Poppy Guest, Molly Grant, Freddie Rowe, Joseph Osuji, Luis Da Silva and Maddie Kindler were among the winners of the 41st edition of the Mini London Marathon on Saturday.
Around 20,000 young runners enjoyed the experience of a lifetime in the British capital on a sunny Saturday morning. Many will one day complete the full marathon. A select few may even make it to the Olympics or Paralympics. However, whatever their future holds, no one will easily forget the memory of the glittering Buckingham Palace and down The Mall on April 25, 2026.
This event may be the younger sister of the “main marathon” on Sunday, but there are major plans for the mini-marathon. By 2030, organizers would like to see 50,000 participants, the same size as a full marathon for adults. “The aim,” says London Marathon events director Hugh Brasher, “is to get kids excited about running. The more young people we can get active, the better.
Winning a mini-marathon has become as prestigious as winning a cross-country or national cross-country title in English schools. However, being on the road, and in April, it makes a nice bridge between the muddy races of winter and the faster races of summer.
This year also saw the introduction of new ‘even-numbered’ age groups, with Molly Grant and Freddie Rowe winning the under-18 women’s and men’s titles respectively.
Grant, a Lincoln Wellington runner who represents the East Midlands, won English schools 800m gold last year and used her speed here to overtake Eleanor Foster and Georgia March in the finals.
“I had to stay mentally strong near the end because you see a long straight to the end,” Grant said, “so I just had to dig deep. It was really good fun. The whole atmosphere of coming here with my teammates was really good.
“This event is moving forward a little bit because we have the momentum of the winter season and it just helps you flow through the year.”
Rowe, from Havering, celebrated in style as he beat Joseph Skanes and Alistair Street to win gold.
He said: “I thought I really wanted to do well. I won the Borough Challenge a couple of years ago and this was my last one so I really wanted to go out.”
Poppy Guest beat Summer Smith and Isabella Buchanan from the South East to win the under 16 girls race. Guest was second in the English Nationals to Gabriel Pinder at Sedgefield earlier this year, but Pinder was fourth here.
Guest, who stands for Aldershot, Farnham and District, said: “The start was crazy as usual but I settled into the pace and then I made sure I could hold it and then I decided to kick it and go for about 600m.”
Was it his plan or a spur of the moment decision? “I kind of made it up at the time.” she said “but i’m more of a sedentary runner”.
He added: “I would really like to qualify for the European Under-18 Champions (in Rieti, Italy) this summer, but also prioritize the English schools on the track.”
North West England’s Joseph Osuji won the Under 16 Boys Championship race with Nate Greig second and Taylor Thom-Watts third.
Osuji, who is from Macclesfield, said the long journey to London was worth it, adding: “I think this is the biggest race I’ve ever won.
East Anglia’s Maddie Kindler continued her good form on the indoor long-distance running scene by winning the girls’ under-14 title.
London’s Luis Da Silva was an impressive winner in the under-14 boys race ahead of Harry McVeigh and Joseph Preston. Da Silva won Ranking of English schools in Liverpool in a photo finish last month, while here he had a five-second advantage over his rivals.
“I came into the race thinking I should win because I’ve won three major cross-country races this season,” said Da Silva, who raced to victory.
More and more young athletes are armed with super-shoes on their feet at the sharp end of the race. But this was not the case for under-12 Borough Challenge boys winner Eoin O’Connell Freedman, who showed his rivals a clean pair of heels despite wearing a slightly battered pair of ‘normal trainers’.
Elsewhere, Toby Richardson won the under-18 men’s T53-54 wheelchair race, as Yasmin Hodkinson won the under-18 women’s T53-54 wheelchair race.
For full results: see here.
Relive the action here…
