A Jurassic Coast Jaunt? No, a real Toughie!

The 78.6miles (3 Marathons over 3 days on the South West Coastal Path) Jurassic Coast Challenge 2008 was completed by Exmouth Harrier Sue Wilkin. Fellow Harrier Paul Champion completed “the oner” form of the event which involved doing all 3 coastal marathons in 24hrs, starting at night, navigating yourself round. After the remarkable 20 starters : 5 finishers ratio of 2007, thirty five runners signed up for a crack at 2008 including past winner Tim Holsgrove.

Like many of the other runners, Sue and Paul both felt that the organisation was brilliant and the camaraderie was fantastic. They completed the JCC as part of their preparation for the single stage North Face Ultra-Trail Du Mont-Blanc this August. Paul plans to run the 102-mile route (time limit 46 hours) for the second consecutive year, while Sue will be attempting the 60-mile route (time limit 25 hours) for the first time. Two other Exmouth Harriers, Jon and Lorraine Croome, are also training for the 60-mile Tour Du Mont Blanc.

Day 1 – Lyme Regis to Chickerell (Weymouth)
Taking in Charmouth, Seatown, The Golden Cap and heading for Burton Bradstock for the rough half way point for the day, most of the hills were done and dusted in the first half of the day.
The runners, who had to navigate their way from checkpoint (CP) to checkpoint, had to deviate inland slightly after CP3, through the Abbotsbury Swannery to edge around Fleet Lagoon and complete the last 8 miles to the finish.

Day 2 Chickerell to Lulworth Cove.
With the new Portland leg of the 2008 route finally cleared, everyone moved onto the Weymouth sea front, with ever more forceful gusts of wind and heavier showers drilling the runners as they mounted the coast path proper once more bound for Osmington Mills. From Osmington to Lulworth took in the steep paths of Ringstead Bay, White Nothe and the legendary photography spot of Durdle Door, before plunging the athletes on a roller coaster descent to the finish at Lulworth Cove.

Just as the majority of the 3-day challengers were finishing their day at Lulworth the 35 competitors of “the oner” were gathering at Lyme Regis at 6pm Saturday night before purposefully moving off from the Lyme Regis Cobb and up the hill to Charmouth. The winds then approached force 10 and the rain drove across soaking the runners from every conceivable angle within seconds of exposure.

At CP 1 (Seatown), with no sign of imminent improvement, the event had to be interrupted so as not to endanger the lives of the competitors. Then they re-commenced at 5:30am for a double marathon stint to arrive at the finish at Studland around the same time as the JCC 3-day competitors.

Right from the re-start Tim Holsgrove took advantage of the favourable conditions and assumed the lead that he held right through to the finish line in 8hrs 55mins, over half hour before runner up Andy Barnsley, to pick up his second “oner” title.

Of the 35 runners who started, only 18 completed the “oner” (or the 2/3rder) as it was now being nicknamed. Exmouth’s Paul Champion, up against some much younger runners, ran superbly for 5th place in 10hrs 33mins. Genuine congratulations go to all the runners for handling some atrocious weather, changed plans and a really tough course to make the finish.

Day 3 – Lulworth Cove to Studland (the finish line).
The course for day 3 took over where day 2 left off with massive undulations over the ranges to Kimmeridge for CP1. From Kimmeridge the increasingly tiring athletes conquered Hounds Tout, Chapmans Pool and St Aldhelms Head before reaching Peverill point and the last CP before the finish. From here it was up and over Ballard Down and along the beach to the end of the challenge. Oliver Sinclair led them home to claim his second ‘Golden trainer’ award in 14hrs 12mins, and Lucy Brooks and Steve Hilton were once again in together joint 2nd just 8 minutes later.

Exmouth Harrier Sue Wilkin struggled with badly battered feet but is certainly no quitter and was never going to be one of the 30 or so runners who failed to run the full distance, which turned out to be 23 to 25 miles more than that completed by the oners. Sue finished 63rd in 23hrs 20mins out of the original 80 + starters.

Taunton Half Marathon
Three Exmouth Harriers were among the field of 1,089 runners who completed the Taunton Half Marathon, which was won by Philip Parry of Bristol & West AC in 1:11:30. Andy Johnson, the first Harrier to finish, needed to average 6:50 pace to avoid the ignominy of his first 90 minute + half marathon since 1990. (That would leave him with 30 seconds to spare for the final 5K). He had to work hard into the breeze and up the long incline but got through 5 miles in 34:11. By half-way he felt very tired and stopped looking at the pace on his watch so that he could concentrate on running as fast a pace as he could maintain. After going through 10 miles in 68:19 - bang on target - he really struggled up the climb to the 11th mile (7:20 split), so his 30 seconds to spare had already gone. Fortunately, the next mile was downhill and he picked up more time on the final mile to finish inside 90 minutes, in 1:29:53, in 85th place.

Julie Gellender had an outstanding race to come 1st LV35 and 79th overall in 1:29:27. Although she arrived at the finish line after Andy, she had been much further back in the starting pack and her adjusted time for the race was slightly quicker. Trevor Cope was 577th in 1:55:03.

(LT Reports - 29.4.08)

Arlington Court Canter 10k

Three Exmouth Harriers were among the field of 233 runners who competed in the Arlington Court Canter 10K Race on a scenic, undulating course through the extensive National Trust grounds at the country estate. The course is mostly off road and follows woodland trails, tracks, parks and lakes and takes in several testing climbs mixed in with some fast downhill and flat sections.

The race was won by John Ward of Bideford A C in 35:52. The three Exmouth Harriers were Ben White 97th, Nigel Dupain 98th and Emma Dupain 99th in 51:41, 51:42 and 51:44, respectively.

Tresco Marathon

The field of 125 for the Tresco Marathon, which was won by Bob Brown in 2:59:29, included Exmouth Harrier Richard Selby, competing in his first marathon for 22 years. He picked a beautiful but gruelling event for the occasion, because 7 ½ laps of an island with 4 hills on it means 30 hills in total!

