Cardiff Cross Challenge 2026

News / Cross Challenge

Cardiff Cross Challenge 2026 provided some pretty impressive results.

Athletes from both universities travelled to Cardiff on Sunday for the first race of the UKA Cross Challenge series. With many athletes competing for their home clubs, it provided our first glimpse into some of the head-to-head battles which will be crucial for Varsity success.

Rebecca Flaherty (Oxford & Bingley Harriers) produced the race of the day, coming home in 3rd place in the Senior Women’s race, just ahead of Olympian Laura Muir. Chris Parker (Oxford & Reading AC) took the first two laps of the three-lap Senior Men’s course very hard and was up with the top runners. Chris managed to hold on for a very respectable 15th place in 28:32, significantly faster than the 32:18 he ran on the same course in 2023 as a fresher.

Both Rebecca and Chris will likely now be looking ahead to the next Cross Challenge in Liverpool on 28 November, which also doubles as the European Cross Country Championships qualification race, with both athletes hoping to be selected in the GB team. That would add to the GB Unis vests the pair earned earlier this year at the World University Cross Country Championships in Cassino, Italy, where Rebecca finished 4th in the 10km race and Chris 31st in the 3km short race.

Rebecca made the GB U23 team for the European Championships last year, and Chris will be looking to replicate Peter Molloy (Trinity, Cambridge), who after leaving Cambridge finished 3rd in the U23 race in Liverpool in 2024 and went on to win team gold with the GB U23 men at the European Championships in Antalya.

Behind Chris was Tom Wood (Oxford & Eryri Harriers), who didn’t race Cuppers as he was competing for North Wales at the Trofeo Vanoni mountain relay in Morbegno, Italy. Tom ran the fastest time ever by a Welshman on his leg, as North Wales finished 8th. Back in Cardiff at the weekend, Tom finished in 21st place and was the first Welshman home on his home course. Tom, who has progressed significantly since arriving in Oxford seven years ago, winning three BUCS medals in the process, made his senior GB debut in June at the European Off-Road Running Championships in Slovenia, finishing 37th in the uphill race. He looks to have improved again over the summer and, after finishing third last year, should be challenging for the podium places at Varsity again.

For Cambridge, Tim Bongaerts (51st), a Blue last year and second at Megacross, and captain Elliot Heath (56th) finished just outside the top 50, with Daniel Fazackerley (57th), Sai Bhatia (60th), Davis Turner (66th) and Alasdair Fletcher (70th) not far behind. Grahm Tuohy-Gaydos (Cambridge, formerly of Oxford), winner of last year’s Tortoises race, finished 54th.

Aimi Weightman (Cambridge & Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers), second in last year’s Varsity Match and 8th for GB Unis in Cassino, also produced a solid run in 17th. Aimi should be one of Rebecca’s main challengers on Wimbledon Common this year. However, this depends on European selection in a few weeks’ time, as those selected are unable to race, with the Championships taking place the weekend after the Varsity Match. Beth Rawlinson (Oxford & Wolverhampton & Bilston), fourth in last year’s Varsity Match, finished 32nd, with Becca Cullen (Cambridge University Hare & Hounds), 4th at Megacross, 51st.

In the U20 men’s race, Martin Falle (Oxford & Exeter Harriers) was able to overcome Connor Morgan (Cambridge & Abingdon AC), the Megacross winner, finishing 17th to Connor’s 27th. The U20 race at only 5.5km is significantly shorter than the Varsity Match at 12km, and so it will be interesting to see if Martin can hold the form over the longer races. Sam Boyce (Oxford & Cardiff Athletics) was 33rd and Charles Prestwich (Oxford & Notts AC) 36th, with Nick Langrish (Cambridge & Abingdon AC) 39th, Jack White (Cambridge University Hare & Hounds) 64th and Luke Rogers (Cambridge & Trent Park RC) 92nd.

In the U20 women’s race, Cambridge fresher Eliza Konig (Fife AC), second at Megacross, finished 40th, with Amaya Shankardass (Cambridge University Hare & Hounds) 66th.

Additionally, there were some very good runs from alumni, with Peter Molloy (Cambridge, Blue 2021 and 2023) leading the way in 8th, and Charlotte Buckley (Oxford, Blue 2021, 2022 and 2024), Milly Dickinson (Cambridge, Blue 2021, 2023 and 2024) and Ewan Spencer (Cambridge, Blue 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025) all finishing inside the top 30. Claire Hammett (Oxford, Blue 2019), Joe Morrow (Oxford, Blue 2019 and 2021 to 2024) and Maya Hodgson (Cambridge, Cheetahs 2021 and 2022) were also inside the top 40, with James Rennie (Cambridge, Blue 2021 and 2023) just outside the top 50 in 52nd.