Less than a week to go...

We’re on the verge of a new season! This coming Wednesday at 3:15 they’ll be the best part of two hundred London students charging up Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath!

Who’ll be King of the Hill?! Usually someone from Imperial takes pride in snaffling that prized accolade!?

As the new season approaches we’re excited to welcome all the new runners to the London Colleges League. We hope that all the runners, new and returning, are looking forward to the first race. It’s important that every athlete feels welcome to come along and race at the LCLs, it really doesn’t matter how fast or slow you are, the only thing that really matters is that it’s fun and you enjoy it! Use the opportunity to see London’s beautiful parks!

The 2012 start:

London is perhaps unique in the world as a city with enough different Universities with keen athletes and enough different large green spaces to sustain a university cross country league of such size, diversity and quality. Without wishing to get too misty eyed and sentimental, and aware of his strong tendency towards verbosity and hyperbole, this writer hopes that we get a strong turnout throughout the season and that all the new runners get as attached to the league as some of the old hands. I hope you all love the races and want to keep coming back! We need every ounce of your enthusiasm for racing in order to sustain the leagues future! It’s your league, so make the most of it! If you want to suggest improvements or get involved in the organisation of the races in the future, please just let us know.

We really hope that the races are a highlight of your time at in London and that in the future, when perhaps you have less time available for competitive sport in your busy lives, you look back at your results in the LCLs with pride and a smile. Not just because of the number next to your name on the results and what that represents; the racing heart beats; the rushed gasps for air; the burning leg muscles; the hills climbed; the mud conquered and sweat poured, but also because of happy memories from the races and the friendships you forged through your time running at university in London. The beers shared afterwards in the pub are as important as finishing ahead of your closest competitor! For this writer, the woods and twisting paths of Hampstead Heath, Richmond Park and Wimbledon Common echo with the names and distant footfalls of friends and rivals from across the years, that’s what it’s all about.

Some of last years King's squad:

Our sport is sometimes criticized as being an individualistic and lonely pursuit, unfairly I think. Runners get the best out of each other by running together, either in training or racing against each other. In competitions like the LCL the team counts above all else. Each and every runner’s individual effort contributes to collective success; the honour of your University is at stake! Perhaps the Highlight of last years league was the battle between the King’s and UCL women’s 1^st teams. The two traditionally strongest UL College Teams had only a few points between them throughout the whole race series, with their entire teams memorably finishing within seconds of each other in a sprint finish at Richmond. King’s eventually came out on top so UCL will be looking for revenge this year. Ever reliable athletes that formed the core of last years teams like Smart, Fiabema, Blöcher, Dransfield, Kobza, Willson and Bliss are otherwise committed on years abroad, PhDs, have graduated or returned home to Oslo, America, Heidelberg or the bright lights of Leeds. Their Presidents sorely miss them and the training groups have a different feel. So, it’s time for the next generation of runners from these colleges to renew this ancient rivalry. From the look of their squads at the early training sessions both UCL and King’s have another set of strong runners for the season ahead. Anticipation is high for UCLs James Pigot and Chris Lloyd, ULs top runners at BUCS last year, restarting their battle royale at Hampstead Heath. Rumour has it that Pigot has been fitting in Rocky Balboa style training sessions between his more genteel rounds of golf with his consultants.

James training:

Who will finish as the best individual for the University of London Colleges in 2013-14? Last year in the men’s, Patrick Hough of UCL caught Rob Walker with a storming performance at the last race of the season to take first, with Daveen-Alexander Wingrove of King’s making up the top 3 runners from UL. Such is the Frenchman’s enthusiasm for the LCL races that he’s rumored to be returning from the land of cheese and wine for the Wimbledon Common race, plus he’ll probably be running all the way from a Marseille to London straight from a boozy night out, an example to us all! Maria Blöcher, of King’s, emulated Hough, putting together a classy series of races to finish top of the UL women in 2012-13, followed by Ella Fuller of UCL and Shannon Colman, also King’s. 

Because of the diverse and international nature of the student population in London I’ve had the privilege to meet and run with people from Australia, Norway, America, Spain, France, Germany and Italy, to name but a few. The LCLs are part of that unique opportunity whilst at university in London to befriend like-minded people from countless different cultures and backgrounds. We all gather together for these six races before many of us scatter back across the globe, make the most of it while it lasts!

Last years finish: