Jack Kavanagh wins Friday Nights Under the Lights 5km

Kavanagh beats James Kingston and Jake Wightman at Battersea as we bring you our road round-up.

FRIDAY NIGHT UNDER THE LIGHTS 5, Battersea Park, London, December 19

Jack Kavanagh added to his recent victories in the October Surrey League and here in Battersea Park’s November 5km, with a victory over James Kingston after the pair had broken clear of a strong field.

The Holland Sports man opened out a five second margin of his Tonbridge rival to win in 22:49.

The times took the pair to the top of the 2025 rankings for the five-mile distance although well short of Ian Hamer’s all-time best.

They both had turns at the front with Kavanagh leading after one of the three laps and Kingston after two but it was the England 5000m champion who was quicker over the last mile.

Behind the leading two, there was quite a battle for third spot that was eventually won by the 2025 World 1500m silver medallist Jack Wightman with a 23:24 clocking.

It had been City of Leeds’ John Beattie who had led that group after one lap ahead of Jonathan Cornish and Flurry Grierson before he fell off of the back of the pack along with Tom Butler.

Then it was all down to finishing speed as Wightman showed off his speed.

Allcock, Cornish and Max Walker followed at the line.

Further back, Ben Cole went to the top of the 2025 M40 rankings with 23:53 the fastest for that age group for 25 years.

Four women were qualified to run in the race along with the men and Yvie Lock and Naomi Taschimowitz battled it out before Lock just got the nod in 26:11 after being headed by her rival after one lap.

Earlier there was a second-string race which was for a few more women and slower men where first home amongst the women was Charlotte Ryan and Kate MacArthur who could hardly be separated on time.

Overall (elite race): 1 J Kavanagh (Holl Sp) 22:49; 2 J Kingston (Ton) 22:54; 3 J Wightman (Edin) 23:24; 4 B Allcock (Bed C) 23:26; 5 J Cornish (HW) 23:28; 6 M Walker 23;31; 7 F Grierson (High) 23:33; 8 J Collier (Kent) 23:42; 9 J Commerford (R&N) 23;45; 10 T Butler (SB) 23:48; 11 J Beattie (Leeds) 23:51; 12 B Cole (Ton, M40) 23:53; 13 R Tuck (Chelm, U20) 24:06; 14 S Byrne (Swin) 24:17; 15 L Ryan (Belg) 24:21

M45: 1 P Martelletti (VP&TH) 25:42; 2 N Browne (Serp) 26:09

M50: 1 S Shaw (ESM) 27:42

M55: 1 S Atkinson (Phoe) 28:24

U20: 2 H Bell (Herne H) 24:21

Women: 1 Y Lock (TVH) 26:11; 2 N Taschimowitz (SB, W35) 26:13; 3 A Gummow (Herts P) 27:05; 4 A Lambert (Bed C) 28:38

Earlier race 5km

Women: 1 C Ryan (Walt) 29:25; 2 K MacArthur (VP&TH) 29:25; 3 J House (Soton) 29:49; 4 E Stevenson (Holme P, W40) 30:37

W45: 1 J Triou (ESM) 32:14

LAST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH 5km, Hyde Park, London, December 19

Christmas meant the last Friday of the Month 5km was a week earlier than normal with British Masters champions dominating the women’s events, Steve Smythe reports.

W35 Rebecca Piggott, who won the overall British vets title a few weeks earlier in Battersea, was a clear women’s winner in a personal best 16:59, despite breezy conditions and a far from flat course.

British W45 champion and Euro Masters runner-up Zoe Oldfield was a clear second in 18:07, but, just 75 metres back, multi world, European and British W60 champion Clare Elms, in fifth, produced the masters race of the day.

A few days short of her 62nd birthday, she improved her W60 course record and while her 18:23 fell just short of her world best (18:15 on the slightly overall downhill Kingsley course) it was undoubtedly a better performance.

Additionally, her run garnered a race record 102.1% on age-grading and won her the overall 2025 series award with the best six races in the year averaging over 100%.

After this race, race director Malcolm French stood down after organising the monthly event for the vast majority of the 32 years it had taken place in Hyde Park.

Overall: 1 S Green (Northampton) 16:10

M60: 1 S Corfield (SoC) 18:27

U18: 1 S Kwan (Belg) 16:44

Women: 1 R Piggott (Lon H, W35) 16:59; 2 Z Oldfield (Lough, W45) 18:07; 3 C O’Connor (St Alb) 18:10

W50: 1 E Skinner (Kent) 18:51

W55: 1 A Critchlow (W4) 20:05

W60: 1 C Elms (Kent) 18:23; 2 L Woolhouse (Vets) 21:33; 3 L Thomas (HW) 22:03

Start Fitness City Runs FAST 5000, Torbay, Devon, December 21

Two juniors dominated as Tom Webb and Rory Barclay-Watt diced things out until it was City of Wells’ Webb, the 2024 English Schools 3000m silver medallist, who just took the race in 14:36.

This year Webb had three wins over 5km in the Yeovilton series and this time was just 12 seconds shy of his best but is also dabbling in the triathlon and is a member of the South West Academy.

For the women it was Aldershot’s Louise Small who had a comfortable win over Tamara Beach in 15:59, a time four seconds inside her previous best.

After a marathon personal best of 2:27:51 in Amsterdam two months ago, Small returned to action with a 70:41 jog around the Bideford 10, followed by a 33:34 in the Leeds Abbey Dash 10km, a time close to her best, before this run-out.

Behind, Beach hacked 26 seconds from her own best with a 16:18 clocking.

Overall: 1 T Webb (Wells, U20) 14:36; 2 R Barclay-Watt (Exe) 14:37; 3 J Parkinson (Exe) 14:58; 4 C Hewitt (Tiv) 15:17; 5 J Forty (Exe, U17) 15:18; 6 J Blake (Plym) 15:32

U15: 1 L Snell (Torbay) 17:15; 2 H Gardiner (Torbay) 17:17

U13: L Sweeney (Plym) 17:47

Women: 1 L Small (AFD) 15:59; 2 T Beach (Corn) 16:18; 3 C Arnell (Exe) 16:37; 4 E Foster (N Dev, U17) 16:49; 5 A Murray-Goiurlay (Taunt) 16:53; 6 M Canham (Belg) 16:58

W45: 1 K Booth (Taunt) 17:31

U17: 2 T Ferguson (WSEH) 17:33

B Race, selected

M75: 1 L Jones (SWRR) 24:22

W50: 1 A Thorn (Erme V) 19:17

W55: 1 J McFadzean (SWRR) 20:16

W60: 1 K Blakemore (Plym) 22:55

W65: 1 J Harrison (B&W) 21:48

LOFTUS POULTRY RUN, North Yorkshire, December 21

Overall (7.5M): 1 D Williamson (Col H) 39:52

M55: 1 D Parkin (Leeds) 44:50

Women: 1 A Pigford (Hought) 47:29

NOTTINGHAM HOLME RUN HALF-MARATHON, December 21

Overall: 1 L Shail (Cov G) 70:22

M45: 1 N James (OWLS) 75:19

SALTWELL 10km, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, December 20

Overall: 1 W Lindsey (St Alb) 32:20

M60: 1 P Davison 38:29

Women: 1 L Turner (Birt) 34:21

W50: 1 R Dadswell (Birt) 42:09

W55: 1 A Spencer (Vall St) 43:44