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 the final race of last season tied on 399 points and have set up another nail-bitter of a season.
Julia Alonso Gautrais came in third, leading a trio of UCL athletes in fourth and fifth, propelling them to top of the Women’s Team standings. St George’s are in second and King’s in third.
Debut Victory for Donovan
In the Men’s race, newly affiliated University of the Arts London (UAL) didn’t have to wait long for their first medal with Hugo Donovan claiming gold in a time of 29.38. Two seconds behind was Imperial’s Ishaan Makkar with Tom Omahoney (St George’s) coming third.
The men’s team standings make for familiar reading. Imperial, who have been champions in the previous four seasons sit top of the table with King’s in second and Reading in third.
King’s top the table for the Mike Baggs Trophy with 13 points. The trophy is awarded to the best combined men’s and women’s teams. UCL are one point behind on 12 and LSE have nine points.
All volunteers and marshalls did an exceptional job in ensuring a smooth race.
A farewell to UL Championships
The racing continues at Wimbledon on 13th November. This second race incorporates the Bannister Cup for United Hospitals Clubs. St George’s have won the trophy for the last three seasons. The race also incorporates the final edition of the University of London Intercollegiate Cross Country Championships. The LUCA council voted earlier this year to abolish the championships from next season.