The runners had a rude awakening when the boat taking them to the island put them down in the water, which they had to wade through, getting nice and wet in the process. Despite this, Richard thought the organisation was brilliant.

The conditions were reasonably good and Richard ran superbly to come 1st V55 and 10th overall in 3:26:22. He was very tired, but managed to maintain a steady pace throughout.

Richard was delighted that he was able to raise around £600 for the official marathon charity, Cystic Fibrosis and would like to thank all his sponsors, to whom he is extremely grateful.

The London Marathon

Exmouth Harrier Hugh Marsden delayed his return from the Falkland Islands Marathon last month so that, together with the winner, Simon Almond, he could be among the athletes who accompanied “Blind Dave” Heeley and his sighted guide, Malcolm Carr, on the first of his record-breaking “Seven Magnificent Marathons” in seven days on seven continents.

As many people are aware from the national media, only two internationally renowned British adventurers, Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Dr Mike Stroud have achieved the feat before. “Blind Dave” has undertaken this extraordinary Challenge to increase awareness of visual impairment around the globe, to celebrate the independence, freedom and confidence that a guide dog provides and to raise as much funds as possible for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

The marathons, which were all successfully accomplished, were the Falkland Islands (Antarctica), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (South America), Los Angeles (North America), Sydney (Australasia), Dubai (Asia), Tunis (Africa) and finally, the Flora London Marathon (Europe).

Congratulations to “Blind Dave” and sighted guide Malcolm on a wonderful achievement!

The Kenyan Martin Lel won his third London Marathon title (his second in consecutive years), breaking the six-year old course record in 2:05:15 and leading three men under 2:06 for the greatest in-depth men’s marathon in history.

The first Exmouth Harrier to finish, after a great performance, was Dave Stone, 162nd in 2:38:49 and Adrian Kearns was 787th in 2:56:32. Peter McKeown was 3,918th in 3:28:06 and Trevor Cope was 13,907th in 4:22:53. Nigel Dupain finished 15,832nd in 4:33:35, having suffered with cramp in the last few miles. Colin Rowland was 20,355th in 5:09:55.

In the women’s event, Jo Darwood ran superbly to come 67th in 3:12:58. Hannah Dupain was very proud to be part of the elite ladies start, which she qualified for two years ago, but had to defer until after baby Aidan was born. Unfortunately, she started too quickly and paid the price in the last few miles, finishing 194th in 3:37:08. But as she only gave birth six months ago, all her family are very proud of her. She was very grateful to Dave Stone for being a great club member and taking the time to encourage her when she was beginning to flag.

Sister Emma Dupain was on target for 4 hours until she had to have pain killers at 23 miles for the inflamed hip which had prevented her from training for the last few weeks. She came 2,770th in 4:13:15, but managed to finish well.

Last but by no means least, that stalwart of Exmouth Harriers for a great many years, Jan Moulton, produced an excellent performance to break 5 hours by coming 67,25th in 4:58:08. Well done Jan, and all the other runners!!

Altogether 34,420 runners completed the 2008 London Marathon, making it the third largest in the 28-year history of the event.

(LT)

Bampton... Axe to Exe --- Teignbridge

Nine Exmouth Harriers competed in the Bampton to Tiverton 7 Mile Road Race that was first held on 22nd April 1946. A fleet of buses takes competitors from the race headquarters at Tiverton Town Football Club, Bolham Road, Tiverton, to the start outside the White Horse Hotel in the centre of Bampton. The race follows the undulating main A396 road down the Exe Valley to Bolham, where the runners climb the steepest hill of the course and run past the front lodge of Knightshayes Court and across a bridge over the North Devon Link Road. The race finishes in Peoples' Park, Tiverton overlooking the race headquarters.

The winner was Mark Jenkin of Bideford A A C in 36:55. The first Exmouth Harrier to finish, Cathy Newman, produced another outstanding performance to come 1st lady overall, 1st LV45 and 14th overall in 43:07. Andy Johnson was 26th in 46:55, with Bob Woodall 2nd V55 and 31st overall in 48:45. John Perratt was 1st V65 and 37th overall in 49:18 and Ray Elston was 1st V60 and 44th overall in 50:44. Congratulations to Cathy, John and Ray!!

Jim Wyatt came 82nd in 55:55, Katie Comer was 85th in 56:24, Heather Irvine was 104th in 59:18 and Nicky Crook came 124th in 61:28. 193 runners completed the race.

The Teignbridge Ten (miles) Race was won by Kairn Stone of Newham & Essex Beagles in 54:11. The field of 243 runners included Cathy Newman, superb again for 1st lady overall, 1st LV45 and 10th overall in 60:07 and Katie Comer was 141st in 82:14.

Ten o'clock in the morning on Sunday 30 March 2008 saw the start of the now annual mainly off road race from the river Exe to the river Axe. Some twenty gruelling linear miles along the coast path with a total altitude of almost two miles. The competitors run as a four person team or as an individual. With the previous days stormy weather and the loss of an hour’s sleep, due to the arrival of British Summer time, the competitors took to the start line with an air of trepidation.

The four legs followed the route of the coast path starting at the Foxholes car park, Exmouth. At this time the skies were overcast and the temperatures in the mid single figures Celsius. The first leg terminated at the Lime Kiln Car Park at Budleigh Salterton from where the runners continued to Sidmouth to the Life Boat Station. From here the next leg terminated at Branscombe via Ladram Bay. The final leg went from Branscombe to the finish of the race at the West end of the promenade at Seaton.

Exmouth Harriers were represented by Nigel Dupain at first leg, who handed over to Richard Selby. Richard battled well and overtook about seven leading runners to hand over to Duncan Linklater. Duncan battled hard, over probably the hardest leg, overtaking several more leading runners to hand over for the final leg to Bob Woodall, who managed to claw back one more place. At the completion the Exmouth Harriers team, all of whom hardly remember their fiftieth birthday, finished about seven places behind the overall winners. By this time the sun was at its peak bathing the promenade and beach in warm sunshine. The temperature exceeded ten degrees Celsius.

A special mention must be made about Nigel who, as well as running the first leg for the Exmouth Harriers team, was to run the final leg in the Dupain family team. Nigel started alongside his daughter Hanna who would have handed over to Emma. Unfortunately, however, Emma suffered an illness so Nigel stepped into the breach and completed the final two sections of the race.

Competitors were not just locals, one entrant travelled all the way from Brighton to partake. The weather was kind and all competitors had a thoroughly enjoyable run.

Our thanks to the organisers and their team of helpers.

(LT)

Of Bath... and Exmouth (via the Falklands)

Two Exmouth Harriers competed in the Bath Half Marathon, which finally got under way an hour late after the lack of a medical tent nearly caused the cancellation of the event. The race village was a mire of mud with pretty poor facilities and the race was won by Raymond Tonui in 1:05:21. Cathy Newman ran brilliantly yet again to finish 140th out of 10,009 finishers in 1:20:01, a fantastic age graded performance of 90% (a feat rarely ever achieved at local races). Well done, Cathy!! Adrian Kearns was 216th in 1:23:20.

Despite another superb race at the Falkland Islands Marathon, Exmouth Harrier Hugh Marsden just failed to win the event for the fourth successive year. The conditions were very good with little or no wind, for a change. Hugh and the eventual winner, Simon Almond, another British runner, fronted the race and ran together until the final mile. At that point, Hugh could do nothing to prevent his rival from taking the lead and holding it to the finish line in 2:55:46, just a minute ahead of Hugh. The expected threat from the Argentinians turned out not to be a problem, however, as their first runner finished in third place, 10 ½ minutes behind Hugh.

Exmouth Harrier Ted Bloomfield came 80th in 47:45 out of the 215 runners at the Plympton Mad March Hare 10K Road Race. The winner was Peter Monaghan of Torbay A A C in 34:57.

The sixth and final event of the Brooks Westward League 2007/08 Cross Country Series was held at Bicton Arena and included five Exmouth Harriers. Bob Woodall was 3rd V50, Duncan Linklater 6th V50 and Lee Russell 12th V50. Ray Elston was 3rd V60 and Jim Wyatt 6th V60. Having completed five of the six events, Ray was also 3rd V60 over the whole series. Well done, Ray!

A few Grizzly photos....

... thanks to Axe Valley Runners.

The week's races...

On Sunday, 2nd March, Exmouth Harrier Emma Dupain had a superb race at the Llanelli Half Marathon. The event started and finished adjacent to the water park on the Festival Fields in the Millennium Coastal Park. The course was mostly on tarmac with some dirt track, along an undulating traffic free environment within the beautiful and scenic Millennium Coastal Path. The race was won by Richie Gardiner of Cardiff A C in 1:09:15. Emma came 276th in 1:41:59, out of the field of 845 runners. She was on course to beat her p.b., but the very strong head wind that she encountered in the last two miles slowed her down and left her just 18 seconds short! Commiserations, but well done, Emma!
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The fourth and final event of the Winter 3K Series took place at Exeter Arena on Wednesday, 5th March. Over the whole series, five Exmouth Harriers won places in the top three of their categories. Andy Johnson was 2nd V40, Bob Woodall was 3rd V55, Roger Rowe was 1st V60, Ray Elston was 1st V65 and John Perratt was 1st V70. Congratulations to all five of them!
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This year’s Grizzly was restored to its customary March date, but the weather was much better than it normally is, despite the stormy days surrounding it. The winner was Lee Turner of Torbay A A C in 2:24:34 and 1379 runners completed the race. Congratulations to Dave Stone, who continued his fine run of form and was the first of the eleven Exmouth Harriers to finish, in 10th place in 2:35:49, six places higher and almost nine minutes quicker than last year. Shaun Lock was 48th in 2:47:13. Joe Pascoe was 51st in 2:47:31, compared with 118th in 3:10:14 in 2007 – a massive improvement. Well done Joe, the future looks good for you! Jon Croome was 70th in 2:51:51, another excellent performance. Richard Selby had an outstanding race and came 1st V55 and 175th overall in 3:05:54. Paul Champion was 224th in 3:11:46, with Mark Thompson 225th, just two seconds later.
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Lorraine Croome was 401st in 3:27:46, Hannah Dupain came 485th in 3:34:46 and Bob Keast came 1022nd in 4:21:09. Sue Wilkin was 1047th in 4:25:41, but did really well, because on an age graded basis she was 740th, over 300 places higher. Well done, Sue!

(LT)

Ironbridge Runner Winter 3k Series

Results from Exeter Arena 3k series (final event last night):

Andy Johnson 2nd V/40
Bob Woodall 3rd V/55
Roger Rowe 1st V/60
Ray Elston 1st V/65
John Perratt 1st V/70

(RR)

Falklands, Bideford... and Exeter !

[A Falkland Scene]

Far away in the Falkland Islands, where it’s always very windy and this year’s race was no exception, Exmouth Harrier Hugh Marsden has just won the Falklands Half Marathon for the fourth consecutive year. Hugh is currently in great form and was over four minutes ahead of the runner-up. Later this month he will be attempting to win the Falklands Marathon, also for the fourth consecutive time. The field for this year’s full marathon is expected to include some international athletes, however, so Hugh will have to pull out all the stops to maintain his outstanding record in this event.

The Bideford Half Marathon was won by Steve Gallienne of Bideford A A C in 1:11:03 and the field of 826 runners included two Exmouth Harriers. Adrian Kearns had an excellent race to finish 39th in 1:24:06 and Trevor Cope was 624th in 2:02:25.

For those wanting something a little shorter and quicker, the Uni Hilly 5K Race was won by Tom Merson of South West Road Runners in 16:15. Two Exmouth Harriers were among the 73 finishers. Katie Comer was 44th in 26:32 and John Perratt was 1st V70 and 49th overall in 27:33.

(LT)

Have a look at the editor's 'Darwin Diary' Blog to see what was happening in the Falklands in 1833: http://darwinbeagle.blogspot.com/

(RR)

Sunday 17th February races...

The Hestercombe Humdinger is a challenging 9 ½ mile figure of eight race (perfect for spectators), run entirely on quiet country lanes and rural roads. It is set in the wonderful Quantock Hills in the heart of Somerset and starts and finishes at the delightful Hestercombe Gardens. Here runners and spectators can marvel at the fantastic scenery and enjoy a pint or a spot of grub in Bamfylde Hall.

The race was won by Gerry Hogg of South West Vets A C in 57:18. 252 runners completed the race, including two Exmouth Harriers. Katie Comer was 165th in 1:27:56 and Trevor Cope came 190th in 1:32:32.

The hills in the Dalwood Three Hills Challenge are very steep and this year’s race was extended from around 10 to 10 ½ miles. The course was extremely muddy in places and the three streams that had to be crossed left the runners feeling wet and uncomfortable.

Dave Stone, the first of the five Exmouth Harriers to finish, had a tremendous race for 2nd place. He gained ground on the leader by charging down all the downhill sections, but unfortunately lost it on some of the other parts of the course. In the end, he failed to catch the winner, Andrew Chambers of Bristol & West in 1:11:56, by just 38 seconds, finishing runner-up in 1:12:34. Congratulations to Dave on a great race!

Joe Pascoe, a young runner who is improving steadily, also had an excellent race to come 4th in 1:15:25. Katie Comer was 115th in 1:54:30, just ahead of Heather Irvine, 116th in 1:54:31. Trevor Cope came 128th in 2:03:21 out of the field of 146 runners.

(LT)

Sunday 10th February races...

Three Exmouth Harriers took part in the Meldon Hill Race near Okehampton on Sunday, 10th February, which was organised by the Devon Orienteering Club. There was a choice of three courses, long (14 miles with 1100m climb), medium (9 miles with 775m climb) and short (5 miles with 325m climb). All three courses started and finished at Meldon Reservoir and went out onto Dartmoor, the terrain being open moorland varying from steep sided tors to large, open expanses of heather / rough grass.

The winner of the long course was Scott Granger-Bevan of J.O.K. in 116:30. Exmouth’s Jon Croome was 21st in 191:30. There were 25 finishers.

Rob Parkinson of Devon O.C. won the medium course in 97:00. Exmouth’s Tim Gent was 4th in 114:30 and Lorraine Croome was 12th in 141:00, out of the field of 18 runners.

Two Exmouth Harriers competed in the Torrington Torment Half Marathon through Torrington’s scenic rural views and stunning countryside. This road course covers 13.1 miles over nine long hills and is extremely challenging.

The race was won by Steve Galliene of B.A.A.C. in 1:18:50. Exmouth’s Cathy Newman ran superbly again for 1st LV45, 1st lady and 8th overall in 1:31:02. Mark Thompson also ran well and was 17th in 1:41:29 out of the 75 finishers.

The Plymouth Hoe 10 (miles) Race, which started and finished at the Brickfields, Devonport, was also the annual Peninsula Challenge between Devon and Cornwall. The first of the 561 runners to finish, Kairn Stone of Newham & Essex Beagles in 52:10, led home the victorious Devon County squad. Honours were shared, however, because Conwall’s ladies beat Devon into 2nd place. Exmouth Harrier Roger Rowe, though not at his best, was still good enough to win the 1st V60 award and came 101st overall in 1:07:00.

Seven Exmouth Harriers completed the 8th Sidmouth Four Trigs Challenge, along with 85 other runners. The 15 – 16 mile Fell Runners’ Association Cat. B course started and finished at Sidmouth Sailing Club and visited each of the four Triangulation Pillars around the Sid Valley, with what the organisers described as “…an obscene amount of climb involved!”

The event was won by James Pearce in 2:26:04. The first Exmouth Harrier to finish, after a superb, strong run, was Jon Croome in 7th place in 2:43:28. Mark Thompson was 22nd in 3:00:04, a minute ahead of Tim Gent in 23rd place. Lorraine Croome was 32nd in 3:08:45, with Bob Keast 67th in 3:44:00. Sue Wilkin was 80th and Les Turner 81st, both in 4:00:56.

Harrier John Perratt was first over the shorter Two Trigs course in 1:37:00, almost an hour ahead of the other two runners.

Plymouth Hoe '10' (Devon County Championships)

Only little old me from Exmouth Harriers at this year's Hoe 10. Lovely day, but a bit cold to start. Very large field too. Unfortunately I ran a personal worst again (2nd this year), but still finished 1st Vet/60 (cash prize too). My time? 1:07 dead (6:42 pace)... grief!

Tried, but just didn't have anything to give. Where to go from here?

Race won by Kairn Stone in 52:10 who led home the victorious Devon County squad in the annual Peninsula Challenge with Cornwall. But Cornwall's ladies beat Devon into 2nd place... so I guess you could call that 'honours shared'.

Roger R.

Of the Track and Cross Country

Round 3, the penultimate event of the Exeter Winter 3K Series, took place at Exeter Arena on Wednesday, 6th February. The conditions were excellent on a calm, dry, cool evening.

Altogether, there were 5 races completed by 104 runners, the fastest time going to Peter Freedman of Tavistock A C, who won the A race in 8:42. His club also took the next two places.

The fastest Exmouth Harrier was Roger Rowe (M60) 11:14, followed by Bob Woodall (M55) 11:46, Andy Johnson (M40) recovering from injury, 11:53, Hannah Dupain (SF) 12:12, John Perratt (M70) 12:28, Nigel Dupain (M55) 12:44 and Ray Elston (M65) 12:48.

The penultimate race in the Brooks Westward League 2007/08 series was held on Sunday 10th February at Bovey Tracey, in the picturesque National Trust grounds of the "Parke", which happen to be the location of the offices for the Dartmoor National Parks Authority. The weather was glorious for the race, clear blue skies with bright sunshine. There was no wind and the temperatures were hovering around 10 degrees Celsius. The conditions underfoot varied from soft, grassy area to pools of liquefied mud. The typical example of a cross country course.

