Press Report December 29th 2025 – Ilford Athletic Club

ILFORD AC 10 Mile Cross Country Championships
Hainault Forest
December 28th 2025

The Ilford AC xc Champs, in it’s current form, has ran every year in Hainault Forest for over 80 years now (and in other forms for 20 or so years prior to that).

Ten years ago in 2015 the race carried the subtitle ‘Race for Kev’ in honour of Kevin Newell. Kevin was one of our best runners of his era, regularly clocking sub 3 hour marathons (P.B 2:48:47) and the clubs XC event was his favourite race. Sadly on January 8th 2015 Kevin suffered an horrific accident at work and now has to receive specialist 24 hour care in a hospice.

For the nine previous years prior to this 10th anniversary the club has donated a large percentage of its profits from the race to St. Francis Hospice in Kev’s name.

HOWEVER this year, for the first time in the clubs proud 102 year history the club had been refused permission to use the forest with the new manager of The Woodland Trust saying that the forest ‘needed time to heal’ after our event 2 months ago.

Undeterred, a small group of Ilford athletes made their way down to Hainault regardless and ran the course in Kev’s honour, and were surprised and pleased to see that a group of runners from Orion and East London Runners were doing exactly the same thing.

Although no medals were available to hand out on the day, Ilford AC Championship prizes were awarded to the following:-

1st Female V35 – Rachel Halpin

1st Male V40 – Billy Green

1st Female V60 Alison Sale

2nd Female V60 Pauline Tester

3rd Female V60 Frieda Keane

1st Female V60 Team – Alison Sale, Pauline Tester, Frieda Keane

Ilford AC Boxing Day Handicap
Hainault Forest
26th December 2025The clubs annual Boxing Day handicap, which is 16 years old this year, went ahead as usual without being banned by Woodland Trust – Because we didn’t tell them!A field of 16 runners brushed off the Turkey and Christmas hangover to toe the line for the event.
The route is 3.3 miles through the hills and mud of Hainault Forest and forms one lap of the clubs own 10 mile championships which traditionally takes (would have taken) place a few days laterEach runner is given a handicap based on their previous form over the year.This years winner was Diane Crisp crossing the line in 32 minutes 18 seconds, running off a scratch handicap, very closely followed by Rachel Halpin in 32.24 off of a handicap of 1 minute, and Rhys Edwards in 32.56 off of an 11 minute handicap.
Billy Green, aptly as he was wearing a West Ham Santa hat finished in the bottom 3 !
Fastest time on the day belonged to Samuel Crane who ran the 3.4 mile muddy, hilly course in an incredible 20 minutes 20 seconds, followed very closely by Fabio Reina in 20:27 and Rhys Edwards in 21:56. Fastest female on the day was Natalie Crisp in 28 minutes 19 seconds