The recent Surrey XC League at Epsom Downs not only witnessed GGAC’s John Sanderson win the individual title for 2024/25, it also saw club legend Mark (‘T’) Tennyson reach the incredible milestone of completing his 100th Surrey League race. Fellow legend Terry Booth caught up with T to hear more about this achievement, along with his experiences along the way.
Congratulations on racing your 100th Surrey League race at Epsom last weekend, when was your first?
Thank you. The first was on Saturday 10th February 1990 at Farthing Downs, Coulsdon (SLH). It seems like only yesterday!
How large was the GGAC squad in those days? Is anyone else still racing?
Tiny! There were a few matches in the early 1990’s when we received a penalty score, because we had less than the required ten.
Paul Sanderson is still competing. Other than Paul, very few runners including those from other clubs are still competing today. Brian O’Kane is one of the longest serving G’s and he signed up a decade later!
Do you know how long your longest streak is without missing a fixture?
Yes, it’s 23 (from fixture 2 in 1999/2000, to fixture 4 in 2004/05). This was across the millennium, so, maybe add a thousand! I am surprised it is this many as there were many seasons interrupted by winter bugs.
Tom Foster has already surpassed this mark. Tom has been ever-present since the third fixture of the 2017/18 season in Division Two. Six seasons (excluding 2020/21) in Division One moves him to 26. This is an excellent streak and long may it continue.
A few others are currently on long runs. Last season Guy Holcroft, Robin Boon and Phil Pryke all featured in the 50+ rankings and both Guy and Phil have been present at all four this season; so they move to at least eight consecutive.
This season John Sanderson, Matt McDaniel and Colin High feature in the rankings; so are on a minimum of four. Dan Wallis is also on four despite falling out of the top 5 after the Epsom Downs result. Remarkably, ‘we’ almost had the same order of top three finishers for the whole season. John, Danny & Tom came 1-2-3 in the first three matches and the only alteration to this order in match four was Cam Reilly finishing second instead of Dan.
Andrew Flanagan and Charlie Alger to their credit also completed all four league matches this season and other regulars like Ian Acreman, team manager Terry Booth, Ollie Gosden, Callum Job, Nick Lightfoot, Lee Lintern, Cam Reilly and Adam Poole must all have had good reason to miss one. A prominent omission over the season was Nick Tearle who missed the matches immediately before and after his excursion to New York City!
Also Ed, Will, newcomer Agusti, Adrien and Robin were key scorers or on the fringes of scoring this season.
Looking at this season, eighteen completed three of more matches, which is really encouraging. Nine did two and nineteen only one. So, if next season all those who did three or less can manage at least one extra fixture, this will really strengthen the team and may start your own long streak.
How many times have you made it into our scoring (top 10) team?
Now this is a better question! Firstly, I have to thank Colin High for me having this answer to hand. A few seasons ago the Surrey League was compiling a list of the athletes with over 50 scores and Colin threw my name into the equation.
As at February ’23, the league has my result as 82 – 84 with checks. The actual number is a few less than this and excludes that very first match in February 1990 for which I am missing the result.
Stuart Major (SLH) leads with 92 scores (78 for SLH & 12 for THH – not very good at maths are they?). Most were all Division 1, which is very impressive.
David Williamson (Tadworth) – 82 scores (Divisions 3 & 4).
Mark Tennyson (G&G) – 77 scores (Divisions 1 & 2 and a few in Division 3).
Tony Harran (HHH) – 76 scores (70 for HHH & 6 for VAC).
Has the standard of competition changed much over the years?
Yes, absolutely. The standard has peaked and troughed over the years. It is not a straight comparison for me as the G’s have yo-yoed between divisions (since 1990/91 – 13 seasons in Division One; 16 seasons in Division Two and 5 seasons in Division Three).
The first season ‘we’ were in Division One (2002/03), we came straight back down, went up the following season and then stayed in the higher division for four seasons (2004/05 –2007/08). Division One was a decent standard at this point with Herne Hill Harriers and Thames Hare & Hounds the dominant teams.
During our current six year tenure in Division One (excluding 2020/21), the standard has unquestionably been the highest. Fields in excess of three-hundred and the addition of one more team to the division before the 2023/24 campaign is testimony to support this.
The women’s Surrey League Division One, comprising of fifteen teams looks very strong too. It was only a few seasons ago when Division One was combined with Division Two.
Describe your best individual league performance(s).