The total number of entrants, in the senior male category, numbered eighty-five with the Exmouth Harriers represented by six, namely Ray Elston, Duncan Linklater, John Perratt, Lee Russell, Bob Woodall and Jim Wyatt.

The race commenced with a small loop around the flood plain of the river before rising steeply along the muddy track into the Blackmoor Copse. After another several hundred leg-sapping metres along the wooded ridge, the course took a dog leg right turn down a steep incline back toward the river. At the bottom of the descent was another sharp dog leg right turn onto an extremely muddy track back to the starting loop. This route was repeated three times until the entire distance of 9.3 kilometres was completed.

The men’s race was won by K. Toher [SM] of the Newquay/Par A C in a heart stopping time of 32 minutes and 28 seconds. Although some way down the field the gallant members of the Exmouth Harriers finished as follows: -

56 - Bob Woodall [4th MV50]
59 - Duncan Linklater [5th MV50]
68 - John Perratt [4th MV60]
73 - Ray Elston [5th MV60]
76 - Jim Wyatt [6th MV60]
78 - Lee Russell [11th MV50].

Overall the Exmouth Harriers team of the first four finishers came in 8th position with 152 points.

Fulfords GWR '5'

The distance may have only been 5 miles, but the violent winds made this year’s Great West Fulfords Five a very difficult race for the 300 finishers. Congratulations to all of you!

The race, which was won by Andrew Chambers in 27:29, involved two laps of the sea front and town centre, and after a very severe sand blasting, none of the men needed to shave! Fourteen Exmouth Harriers completed the race including Heather Irvine, Katie Comer, Natalie Williams and Shaan Ellor enjoying?? their first race for the club.

The first Exmouth Harrier to finish after a superb run was Joe Pascoe, 8th in 30:46. Next, after an even greater performance, came superstar Cathy Newman, 1st LV45, 1st lady and 11th overall, in 31:03. Her age graded performance of over 83% in those conditions, was phenomenal!!

Roger Rowe had an excellent run for 1st V60 and 34th overall in 34:07 and Jo Darwood was 50th in 35:02. Bob Woodall came 54th in 35:31, with Mark Thompson 55th, 5 seconds later. Another great performance made John Perratt 1st V70 and 66th overall in 36:17. Ray Elston, barely recovered from his illness, was also outstanding for 1st V65 and 106th overall in 38:58.

Ted Bloomfield came 110th in 39:37, with Jim Wyatt 2nd V65 and 114th overall in 39:50. Heather Irvine was 200th in 45:33, with Katie Comer 201st in 45:48. Natalie Williams and Shaan Ellor were 242nd and 243rd, both in 49:24.

Our thanks go to Fulfords for sponsoring the race for another year and again providing the Fulford’s “Smart” car to act as the “Lead Car” to the race. Also, to race director Bob Keast for all his hard work, the Exmouth Air and Sea Cadets for marshalling, St John’s Ambulance and the local police, and the members of Exmouth Harriers who carried out other duties including registration of late entries, timekeeping, production of results, marshalling, etc.

(LT)

SW Vets XC Championships

The South West Veterans’ Athletic Club Cross Country Championships were held simultaneously with the Sidmouth Running Club Cross Country Championships at Pinn Barton Farm, Muttersmoor, Sidmouth. This must be one of the finest cross country courses in the whole of the region (and far beyond), with incredible views along the coastline to the west and inland across a vast expanse of beautiful, landscaped countryside to the north. This year, the runners were blessed with glorious weather to match the views, and two of the four Exmouth Harriers who competed won gold medals.

Nineteen runners completed the three lap event for ladies and men over 65, which was won by Marilyn Blair of Torrington A C in 26:11. Exmouth’s John Perratt was 1st V70 and 5th overall in 30:23 and Jim Wyatt was 1st V65 and 8th overall in 31:23. Congratulations to John and Jim on their outstanding performances!

There were 25 finishers in the four lap race for men 40 – 64, which was won by Gary Gerrad of R N A C in 29:41. Exmouth’s Lee Russell was 21st in 44:52 and Les Turner was 24th in 46:53.

(LT)

The Weekend Races

The wind was strong but thankfully the rain stayed at bay for 314 finishers in the 11 miles multi terrain Oh My Obelisk race on Sunday. Tom Merson of SWRR took the lead from the start and was first home in 1:07:56, two minutes ahead of Peter Monaghan of Torbay AC. First lady home was Klachen Cheshire of Hull Achilles in 1:19:08. Two Exmouth Harriers completed the course. Adrian Kearns was 23rd in 1:21:05 and Trevor Cope came 266th in 1:59:15.

The fourth of the six Brooks Westward League Cross Country races was held at Bideford on a very wet and muddy course. 80 runners completed the men’s event including six Exmouth Harriers.

The first to finish, Joe Pascoe, was 20th in 31:23. Hugh Marsden was 6th V45 and 25th overall in 31:41. Duncan Linklater and Bob Woodall had a very close race for 8th and 9th V50 (62nd and 63rd overall), both in the same time of 37:55. Jim Wyatt was 6th V60 and 73rd overall in 41:09 and Les Turner was 7th V60 and 78th overall in 44:42.

(LT)

South West Cross Country Championships

The South West Region Cross Country Championships were held at Bicton College last Sunday on rough, heavy ground, which meant that although the distance was less than five miles, the race was still quite a tough one.

The winner of the men’s event was Robbie Bugden of Bristol and West A C, in 21:44. One hundred and seven runners completed the race, including three Exmouth Harriers. Unfortunately, another member of Exmouth’s V60 team, Ray Elston, was unable to take part due to illness. We all wish him a very speedy recovery!

The first Exmouth Harrier to finish, John Perratt, was 5th V60 and 101st overall in 33:18. Jim Wyatt was 6th V60 and 104th overall in 35:33 and Les Turner was 8th V60 and 107th overall in 39:17.

