Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's Alex Bruce-Littlewood warmed up for Saturday's Kent cross country championships with a record-breaking start to 2011 in winning his club's five miles multi-terrain race on Wimbledon Common on New Year's Day.

Bruce-Littlewood dominated the race of the start and was well clear of his rivals at the end of the opening lap. He crossed the finishing line in 25 minutes 10 seconds to smash the course record of 25:40 set by Kevin Quinn last year.

Bruce-Littlewood, 20, also show a dramatic improvement on the time of 26:01 he clocked when finishing third last year. Wimbledon Common is proving a happy hunting ground for Bruce-Littlewood. Three weeks earlier he won an inter-club five miles cross country race there.

"I was pleased with that," said Bruce-Littlewood who won by more than 100m.

He will be challenging for the Kent senior title for the first time at Wilmington School, Dartford, on Saturday, and is hopeful he can pull off a win after beating defending champion Mike Coleman in a Surrey League race at Dorking in November. He won the Kent junior title three years ago.

Most of Hercules Wimbledon's top cross country runners will be competing in the Surrey cross country championships at Lloyd Park, Croydon, on Saturday.

Kieran White, who will be leading the challenge in the senior men's race finished 40 seconds behind Bruce-Littlewood in the multi-terrain event, repeating his runners-up spot in 2010, but clocking seven seconds faster.

Teenager Andrew Penney, who leads Hercules Wimbledon's medal hopes in the junior championship at Croydon, finished fourth (26:20) with David Grima 12th (30:17), Andrew Davies 13th (30:35) and Stewart Bond 15th (31:20).

Marathon runner Claire Grima, who was leading the women's race early on, eventually finished second in 31:58 ahead of Frank Wood (32:14) who was third in the veteran men's over 45 category.

Deyan Knespl, 19, who last year was selected for a British rowing trial, was second junior man in 34:25 ahead of his younger sister Michaela, 17, who set a junior women's course record of 34:49.

Stu Littlewood, the father of the race winner, was first over 55 veteran in 35:32 with Maurice Sharp first over 65 finisher in 35:43, almost a minute ahead of third over 60 finisher Martin Miller (36:38).

Sharp also won the Lauriston Runners Club Championship decided in conjunction with the race from Miller with Dennis Williams, who was third over 65 finisher, third in 40:52.

Frank Wood completed a busy weekend. After running in the multi-terrain event on Wimbledon Common he finished 88th out of more than 500 runners in the Tadworth 10 miles multi-terrain race on Epsom Downs on Sunday in 1:12:43.

Last year, Kieran White led Hercules Wimbledon to bronze team in the senior Surrey championship but, Hercules Wimbledon best chance for a set of team medals this year appears to be in the junior men's championship with Laim White, last year's under 17 winner, Penney and Alex Robinson, the reigning champion, although hampered by injury this winter, and Geordie Logan leading the club challenge.

The club will have runners in most of the championship races including the senior women's event and age group races. First race is the boys' under 13 championship at 11am.

Hercules Wimbledon's Anna Garnier ended the old year in style by winning the women's over 55 category in Ely Runners' New Year's Eve 10km road race in Cambridgeshire in a personal best of 41:51.

She sliced seven seconds off her previous best time set in 2005. Biathlon international Elliot Laville finished sixth out of almost 100 runners in the Bushy Park 2km junior parkrun on Sunday in 8:36. Charles Lawrie was first veteran over 60 finisher in the Wimbledon Common 5km parkrun on Saturday in 23:04.

* Hercules Wimbledon's track and field training sessions take place at Wimbledon Park athletics stadium on Tuesday and Thursday evenings starting at 6.30pm and Sunday morning at 10.30am. Further details from coaching coordinator Maurice Sharp on 020 8337 8707.

*Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club hold mid-week road running training sessions for marathon, cross country and road runners from Lauriston Cottage, 6a Southside, Wimbledon Common, at the junction with Lauriston Road, every Wednesday evening from 7pm. Contact Pete Mulholland on 020 8761 4308 for more details.