South of Thames titles for Ben Cole and Georgie Bruinvels

News from the historic event at Lloyd Park as we bring you our latest UK round-up from the cross-country and road racing scene

SOUTH OF THE THAMES CCA 7.5-MILES CHAMPIONSHIP, Croydon, Surrey, December 16

The second of the Association’s events this winter went back to Lloyd Park, a venue familiar to runners based to the south of London and Georgie Bruinvels and Ben Cole retained their titles, over seven-and-a-half miles of hills, mud and fast running, Martin Duff reports.

For Bruinvels, it was a bounce back from defeat in the five-mile event held in November and was the fourth time that the 35-year-old had taken one of the Association’s titles.

The South of England champion, from back in January, ran out a relatively narrow winner over Belgrave Harriers’ Lea Adamson, who was back in 21st place in the Southern, but came in just about 70 yards down. Nevertheless, she led her club to their third team win in this event in a row and seventh in all since the women’s section began in 2004.

Whilst Cole was a convincing winner by nearly 200 metres there was a second Association medal, in a month, for Dulwich Runners’ Edward Chuck, who had won the 5-mile event at Beckenham in November.

Ben Cole (James Rhodes)`

In last year’s race at Aldershot, Cole had been led home by guest runner Peter Chambers, so this win here was all the sweeter without that distraction but he has been a good servant to Tonbridge over the years.

In both 2022 and 2023 the 38-year-old heads the British M35 5km rankings with 14:14 and 14:07 and was fourth in this race in 2017. Cole’s record in this championship is exemplary and was third as far back as 2014, as well as runner-up in the five-mile event both in 2011 and 2012.

However, it was Belgrave Harriers who won both the men’s six to score and 12 to score team race and was their first victory in the event since 2009.

The race was historically known as the South of the Thames ‘Senior’ Championship and dates from 1888 and previous winners include the likes of Frank Sando (1952), Martin Hyman (1959), Steve Ovett (1976), Nick Rose (1980) and Gary Staines (1996).

The event once had barring causes for former medallists and now the ‘senior’ tag refers to the recognition that medals are given to the first runner in each of the over-40 veteran age groups.

Tom Mower (Mark Hookway)

For the men, it was Kent AC’s Tom Mower, in eighth overall who took the M40 medal while Simon Coombes, back in…