Results for January to June 2026
VAC 5 Km Road Race, 31 March 2026, Battersea Park
Photos from Cliff Hide. Photo gallery: VAC 5K 31/03/2026 | Flickr Please credit Cliff and VAC if sharing his photos on social media or posting on websites. Cliff has more and is happy to supply JPEG copies to competitors. Email him at cliffhide10@aol.com Here are the Race Results on OpenTrack. Here are the Race Results on RTS including lap splits. Here are the Results of the 5K Road Race including the Category positions (PDF file). There were 117 finishers in VAC's first race of the 2026 series on a cool March evening which benefited from the extra daylight provided by British Summer Time. Two VAC course records were broken and a new all comers' record was set for the M50 age group. James Connor of Brentwood Beagles AC was the winner in a fast time of 15:28, not far off the M40 course record of 15:23. Richard McDowell of Hercules Wimbledon tracked James throughout the race, closing in on the final lap to finish three seconds behind in 15:31, a time which was comfortably within the M45 course record of 15:51 set by Andy Bond in 2023. In third place, also under 16 minutes, Allan Lee of Sevenoaks AC set a new M50 all comers' course record. His time of 15:51 improved the previous best of 16:11 set in 2024. In the M60 age group, there was an intense contest between three VAC members with Steve Corfield finishing in 17:58, Mark Tennyson in 17:59 and Graeme Moyse in 18:01. In the M65 age group, David Ogden had a fine run to clock 18:56, only five seconds short of John Batchelor's long-standing course record of 18:51 set in 2008. Zoe Oldfield (W35) of Loughton AC was the women's winner in 17:53, very close to the W45 course record of 17:47
set in 2023. Next was Nichola Evans (W40) in 18:07 followed by Laura Ebbs (W45) in 18:28. In the W65 age group,
Pamela Whitter's time of 20:40 rewrote the W65 course record by knocking over thirty seconds off her own record of
21: 13 set in April 2025. Other age group winners were Briony Walsh (W35), Ginevra Stoneley (W50), Anna Critchlow
(W55), Lucy Woolhouse (W60), Avril Riddell (W70) and Marion Rayner (W75). Veterans AC 5km Road Walk - Battersea Park, 31 March 2026 Permit No RWA26027-B
Photos from Cliff Hide. Photo gallery: VAC 5K 31/03/2026 | Flickr Please credit Cliff and VAC if sharing his photos on social media or posting on websites. Cliff has more and is happy to supply JPEG copies to competitors. Email him at cliffhide10@aol.com The first of the regular Battersea Park races had an average field on a pleasantly sunny evening with little wind, perfect for racing, and much better than forecast. The winners were Stefano Zennaro from Belgrave Harriers, who appears to have his injury as a dim and distant memory now, in a time not far from his personal best; Chik Ha Kwok (Billie) won for the ladies. Veterans AC were pleased to welcome Celia Cordran from Brentwood Beagles to the Battersea Series for the first time, who earned a decent sized PB on the course. In addition, Andy Millbank (Herne Hill Harriers) and Man Biu Lam (VAC/Belgrave Harriers) also achieved personal bests. Although the field was of last year’s size, this was in part due to some of the usual suspects being at the European Masters Championships in Poland, so we can still be confident about the remaining fixtures. In addition, prolific racer Fiona Bishop was awarded the Les Brown Trophy for the largest number of appearances in 2005, a considerable feat as the VAC membership includes several hundred runners too.
