College Cuppers 2005
By Jacob Eisler
On Saturday, November 19th, 115 men and women of Cambridge for the (nth) annual running of College Cuppers, the most exciting meet of the College League competition, and, most importantly, the primary selection match for the Varsity duels against Oxford. Representing 24 colleges-as well as thousands of miles, millions of calories, and uncountable hours of training-the match was both an invigorating chance to see some of the finest Cambridge athletes as well as a tantalizing glimpse of the talent that will represent the university in the series of Varsity matches over the next two weeks.
The course itself consists of loops through the Wandlebury Park, with 2 laps for women and 3 plus a 'dog leg' for men, totalling 4.1 miles and 6.5 miles respectively. The terrain is the epitome of exhilarating running, comprised almost entirely of leaf-strewn dirt and grass paths through pleasantly rolling hills. While the frigid temperatures may have been discomforting to spectators, it kept the course dry and firm, and eliminated overheating as a concern-and indeed, watching the steam waft from the athletes during the final miles, one could not help but speculate the biting cold served as an additional incentive to quick completion.
The women's race, with 35 competitors representing 16 colleges, was a showcase of this year's infusion of new talent as well as the dramatic improvements made by last year's runners. Claire Day of Queen's emerged clearly victorious in 24.35-a 2 minute 42 second improvement on her own time last year despite battling illness for much of the season-followed by freshers Tricia Peters of Darwin (24.48) and Charlotte Forbes of Girton (25.11). The three will lead the Blues team against Oxford, accompanied by Catherine Wood of Queens' (25.19), Sarah Kummerfeld of Trinity (25.50-another dramatic improvement of 1.34), and Kyla Bowen-LaGrange of Pembroke (26.03-a third far speedier time, dropping 2 minutes 34 seconds from last year despite a wrong turn in the race). In the College League competition, Trinity, led by Dr. Joan Lasenby (25.35) and Kummerfeld, emerged triumphant, followed by Queens' and Girton.
If the women's race was a celebration of realized potential, the men's was a gruelling competition for select spots on the Blues team. Will George of Jesus led the entire competition, finishing in a blazing 33 minutes flat (a 7 second improvement over last year's victorious time, and a 22 second improvement on his own mark). Tailing George for the entire race were Matt Armstrong of Trinity Hall (33.17) and Owain Bristow of Churchill (33.21-a 1.10 improvement). Each of the top three runners finished ahead of the respective position from the previous year, an excellent omen for the coming struggle against Oxford. With the three forming a distinct lead pack, the remaining runners were left to battle ferociously for the remaining Blues spot-with four proven runners resting in preparation for the actual Varsity match, only 4 of 8 Blues positions were available assuming no dramatic surprises. After enduring almost seven punishing miles, Andy Bell of Queen's slid in fourth at 34.18 to snag the final Blues spot, gradually grinding down Diarmuid O'Seaghdha of Corpus Christi (34.39-remarkably, the exact same time as last year) and Rich Hewitt of Jesus (34.48). In College League duel, George and Hewitt lead Jesus to a resounding victory; Queens' and Girton doubled up to take the same respective spot for men as for women.
As the final runners completed their cooldown jogs and surveyed the misty hills that had so recently borne their footfalls and their hopes, thoughts and dreams turned toward the coming Varsity Matches. The Blues Match will take place on December 3rd on the hills of Wimbledon Common. However, it will be preceded by the drama of the other Varsity Matches, representing the II-Vs teams for men and the II and III teams for women. On November 26th, these teams will proceed to the Shotover course at Oxford to challenge their dark blue counterparts, and hopefully pave the way for a season of Cambridge dominance.