Finlay Sleeman, an Under 17 runner, ran a personal best 800m time on the Harrow track on 24 September in an evening that saw 12 800m and 12 1500 m races. His time was 2:03.13 in 4th place in his 800 race, which took 3 seconds off his previous PB set at Harrow a month ago.  There were other good times by the Highgate young men.  Roger Wilcox did a 4:59.88 1500m. Personal best times by other Under 17 runners over 1500m included: Eddie Brown 4:31.23, Ross Doran 4:32.11 and Joe Collinge 4:23.26. 'Under 15' runner Luca Spaccatrosi also ran a PB with a time of 4:31.67. 

HIGHGATE KEEPING SHARP WITHOUT STRICT COMPETITION
Besides the Highgate Strava racing leader board showing Alex Holley ahead again, with 162k's for the week, with Sean Renfer next, with 145.5k, there has been some strong individual running in the 'Strava run segment' round the lower parts of Parliament Hill Fields. The course is a short Lido Lap of 1.43k. 
The fastest runners so far over this course are: the good 3k/5k runner Roger Poolman at the front of the overall leader board with 3:06k/m pace in a time of 4min 27seconds; 2nd Alex Lepretre 3:11/km pace for a time of 4.34; and 3rd Mark Innocenti, 3:12/km pace in a time of 4:34; 4^tth, and the leading women, is Rebecca Johnson 3:14/km 4:38; 5th Rich Bayliss 3:15/km 4:39 and 6th Ben Wood 3:15/km 4.39. The next fastest were Russ Ashford, 4:42; Morgan Mitchell 4:42; Danny Russell 4:45 and Brahma Pochee 4:45.                                                                                                                                      
It is noted that the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th fastest women are all 'class' runners in the Met League races, namely:  Molly Renfer 5:02; Naomi Taschimowitz, 5:07; Ashley Scott Wilson, 5.26; and Emma Burgess 5:57.  So far 258 people have attempted to run this special lap.
 
MET LEAGUE OUT OF THE WINDOW FOR 20/21 SEASON
Highgate Harriers’ most successful Winter Cross Country fixture, over quite a few years now, is and was, the Metropolitan Cross Country League.  However, the League Administrator Janice Bowman has sadly indicated that the format of the races and set up cannot meet the latest Covid guidelines, so the events for the League are cancelled for the 2020/21 season.

Niki Faulkner came 4th of 9 in Race 5 of the 1500m at the Hercules Wimbledon Meeting on the evening of Wednesday 23rd September. His time was 3:56.33. Russell Ashford, another Highgate Harrier, was also in action, running a personal best time of 9:42:83 for 3000m in Race 2 of this event. His previous best from 2018 was 9:46.58.  Micheal Dan, showed he is coming back to form, finishing in 9th^t place in Race 3 with a time of 9:29.97. Alex Crossland, coached by Highgate’s 'star' veteran runner Ben Noad, ran a swift 8:38:40 for 3000m in race 7.

HOLLEY GREETS THE START OF AUTUMN 
Out of the 227 active 'Strava' Highgate Harriers running round London, Alex Holley, who has been at the top of the leader board before, was at the top again for the penultimate week of September.  He clocked up 162.5k in a total time of 13:02.13; second was the expert 'Strava' runner, Sean Renfer with 148.5 km and third was Alex Lepretre, currently and recently the best Highgate cross-country runner, with 122km. Last year in San Sebastian Holley ran his fastest marathon of 2:41.06 in November. 

With so many events being called off, it was good to see there was a track event at Parliament Hill on the evening of Wednesday 9th September. It was the first “Highgate Harriers Middle Distance Open Meet”. Highgate Harriers were prominent in the races. Highgate's fastest 3000m was by Roger Poolman in the final race of the night, which he won in 8:18.9. Sean Renfer, another good senior, was 2nd in 8:56.1in the fourth 3000m race. Edmund Brown won of the third 1500m race in a PB of 4:34.4; 2nd was Ross Doran 4:35.3; and 3rd Jack Bailey 4:36.5. That trio were all from Highgate Harriers. The fastest 1500m of the day was by Luca Minale of Victoria Park Harriers who ran a PB of 4:03.1 to win race 4. Highgate winners included Nick Hind, in the first the 3000m race in 10:40.9, and Daniel Brewer in the third 3000m race in 9:11.8.  Race 2 of the 1500m was won in a PB by Highgate’s Patrick Jarvis in 4:46.9. It was worth noting that 57 year-old Alex Davidson ran the 3000m in 10:03.5.