Officials:
EMAA Indoor Inter-Area Track & Field Challenge, Lee Valley, 14 March 2026
Photos from Maggie Statham-Berry Here are the Results of Each Event Here are the Team Scores VAC's team of 51 performed strongly at the England Masters Inter Area Challenge for eight Area Masters clubs at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre. In the combined men's and women's scores, VAC finished an excellent third behind Southern Counties and Midland Masters, holding off Eastern Masters by 6.5 points. In the men's competition, VAC's team was fourth. The women's team finished a brilliant third, with eleven first places. However, every place counted and the team's scores were boosted by every single point gained. In the 88 events, VAC's athletes won 17 events, each scoring the maximum eight points. There were 14 second places and 12 third places. Lisa Thomas gained three first places (W60 200m, 800m and Relay). Those who achieved two top-three individual placings were: Alwyn Lombaard (1st M50 High Jump, 3rd 60m Hurdles), Katy Lord (1st W35 200m, 3rd 60m) and Moira West (2nd W70 60m, 2nd 200m). Others made great individual contributions and were also part of the successful relay teams. Before the event, British W45 and W60 teams broke the World records for the 4x400m relay. VAC members were part of the successful teams. The W45 team included Liz Amos, Sarah Loades and Susie McLoughlin. The W60 team included Virginia Mitchell and Lisa Thomas. During the main event, there were three new British records, including one by VAC’s Moira West who broke her own 200m W75 record in a time of 34.45.
Lordship Recreation Ground parkrun, Saturday 7 March 2026
Nine VAC members came to VAC’s parkrun meetup at the Lordship Recreation Ground in Tottenham, North London. Eight were runners and one was a volunteer marshal. Most had made quite long journeys but agreed that it was worthwhile as the course was pleasant, the organisers were friendly and welcoming, and the small numbers made running enjoyable. VAC’s own friendly marshal (Dave West) provided great encouragement on each lap. The parkrun took place within the flat community park. It was three circuits and a finish section of the perimeter’s tarmac paths, going through the historic Model Traffic Area constructed in the 1930s to educate local children about road safety and help them to learn to ride bicycles safely on the public highways. Jacob Armstrong Plieth was the fastest for VAC in 18th place, followed by James de Vivenot. Next was Margaret Wadman for whom this parkrun was at her 100th different venue. Ros Tabor achieved VAC’s top age grading of 80.71% which was also the women’s best on the day.
East Surrey League Cross Country, Lloyd Park, 28 February 2026
Photo of Ola Balme from Maggie Berry. Photo of Tom Cheetham from Ian Strong. Conditions at Lloyd Park for the second fixture of the East Surrey League were generally better than those experienced by VAC's men's and women's teams on the same course in the Surrey League three weeks previously. It didn't rain and the mud was firmer, although stickier. For VAC, eight men and two women completed the two-lap, 5 mile, course. Gavin Englefield (M45) was VAC's first finisher in 18th place followed by Kevin Stroud (M60), Duncan Haughey (M60) and Tom Cheetham (M55) who formed the scoring team of four which was fourth on the day. Good back-up was provided by Tony Harran, John Foss, Mike Mann and Martin Allchin. VAC's first woman was Ola Balme (W55) who finished in an excellent fourth place in the women's competition. Judith Carder (W65) in 11th place completed the scoring. Despite being two short, the women's team finished fourth out of seven clubs. VAC's Mixed team of two men and two women was third. Thanks go to Paddy Clark, VAC's Surrey League and East Surrey League team manager, who looked after all the practicalities as well as providing great support to team members.
