2025 Annual Review - (Part 1)
2025 proved to be another fantastic year for the Club and athletes, we celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the merger that formed London Heathside, celebrated success in Cross Country, road and track.
The first part of the review covers the first 6 months.
January
Senior Women at the Middlesex Championships
Filip receiving his Gold Medal at Beckenham Palace Park
The year started with the Middlesex XC Championships held at a cold and muddy Trent Park. The Senior Women, led home by third placed Rebecca Piggott, won the Title with the the Senior Men a close 2nd in their race. While the Club’s juniors did not win any titles there were plenty on team medals won with the U15 Boys and U20 Women were both 2nd, with Issy Watkins winning U20W individual silver. The U17 Men, U15 and U13 Girls all won team bronze.
The following weekend the Senior Women followed up their county title with their first Met League win of the season at Welwyn with the Men 3rd in their race.
The U13/U15 and U17 Southern Indoor Champions were held at Lee Valley with the highlight being Gabriel Edwards winning silver in the U15B 60mH.
Seyfu Jamaal won the New Years 10km in Hyde Park, he followed this by winning the Fred Hughes 10 mile race later in the month.
The Club hosted the North West London Cross Country at Hampstead Heath Extension. The U15B and U17W won the team events while Filip Kounoupas Prastalo (U13B), Charlie Nicolson (U15B) and Sam Turner (U17M) all won their respective races.
Sam Macaulay won the latest round of the Chingford League a cross country race in Epping Forest with Chris Gracie 2nd.
Adrian Essex and Ivan Ross both excelled at the BMAF Indoor Pentathlon in Sheffield with Adrian the 1st V70.
The month closed with the Southern Cross Country Championships which were held again at Beckenham Palace Park. The best placed team were the Senior Women who finished in 4th place. Individually the stand out performance was Filip Kounoupas Prastalo who won the U13 Boys title.
Senior Men’s XC Field at Parliament Hill
February
February saw the conclusion of the Met League at an event muddier Trent Park. The race was organised by the Club the first time we have organised the race since we lost Ally Pally as a venue. Both Senior Teams finished 3rd in the challenging conditions while the Junior Women won their race. Individually Filip Kounoupas Prastalo continued his good form winning the U13B race.
The results from Trent Park saw the Senior Women finishing in 2nd place behind VPH&TH with the Men 3rd in the final overall Met league standings. Ending the Senior Women’s run as Met League Champions. The Club also finished 3rd in the Howard Williams Trophy behind VPH&TH and Highgate. The Junior Women however were League Champions. The Juniors as was the case last year finished 3rd overall club behind WG&EL and Shaftesbury Barnet.
A total of 5 Young Heathsiders qualified for the England Athletics Indoor Championships in Sheffield with Trey Corlis setting a new club U20M 60mH record and Malakai David McKenzie Callum 5th in the U17M 60mH final.
The “National” cross country championships returned to Parliament Hill this year and the races were well supported by Heathsiders either running or helping marshalling. The Heath provided it’s usual challenge with hills and thick mud. The best team performances were recorded by the U17 Women (8th) and Junior Men (9th). In a new innovation a prize was awarded for the first finisher who reached the top of the first Hill. Congratulations were due to Hester Hill who dully won the innaugral “Queen of the Hill” and ensuring the club’s vest featured prominently in the footage of the race.
In one of Central London’s largest road races Barry Kelly was 9th in the London Winter 10km with Emily Clarke the 6th woman.
The British Masters Indoor Championships at Lee Valley saw a host of the Club’s master athletes winning medals with Adrian Essex, Israel Nworgu and Mark Lawrence all taking home silverware.
March
Sam Macaulay with Chingford League Trophy
Continuing his great start to the year Seyfu won the Brighton half Marathon with Tanya Addison the 4th woman finsiher.
Sam Macaulay was crowned Chingford League Senior Men’s Champion after the league road relays.
The Young Athletes secured both boys and girls overall titles after the last NWLL of the season in Brent Country Park with Kounoupas Prastalo the 1st U13B.
In very warm conditions Ben Jacobs finished 2nd in the Thames Meander Marathon with Sarah Swinhoe the 1st woman. Tseguy Berhanes was 15th in the Cambridge Half Marathon.
March saw the last major cross country of the season with the English Schools Championships held in Ardingly, Sussex. 8 young Heathsider’s took part representing Middlesex or London. The best placed finisher was Charlie Nicolson who was a superb 8th in the Junior Boys race earning him his first international vest representing England Schools in the SIAB XC Championships held in Falkirk the next weekend. Charlie finished 10th and winning Team Gold.
The Club had another successful Middlesex Indoor Championships at Lee Valley with athletes winning 7 Gold, 7 silver and 6 bronze medals. Carlos Mingoes won the blue ribbon event the senior men’s 60m in a PB of 6.98s while William De Cothi won the SM 1500m title. The Club showed it’s hurdling strength with 3 gold medals in the 60mH; Montana Dennis (U20M), Malakai David McKenzie Callum (U17M) and Gabriel Edwards (U15B). In the field events Prithvi Raj Sharma won the U20M Long Jump and Thomas Wassermann the U20M Shot Putt.
The Club hosted the Inter-Borough Challenge in Finsbury Park organised by Russell Weston and although there were no 1st places there were runners up places recorded by Kiara Corkin (U17W) and Rory Willis (U15B).
Katie Brown finished 3rd woman in the Liverpool half Marathon while Caroline White was the first V65. Closer to home Eric Beale finished 6th in the Last Friday of the Month Race in Hyde Park, Thomas Foy was 2nd in the RunThrough 10km in Regents Park, Max Mastro was 8th in the Finsbury Park Race and Edward Samuel 2nd in the Battersea Half Marathon.
