The biggest races of the year are the Varsity cross-country matches at the end of Michaelmas term (November/December) and the British Universities (BUCS) cross-country championships at the beginning of Lent term (early February). These are great opportunities to compete either as a first-timer or a seasoned distance runner.
The Varsity Matches #
There are seven Varsity Match team races in total, 4 for men and 3 for women. Of all the races in Michaelmas term, they are by far the most important.
The seven races are divided between two separate occasions. The men’s 2nds – 4ths and the women’s 2nd and 3rd team races take place on the Saturday of the penultimate week of Michaelmas term. The venue alternates between Shotover Country Park in Oxford and Priory Park in St Neots near Cambridge. The men’s and women’s 1st team (aka Blues) races are hosted by Thames Hare & Hounds on the Saturday at the end of Michaelmas term. They take place on the neutral territory of Wimbledon Common in London. More information about the Blues’ races here.
Here are two charts summarising the teams and races:
Men’s:
| Team | Cambridge | Oxford | Number of Members | Number to score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Blues | Blues | 8 | 6 |
| 2nd | Spartans | Tortoises | 8 | 6 |
| 3rd | Barbarians | Snails | 8 | 6 |
| 4th | – | – | – | * |
Ladies’:
| Team | Cambridge | Oxford | Number of Members | Number to score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Blues | Blues | 8 | 6 |
| 2nd | Cheetahs | Turtles | 8 | 6 |
| 3rd | Gazelles | Sloths | – | * |
The Blues and the men’s 2nds and 3rds, are separate races (8 against 8). The men’s 4ths and the ladies’ 3rd* teams (‘mob’) races allow unlimited numbers of athletes meaning everyone gets to race in a Varsity Match team. We can not understate how important it is to get as many people out on the course as possible.
*In 2025 there is due to be an additional race for a women’s 3rd selected team, bringing the number of races up to 8.
The scoring system in all the selected races is simple: add up the positions of each of your scoring runners and the team with the smallest total wins. The mob races follow a different scoring system, whereby an individual scores more points the higher up they finish and the team with the most points wins. This means that the larger team is at an advantage so we need every face we can muster on the start line!
Blues Varsity Matches #
It’s Saturday afternoon. Michaelmas term has just come to an end and it will soon be Christmas. The winter evening twilight outside already seems to be descending on South London…
Small crowds are gathering around a club house next to some rugby pitches. This could be any minor local sporting event. But it isn’t. There is an air of anticipation for in fact, this is Wimbledon Common and this is the big one. Everyone there knows how much the Blues match means and everyone feels the tension. The scores are close and the ancient rivalry between Cambridge and Oxford burns as strongly as ever. Who will be victorious this year?
Being selected for the Blues is a fantastic achievement. It puts you into the cream of Oxbridge running talent. You will be representing your University at the highest level in one of the oldest racing fixtures in the world (the first Gentlemen’s Varsity Match was in 1880). You will, quite literally, be following in the footsteps of great athletes such as Roger Bannister, Chris Brasher, Herb Elliott, Bruce Tulloh, Richard Nerurkar and Stephanie Cooke, to name but a few.
They all ran their hearts out on that course. And what a course. The ladies’ is 4 miles and the Gentlemen’s is 7 1/2. Who could forget the water-jump, the toast-rack, the butts? All names that you’ll certainly never forget once you’ve run through them.
No doubt you came through adversity in your preparation. Perhaps you were rocked by frustrating illness or injury. Yet months of training have left you in superb condition or you wouldn’t have made it. Now is the time to forget about all of that. It’s not about that.
There may be individual scores to settle and you may be awarded a Blue for your performance in the race. But it is not about personal glory either.
On the day it is about racing in it’s purest form. It is about racing for Cambridge like there’s no tomorrow. Cherish it. There won’t be many more opportunities.
And when it’s all over, victory secured, more fun begins. There’s always a kicking Black Tie dinner and party. This will include a boat race hopefully providing a great opportunity to rub salt into their wounds.
Don’t forget: if you are not competing, you are still needed. Go watch and support. It is spectacular.
Ben Hope
2nds – 4ths Varsity Matches #
By the end of the Michaelmas term Cambridge cross-country folk are getting restless. Weeks’ worth of anti-Oxford banter has stoked the flames of Varsity passion, and our thirst for Dark Blue blood is becoming unbearable. With the rage welling up inside, there is only one way to satisfy our needs (and thus save the world from a bunch of crazed students in singlets). The season climaxes in two cross-country battles against Oxford: the Blues race on the last weekend of term, and the 2nds – 4ths contest the preceding Saturday. As the name suggests, “2nds – 4ths” is a chance for those runners in the 2nd team and below to take on, and vanquish, their evil Oxford counterparts.Are you sitting comfortably? Good – then I’ll begin…
Eight men compete in each of the 2nd and 3rd teams, with the 4ths being open to anyone who is brave enough to wear indecently short shorts in a public place. The Men’s 2nds are called the Spartans and the 3rds are called the Barbarians and both are separate races (eight against eight). Their Oxford counterparts are appropriately named the Tortoises and the Snails respectively. The ladies’ 2nd team comprises 8 so-called “cheetahs”, who race separately to the open 3rd team. Hosted alternately by Oxford and Cambridge, the annual event is followed by a night of wild entertainment and general carnage… After a friendly post-race curry we scamper off to the dance floor and strut our funky stuff. It is custom for the host team to mix up buckets of filthy (yet free) cocktail, fuel for the groove.
The final contest of the day rears its ugly head in the form of a “boat race” between Light and Dark Blues. The club’s hardest drinkers go head-to-head in a dash to the bottom of their beers, whilst the rest watch on in stunned awe/pity. Delightful.
Alcohol aside, 2nds – 4ths is the peak towards which we climb in the first term, a clear focus for training and one of the real highlights of the racing year. If you love cross-country, this one’s for you.
Believe the hype.
Andy Bell
BUCS Cross-country Championship #
There are four different races that take place at BUCS Cross:
- Men’s A (Long) Race: ~10km
- Women’s A (Long) Race: ~8km
- Men’s B (Short) Race: ~8km
- Women’s B (Short) Race: ~6km
Men’s:
| Team | Number of Members | Number to score |
|---|---|---|
| A | 6 | 4 |
| B | – | 4 |
Women’s:
| Team | Number of Members | Number to score |
|---|---|---|
| A | 4 | 3 |
| B | – | 3 |
While the men’s and women’s A teams are selected by the captains, there are unlimited entries in the B-races. So, everyone who wants to run can do so!
Officially the BUCS cross-country champs are the pinnacle of the winter season. A chance for Cambridge runners to race against their compatriots from other universities, to see which university/student is top dog, to see how good we really are.
But that is only half the story.
For some there is the chance of national glory, we regularly challenge for both individual and team medals. Others may be out there to thump mates from other universities, to race for the sake of racing, to generally go out there and cause havoc.
But BUCS is also about having one hell of a weekend. As a club we travel across Britain with our pre-race banter, we swamp the races in a sea of light blue vests, we scream our lungs out supporting, bask in the glory of those who do good, eat, drink and dance the night away. Then we return to Cambridge very very satisfied.
BUCS – for many the major racing aim of the winter season, for all a weekend not to be missed.
Rowan Hooper