Men's Surrey League Cross Country, Lloyd Park, 7 February 2026
Photos from Cliff Hide. Please credit Cliff and VAC if sharing his photos on social media or posting on websites. Cliff has more and is happy to supply JPEG copies to competitors. Email him at cliffhide10@aol.com A team of 18 tackled the mud of Lloyd Park in the last match of the season. It was a cold wet day and the race didn't escape one of the heavy downpours which made the conditions grim before, during and after each of the races on the day. VAC men's race was the last and the traditional two lap course, nearly 5 miles in total, was sodden with churned-up, sloshy mud and a deep water splash. Mike Cummings (M40) was again VAC's first finisher. He was third in the Division Four race with just two Under 20s ahead of him. Norman Urquia (M55) was next in 12th, followed by Jim Carrington (M45), Rob Marcus (M50) and Peter Lee (M55), all under 40 minutes. Duncan Haughey, Tom Cheetham, Stewart Bond, Tony Harran and Tom Poynton completed the scoring team of ten which finished in fourth place on the day. VAC's B team, led by Andy Mitchelson, were rewarded by a first place finish. Three newcomers, Martin Allchin, Simon Hallpike and Rob Marcus were welcomed and made great contributions. Overall, after four matches, VAC finished an excellent third in Division Four, comfortably ahead of the Runnymede club which had been challenging VAC all season. Here are the final scores of the 2025/26 season: Surrey League Cross-Country In the League's Division Four category awards, Mike Cummings was the overall men's champion with two second places and two third places. He was also the leading man in the M35-49 list. Norman Urquia topped the M55-64 rankings. Duncan Haughey was the leading M60 in the list. In the M65+ rankings, Mike Mann was third, and the first M75. Thank you to the 38 men who played a part in VAC's successful season. Seven of them ran in all four matches: Mike Cummings, Duncan Haughey, Peter Lee, Mike Mann, Dan Maskell, Andy Mitchelson and Norman Urquia. Four ran in three of the matches: Stewart Bond, William Brook, Gareth George and Andy Murray. A special thank you goes to Paddy Clark, the Team Manager, first there at the matches and the last to leave. His calm reliable support put everyone at ease and played a massive part in the great team spirt. His groundsheets and gazebo were much appreciated by the men's and women's teams. The full results of the Lloyd Park match are below and on the Surrey League website .
Women's Surrey League Cross Country, Lloyd Park, 7 February 2026
Photos from Cliff Hide. Please credit Cliff and VAC if sharing his photos on social media or posting on websites. Cliff has more and is happy to supply JPEG copies to competitors. Email him at cliffhide10@aol.com After four matches of the 2025-26 Surrey League, VAC's women achieved a remarkable and well-deserved promotion to Division One through fine performances by women mostly in their fifties and sixties. Running in the highest division will be a challenge but a great opportunity to demonstrate that masters athletes are every bit as tough and competitive as the younger ones in other clubs. In the season's final match, nine women ran for VAC at Lloyd Park which had saturated ground and many tricky muddy stretches. It rained too. The course was the usual undulating two-lap, 4.9 mile route. Nicola Richmond (W55) was VAC's first finisher in 22nd position in Division Two followed by Ola Balme (W55) in 31st with Lucy Woolhouse (W60), Denise Barnett (W50) and Andrea Stehlikove (W40) completing the scoring team which finished 7th on the day. The B team of Pippa Major, Judith Carder, Vera Blei and Sally Bamford finished 5th. Overall, after four matches VAC was 2nd out of 15 clubs in Division Two, therefore achieving promotion to Division One. Here are the final scores for the 2025/26 season: Surrey League Women's Div 2 Season's Scores Thank you to the 25 women who ran for VAC in the season. Everyone scored in either the A or B teams. Ola Balme, Vera Blei, Nicola Richmond and Lucy Woolhouse ran in all four matches. Denise Barnett, Judith Carder, Vikki Filsell, Sue McDonald, Pippa Major, Clare Norris and Andrea Stehlikova ran in three of them. Vikki Filsell and Nicola Richmond were second and third in the season's W55-64 rankings. Lucy Woolhouse was the top W60. Judith Carder was second in the Over 65 rankings. The success of the team this season was also due to a great team spirit underpinned by the superb support and organisation provided by Helen Davies, the Team Manager, who did a great job at every match to ensure that everyone felt welcomed and valued. Many thanks go to Helen from all those involved in VAC's outstanding season. The full results of the Lloyd Park match are below and on the Surrey League website.
