Farringdon XC Relays, 6th September 2026

The Farringdon Relays mark the start of the cross-country season so, right on cue, the weather took an autumnal turn! Some heavy showers and a chilly breeze added to the feeling that summer running and complaining about the heat is definitely a thing of the past!

As well as the relay event, there are junior races which are for individuals. We had two representatives – Charlotte Kerr and Christopher. While Charlotte is now a seasoned competitor, this was Christopher’s debut and he had a dramatic, potentially traumatic, introduction to racing. Arriving late, the runners had already assembled on the start line as he entered the field. By the time he had attached his race number to his Claremont vest, they were off. Undaunted, Christopher set off and chased the tail runner, who was made aware of his presence as the group were leaving the grassy field to head out on the undulating trails. He ran well, not only catching the back markers but overtaking them – who needs a warm-up!

We just had a single team in each of the senior races, and it was the ladies who ran first, led off by Sarah Kerr. Sarah set off at a cracking pace and was up with the leaders as the pack disappeared from view and headed for the trees (and the hills and the ditch!). Though she couldn’t quite keep it up, she still handed over to Jenny Roberts in a very strong position. Jenny and Gill Milne, running third leg, don’t quite have Sarah’s speed, but put in spirited runs for the team to finish in a respectable 21st place.

For the men, it was exactly the same team as last year, running in the same order. Laurie Johnson led us off and showed that he is a very consistent performer at this event, as he always seems to clock just a few seconds over the 11 minutes. Mark Flynn was next and showed the progress that he has made by knocking well over a minute off his time last year, before handing over to myself. This was my first cross-country run for nearly 12 months following various injury struggles, so it was a bit of a test, and I just wanted to get around in a reasonable time and not let the side down! It was hard, not least because of the changes in underfoot conditions from slippy, wet grass to rock hard paths through the trees. The hills, especially the second one, were steeper than I remembered – though that may just be my lack of hill training, and, of course, there is the famous Farringdon ditch. At least there wasn’t much water in it this year, and, thankfully, there was no photographer lurking to capture my inelegant scramble up the other side! Still, I got around – slower than in previous years, but as fast as I could have hoped for, and I am now looking forward to the North East Harrier League (honest!).

Under 14s
Position	Runners	Time
45	Charlotte Kerr	13:48
57	Christopher Bell	17:08

Women
Position	Runners	Time
21	Sarah Kerr Jenny Roberts Gill Milne Team Time	11:58 15:39 18:19 45:56

Men
Position	Runners	Time
28	Laurie Johnson Mark Flynn Tom Tinsley Team Time	11:04 13:09 13:13 37:26