Adrian Day and Adrian Essex headed to Florida for the World Indoor Masters Championships. Adrian finished in the top 10 of the V70 Pentathlon. Adrian Day won a gold in the V65 200m relay.
In the Southern 12/6 Road Relays the Senior Men were 23rd while the Women were 14th.
Seyfu won silver medal in EA Marathon Championships
April
April is prime spring marathon season Monika Newton was 1st V45 in the Prague Half Marathon while Hugo Cox was 9th in the Thames Towpath 10 miles Race as well as 9th in the Thames Towpath 10 miler.
Sarah Swinhoe set a new V50 Club record in the Veterans AC 5K in Battersea with 18:59. Conor Brown was 2nd in the RunThrough 10km in Battersea Park. Catrin Tyler was 1st woman in the 5km race.
Elkie Baker became the first UK U17W of the year to throw the Discus over 40m at Kingston. Her 40.07m throw was a new PB and Club Record.
April is also London marathon day. The Club had 63 finishers at the London Marathon. Sam Macaulay in 98th place in 2:27.20 was the fastest Heathsider. The day before is the Mini-Marathon and among a host of great performances Charlie Nicolson and Filip Kounoupas Prastalo’s were 9th and 10th place respectively.
Seyfu was 4th in the Manchester marathon which acted as the English Championships. He won the Silver medal as 2nd English qualified runner. Josie Hinton was the 3rd woman and 1st V40.
Mark Jefford was 3rd V60 In the European Duathlon Championships while Sandra Buckton was 3rd V55.
The Club’s outdoor Track and Field season started with the first UYDL match in Brighton for U17 and U20 athletes. Despite the team missing the first 5 events due to delays on the train getting to Brighton the team secured 3rd place overall with 14 event wins.
May
The SAL Team celebrate their 2nd Place
The Club’s Youngest Athletes took part in the first MYAL League match of the season at Perivale and finished 2nd to Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers.
Sion Lewis was 7th and Andy Barnes 8th in the Milton Keynes Marathon. Kader Seyed won the Gateshead Marathon. Eliza Bond was 6th and 1st woman at the RunThrough Victoria Park. Edward Samuel was 2nd in the Veteran AC 5 mile race in Battersea.
The first outdoor track and field championships of the season arrived with the Middlesex Championships in Lee Valley. Heathsider’s again excelled winning 36 medals of which 18 were gold. The best performing senior was William De Cothi who won a 1500m and 5000m double. Among a host of fantastic performances the highlight probably was Mikel Alexander setting a new U17M 200m club record with 22.51s. Gabriel Edwards also set a new Championship best in the U15B 80mH
A newly cleaned track at Finsbury Park welcomed the first SAL meeting of the season as the Club hosted it’s first ever meeting in the SAL Division 1. In a field that included 3 national League Clubs we securing a superb 2nd place behind Windsor Sough Eton and Hounslow. There were event wins for Carlos Mingoes (100m), Izzy Watkins (800m), Rebecca Piggott (3,000m), Millie Watkins (2000mSC) and Elkie Baker (DT).
The month closed with the 2nd UYDL match in Kingston. The team secured 9 wins Trey Corlis in the U20M 100mH and HJ. The result saw the Club move to 2nd place overall in the League and ensuring they would go into the last meeting with a strong chance of winning Promotion.
June
The club continued a busy season by hosting the 2nd MYAL at Finsbury Park with the Young Athletes again finishing 2nd overall team.
Sammy Keenan was 7th in the Last Friday of the Month race in Hyde Park while Arthur Hawkes was 3rd in the Weybridge 10km.
The Southern U13/U15/U17 Championships were held at Crystal Palace. The meeting was blighted by a damaged track creating delays on the Saturday. 17 Young Heathsiders took part with Malakai (U17M 100mH), Elkie Baker (U17W DT) and Charlie Nicolson (U15B 1500m) winning silver medals. Gabriel Edwards (U15B 80mH) and Mikel Alexander (U17M 200m) took home bronze medals.
The Vets Men’s team ably team managed by Adrian Essex won their 2nd league match of the season at Stevenage.
The 90km Comrades Marathon in South Africa saw Sarah Swinhoe win the V50 category in 7 hours 23 minutes. Jamie Morris and Damen Lane won a silver medal.
Seyfu won the Speedy Steeds 5km with a time of 14:31.
The Club celebrated it’s 25th anniversary with a party held at the Finsbury Park Track.
The County Schools Championships weekend saw the Club’s Young Athletes win 6 Golds, 2 silver and 4 bronze medals at the London, Middlesex and Essex Championships..
Matthew Cockerill again organised the Club’s Annual Handicap race in Highgate Woods. Andy Barnes was the 1st Man and Hester Hill the 1st Women.
The 2nd round of the SAL took place in Kingston with the Club finishing in 3rd place (although this was later reduced to 4th after it was discovered a Young Athlete completed in too many events). There were event wins for Sam Macaulay (1500m & 3000m), SM 4x100m and Lily Woolcock (3000m). Amongst the great performances Elkie Baker winning her event set a new club record of 41.61m in the Discus, a 1.5m PB and ultimately the furthest throw by a UK U17W in 2025.
The club hosted the Finsbury Park 5000s, as always organised so well by Kim Butler and which for the first time ever was live streamed. The fastest man was Seyfu with 14:45, while Rebecca Piggott was the fastest woman. Tom Aldred set a new V45 Club record of 15:32.
Despite reduced numbers taking part due to school holidays the Club still finished in 2nd place in the MYAL this time held in Harrow.
Elsewhere on the track Robin Hardy set a new V60 discus record of 33.32m while Charlie Nicolson broke Thomas Archer’s U15B 1500m record with 4:08.77.
Sarah and Other Heathsider’s at Comrades Marathon
