SW Vets -- Festival 5 -- Killerton Kanter

The South West Veterans Track and Field Championships
On Sunday 20th June 2010 four Exmouth Harriers competed in the South West Veterans Track and Field Championships. Each of the club members completed remarkable performances on such a hot and sticky day, between them taking several first and one second place in differing disciplines.

Dave Eveleigh took first place in the 10,000 metre race, M55 age category, in a time of 52 minutes and 34 seconds, going on to complete a total distance of 11 374 metres in a one hour period.

Andy Kennedy took first place in the same distanced race in the M50 age category, in a time of 43 minutes, 15.1 seconds.

Les Turner took second place in the 100 metre race, M65 age category, in a time of 18.6 seconds, just one second behind the winner. He also took first place in the 200 metre race, M65 age category, in a time of 36.7 seconds. Of the field events Les took first place in the long jump event, M65 age category, and second place in the triple jump with a distance of 6.80 metres, just 10mm ahead of his rival in second place.

John Perratt took first place in the 200 metre race, M70 age category, in a time of 35.5 seconds. He also took first place in the 1,500 metre race, M70 age category, in a time of 6 minutes and 31.1 seconds. With energy to spare John went on to win the 5,000 metre race, in his age category, in a time of 22-50.6.

Turning his attention to the field events John Perratt took the first place in the pentathlon, in the V70 age category, after completing the five disciplines, of long jump, javelin, 200 metre race, discus and finally the 1,500 metre race.

Already with next years championships in sight John will train a bit harder and compete in a few more disciplines (!)

Festival 4
"On a warm evening on Wednesday 23rd June 2010 Ironbridge Runners hosted the "Festival 4", a race in aid of Prostrate Cancer. The race, in actual fact just over four miles in length, is a single circuit on the south side of the River Exe starting from the weir below the Keys in Exeter. From the start the route follows the course of the river and heads out toward the coast where at the Swing bridge the athletes immerge onto Bridge Road. Here they turn right for a few metres along the footpath before turning right back along a path. This leads back to the finish roughly parallel to the outward journey. A level course with some tight turns and hazards of pedestrians and cyclists to avoid. After a warning to the runners to be aware of cattle on the course the race started watched and cheered on by many supporters.

Four Exmouth Harriers competed in the event, Andy Johnson, John Perratt, Jim Wyatt and Les Turner.

The eventual winner was a local Exmouth based athlete Tom Merson, running in the colours of Bristol and West, who complete the course in a impressive time of 21 minutes and 50 seconds, finishing over one minute ahead of the second placed runner.

The first female athlete was Lucy Commander of South West Road Runners in a time of 25-56.

Andy Johnson led the Exmouth Harrier contingent home in overall 23rd place in a time of 28-20.

John Perratt was the first, and only runner, in the V70 age category, finishing in overall 55th place in a time of 31-27.

Jim Wyatt finished in overall 81st position, taking the second place in the V65 age category, in a time of 33-54, followed by Les Turner who took the overall 129th position in a time of 39-10. Les took the 3rd place in the V65 age category.

Killerton Kanter
"At 6pm on Saturday 26th June 2010, yet another warm summers evening, over one hundred athletes took part in the Killerton Kanter hosted by Mount Bay Harriers, Triathlon and Running Club. An undulating ten kilometre cross country race around the grounds of Killerton House. The first one and one half kilometres proved very rough under foot with the next, similar distance being very dusty. There after the route proved to rise and fall as it made its way through the shade of the woods. The down hill stretch to the finished followed the course of a twisting path.

This race was attended by four Exmouth Harriers, Mike Musgrove, Adam Miller, Jim Wyatt and Dawn Teed. Unfortunately for Mike Musgrove he set off at a fast pace, along with another runner. Mike looked that he was likely to take the winning spot but somehow managed to take a wrong turn along the course and therefore excluded from the finishing results.

The first place was awarded to Kerry Roberts, from the Tiverton Harriers, who completed the course in a time of exactly 40 minutes.
Adam Miller finished in overall 5th position in a time of 41-13.

The first female athlete to complete the course was Magdalen Miller, in overall 22nd place, of the North Devon Road Runners in a time of 45-36.

Jim Wyatt finished in 68th position in a time of 54-23, he being the 5th in the V60 age category. Dawn Teed completed the Exmouth set finishing in 89th position in a time of 57-40 and being 7th in the FV45 age category.

(RW)

Dave Stone goes on and on...

On Father's Day, an exceptionally hot day, Sunday 20th June 2010, Dave Stone convinced his family that participating in the Over the Hill and Farway 10k all terrain race took priority in the morning. And well he did, finishing the overall winner, some two and one half minutes ahead of his nearest rival, in an impressive time of 37 minutes and 45 serconds. This is only the second such race organised by the Farway Primary School, abley assisted by Alan Rowe of the Honiton Running Club, and Dave is now the course record holder, having knocked over a minute off the origin race winning time.

The course is basically a figure of eight starting just before the village hall on the outskirts of the village of Farway, between Honiton and Colyton. The route heads off in a westerly direction, increasing in altitiude slightly all the way, passing the War Memorial and Thorn Farm where the route takes a right turn along a farm track toward Netherton Hall.

About one and a half kilometres from the start the course takes a sharp left turn back onto the road way where the incline rises sharply over Culver and Warren Hills. Right at Bucknole Cross and the route follows the road down hill to the T junction south of Northleigh Village. A right turn takes the runners toward Northleigh Farm to Suddon Lane. A left turn takes the runners to Farway Cross, again ascending a steady climb. At the top of the incline a sharp left turn brings them back along Colyton Road to Northleigh. The first left in the village climbs again for a short distance then passes the Church where the course again passes Northleigh Farm.