(LT)

Wellington and Exeter

Four Exmouth Harriers took part in the 23rd Wellington Monument "Bert King Memorial" 10k Road Race. The runners were blessed with bright sunshine but the air was crisp with temperatures around the freezing point. At the start of the race the roads were still damp and the hedges and fields had a coating of overnight frost. Runners were undecided as to their attire, as in the shade the temperatures were very low but out of the shade the air temperature was quite high, making running quite warm.

The course is a simple run out and return along the same route, but after leaving the village of Hemyock the road rises steeply for the next two miles with one undulation before entering the bridle path to the monument. At this point the course then returns back along the same route. A seriously uphill course run along lanes in some spectacular countryside. There was a record entry with 203 runners completing the race and inevitably some course records were broken.

Peter Monaghan, representing Torbay AAC, won the race in 35:17, just missing the Masters over 40 course record set in 1997 by 4 seconds. Roger Trubridge set a new course record in the Masters over 60 in 42:10, taking 41 seconds off the record held by Nigel Stuart-Thorn, run in 1992.

The first lady to finish, international runner Lucy Hasell, representing Bristol West AC, was 6th overall in a time of 37:07, taking 44 seconds off the course record that had stood since 1995. South West Road Runner Karen Cook broke her own course record in the Maidens over 45, by winning in 43:31. Taunton AC’s Rachel Heard broke the Young lady under 18 course record by 1 min 26 secs in a winning time of 43:29. Sally Tovey, of Running Forever, broke the Local resident in Hemyock course record by 6 minutes 9 seconds with her time of 50:39.

The biggest record-breaking margin, however, was the massive 6 minutes and 11 seconds by which the first male home in the over 70 category smashed the standing record. This runner was none other than John Perratt, representing Exmouth Harriers, with a time of 46:40. Well done, John!!

Andy Johnson, the first Exmouth Harrier home, was 28th in 42:29, followed by Bob Woodall, 57th in 46:02. Next came John Perratt with his amazing course record busting run. The Exmouth quartet was completed by Jim Wyatt, who competed well, finishing in an impressive 123rd position in 52:16. A good performance from someone who was recovering from a cold and was "only going along for the run"!

Taunton AC retained the team prize for the 4th year in succession, lead home by Luke Scott, last year’s winner of the event.

The Last Chance 10k was held on a flat, fast, two-lap course, using foot and cycle paths in Exeter’s Riverside Country Park. 502 runners completed the race and the near perfect weather and conditions made for some outstanding performances.

The winner was Kairn Stone of Newham & Essex Beagles in 31:40. Exmouth Harriers were well represented by no less than twelve runners, including three winners of their categories. The first to finish, Cathy Newman, was 1st F45, 2nd lady, and 23rd overall in 36:45, after a superb race that was worth a massive age grading of 88%. Well done, Cathy! Adrian Kearns was 46th in 39:07. Congratulations, also, to Roger Rowe, 1st M60 and 51st overall in 39:44 and John Perratt, 1st M70 and 94th overall in 42:36. Chris Dupain came 101st in 42:56, Emma and Nigel Dupain were 156th and 157th, both in 45:55, with Hannah Dupain 180th in 47:10, in her first race since becoming a mum. Jim Wyatt was also in good form for 2nd M65 and 215th overall in 48:53, with Ben White 245th in 50:33. Les Turner came 294th in 52:48 and Mandy Marvin was 467th in 65:09.

Last Chance 10k

[Cathy, one kilometer out from the finish]

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Unfortunately, the results list for the Last Chance did not give clubs, which made it difficult to pick up all members of Exmouth Harriers for the report to the Exmouth Journal. Please let Les Turner know, if possible by 11.00 am on Tuesday, if any names are missing from the list below:-

23 Cathy Newman F45 36:45 1st LV 45
46 Adrian Kearns Sen M 39:07
51 Roger Rowe M60 39:44 1st V60
94 John Perratt M70 42:36 1st V70
101 Chris Dupain Sen M 42:56
156 Emma Dupain Sen W 45:55
157 Nigel Dupain M55 45:55
180 Hannah Dupain Sen W 47:10
215 Jim Wyatt M65 48:53 2nd V65
245 Ben White Sen M 50:33
294 Les Turner M60 52:48
467 Mandy Marvin F40 65:09

(LT)

Les gives SWRR the benefit of the doubt in his report above... but it was perfectly obvious to anyone, that using Chip Timing was a disaster (as well as inflating the entry price). Not even to be able to list the finishers at the Prizegiving is really inexcusable, and not at all like SWRR's normal standards. The lesson? Avoid Chip Timing at all costs!

[Nice action photo of Les just before the finish]

(RR)

A Happy Christmas

Look forward to seeing many Harriers at the Last Chance 10k next weekend. In the meantime the above image makes a great Christmas Wallpaper for your PC!

(RR)

Everest Marathon

Stunning views, but not too much oxygen!! For anyone with a head for heights, how about trying the Everest Marathon – listed by the Guiness Book of Records as the highest marathon in the world. Exmouth Harrier Mark Thompson did just that, along with the 84 other runners (including the backup team of four) who completed the course. The race was won by Lok Bahadur Rokaya of Nepal in 4:12:21. Mark ran an excellent race to come 27th in 6:34:54.

The Everest Marathon is a 25 day holiday in Nepal combining sightseeing in the capital Kathmandu, a hard trek to the Everest region, an ascent of Kala Pattar for the best views of Everest, and one of the most gruelling races in the world.

In order to acclimatise naturally to the high altitude, the race is preceded by a 16 day trek in the Everest region. This allows time for high altitude training under medical supervision. Before the race most people will have a chance to ascend both Gokyo Ri (5483m) and Kala Pattar (5623m) from where there are splendid views of Everest across the Khumbu glacier. After the race competitors are flown back to Kathmandu from the high altitude airstrip at Shyangboche.

