Early on the morning of Sunday, 26th of April, a contingent of OUCCC members made their way to Blackheath for the start of what would prove to be a historic day. The London Marathon is kind enough to continue hosting the Marathon Varsity Match, giving us a field of 7 men and 4 women to take on the 26.2-mile challenge.

Most of us had attempted a slightly condensed 12-week marathon block immediately after BUCS Cross Country, with mixed results. Some put in stellar mileage; others were plagued by injuries and niggles, lending proceedings a pleasing air of unpredictability come race day. It's fair to say we discovered the marathon to be a particularly unforgiving event for a student, balancing the demands of Oxford academics with monster sessions such as 4 x 5km and 30km+ long runs is no small feat. Nonetheless, carbs were duly loaded, tapers dutifully enjoyed, and spirits were high on race morning, with many eyeing up the full blue (2:25 men, 2:55 women) and half blue (2:40 men, 3:20 women) standards.

Conditions were fantastic, if a touch warm, and the first half of the race passed enjoyably enough. For many of us this was a first marathon, or at least a first London, and I was quite blown away by the support out on the streets and the general atmosphere in the city that day. However, as anyone who has run a marathon will tell you, it is a 30km warm-up with a 10km race at the end. Most passed through halfway roughly on pace, no mean feat given some of the more ambitious goals, but heading into Canary Wharf the wheels began, inevitably, to come off. A varied catalogue of injuries, stomach troubles and cramp afflicted the team, though all pressed on with dogged determination.

My own experience of the final 10km, as one leaves Canary Wharf and sets out down the never-ending Embankment, was one of pure misery. The crowds in London, however, are truly something else, and they carry you through to the very end; they leave you no option but to keep powering on. They also soften, somewhat, the indignity of being overtaken by Harry Potter, Where’s Wally, or our very own Alex Betts in full sub-fusc.

At the finish line, it became clear we had been part of a genuinely historic day. Sebastian Sawe, Yomif Kejelcha and Jacob Kiplimo all dipped under the previous world record, with the top two also slipping beneath the long sought-after 2-hour mark. It would be remiss not to draw the obvious parallel with Oxford's own Roger Bannister breaking the 4-minute barrier, paced that day by the Cambridge athlete Chris Brasher, who would later go on to found the London Marathon. The continued support of his son, Hugh Brasher, the current race director, for Oxbridge marathon running remains vital to the survival of this historic match.

To our own results: despite innumerable 30km blow-ups, bonks and crashes, all clung on for some very respectable times.

• Matt Luney 2:35:40 (half blue)
• Will Worthy 2:53:19
• Mark Allen 2:53:46
• Daniel Erasmus 2:54:34
• Ted Featherstone 2:57:50
• Edward Anders 2:59:37
• Toby O'Keefe 3:02:16
• Rosie Thorogood 2:58:10 (half blue)
• Ella Bradford 3:16:48
• Elodie Gouellain 4:15:49
• Alix Bedouin 4:31:17

With some equally impressive performances from the alumni:

• Robbie Brown 2:33:05

• Luke Gribbin 2:35:43

• Edward Brooks 2:37:55

• Joe Bowness 2:38:37

• Alex Betts 2:55:26 (in full sub-fusc!)

This secured a win in the Men's Varsity Match, with a cumulative time of 11:17 to Cambridge's 11:36, and a loss in the Women's, 15:02 to 12:36.

I'd like to thank London Marathon Events for their continued support of the event, our coach Matt Seddon for his unflagging advice and encouragement, and all those who were out on the streets of London cheering us on. The many shouts of "Come on, Oxford!" made all the difference.

By William Worthy