In the third fixture of the Start Fitness Metropolitan League at Hillingdon House Farm near Uxbridge on Saturday 7 December Hannah Viner was the first Highgate Harrier in the women’s race; she finished in third position in a time of 31:02, behind the winner Lizzy Janes who ran 30:03 and Revee Walcott-Nolan (30:23) in second. Viner was pleased the League has decided to give parity to the women by making the distance they run equal to the men’s distance. She felt this should also have been decided for the Southern & National championships. The six winning scorers on Saturday after Hannah Viner were: 4th Zoe Macdonald 32:05; 15 Victoria Walker 33:33; 22 Jess Anderson 34:01; 25 Rachel Baker 34:17; 57 Sabina Russell, 37:04; and 60 Louise Faherty 37:08. 208 finished.
            
In the men’s race the first two were Dylan Evans of Shaftesbury Barnet in 26:29 and Austin Roth of Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets (26:32). However, in third place, and his highest position in the League, was Highgate’s Alex Lepretre (26:38). The others in the team of 12 were: 6 Chris Rainsford (27:00); 8 Robel Bahelbi 27:17; 12 Sean Renfer 27:41; 19 Robert Wilson 27:59; 20 Charlie Haywood 27:59; 23 Murray Strain 28:06; 26 Pete Chambers 28:16; 31 Ash Charles 28:25; 36 Dominic Smith 28:34; 40 Nikki Faulkner 28:51 and 57 Peter Hawkings 29:38. There were 458 finishers. 

Highgate Harriers’ women were first team on the day in the Division One Team results with 353 points ahead of London Heathside 321 and Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets 296. However, after the first three fixtures. Highgate are third overall with 962 points behind Victoria Park, who have 967, and London Heathside, who have 1,061 points. 

Regarding the men, Highgate are gaining momentum all the time and going further ahead in the League overall. The first four clubs in the League table after three fixtures are: 1 Highgate Harriers 4,105; Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets 3,836; 3 London Heathside 3,095; and 4 Woodford Green & Essex Ladies 3,041.


A TRUE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER JOINS HIGHGATE
 
Back in September this year Charlie Harpur chose Highgate Harriers to be his club having done some training with the group coached by Brahma Pochee. Harpur has already had some success as a long distance runner on the trails and roads and is currently the 100k Champion of GB, winning the Anglo Celtic Plate 100k at Perth back on the 24th of March this year. He also won the South Downs Way race over 100k in June 2018. On 16 November 2019 he won the 46-mile Beacons Ultra race in a course record and last year in the Virgin London Marathon he ran a very respectable 2:33.26. Harpur’s potential for very long distance races is certainly something to be admired.

VINER AT THE SHARP END
 
Hannah Viner ran with the best British cross country runners at Sefton Park, Liverpool on 23 November in the British Athletics Cross Challenge, which doubled as the European Championship trials. Viner finished 21st in 29:54 in a race littered with internationals. It was won by Jess Judd. Highgate’s Rachel Johnson also did well in good company to come in 59th in 31:54. In the men’s race, Charlie Haywood finished 100^th (35:05). The winner was Ben Connor of Derby in 30:22.

STRAIN JUST AS GOOD WHEN IT IS EASIER
 
Murray Strain, who has had some good tough cross-country ’fell-type’ races in the ‘North’ and was in Highgate Harriers’ winning team in the National 12 stage of 2016, finished in 2nd place, out of 202 runners in the Inter Financial Services Cross Country Championships at Richmond Park on the 20th of November.  The winner was Serpentine’s Andy Greenleaf in 31: 00 with Strain 2nd in 31:49.

In the Regents Park 10k on Sunday 1 December, Highgate’s Monte Watson was 18th of 280 finishers in 38:45 and Nadi Jahangiri came 27th in 39:38.

On Sunday 24 November, James Millett, who ran so well for Highgate in Southern League races in the summer and has a best time of 3:58 for 1500m, posted another win. At the London Universities & Colleges Indoor Championships at Lee Valley he beat 9 other runners to win the 1500m in ‘Race 1’ in 4:07.66. Also at the Championship, Jeremy Kim, an under 20 athlete did 1.45 for the high jump and 59.23 for the 400m. Both were personal bests. Juliette Champaud did a personal best 60m hurdles winning her race in 11.03. A ‘star’ at many disciplines, Highgate’s Alex Bampton of UCL came 3rd in the 3000m in 8:48.87.

VICKY WALKER GAINS A BRONZE
 
Vicky Walker, of Highgate Harriers, gained a bronze medal in the Sorority Cup cross-country race at Trent park on Saturday 23 November. Walker, who has run well for Highgate Harriers this year, was the first woman in a Hampstead Heath Parkrun in August and before that the first woman in the ISEH 5k road race in Regents Park in June. On Saturday her time was 31:55. In the last three years the silver medallist in the World Triathlon Championships (Ironman) in Hawaii has been Lucy Charles (Orion). She was first at Trent Park in 31:38. The next two Highgate runners after Walker were Sabina Russell a V50 runner who finished 21st and 28th Louise Faherty, a V40 runner.  141 runners completed the race.  

At the same venue was the Fraternity Cup race organised by Barnet & District AC. The event was first run 85 years ago. It was a hot race up front this year as Alex Lepretre, running for his second claim club Barnet, won in 25:09 from the London Cross Country Champion Seyfu Jamaal of London Heathside, who did 25.28. The first runner competing for Highgate Harriers was Jon Laybourn who finished in 14th place in 28:37. Highgate’s Michal Dan had a good run for the club coming 31st in 28:37.  272 runners finished the race. 

