The Bingley athlete set the course record in 1993 and over the past three decades has survived the onslaught of runners such as Mo Farah, Emile Caires and Joe Wigfield.
Richard Nerurkar was a world-class athlete on all surfaces: track, road and cross country. He finished fifth in both the 10,000 m at the 1991 World Athletics Championships and the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Marathon. Nerurkar also secured three national titles and multiple top-20 finishes at the world championships.
In 1993, he produced a string of outstanding performances that included a personal best of 27:40 in the 10,000m, two marathon victories in Hamburg and the World Cup in San Sebastian, as well as a 61:53 mark in the Great Northern Run.
Among his notable performances that season was his British 10 mile record of 46:02 at Cabbage Patch 10 on 17 October 1993.
An incredible 33 years later, the course record still stands. Ahead of this year’s edition of the event: Keith Newton He spoke with Nerurkar about that extraordinary performance.
Can you tell us a little bit about the lead up to the Cabbage Patch 10-miler? How did you feel your preparations went and what were the signs that you were in great shape?
Since mid-August I have been training specifically for the World Cup marathon (October 31, 1993). Midway through the build I took part in the Great Northern Run and then headed to Font Romeu for my last big training block. I returned to the UK from the Pyrenees exactly three weeks before the marathon, which was a week before the Cabbage Patch, my last race.
All my altitude training went well. I knew I was in good shape. I wasn’t feeling great in the days leading up to the cabbage patch. I think I was still tired from training at altitude. So I didn’t go into the race with high expectations. But I also didn’t expect it to be a tough competition.
Were there any specific sessions you did to prepare, or was it the main preparation for San Sebastian when this was out on the road?
All my training was geared towards the marathon two weeks later.
Can you remember how the race went, did you have a fast target time and how many other runners tried to keep up with you??
My recollection is that I was alone from about 400 meters into the race. I just got into a rhythm and just tried to run as fast as I could. What helped was having a couple of riders from the organizing team ahead of me pointing the route and giving me encouragement. By the end of the race I could feel them getting excited about my time.
How would you rank Cabbage Patch among your best road performances of all time?
It was satisfying to know that I got the best out of myself in that race. that’s how I’ll always remember it. Let’s just say it was the best time trial I’ve ever run.
We asked 1991 course record holder Simon Mugglestone, who, like Nerurkar, was an Oxford graduate, to comment on Richard’s performance. Mugglestone himself won the European Under-20 5000m in 1987 and is now doing very well as a Masters athlete.
“I have very fond memories of the Cabbage Patch 10 mile race, setting my personal best there in 1991, I think 47:41,” he says. “I remember it being a very fast course, but I was still amazed when I saw Richard run there a few years later in 46:02 and absolutely smash the British record in the process.
“It was a phenomenal run from a class athlete at the peak of his powers, probably one of his best performances ever. It is incredible to think that his record withstood all challenges for the next 30 years. Even with the advent of supershoes, it took another notable Olympian in the form of Emile Carres to break that record. made by Richard, an incredible record that has stood the test of time for over three decades… what a legend.”
Joe Wigfield has a long way to go from the middle distance to the half marathon. He recently retained his Westminster Mile title and won the Manchester Half Marathon, but was more fittingly the winner of the Cabbage Patch 10 in both 2022 and 2024. He presents his view on the importance of Nerurkar’s run.
“Richard’s track record around the Cabbage Patch is incredible. Setting a standard on the course that no one has come close to in recent years shows his class. Having run the course a lot of times, obviously you can run fast there, but to do that British record was a big achievement.”
All Cabbage Patch 10 winners can be found here
