A Cambridge student who was inspired to apply to Trinity College by Chariots of Fire has broken the record for its Great Court Run, which was made famous by the film.

Sam Dobin, 19, was the third person to run the 367-metre course, in the time it takes the college clock to strike noon: 43.6 seconds for two sets of 12 chimes. The economics student’s time of 42.77 seconds was described by Professor Kevin Gray, Dean of Trinity College, as “a truly tremendous achievement and a rare moment in Trinity’s history”.

David Burghley, who in 1927 first beat the clock, running the course in 43.1 seconds, went on to win gold in the 400-metre hurdles at the 1928 Olympic Games. Lord Coe, another gold medallist and chairman of the organising committee for 2012 London Olympics, is generally accepted as the second person to have completed the race, although his 42.5second attempt is not officially recognised by Trinity.

Lord Coe congratulated Mr Dobin, saying that finishing the race before the final chime was a “fantastic and very rare achievement”.

Mr Dobin seemed bemused. “It’s really surreal, I don’t know how it happened. I’ve only been training for five weeks. The night before, I trained really hard – then I went to a college party, but I couldn’t bear the music so I left really early and went to bed.

“I was hobbling about on my bad ankle. The athletics captain phoned me and told me not to run because the cobblestones on the square aren’t good for my ankle, and I agreed.

“But then I thought, ‘Should I? Shouldn’t I?’ So I called my best friend, and he said, ‘Sam, you’re in really great shape, do it’.

“When I got to the line, I started regretting it completely. It was all silent, there were lots of people watching, it was amazing. Maybe I was just inspired.”

Mr Dobin, who has restarted his first year, having been forced by illness, including a running injury, to miss some time at Cambridge, was inspired to apply to Trinity by the 1981 film Chariots of Fire, which was actually filmed at Eton College. Of the film, which follows two British athletes preparing for the 1924 Olympics, one of whom completes the Great Court Run, Mr Dobin said: “It’s why I applied to Trinity College. When I went round the colleges choosing which one to apply to, I stood on the lines in the Great Court and thought. ‘Wow’.”

The Trinity College Great Court run is traditionally attempted by freshers on the day of the Matriculation Dinner, which this year was on October 20.

He said of his achievement: “It’s really motivating – it’s inspired me to go from here to 2012. Whatever happens, Saturday will always be at the back of my mind,” Mr Dobin said.

Lord Coe and Lord Burghley both won Olympic gold medals shortly after they completed the Great Court Run; both chaired Olympic organising committees; and both became Members of both Houses of Parliament.

Mr Dobin also has political aspirations. He visited 10 Downing Street after being voted Youth Prime Minister in a debating competition organised last year by the National Youth Parliament.