Student athletes shine at BUCS Cross Country
Outstanding performances from Aimi Weightman and Izzy Flemming
British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) cross country running race took place on Saturday 31 January. Two Medwards women competed and did exceptionally well; Aimi Weightman in the A race long course, and Izzy Flemming in the B race short course.
After making headlines last term for her Varsity performance, which secured her 1st place in the race and a spot in the University’s 1sts Blues team, Aimi has now achieved 4th place in the British competition! An absolutely incomprehensibly impressive result. Thanks to this and her previous outstanding performances she has also just been told the amazing news that she has been selected to represent GB in the 10km FISU World University Cross Country on March 14!
In the B race Izzy also did a great run, placing 161st out of over 600 top British university athletes! This follows Izzy’s success at the 2025 Cuppas, where she came 21st and was selected for the University thirds team.
BUCS B Team
Aimi says:
“BUCS was an 8km course made up of several very twisty-turny laps - this meant that it was very spectator-friendly; being able to have support all the way around was amazing. It did get very muddy in places, which I felt was to my advantage! I was mainly just relieved to do well, as I'd just come off an illness so was afraid that the fitness I'd built over the winter wouldn't get to show.
Aimi Weightman running at BUCS
I generally run 6 times a week, with an additional ~4 gym sessions. It's a massive time commitment, but I've been training and competing since I was 8 so I guess I'm used to it!”
Aimi obviously benefits enormously from the physical benefits of running, and says it’s also good for her mental health:
“For me, running is a mental health haven... particularly considering academic work at Cambridge can get quite stressful. There's no better way to clear the mind than switching off from work and going outside for a run! It's also just great to have a second, separate world of friendships, events, and physical goals to work towards.
I'd urge everyone to give running a try - it's truly transformative! For anyone interested, the Cambridge University Hare and Hounds (running club) offer training sessions and various group runs throughout the week - these are zero-cost, zero-commitment, and open to everyone of all abilities.”