NIKI FAULKNER FLYING AGAIN
On Saturday 6 September Niki Faulkner of Highgate Harriers, and a student at Imperial College London, was out running a fast 800m at Lee Valley in the LICC meeting. He finished 5th in his race in 1:57:25. His fastest ever was last year when he did 1:54:25. It is always a good club standard to break the 2-minute barrier!  At the same meeting, that celebrated over 70 field event exponent, Anthony Richards was the 2nd over 70 in the discus with 36.69.

Under 23 runner and student, Terry Fawden of Highgate Harriers has started his steeplechasing season in good form. He ran his second fastest time of 9:28.81when he finished 3rd of 8 runners in the BMC Gold Standard meet at Lee Valley on the 29th of August.

REBECCA A GOLD STANDARD HIGHGATE RUNNER
On the 25th of August, Rebecca Johnson running in inclement weather at Stretford came 2nd in the BMC Gold Standard 3000m in 9:39.65. The winner was international track and cross country runner Jessica Judd in 8:57.60. At the same meeting, Highgate's Loughborough student, Terry Fawden, came 5th in one of the 3000m races in 8:37.81, just off his personal best time of 8:37.58.

SHARP RUNNING BY HIGHGATE HARRIERS
Despite most athletics events being cancelled on the road and country for the rest of this year, one hopes cross-country and road racing will be looked on more favourably by the ‘Powers that Be’.  The enthusiasm of runners on the track was evident at Wimbledon on 26 August with 8 successful 3000m races. Highgate seniors were well represented. In the toughest and highest standard race (Race 8) and Alex Lepretre ran the 3000m in 8:18.9 for 3rd place, not far behind the winner Kieran Reilly of Tonbridge, who did 8:17.3. Highgate's Alex Crossland was 5th in 8:21.2.  In Race 7, Charlie Haywood ran 8:31.8. In Race 6, Robert Wilson came 2nd in 8:38.5 behind TVH runner Michael Cameron who won in 8:35.4; 10 ran in that one.

BEN POCHEE, the 'Great' Highgate Harriers motivator for the last 25 years or more, enthuses everyone he comes into contact with an air of genuine confidence that is hard to match these days at club or national level. He will be 50 on the 2nd of September 2020.  
                                             
In his time so far with the club, he was a junior international runner and later, as an over 40, Southern Veterans Cross Country Champion, before a set of horrendous athletic injuries stopped any future athletic aspirations.  Nonetheless, he has been instrumental in advising firms with coaching advice and, of course, he founded the first Highgate Harriers Night of 10,000 m PB's that has become an important event. He is a coach, organiser of athletic programmes for large firms and next year on June the 5th will be the Olympic 10,000m trials and European Cup, held at Ben's club at the Parliament Hill track.         
                                                  
Ben's father Ahmed was a member of Highgate Harriers and his half-brother, Brahma, is a coach and runner for the club now. Ben was particularly pleased when the Highgate Harriers 12-man senior team, that he managed, won the National 12-stage road relay at Sutton Coldfield in 2016; the first time Highgate have done that for over 100 years!

CHARLES ALLEN 
Charles Allen, a charming man, who was a long standing official for Highgate Harriers for many years, sadly died at the age of 80 in England on the 16th of August. He was born in India, where his parents lived for a long time, in 1940.  What some people would not realise was that Charles became a celebrated and popular author, freelance writer and a noted historian. 

MARIUS HONOURED

The England Athletics deadline for nominations for the 2020 Regional Volunteer Awards closes on 31 August.  Last year, Marius Guei, who came from a good line of Highgate sprinters dating back to Simeon Williamson, the AAA's Champion 100m, was honoured with the award of London Coach of the Year 2019. Marius has infectious enthusiasm, which his athletes at Highgate Harriers have witnessed, including Dominic Ogbechie a British record holder with Highgate.