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The race starts at Gorak Shep (5184m – 17,000 feet), just below Everest base camp, and finishes in the Sherpa 'capital' of Namche Bazaar (3446m). The course is a measured 26.2 miles over rough mountain trails with snow and ice, boulders, grass, sandy scree, stone staircases, trails through forest and exposed paths which contour the mountain sides. Although it is basically downhill, the trail undulates and there are two steep uphill sections. The race starts at 7 am and there are cut-off points at Tengboche monastery (14 miles - 12.45 pm) and Chorkhung (20 miles - 2.45 pm), just above Namche Bazaar. The last 6 miles, out to Thamo and back, are on an exhausting undulating trail. It is essential to finish by nightfall at 6.00 pm.

(LT)

Brooks Devon Cross Country Championships

The Brooks Devon Cross Country Championships were held at Exeter Arena on Sunday, 9th December. The conditions were very wet and sticky underfoot and at times it was very windy, especially on the uphill sections!

The men’s event was won by Kairn Stone of Newham & Essex Beagles in 29:59, but only by the tiny margin of just 3 seconds over 2nd placed Kevin Heywood of Bideford AAC.

64 runners completed the race including four Exmouth Harriers. The first to finish, Andy Johnson, was 43rd in 39:32. John Perratt was 56th overall and 1st V70 in 42:21, just 18 seconds ahead of close rival Ray Elston, 57th overall and 1st V65. Jim Wyatt came 63rd overall and 3rd V65 in 47:42.

It was unfortunate that there weren’t more Harriers running, because it was also a team event. The men’s team winners were Bideford AAC with 62 points, followed by Tavistock AC with 79 points.

(LT)

Annual Dinner

Last Saturday, Exmouth Harriers held their Christmas Dinner and disco at the Manor Hotel. After the meal, chairman Bob Keast thanked everyone for coming, before moving on to the presentation of awards to the male and female athletes of the year. Everyone on the club can vote for these awards, so they are valued very highly by the recipients.

Female athlete of the year after another fantastic season when her successes included silver and bronze medals at the European Non-Stadia Championships, a popular and obvious choice, was Cathy Newman. Although Cathy now lives in Torrington, North Devon, she has retained her membership of Exmouth Harriers and we are very proud that she still runs for us.

Ray Elston was voted male athlete of the year after his best season ever at the age of 68!! For sheer consistency he has been absolutely outstanding, performing at close to his best in every race he has taken part in.

The president’s award went to Jan Moulton, who will be moving to Australia but will still return to the England version of Exmouth from time to time. Jan is one of those long-serving members of the Harriers who over the years have done so much to help the Club and her fellow runners. We’ll certainly miss her and we wish her the very best of health, success and happiness for the future. We look forward to her cheery presence on those occasions when she returns to run with us from time to time. All the very best, Jan!!

Secretary Jon Bamsey thanked chairman Bob Keast and president Roland Young for all their really hard work in organising and managing the three races hosted by Exmouth Harriers, the Fulfords Five, the Manor Hotel 10 K and the Bicton Blister. These are all important events in the local sporting calendar and there are so many things to get right if they are to be successful.

Finally, lifetime membership of the Club was awarded to someone whose dedication over the years has been and remains unquestionable. Steve Merry, another long-serving member, is not only “always there”, but is also always doing something while he’s there. He can only do everything he does by sacrificing his own personal life / racing potential and we all (apart from his long-suffering wife and family) should appreciate that. So thanks for everything, Steve!!

The third of the six Brooks Westward League Cross Country races was held at Tregorrick Park, St Austell the day after the dinner. Fortunately, the extremely violent rainstorms that occurred during the journey to Cornwall relented for the race and the course itself was much less boggy than expected.

85 runners completed the men’s event including three Exmouth Harriers. Ray Elston shrugged off his thigh injury to turn in another strong performance for 67th place overall and 3rd V60, Jim Wyatt was 79th and Les Turner was 84th.

(LT)

Bicton Blister

On Sunday 25th, Exmouth Harriers hosted the Bicton Blister, supported by Ironbridge Runner. This popular annual race involved 11 miles of paths and tracks on East Devon Common Land, over the beautiful area of pebbled heath to the north of Exmouth, with spectacular views, starting and finishing at Bicton College.

The weather was great, warm and sunny with very little wind. Kairn Stone, of Newham & Essex Beagles, took full advantage of the conditions to win the race in 59:37 – not just a course record, but also the first time anyone has gone under an hour!! Congratulations, Kairn. The first lady to finish and 22nd overall was Emma Hitchins, of South West Road Runners, in 1:12:34. 327 runners completed the race.

Dave Stone, the first Exmouth Harrier to finish after a superb performance, was third in 1:04:57, just 14 seconds behind the 2nd placed runner, despite having completed the Cornish Marathon with Adrian Kearns only seven days before! Jon Croome was 38th in 1:14:47, with Adrian Kearns 48th in 1:16:54. Chris Dupain was 126th in 1:26:20, followed by Ray Elston, still in great form to come 127th overall and 2nd V60 in 1:26:36. Next Harrier to finish was Lorraine Croome, 140th in 1:27:58, with Jim Wyatt 256th in 1:45:50 and Trevor Cope 313th in 1:57:22.

The Bicton Blister could not be successful without a huge amount of time and effort from the support team. We are extremely grateful to race director Roland Young, ably assisted with the general management by Club chairman Bob Keast, course director Paul Champion, Phil Crook with the parking team, Steve Merry and the results team, Dawn Teed with the timekeeping and finish line team and Jill Dupain with late entries.

There were lots of good comments about the interest shown by the Exmouth Air Cadets and Sea Cadets in doing a great job of marshalling. Thanks, also, to St Johns Ambulance (who fortunately only had two minor injuries to deal with, one runner with nose bleed and one with grazed knees), the police and Ironbridge Runner.

(LT)

Harriers AGM - Report on the Year

Exmouth Harriers held its Annual General Meeting at Exmouth Sports Centre on Friday, 16th November.

