This year’s edition of the event will witness an important milestone in its long history.
Aside from the English National Cross Country Championships, the Oxford-Cambridge University Cross Country Race is the oldest existing inter-club match.
The first race was held in Oxford in 1880 and ran over a 7½ mile course starting at the Royal Oak pub on Woodstock Road.
Both clubs, which were available only to men for almost 100 years, were opened to female members in the early 1970s, due to the steady increase in the number of female students at both universities in the post-war period.
On 15 November 1975, Oxford women took part in their first official race, a competition against the University of Birmingham at Shotover. Two weeks later, the first race against Cambridge was held at the same venue along with the men’s races for the second, third, fourth and fifth teams. Oxford won comfortably by seven points to 14 in a three-point contest with Cathy Meunier (St Hugh’s) taking individual honours.
The following year the race took on a much firmer footing when it was elevated to official status and was run alongside the Men’s Blues Race organized by Thames Hare and Hounds at Wimbledon Common in London. Oxford emerged victorious again, taking the top six places to win with a perfect score of 10 points to Cambridge’s 34. Lynne Wightman (Lady Margaret Hall) had the honor of winning that first official race.
In the intervening 50 years, the race has flourished. It continues to be held alongside the men’s competition at the south-west London venue and more than 300 runners from Oxford and Cambridge have represented their respective universities.
For some, it has been their personal Everest and for others, a springboard to greater achievements. Included in this illustrious list are Olympians Stephanie Cook, Mara Yamauchi, Sian Brice, Emma Pooley, Julia Bleadsale, Claire Hallissey and Louise Shanahan.
With the development of the race, the two clubs have strengthened considerably since the 1970s and have gained greater recognition to the point that, between them, they have achieved four victories in the British universities cross-country championships, in 1988, 1989 and 2000 with Oxford and in 2025 with Cambridge.
Taking into account the 1975 race, Oxford leads the series by 29 wins to 20. The 2025 edition will take place at 15:00 GMT, starting and finishing at the Thames Hare and Hounds headquarters in Roehampton Vale.
The event will be preceded by the 32nd Old Blues’ Race (12:30 GMT) and the 134th Men’s Race (14:00 GMT).
Tamsin Sangster, Oxford University Cross Country Club Women’s Captain, said: “I am very proud to be captain of the incredibly talented and inspiring women of OUCCC, whose dedication to competitive racing has produced countless personal and club successes this year. This special anniversary will be an exciting celebration of the past and present members who have contributed to our achievements.
“OUCCC will be forever grateful to the women and men who paved the way for women’s participation in the Varsity Match. I look forward to the next 50 years of even more strength running hand in hand with the women of OUCCC.”
Lilian Lewis, Cambridge University Hare and Hounds Women’s Captain: “It has been a pleasure to be the Cambridge University Hare and Hounds Women’s Captain this year and to train alongside such talented and dedicated athletes over the past three years.
“During this time, I have seen the women’s side of the club continue to grow, and we are now able to select a third level women’s team for the first time. In this anniversary year, it is exciting to be able to match the number of women’s varsity teams with the men’s. I can’t wait for this year’s Varsity and see what the next 50 years of Women’s Varsity will bring.”
Full race details can be found here.
More details about the history of the race can be found here.
