At 3pm on Saturday 16th September 185 runners set off from the Thames Hare & Hounds clubhouse on Wimbledon Common for the annual 5-mile (8km) cross-country alumni race.

In the ludicrously warm late September heatwave (27°C) the OBs trudged, trundled (and some tripped) their way across the undulating and parched Wimbledon Common, with the prospect of securing The V50 Chataway Cup firmly planted in the V50s minds.

Adam Robinson (G 11-16) was first home for the OBs in 18th (31:50) improving slightly on his time from the previous year, an early sign that his recent return to club athletics (Newham & Essex Beagles) might soon start paying off. This year Adam has battled his way through injury, including undergoing an arthroscopy on his left knee in January. In his battle with boredom Adam, along with three close friends, bike-packed from John O'Groats to Land's End in 12 days – of his trip, Adam commented: “As we reached the steep country-lanes of the South West, battered and bruised, I really had to dig deep, but nothing beats spending time outdoors with your best mates, seeing the country from your saddle.”.

Second across the line for the OBs was Dean Makar (C 84-86). In 2022 Dean was the first OB home in the Bostelmann Trophy and replicated a similarly commanding performance this Saturday on the Common, finishing 76th overall (36:53). Dean came into the Alumni Race on the back of a highly impressive age-group win in the Hampshire Hoppit marathon.

Less than two minutes behind Dean was established runner and OpenTrack founder Andy Robinson (D 79-84), sneaking into the top 100 with a position of 99th (38:35). It was Andy's first time running the Alumni Race since Adam Robinson took over from Tony Henderson (E 79-84) as Club Secretary in 2022.

The OBs were delighted to see the return of the ever-friendly, ever-enthusiastic Richard Pollock (H 84-89). After an excellent debut for the OBs in 2022, Richard once again bolstered the V50s with his finish in 107th (39:07). Richard recently broke his half-marathon PB with a smashing time of 1:43 – just reward for the high volume of running (and cycling and swimming) he has been doing over the past 12 months, including training on Venice Beach in Los Angeles!

Oil and gas engineering consultant Ed Talbot (E 82-87) overcame the heavy weekend traffic of South-West London, arriving just minutes before the starting gun. Setting out to prove all the warm-up warriors wrong, Ed finished 10 places ahead of his 2021 result in 128th (41:14). Just seconds ahead of Ed was late entrant and debutant to the Alumni Race, Adam Reed (H 97-02). After completing the London Classics with his 2-mile (3.2km) swim in the Serpentine that morning, Adam somehow still had the energy to finish in a hotly contested 123rd place (41:10). Adam is an IRONMAN 70.3 finisher with experience in the film and TV industry. Just the other week Adam was in the north of the country completing a dive job in Scarborough and undertaking some Parkrun 'tourism' at York Parkrun.

The OBs were delighted to welcome the elder brother of the Pollock pair, Rob Pollock (H 81-86) along to the Alumni Race this year. When not busy in the operating theatre, Rob (a picture of whom serves up inspiration to aspiring medical students in the College's newly renovated Dining Hall) enjoys running with his dog – in fact in 2022 they completed the Huxham X together. Rob found his way round the course in 159th place (46:33) and still had the reserves to cycle home with his younger brother, Richard, after. Rob and Richard tackled the Coast-to-Coast (Whitehaven to Tynemouth) earlier this year, completing the 210kms and 3,900m of elevation in a mightily impressive three days.

Last, but never least, was ex-Club Secretary Tony Henderson (E 79-84). Despite initially sending his apologies on account of a persistent case of Achilles tendonitis, Tony raised both the OBs spirits and their chances of securing The V50 Chataway Cup by making a surprise entry in the week leading up to the race. Under strict instruction from Club Secretary Adam Robinson that he wasn't 'too push it too hard', Tony made his way safely round the course in 165th (48:16), without major incident. Tony is currently busy growing an exciting broadband start-up that could change the way wi-fi is delivered to homes across England. As ever, Tony provided quite the buzz among the team both pre- and post-race with his hugely infectious zest for life, work and running.

The V50 OBs were sadly pipped to the post for a second consecutive year in The Chataway Cup, this time by those pesky Etonians. Of the day Club Secretary Adam Robinson commented: “Despite of, or perhaps because of the blistering late September heatwave, we managed to field a strong 7-man team for this year's Alumni Race. I was pleased to see some new faces this year, along with some familiar ones too. We missed our poster-boy Hugo Donovan (C 15-19), winner of last year's Alumni Race, as he was away in Thailand at a training camp. I'm delighted to see that Hugo's training has already delivered him success, with an inspirational win at the Windsor half-marathon in a obscenely-fast time of 71:18. I'm already looking forward to next year's Alumni Race knowing that the OB Running Club grows ever stronger in both its numbers and its companionship. I'd like to thank the Bradfield Society once more for covering the entry costs for all of this year's OBs, we are ever grateful to them for their support.”

V50 Chataway Cup: https://data.opentrack.run/en-gb/x/2023/GBR/thhar23/scores/chataway-cup-1/

THH Alumni Race full results: https://data.opentrack.run/en-gb/x/2023/GBR/thhar23/event/1/1/1/

View more photos from the day here: https://m.facebook.com/groups/161153454003050/permalink/6560458620739136/

If you're reading this and fancy running with fellow Old Bradfieldians feel free to email me at: adamrobinson199@hotmail.com. Our next event is the Huxham V / X on Sunday 10th December where there are options to run 5 or 10 miles.

Upcoming events:

Huxham V / Huxham X – Sunday 10th December 2023

Bostelmann Trophy – Saturday 9th March 2024

Old Bradfieldian Running Club Social Media/Networks:

The Bradfield Society – Old Bradfieldian Running Club: https://www.bradfieldsociety.org.uk/clubs/view/ob-cross-country  

Facebook – Old Bradfieldian Running Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/161153454003050/  

WhatsApp – Old Bradfieldian Running: contact Adam Robinson to be added (Email: adamrobinson199@hotmail.com / Mobile: 07502 331686)

Strava – Old Bradfieldian Runners: https://www.strava.com/clubs/OldBradfieldianRunningClub