Radus sisters overcome setbacks at the British Athletics Cross Challenge

Blackheath & Bromley middle distance specialists Maayan and Lia Radus achieved high placings in the prestigious British Athletics Cross Challenge in Liverpool. Maayan, 12, placed 18th in the U13 event while Lia, 15, finished 21st in the U15’s. Their times were 11:41 and 11:09 respectively for the 3Km course. 

Maayan's race represented solid progress after the disruption of changes of school and coach. Older sister Lia also overcame adversity, in tackling the event one week after recovering from a bout of shingles. The races were run over firm ground but through thick mist on a cold morning.

Harrow athlete Rachel Ayrton, 17, made a fine start to the indoor season, clocking 1:48.17 for 600m in the Lee Valley November Open.

Excellent 10K performance by Hannah Viner

Highgate Harrier Hannah Viner, 20, was first lady and seventh overall amongst 862 finishers in the Matthew Walker 10K at Heanor, near Derby. She recorded 38:07 for the multi-terrain event, finishing almost three minutes ahead of the next lady.

Shaftesbury Barnet star Richard Goodman, 23, won the second race in the Metropolitan League at Stevenage, recording 25:42 for the 8K cross-country course.

Swift relay legs by Lia Radus and David Stone

Lia Radus was second and David Stone third in their respective stages in the National Road Relay Championships at Mansfield. Almost 100 teams contested these U15 boys and girls events.

Roger Bruck was bemused to note that his recent high jump clearance of 1.27m in the British Masters Championships would have shared the gold medal for his V75 age group at last month’s World Masters Championships.

Lemon into Lemonade

I used to be a runner. I even ran the 2006 London Marathon reasonably well. But since 2007, my only running season had been one of three months in 2013. Instead, wishing to preserve my knees and hips, I walked. Through much of this year, my aerobic exercise consisted of late-night walks, my ears filled with pounding music, exulting in the freedom of streets that were deserted at two o'clock in the morning.

But one day in September, I made the mistake of going out too early, when the streets were not quite empty. At 12:45 in the morning I was confronted by a couple, with one shouting at me while the other grabbed both my arms. I felt the desirability of running off at full speed.

That incident, combined with my awareness of my upcoming 65th birthday, started me thinking about running again. I thought, "A nice way of warding off post-OAP depression would be to get myself onto the National V65 5K list”. To do that, I would have to run 5K in under 25 minutes.

On November 3, two months after the unpleasant walking encounter and five days after my 65th birthday, I ran my race. It was the Gravesend Floodlit 5K, two laps of a cyclopark circuit containing several sharp turns. Belying the race name, large parts of this meandering course were in complete darkness. Frantically trying to avoid a fiasco, just before the start I managed to borrow a head torch. This helped me a bit, especially once I picked up a knack of tracking the grass verge that bordered onto the tarmac. The verge represented something to actually see, as opposed to sheer blackness. I gave the race my full commitment and was rewarded with a time of 24:52. But the race produced a more significant benefit; I found it had renewed my love of running.

Goodman takes North of Thames title

Richard Goodman gained a clear victory in the North of the Thames cross country championships at Kingsbury, finishing 52 seconds clear of his Shaftesbury Barnet teammate Jake Shelley. The race, which also serves as the Liddiard Cup competition, has a seventy year history and has been won by several national record holders and international medallists. For Goodman, 23, it was a return to Fryent Country Park, where he started his career nine years ago winning the Brent Schools Championship wearing his football boots.

Lia Radus, representing Blackheath & Bromley, won the second fixture of the U15 Kent cross country league at Tonbridge. The somewhat inconsistent age classifications within the sport mean that Radus, 15, is classed as U15 for cross-country and U17 for track and field.

Successful return for Richard Goodman

Richard Goodman launched his cross country season with a convincing win in the Metropolitan League at Claybury Park, Woodford. Goodman finished 35 seconds clear of England international Andy Maud, recording 24:17 for the undulating 8 km course.

“It was a really warm day, the ground was very dry, and the field set off quickly. I ran with the leading group for 2 km, then increased the pace a little and found myself alone in front. So I pushed on to the finish for a satisfying season opener.”

Goodman, 23, achieved his main aim of 2016, which was to gain First Class Honours at St Mary's University, Twickenham. He still lives in Twickenham, no longer as a student but as Founding manager of Athlete Mannies (“ Providing role models for your children"). He is now coached by former Olympic 800m athlete Craig Winrow.

"My training emphasis has changed in two main ways. On my ‘session’ days, the repetitions are longer and harder, with greater emphasis on running at race pace. Then on the intervening days, I am running more slowly to avoid any build-up of fatigue. I feel I am in a good place, and looking forward to the year ahead.”

More relay success for Radus sisters

Lia Radus led off the Blackheath and Bromley U15 team towards an eventual silver medal at the National Young Athlete Relays at Sutton Park, Birmingham. Younger sister Maayan, taking the middle leg in the U13 event, gained ten places to help her team finished sixth. This national competition brings the road relay season to an end, with the cross country season beginning in earnest next month.