Yes, this is probably performances. My best season was our very first in Division One when my club record read 2-1-2-1, although I only just scraped into the top 40 with 47-37-38-39. I then carried this form into the following season with 2-3-4-4 and four top ten finishes 5-9-8-10; unfortunately this time in Division Two!
It emphasises how well John, Dan, Cam, Tom and others have done to finish so high up the order in a fiercely competitive division.
One of the best more recent performances was match one at Richmond Park during the 2021/22 season. Dan Milton captured a few of us on camera ‘warming up’ and in heavy trainers both my feet were off the ground. I was ninth home for the G’s and it was the last time I was inside the first hundred.
A standout race was match 2 at Roehampton during the 2000/01 season. A very ‘wet’ winter had resulted in the rare cancellation of a cross-country fixture – the November match and the second match schedule for 13th January was also postponed by one week. It is 20th January 2001 and the Division Two match which this was, was combined with the South of the Thames Championship race (as this too had been postponed). It was over the distance of 10km which is long for a league course and short for the Championship event. We placed high in the league match and the first six home for the G’s – which included Paul Sanderson and I – also scored in the Championship race and we came third – the G’s first ever podium finish at this event.
Do you have a favourite course?
The Roehampton Vale (THH) course in the 2000’s not the current version. It was fast and furious and very technical in the wooded areas on Wimbledon Common. Wimbledon Golf Club has a lot to answer for, for forcing all the Wimbledon based clubs to move their cross-country courses away from their fairways. Fair? Absolutely not!
Least favourite?
Mitcham Common – initially not for the course itself, but because I missed the first few times we raced there. It seemed ill-fated. It was January ’19 when I first did that course on a mix of ‘wasteland’ and man-made mounds. However, since that long awaited first visit I have quite enjoyed the last few editions there!
Funniest thing you have seen at a Surrey League race?
A teammate having to hurdle a dog in the technical wooded section of the Roehampton Vale course has to be up there.
You seem to have outlasted most of your rivals, any thoughts on why?
I would say this is a question for another time. Genetics plays a key part and probably the male equivalent of ‘lady luck’. I do not believe in luck…. more the hardwork beforehand which then seems to create the luck. I will gather the thoughts of the likes of Terry, Susanna, BOK and Dave’s R & W and come up with a better answer to help you all.
I have witnessed really decent athletes call it a day in their forties, typically due to injuries. It is understandable for those who raced high end in their earlier years and a combination of injury, repetition, aging and slowing down has forced their hand.
I was late to athletics, after swimming, football and other sports, so, this will have been a factor.
Oh, did I mention the T-800 cyborg is a prominent model?
For anyone who hasn’t raced in the Surrey League yet, what are they missing out on?
Definitely the ‘camaraderie’, we are a very select bunch, who must sit on the edge of ‘standard deviation’. Cross-country isn’t for everyone, but more folk should at least try it. It’s about working as a team and making it to the finish line & funnel in as quick a time as possible. It’s not about the clock, it’s purely position. Once through the funnel, the ‘buzz’ becomes electric and the adrenaline and other neuro-transmitters require time to wear off.
The opportunity to simultaneously ‘warm down’ and cheer on the Senior women during their race. Not just the G’s, yes they get their name called, but all the participants. Dave Williams must get the full credit for this. The Surrey League has realised that more men stay to watch the women race than vice-versa.
The chance to spot Matt Lythell officiating somewhere on the course or at the finish line.
A slice of James Lacey’s lemon cake.
An after cross-country social with your teammates.
The opportunity to run at new venues like at Oxted next season. Who knows?
Do you have any remaining league ambitions?
One hundred matches reached. The bar has been set high for all of you. I certainly didn’t set out in February 1990 with the intention of making it this far – not when there are only four matches per season and I missed a few seasons along the way, including two in Division 3 (1994/95 – 1995/96).
Perhaps the longest span of scoring runs. Tom Conlon (HHH), whom I spoke to after this season’s Southern XC Champs about this, holds the record. It’s a staggering 38 years, 316 days (27th November 1976 – 10th October 2015).
Think about this for a moment. If a twenty year old chased this record they would be bordering sixty before surpassing it and only if they continued to score in those later years.
Remarkably Tom’s record may have already been improved upon at Epsom Downs. Did you hear about this Terry?
Anyway, this is another league season completed and next weekend’s National XC in London at Parliament Hill Fields will be the curtain closer.
I hope to see you all on the start line next season. Please make every effort to support Susanna, Terry, the Club and your teammates and do at least one more fixture than you did this season.
Thanks for being such fabulous clubmates.
T-100.
