Members of Team Camden’s Under-17s boys’ squad, from left, race winner Thomas Chadwick, Aidan McAvoy, Wiremu Nicole, Riyad Salah, Louis Samuels, Harrison Lee, Theo Brayman and Jordan Nash

THERE was racing in the rain on Sunday when some of the capital’s top young athletes took to the track in Finsbury Park to compete in the “biggest ever” Inter-Borough Junior Road Race Challenge.

Hosted by London Heathside Running and Athletics Club, the action-packed programme got underway with a series of fun races for Under-7s who took on a 500m run, while Under-9s and Under-11s more than doubled that distance as they covered 1,200m.

Members of Team Camden’s Under-17s girls’ squad, from left, Josephine Luis, Faduma Abdi, Lizzie Wortsman, and race winner Leoni Delvendahl

Jules Robertson just couldn’t stop smiling after winning his Under-7s race for Team Camden.

Then came the main event, with boys and girls’ teams competing in three age groups – Under-13s, Under-15s and Under-17s – over an energy-sapping 3,000m.

Team Camden’s Under-13s girls’ squad, from left, Chloe Trunkfield, Ira Agrawal, Amara Mankodi and Emily Lowe

Camden celebrated three key first-place finishes, with Arjuna Pflug winning the boys’ Under-15s event, while Leoni Delvendahl and Thomas Chadwick both won their respective Under-17s races.

It helped the borough to win both the men’s and women’s Under-17s age groups.

But Camden were pipped to the post in their quest for the Inter-Borough Junior Road Race Challenge Trophy by Haringey, who won all the races in both the Under-13s and Under-15s age categories.

Arjuna Pflug, who won the boys’ Under-15s event

The day was about much more than just medals, however, with a number of boroughs, including Camden, Islington and Westminster, also using the event as trials for the Mini London Marathon, which takes place next month.

“It was a really close battle with Haringey, and we are looking forward to coming back next year to see if we can bring the trophy back to Camden where it belongs,” said team manager Ben Dorsett, who works for Camden Council’s Sport and Physical Activity Service.

“This was by far the biggest Inter-Borough Challenge that we have ever taken part in, and the standard on show was incredible – especially taking into account the poor weather.”

Under-7s winner Jules Robertson

Team Islington also enjoyed a strong turnout, with Under-13s runners Carys Tomlinson and Rory Willis, Under-15s athletes Ennio Kaloukian and Kiara Corkin, and Under-17s racers Alex Smith and Phoebe Music among their borough’s top performers.

Team manager Mikael Kiviniemi said: “There was some fantastic performances on Sunday from the Islington runners. They did a great job battling through the wet and rainy conditions.

“Our attention now turns to the Mini London Marathon on April 20, where our runners will compete against some of the best athletes in the country.”