams that had flown over just for the race, and Eilish McColgan and Beth Potter. On race day, 6am wake-ups got us on […]

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King’s win Outdoor Championships, UCL claim final UL title

June 12, 2025 James Findon

The LUCA Outdoor Championships returned to glorious Battersea sunshine as student athletes from across London and the South East came together to compete for individual and team glory. In total, a record 250 athletes from 20 universities took part, competing in a packed schedule of track and field events. King’s won a third LUCA Outdoor title in a row in dramatic fashion. As teams gathered to hear the results, Athletics Chair Christian Pugsley announced that UCL had won the final edition of the University of London Intercollegiate Track and Field […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]