London Champions

Congratulations to the Senior Men’s team of Andrew Penney, Fred Slemeck, Ed Mallett and Finn Johnson who were crowned SEAA London Cross Country Champions on Parliament Hill last weekend (19 November).

Before the snow and ice set in, racing over green grass and under blue skies, the team came home first in the final event of the day following a programme of London Youth Games races in which many of the Club's youngsters were representing their boroughs.

‘It was a good fun team day out', said Andrew Penney, who had ambitions for an individual medal, too, but, he acknowledges, 'it was quite competitive at the front and the leaders went out hard'. In the end, he came home in fifth, followed by Fred Slemeck in sixth and Ed Mallett in seventh with Finn Johnson only just over one minute behind in 22nd.

For Finn it was a welcome return to form, and Hampstead Heath, after a gap of three years. ''I had to remember what I'd learnt from my previous visits', he says: 'You won't win the race on the first hill. Don't get carried away with the small lap as the following three big laps are daunting enough to break you mentally if you have gone too deep too early. You need to concentrate for the entirety of the race and you have to continue to persuade yourself through the three hills a lap'. The Johnson Parliament Hill survival guide concludes: 'The race finishes with a crescendo, emptying what you have left in the legs sprinting from the top of the course, which is at first flat then falls away down hill, to that famous left hand bend'.

'A big shout out to Mike Fuller and Maurice Sharp who rarely miss a race in support of us', he insists. 'Nothing motivates me more than hearing their distinctive voices offering wise advice and information out around the course. Thanks chaps'.

Full results London Championships

Full results Youth Games