race Archives

Personal Best

May 16, 2017 Dan Richards

Not only did you do it, you did it better than ever before! You jumped further, you ran faster, or you threw further than EVER before! A personal best, a lifetime best, a personal record, however you phrase it those two words make it all worthwhile. Even if this was the first time, it’s official now! You were nervous during the warm up when they told you to “do your best”, but you did exactly that! Maybe that start was perfect, your form was better or you nailed the take-off […]

My London Marathon: Part I

May 14, 2017 Rahil Sachak-Patwa

There was a nervous but hopeful atmosphere in the red starting area an hour before the London Marathon was to commence. It was akin to a music festival with big screens, portaloos and a sea of excited individuals in shorts. We were funnelled into the start zone and it was only when we were crammed into the pens that the scale of the race dawned on me. We stood there for an endless amount of minutes, making small talk and prepping ourselves for the quest ahead of us. Eventually the clock […]

#Breaking2 Hour Marathon – Close But No Cigar

May 8, 2017 Seth Kennard

Early on Saturday morning (6th May), Nike made their bid to make history with a sub-2 hour marathon. Three runners, Eliud Kipchoge, Lelisa Desisa and Zersenay Tadese, started together on the Monza’s Formula One race course in Italy. Only Kipchoge came close in the end, crossing the line in 2:00:25. That time takes 2:30 minutes off the previous record, held by Dennis Kimetto. This was an impressive 2:02:57, set in competition at the 2014 Berlin marathon. Technically though, Kipchoge’s incredible run won’t count as a world record because it was […]

Night of the 10kms 2017 is almost upon us!

April 19, 2017 Emma Butcher

The only lane 3 beer ‘n cheer in the world is soon to be here. On the 20th May 2017, London’s Parliament hill athletic track is holding their annual ‘Night of the 10,000m’ event. For those who are unsure what this means, spectators stand in lane 3 of Parliament Hill athletics track whilst Britain’s top athletes battle it out over a series of 10,000m races. The event this year also incorporates the IAAF World Athletics Championship Team GB Trials (in London this summer by the way!), the British Championships, […]

Try out The Hawkshead Hobble 5km & 10km

March 23, 2017 Emma Butcher

Fancy a challenge? RVC TRI club are hosting a cross-country 5km and 10km race on the 14th May 2017 in aid of Trusty Paws. This amazing, volunteer-run charity works alongside the homeless in London, making sure their pets get the health care they need. The route will take you through the woods and fields surrounding RVC’s stunning Hertfordshire campus, starting and finishing in our new sports centre. Prizes will be up for grabs along with medals and refreshments for all finishers. With good transport links from London and a free shuttle service from our local train station,there’s no excuse […]

Details for the first LUCA outdoor track meet

March 11, 2017 Emma Butcher

Name: LUCA Outdoor Series match 1 at Twickenham What is it: Part of a series of track meetings run by LUCA for all students from London universities – see more details at http://www.london-athletics.com/st-marys-2017/ When is it: 18th March Where is it: Twickenham, St Mary’s University track Who can take part: Any London University student! The competition offers a chance for seasoned competitors to try and beat their personal bests, and also for beginners to try out track and field events for the first time! What events are on offer: check out the provisional […]

Final results of LUCA London Cross-Country League 2017

March 5, 2017 Emma Butcher

Who are the speediest cross-country runners this year in the London student population? This question has been put to rest after the final LUCA London Cross-country League race for the season. Full results are posted here. The race, held at Bushy Park, took place on the 1st March 2017 and enjoyed a good turn-out of athletes from across the LUCA member clubs. It was agreed beforehand that the men and women’s races would be the same distance, which was set to 5km as a speed challenge for the cross-country runners. Students […]

Bushy Park – the final showdown of the LUCA LCL races

February 26, 2017 Emma Butcher

Name: LUCA London Colleges League race Bushy Park 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: 1st March 2017; start 3:15 pm Where is it: Bushy Park (see travel details: http://www.london-athletics.com/maps/bushy/) Course details: Full course details can be found at the same link as the travel details Registration: Carried out by clubs rather than individuals, so just get in touch with your universities’ running team to find out more Results: You […]

High-tech running

February 15, 2017 Dan Richards

My first mass participation race was in 2005, the British 10k race in central London. I didn’t know much about running back then and I certainly didn’t have any tech, just a pair of Nike Free Run’s and bags of enthusiasm! My senses were on high alert with the various sounds and wafts of deep heat spray. People had bottles of homemade energy drinks and gels, and were talking about the route and expected completion times. I remember the shuffling sounds of people and the excited conversations taking place all […]

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 […]