Harder, better, faster, stronger
ICXCAC were proudly represented by 64 runners at the 3rd LXCL of the season in Wimbledon Common.
For those of you who are only just tuning in, Imperial College’s Cross-Country and Athletics Club has been absolutely smashing their races this season, with many more events still to come. Last week, they took on the 3rd race of the London Universities and Colleges Cross-Country League, and didn’t fail to impress as over 60 runners attended despite the grim drizzle and muddy course.
Prior to the race, Imperial Women’s A team was in 1st position in the league, with the B team just behind in 5th. The Men’s A team sat in 3rd position right behind UCL and the B team in 7th.
Having left campus at 1pm, the team took the tube to Southfields and from there walked to Wimbledon Common where the race would begin. As the runners got to the start with plenty of time before the beginning of the race, they were able to familiarise themselves with the course, put their face paint on and get their quads warmed up.
The laps were longer than usual, stretching over 4.5km long, with some relatively narrow, steep and muddy parts within the hilly Wimbledon Common. However, the ICXC runners seemed globally motivated to take on the tough course.
“The laps were longer than usual, stretching over 4.5km long, with some relatively narrow, steep and muddy parts within the hilly Wimbledon Common”
After the traditional team picture, Imperial’s athletes made their way to the starting line, and began their run shortly after 3:15pm. The competition was rather fierce as over 230 runners showed up hoping to score as many points for their teams as possible, all while enjoying the woodland setting within central London.
As the women finished their race after one lap, the men went on to their second lap in the mud, finishing as the sun was already starting to set, cheered on by the women’s team.
The day ended with impressive results as Imperial Women’s A team held onto 1st place in the rankings with three of their amazing runners placing in top 15: Katie Olding taking 5th place, Georgia Curry just 3 seconds behind her in 6th and Alex Mundell taking 12th. The Women’s B team also impressed as they ended 6th overall in the Women’s ranking. On the Men’s teams, results were also very good as the A team smashed it with three of their sturdy runners in the top ten: Harry Scriven leading Imperial home in 7th, Chris Thomas in 9th and Oliver Newton in 10th. This meant the A team kept their spot on the podium while increasing their lead on Brunel’s A team who now sit a distant 74 points behind, and with the B and C teams ending in 7th and 10th overall position, it was a very successful day. However, the day was far from over.
“The team soon made their way to Putney to enjoy a comforting meal”
After the run, the team met up in warm clothes for some baking tasting and soon made their way to Putney as night was falling to enjoy a comforting meal at popular chain of burger restaurants. Having recovered from their run, they got showered and changed to then have a pleasant evening at the men’s/women’s captains house before heading to Embargo Republica where Imperial’s Cheerleading Team was holding a fundraising event “Save the Cheerleader”, dressed in pink as obviously, “on Wednesdays we wear pink”.
Overall, ICXCAC managed to impress again after an already very successful start in the Cross-Country season; as they have shown it more than once, Imperial’s runners are extremely determined to make the most of their season with two races left in the LXCL. Stay tuned as they take on LUCA Indoors Athletics competition this Saturday and watch out for a race report of last Saturday’s club trip to the Brighton 10k. Until next time, cheerio!
If you’re interested in joining Cross Country and Athletics, find us on Facebook or email run@ic.ac.uk.