This time at Suddon Cross the runners turn right and follow the road back to the finish in front of the village hall. A spectator at the event said that "Dave was flying" and Dave himself, that evening, admitted that the race was hard, very hilly and hot."

(RW)

Dave Stone wins Ultimate Marathon

On Saturday 5th June 2010 Dave Stone, the sole entrant for the Harriers, was again giving a display of his running talents at the Dartmoor Discovery Road Race. This race is an ultra marathon over 32 miles of, as the name suggests, Dartmoor.

On a hot and virtually windless day the race started in Prince Town before heading out toward Two Bridges and then Ashburton. From there the route turned back toward Widecoombe in the Moore and then Post Bridge before finishing as the start at Prince Town. Much of the route was without shade and it was particularly humid so the many water stations provided much needed replenishing fluids.

Dave started well but was concerned as the lead runner opened a large gap early on in the race. Maintaining his discpline Dave ignored this overly fast start and continued at his own pace. Although he was informed that at one stage he was trailing over a mile behind the lead runner Dave raced on ever closing the gap and eventually overtook the front runner. At his own blistering pace Dave eventually finished the race taking first place in a time of 3 hours, 50 minutes and 53 seconds, nine minutes ahead of the second placed runner.

This, his, latest achievement was one minute faster than the last time he won the race, six years ago. Age does not seem to be having an adverse effect on our local athlete.

The first woman to complete the race was Helen Taranoski of the West Four Harriers in a time of 4-18-46.

The last runner home, in 130th position, was Patricia Seabrook of Finch Coasters who finished in a time of 7-57-34.

At mid-day on the same day Axe Valley Runners organised, in co-operation with Talaton Villiage Day, the Talaton Trotter in which four Exmouth Harriers competed. This race is approximately 6.5 miles in length, largely off-road following fields, footpaths, woods and country lanes. The race started from the site of the show field in Talaton between Honiton and Exeter. The race attracked many good quality runners, especially the contingent from Exmouth Harriers.
The first athlete to complete the course was Jake Waldron of the South West Road Runners in a recorded time of 45 minutes and 28 seconds.

The first lady home was Emma Hitchins also of the SWRR in overall 8th position in a recorded time of 50-58.

Andy Johnson led the Exmouth Harriers home in overall 12th position in a recorded time of 53-17, followed by Andy Kennedy in overal 19th position in a recorded time of 55-30.

Emma Dupain finished in overall 39th position in a time of 59-38. John Perratt, actually running in the Sidmouth colours, finished in overall 56th position in a time off 1 hour 6minutes and 1 second, taking the first prize in the V70 age category.

The athlete to complete the course was Jenny Adams of Wells City Harriers in overall 94th position in a recoded time of 1-20-48.

Earlier in the week on Tuesday 1st June 2010 Ironbridge Runners held the first event in "The Run Exe Summer Series". Amongst the eighty competitors were three Exmouth Harriers, Andy Johnson, Dave Eveleigh and Jim Wyatt.

The course was change slightly from previous years to around the River Exe overflow which had to be shared with cyclists, dog walkers and ducks. On a warm, sunny evening with a brisk northerly wind the runners started their 5k race which consisted of two laps of a flat tarmac surface.

The first runner to complete the race was Jack Bancroft of Exeter University AC in a time of 15 minutes and 44 seconds.

The first female athlete in overall 14th position was Lucy Kelvey of Newquay RR in a time of 18-29.

Andy Johnson was the first Exmouth Harrier to cross the finishing line in 26th place in a time of 19-29. Dave Eveleigh finished in 60th place in a time of 24-20 followed immediately behind in 61st place by Jim Wyatt in a time of 24-25.
In last place, in 80th position, was Amy Heywood of Run in England who recorded a finishing time of 35-24.

(RW)

Plymouth Half Marathon

At 9am, bright and early on Sunday 30th May 2010 three Harriers, Hugh Marsden, Dawn Teed and Trevor Cope lined up with four thousand, seven hundred and twenty eight runners to take part in the Plymouth Half Marathon. Their heads concentrating on the gruelling thirteen point one miles of tarmac ahead of them and the Cornish pasties awaiting them at the finishing line.

The race started on the Hoe, the site of the famous Beatles photograph from the sixties in the shadow of Smeaton's Tower (the lighthouse in the photo for non-Plymothians), with a circuit of the Citadel and harbour area before heading west along the main road through Prince Rock toward the river Plym. Immediately after crossing the river a sharp left turn took the runners along the eastern bank of the river, and just over four miles into the race the long ascent of nearly a mile into Saltram Park started. After exiting the park at the hill's peak the runners took a right turn and descended along Haye Road to the A379 Elburton Road and back toward the city centre. Once again the runners crossed the river Plym and followed the road around Sutton Pool (the most ancient part of Plymouth) via Coxside, passed the Citadel where a right turn took them back to the Hoe. With the tantalising finishing line in sight a final loop around the Hoe was endured before the athletes crossed the finishing line on the Hoe Promenade itself.

The first runner to complete the race was Jean [John] Ndayisenga of the Birchfield Harriers in a recorded time of 1 hour, 6 minutes and 32 seconds, forcing local athlete Kairn Stone into second place. The first female runner to cross the finishing line, in overall 23rd place, was Yimenashu Taye, unattached runner, in a time of 1-19- 21.

Hugh Marsden led the Harrier's trio home in overall 33rd place in a recorded time of 1-22-46. His valiant efforts won him the first place in the V50 age category.

Dawn Teed finished in overall 1802nd place in a recorded time of 1-59-35. Trevor Cope finished in overall 3257th place in a recorded time of 2-15-23.

The last runner to complete the course was Priscilla Rowe in a time of 4-19-46. The distance and hot weather conditions forced 37 runners to abandon their attempts to complete the race.

(RW)