Stepping up in the mini marathon
Borough’s young athletes tackle new 2.6k course
Friday, 28th April 2023 — By Steve Barnett
Under-13s boys Borough Challenge Results, from left: Henry Hartland (10.24), who was 101st out of 151 finishers, Rory Willis (9.51) 59th, Ennio Kaloukian (10.11) 89th, Frederick Dowling (11.20) 138th, Luke Tomlinson (9.31) 38th and Pip Young (12.05) 141st
THE borough’s young athletes had an extra spring in their step on Saturday as they were cheered on by friends and family as they whizzed around Westminster at the TCS Mini London Marathon.
Overall 25 teenagers hit the road to represent Team Islington, taking on a new 2.6k course that saw them start at Horse Guards Parade before running alongside St James’s Park and then racing past Buckingham Palace towards the finish line on The Mall.
Under-15s boys, from left: Koppany Szentes (9.01), who was 43rd out of 152 finishers, Arun Aujla (10.07) 113th, Harry Conley (10.16) 121st, Lloyd Pritchard (10.17) 122nd and Kevin George (10.13) 118th. Also featured, in the black T-shirt, is David Baah-Okyere, who clocked a time of 8.33 to finish 33rd in the boys’ Under-17s race
Islington’s highest placed finisher in the Borough Challenge – which sees all the London boroughs compete against each other – came in the girls’ Under-15s race where Kiara Corkin clocked a time of 9 minutes, 24 seconds to take sixth spot out of a field of 142 runners.
Under-17s boys, from left: Ivor Joslin (9.09), who was 70th out of 121 finishers, Gregory Berrisford-Sweet (9.40) 101st, Alex Smith (9.14) 72nd and Dillon Aujla (9.14) 73rd
Meanwhile, the borough’s fastest time of the day was earned by David Baah-Okyere, who hit home in 8.33 to finish 33rd out of 121 runners in the boys’ Under-17s race.
Under-15s girls: Lettice Gundry (10.19), who was 41st out of 142 finishers, Kiara Corkin (9.24) 6th and Phoebe Music (11.28) 102nd
Team manager Mikael Kiviniemi said he was delighted to see so many youngsters turn out to represent their boroughs.
Under-13s girls, from left: Reka Szentes (11.20), who was 96th out of 163 finishers, Alice Rockhill (12.46) 147th, Rosa Hsieh (10.12) 30th and Lydia Negatu (11.25) 101st
He added: “All 25 of our runners put in a fantastic effort. It was a great experience for the young athletes to take part in this iconic event, which includes being cheered on as they finish on The Mall.
Ruby Walls (10.26) and Lucy Corkin (10.24), who finished 42nd and 38th respectively out of 109 finishers
“A special mention for our highest placed finisher Kiara, who came sixth in her age group, and David, who was our quickest runner on the day. They are both great achievements.”
• To find out more about representing Team Islington in 2023, email Islington.lyg@gll.org