VAC Cross Country Championships and Masters Open race, Wimbledon Common, 17 January 2026
Photos from Cliff Hide. Photo gallery: 2026 VAC Cross Country Champs. | Flickr Please credit Cliff and VAC if sharing his photos on social media or posting on websites. Cliff has more and is happy to supply JPEG copies to competitors. Email him atcliffhide10@aol.com Here are the Individual Results Here are the Age Category Results There were 68 finishers for VAC's open cross country championships on Wimbledon Common. The weather was seasonally cold but it wasn't wet or windy, even though there had been stormy weather during the week. The course was firm but the drop to the Queensmere pond was muddy. This year the route around the pond was accessible and the course, for records' purposes, was the same as for 2023 and 2024. The race was won by Jim Allchin (M40) who became VAC's Men's champion. He was pressed by Richard McDowell (M45) but pulled away on the second lap. Richard set a new M45 course record to go with his M40 record which stayed intact, although Jim was less than thirty seconds off it. Brian Jenkins (M40) from EMAC was third with Adrian Russell fourth and Mike Cummings fifth. In eighth place, Mark Tennyson won M60 Gold and took two seconds off his own course record set in 2024. Peter Giles set an inaugural M80 record ahead of Michael Johnson and John Carter in the M80 category. Clare Elms (W60) was the first woman with a fine run which placed her 12th in the race in a time of 30:13 which is an outright women's course record. Clare won VAC's Women's Champion's trophy as well as the W60 trophy and Gold medal. Second placed Nikki Sturzaker (W50) stayed in touch with Clare on the first lap but was over thirty seconds behind at the end although she did break her own W50 course record by 10 seconds. Vikki Filsell (W55) and Pam Whitter (W65) also ran well to break their age groups' records.
Men's Surrey League Cross Country, Oxshott Woods, 10 January 2026 Photos from Malcolm Davies
The full results are on the Surrey League website. The combined Division 3 and 4 match was the last of the day at 2pm and it was a chilly 3 degrees but dry with little wind. The men ran the same 4.8 mile course as the women along Oxshott Common's sandy trails amongst pine trees with the sharp hill on the two long laps. Eighteen men represented VAC, making everyone a scorer in the A or B team. Mike Cummings was the first finisher in a magnificent 2nd place in Division Four, only beaten by an Under 20 year old from Waverley Harriers. He was followed by Norman Urquia (first M55) in 16th and Jim Carrington (M45) in 34th. The scoring A team was completed by Peter Lee (M55), Charles Hampden-Smith (M60), Duncan Haughey (M60), Bruce McLaren (M55), Jerry Lockspeiser (first M70), Stewart Bond (M55) and Chris Lee (M65). VAC’s remaining runners, led by Andy Mitchelson, pushed for every place to score for the B team which was rewarded by an excellent first place. The A team finished fifth on the day but only 10 points behind Sutton Striders. Overall, with one fixture remaining, VAC are still third, chasing Sutton Striders for a promotion place. In the age bands, Mike Cummings leads the M35-44 competition after three matches and Norman Urquia tops the M55-64 rankings.
Women's Surrey League Cross Country, Oxshott Woods, 10 January 2026
Photos from Malcolm Davies The full results are on the Surrey League website. Twelve VAC women competed in the season's third fixture at Oxshott on a cold day on the usual challenging woodland course with its hidden tree roots and ultra steep hill. It comprised one short lap and two long laps, 4.8 miles in total. For a change, the women's race was the first on the programme. Clare Norris (W45) was again VAC's first finisher in an excellent 16th position in Division Two. She was followed by Vikki Filsell (W55) in 20th and Nicola Richmond (W55) in 23rd. The great packing continued with Sue McDonald (W55) and Andrea Stehlikova (W40) completing the scoring team, all in the top 50. Lucy Woolhouse (W60) led the B team, just two seconds behind Andrea, with Ola Balme, Pippa Major, Judith Carder and Gina Coulson as back up. VAC's A team was 3rd out of 15 on the day in Division Two and is 2nd overall after three matches. The B team was 4th. In the 55-64 age band, VAC bagged five of the top six places with Vikki in first place, and also first overall after three matches. Lucy Woolhouse was 5th on the list and first W60. In the W65+ results, Judith was third and Gina fourth.
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