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23 Teams, 68 Runners, One Epic Evening: Battersea Relays 2026

Read Louise Garlick’s full recap of Fulham Running Club at the Battersea Relays 2026—featuring 23 FRC teams, fastest mile results, and on-the-night highlights!


Fulham Running Club at the Battersea Relays 2026

Twenty-three teams, 68 runners, and one brilliant summer evening in Battersea Park.


The Sri Chinmoy Battersea Relays returned for another year of fast miles, last-minute substitutions, family support, and post-race drinks—exactly the mix of racing and community that makes relay night such a firm favourite in the Fulham Running Club calendar.


The relays are always a highlight of our summer racing schedule. It’s a fast, flat mile around Battersea Park as part of a team of three, where you’re guaranteed the loudest cheers from your fellow bandits as you give it everything you've got in those final few metres!


Even better, Fulham Running Club England Athletics members were able to take advantage of an exclusive entry discount, generously subsidised by the club!


What are the Sri Chinmoy Battersea Relays?


The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team has been organising races in London since 1981. As a family of running enthusiasts, they welcome competitive club runners, seasoned trailblazers, fitness lovers, and complete novices alike. At every event, you can expect a warm welcome, a supportive team of dedicated volunteers, efficient race management, and flat, runner-friendly courses.


A race for everyone (and an incredible cheer squad!)


Whether you’re aiming for a blistering sprint finish or just looking to enjoy a casual mile, the relays are entirely inclusive and open to all abilities.


And for those who weren’t racing, the black and white stripes were still out in force! Around 20 extra FRC members turned up on the night purely to lend their voices to our legendary cheer squad, making sure our runners had the best support on the course.



Race highlights & results


🏆 Team Podiums

  • 🥇 Fastest Men’s Team: FRC Team 5 — 14:52

    (Will Thompson, Dan Mahoney, Callum Mason)

  • 🥇 Fastest Women’s Team: FRC Team 17 — 18:02

    (Lucy McEvoy, Georgia Hamer, Jade Maclaren)

  • 🥇 Fastest Mixed Team: FRC Team 21 — 17:56

    (Alice Pierce, Luc Janssens, Piers Mulroney)


⚡ Top 3 Individual Mile Legs

Men's

  1. Joseph Houlton — 4:39

  2. Will Thompson — 4:42

  3. Graham Pattle — 4:48


Women's

  1. Lucy McEvoy — 5:34

  2. Sophie McKeeman — 5:35

  3. Alicia Martin — 5:42


Check out the full Official Results and dive into our full Battersea Relays 2026 Rankings & Stats.


On-the-night highlights


  • ⚡ Alex Vanstone’s Double Shift: After clocking a rapid 5:11 on his first leg, Alex stepped up to run a second leg in 5:23—just 12 seconds slower. Not a bad evening's work!

  • 🚨 Last-Minute Heroes: Massive shout-out to Gabby Casha and Alex Vanstone for stepping in late on to keep our teams complete.

  • 🎽 The Keen Beans Award: Team AFB entered before FRC entries even officially opened! (Though we’re still not entirely convinced everyone turned up in the correct club stripes...)

  • 👶 Future Bandit Alert: Lovely to see Baby Cassie on the sidelines cheering everyone on—hopefully the first of many relay appearances!



The afterparty


It was fantastic to see so many people stick around afterwards for a park picnic and a few drinks. Of all the clubs taking part, it’s fair to say Fulham stayed the longest before eventually heading to a local pub!


A massive thank you to Prime Time Beers for supplying well-earned drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) for our runners and cheer squad.


Wrap up


As always, the relays weren’t just about the racing. They were about teammates stepping in at short notice, families cheering from the sidelines, catching up over a beer, and seeing local clubs come together for one of the best evenings of the summer.


Whether you arrived with close mates or were paired with runners from the club you hadn't met before, the evening was a brilliant reminder of what relay racing is all about.


Battersea Relays 2027


Next year, we do it all over again!


Not sure if the mile relays are for you? Pop down to one of our weekly sessions and chat with our runners—we guarantee you’ll be signing up come next June!


Thanks to everyone who ran, volunteered, and supported. An extra shoutout to my orrganising team mates Maddie Barrow and Denny Giuggioloni who led the FRC Battersea Relays charge for 2026.


View the full list of 23 teams in our Final Team Submissions for Battersea Relays 2026.


We’ll see you next year!



Written by Louise Garlick

 
 
 

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