Hannah Viner of Highgate Harriers has been running very well recently and was in a winning road team for England in Rennes, France (13 October).  Since then she has also clocked a ‘personal best’ time for 10k of 33:58 in the Abbey Dash race in Leeds on the 27th of October. That swift time shows how she is progressing and suggests that she would be a match for the best in the Start Fitness Metropolitan League, if she decided to run in one or two races; her participation would then strengthen the team with Yasmin Goater, who is also running well.


EVEN WITHOUT MANY ‘STAR’ ATHLETES
 
Recently, Highgate Harriers have proved that even without many of their ‘Star’ runners, they can still compete well as a team.  

A London Heathside runner, Seyfu Jamaal, won the men’s London Championships at Parliament Hill on Saturday 16 November in 36.10 and London Heathside also won the team with just 32 points from their first four runners. Highgate were sixth of the 38 clubs that closed in, with 124 points. Highgate’s 4 to score from 494 finishers comprised Sean Renfer 37:16 in fifth; 17 Pete Chambers 39:03; 47 Andres Chau 40:32; and 55 Danny Isaacs 40:49. The next two for Highgate were 67 Jonathan Laybourn (41:27) and 80 Brendan Donnelly 42:02.

YASMIN HITS TOP FORM
  In the women’s race at the London Championships the winner was London Heathside’s Rebecca Piggott (23:12) and their team of 4 got 52 points. However, Yasmin Goater had a brilliant run and came 2nd in 23:15 only three seconds behind the winner. And, the Highgate Harriers team came 2nd of the 31 clubs that closed in.

Yasmin set a number of personal best times in the summer of this year and shows great improvement. The rest of team were Emma Butcher 5th in 23:48; 25 Victoria Walker (25:20); and 38 Lisa Wenninger 25:43. The next two for Highgate were 66 Emily Young (27:12) and 82 Sabina Russell(27:38). 309 runners finished.

This Saturday (23 November) is the Fraternity Cup and Sorority Cup races at Trent Park.

Before Saturday’s 2nd Start Fitness Metropolitan League at Welwyn Garden City, Highgate’s senior men’s team were third in Division One. Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets were in the lead after the first meet at Claybury. 

However, after Saturday’s meeting on the hilly switchback course, over Stanborough Park, Highgate Harriers’ men now lead the league; second are Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets and third are London Heathside. Highgate Harriers’ women are third in their Division One league behind London Heathside and Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets, but are not out of the reckoning yet.

There was much to shout about at Welwyn Garden City in the damp conditions. Alex Lepretre was a close 2nd in the men’s race out of 526 finishers. Two Highgate athletes were very well placed in the women’s race with Nina Griffith finishing 3rd and Tara Bage 6th.

Callan Moody of Serpentine RC, who ran in the World cross country championships for New Zealand, was the winner of the men’s race but only by one second from Highgate’s Alex Lepretre (24:27 & 24:28). The 12 Highgate Harriers ‘A’ team scorers were 2 Alex Lepretre (24:28); 7 Roger Poolman (25:05); 14 Robel Bahelbi (25:32); 18 Alex Bampton (25:34); 20 Sean Renfer (25:38); 30 Rob Wilson (26:14); 34 Charlie Haywood (26:21); 35 Pete Chambers (26:22); 43 Alex Crossland (26:40); 49 Ash Chambers (26:50); 53 Dominic Smith (26:55); and 69 Peter Hawkings (27:25). 

Strength in Depth!

In Divison 2 Highgate Harriers ‘B’ lead: Highgate ‘B’; 2 Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets ‘B’ and London Heathside ‘B’. Ben Noad (27:27) led the ‘B’ team home in 72^nd followed by Jon Laybourn in 27:45 in 87th place. In Davison 3 Highgate Harriers ‘C’ team are 2nd to Harrow AC.  

Highgate women that ran on Saturday included: 3rd Nina Griffith 28:58; 6 Tara Bage 29:36; 30 Victoria Walker 32:03; 43 Lisa Wenninger 32:45; 68 Sarah Dewhirst 34:19; 76 Louise Faherty 34:35; 116 Natasha Cendowicz 37:06. The race was won by Lizzy Janes of Herts Phoenix in 28:30 and there were 239 finishers.    

Highgate Harriers obtained bronze medals in the Men’s North London Cross Country Championships at Wormwood Scrubs on Saturday 2 November.

The first three teams were Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets 51; Serpentine RC 113 and Highgate Harriers 135. So, Victoria Park appear to be new rivals for the club in the Metropolitan League, the second meeting of which is at Welwyn Garden City on Saturday 9 November.

Back to the runners who ran for Highgate in the North London Race. Jon Layborn, showed his continual class again, coming 6th in 28:49; 14th was veteran Nick Gold 29:33; 24th was another Master Alex Davidson 30:19; Alex Holley was 25th in 30:21 and Adam Lennox was 32nd in 30:44; Rob Walker 34th in 31:01 and Chris Bailey, the well-established Highgate Harrier 66th in 35.41.

In the Women’s race two Highgate Harries competed, both veterans. Lisa Wenninger did well to come 8th in 33:52 and Louise Faherty was 17th in 36:24

CREAGH OF HIGHGATE BEATS MANY FALLING LEAVES
 
Gareth Creagh, an over 40 runner for Highgate Harriers, added to his several Park run victories and, a 4th over 40 place in the Middlesex 10k road Championships, by coming 4th of 325 finishers in the Regents Park 10k race road on Sunday 3 November.  He ran 35:16 for the event and it was his second fastest time for a road10k.