XC
Parliament Hill XC results now available!
Congrats to everyone who raced at the first LUCA Cross Country race of the season, with a record turnout of 252 athletes! Placings can now be found on the results page
News
News
First XC Race set to begin at Parliament Hill
Race: Parliament Hill LUCA London Colleges League race What is it: Part of a cross-country series run by LUCA for all students from London universities – more details at http://www.london-athletics.com/lcl/ When is it: Wednesday 19th October at 3p.m. Where is it: Parliament Hill, Hampstead Heath – the start is to the right of the athletics track Who is it for: Any student from a LUCA member club, it doesn’t matter whether you’re trying out cross-country for the first time or are well-acquired with extensive amounts of mud already! How far is it: Around […]
Advice
The Mindset of a Runner
At the elite level, there is a nature versus nurture debate in long distance running. Specifically, the question many people ask is, “why are East African runners so good?” Although many scientists have tried to answer this question, the running community is still unsure on the whole. Geneticists have shown that there are ‘athlete genes’, which predispose some people to be better runners than others, for instance determining how much athletes benefit from training. All thing considered though, we are all genetically very similar. If most people have the ability to […]
News
Farewell, Jess.
The day of Jessica Ennis-Hill’s retirement has come. Team GB’s poster girl had been battling with the decision of when to retire since winning Silver in Rio. Ennis-Hill announced her retirement via social media earlier today. “Winning silver in Rio capped an amazing career for me and I feel the time is right for me to step away from the track and competing. I am so grateful to everyone who has supported me and worked with me over the years.” The 30 year old renowned Heptathlete has enjoyed major success since […]
News
London Students’ Run: Two Months To Go!
This December, London Universities and Colleges Athletics (LUCA) is hosting the first ever London Students’ 5 & 10K run. Taking place on December 4th, the two fun races will start and finish outside the London Stadium, former host of London 2012 and now home to West Ham United, by the iconic ArcelorMittal Orbit in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. To be outside an arena that has held some of the greatest athletics spectacles ever will certainly be something! You will be running through the Parklands, a route that is part […]
Advice
Run to Explore
When people ask me why I run, I can list many reasons; it keeps you fit, I like competing, it’s sociable and the list goes on and on. But perhaps the most appealing aspect of the sport for me is that whilst running I can explore. The word ‘explore’ is defined as travelling through an unfamiliar area to learn about it and that is exactly what running enables you to do. I tried to start running on a number of occasions before I joined my university’s running club, and I […]
Advice
New season, New You
As the cross country season is about to start, you might be deciding whether athletics is the sport for you. Or if you already know that you like athletics, perhaps you’re questioning if the event you have been working on fits you. If you are in the first category, don’t hesitate! You can’t go wrong with athletics. Due to the range of events available, I can assure you that one will work for you. Whether you like speed, distance, jumping or throwing, athletics will be the right choice. And if you feel like […]
News
Time to abolish the Paralympics?
With just over 24 hours to go until the opening of the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Paralympics, the criticism of the paralympics is mounting. There are growing calls to abolish the Paralympics and integrate para-events alongside traditional events. Rio’s Paralympics games are under-resourced and under-promoted. Venues have been closed to save costs and the workforce has been downsized. These actions represent a major step backwards for para-athletes after the success of London 2012 and Beijing 2008. International Paralympic Committee President, Sir Philip Craven said; “Never before in the 56-year history of the Paralympic Games […]
Advice
Fun Run? A Guide To Getting Started.
My idea for this article came from my brother, a self-professed non-runner. Having recently tackled his first run in 6 years, his question was quite clear – “how long will it take me to be able to run without pain?”. While this is of course difficult to answer exactly because everyone is different, it seems valuable to look at possible answers so that newbies can get their bearings. First of all, running (or any sport for that matter) is challenging, especially when you first start. Yet running for fun doesn’t need […]
Featured
How To Eat Like An Olympian
With a bumper year at the Olympics – Team GB’s best haul of medals since the 1908 London games – many of us will be inspired to get out and do more sport in the run up to Tokyo 2020. Whilst the majority will not quite be training at the same level as an Olympian, if you wished to, you would need to eat like one. So here’s how: Snack like a sprinter The world’s fastest man, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, is obviously primarily famous for his record breaking times in […]