The races organised by Exmouth Harriers, the Bicton Blister (November), the Fulfords Five (February) and the Manor Hotel 10K (June) were all successful and will be repeated during the coming year. A donation of £250.00 was made from the proceeds of the Manor Hotel 10K to the Exmouth Lifeboat Appeal and the Club plans to donate the same amount from the June 2008 race.

Some of the main achievements by the Club’s athletes over the past 12 months have included the bronze won by the men’s vet 60 team (Roger Rowe, Ray Elston, Jim Wyatt and Pete Tabenor) in the Southern Counties’ 6K Road Relays at Aldershot and the ladies team (Jenny Timms, Sue Wilkin, Lorraine Croome, Dawn Teed and Camilla Mathison) winning the Parrett Trail Relays. John Perratt won gold, silver and bronze medals at the BMAF Indoor, World Masters and European Veterans Indoor Championships and Cathy Newman won silver and bronze at the European Non-Stadia Championships. Hugh Marsden completed a hat trick of Falkland Island Marathon victories. Or, for extreme endurance, how about Paul Champion’s epic North Face Ultra-Trail Du Mont-Blanc, a small matter of running for over 36 hours including 2 nights without sleep, for slightly more than 100 miles up and down mountains, often in the dark!!!

The leadership of the Club remains very stable with all the officers except one continuing in post for the coming year. Shaun Lock will be leaving the area and has resigned from the post of men’s team manager, which he held jointly with Hugh Marsden. Bob Woodall has become a new committee member.

The financial position of the Club is healthy, with liquid assets at around the same level as last year. The Club is very grateful to race directors Bob Keast and Roland Young for their efforts in organising the races that provide a healthy source of income. Steve Merry was thanked for his work raising money for the Club through the bonus ball scheme.

There is, however, some concern about the reduction in training fees because the number of members who train regularly with the Club has fallen considerably from the high level in spring and early summer to much lower levels in autumn and winter. Unfortunately, this affects the quality of training that can be provided as well as the Club’s finances. A priority for the coming year will be increasing the numbers training with the Club during autumn and winter to as high a level as possible, at all ability levels from the fastest to the slowest. This will enable more groups to train more effectively throughout the year.

It would, of course, also be very helpful if the Club could attract more new members to swell the numbers on training nights and this is another priority. More and more runners are seen on the streets of Exmouth and many don’t belong to a club. They could benefit greatly from joining a club like Exmouth Harriers, with organised training and coaching, which would enable them to experience a much bigger range and variety of activities and running routes. These include middle and longer distance road, cross country, coast path, etc. runs from a couple of miles up to 18 or 20 in preparation for marathons and half marathons. At the other end of the scale, much shorter track intervals of 100, 200, 400, 800 m, etc., and short hill sprints are also catered for.

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The physical fitness benefits of all these activities and the establishment of new and often long-lasting friendships are just a few of the advantages that can be enjoyed by joining a club like Exmouth Harriers on a purely recreational basis, without any pressure to enter races. Most runners with clubs do eventually decide to try a race, however, and once they have, they usually want to do more. Although many non-club runners do race anyway, joining a club would enable them to do team events, road and cross country relay races, etc., as well.

Unfortunately, the change in the administration of athletics nationwide and the establishment of a new body, England Athletics, has resulted in clubs being charged an additional lump sum figure plus £3.00 per member. Most clubs are having to pass this on to their members and the annual subscription for Exmouth Harriers is being increased from £18.00 to £21.00.

Organised races usually offer a reduction of around £2.00 in the entry fee for members of clubs, however, so if an Exmouth Harrier competes in 11 races a year, the annual subscription is paid for by the reduction in the race entry fees. Training fees are just 50p per session, not much for an evening’s entertainment plus all the other benefits. Why not come and run with us? Don't be put off because you think we are all super fast, because we are not. We meet every Tuesday and Thursday 18:45 at the Imperial Rugby Ground, where Exmouth Rugby Club play. We would be glad to see you.

The chairman was very disappointed that the turnout for the working party to redecorate the clubhouse, etc., had been so poor. He was, however, extremely grateful to Jon Bamsey for his massive contribution in doing the lions share of the work.

Four Exmouth Harriers were amongst the field of 261 who completed the BBC Children in Need Race at Colyton, which was reduced from 10 k to 8.1 k because the conditions were too bad to allow the jog across the fields to the normal start point. The winner was Wayne Stephens of Bideford AAC in 27:49 and Exmouth’s Cathy Newman was 1st lady and 7th overall in 30:18. However, on an age-graded basis, Cathy was 1st overall with 85.6%, nearly 3% higher than the next age grading, a tremendous performance considering the conditions. Well done, Cathy!! The other Harriers were Chris Dupain 40th in 34:22, Nigel Dupain 90th in 37:50 and Les Turner 175th in 44:57.

Missing from the Colyton race last weekend was John Perratt who escaped the appalling weather by running on the Saturday in Belfast. The race was the British Masters Home International held on the Stormont Estate in the grounds of the historic Parliamentary Building of the Northern Ireland National Assembly.

The teams from England, Scotland, Wales, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were competing in 5 year age groups from 35 upwards. England as usual dominated the event and John’s team was no exception taking the 1st 3 places in the Men’s 70 category. With four in a team and 3 to count, John flew home with a team Gold and an individual Bronze medal to add to his collection. All part of a fantastic year for a marvellous athlete. Congratulations, again, John!! Another link with Exmouth was the presence in the Northern Ireland team of ex-Harrier Derek Donaghy who had a decent run in the M50s.

Two Exmouth Harriers competed in the Cornish Marathon on a tough out and back course starting at Millenium House, Pensilva, up the Draynes Valley, across Bodmin Moor to Bolventor (Jamaica Inn), down the Fowey Valley and back to Pensilva. Both ran extremely well, with Dave Stone 6th in 2:59:47 and Adrian Kearns 23rd in 3:16:26. The winner out of the field of 212 was Jez Bragg of North Face in 2:53:18.

Joe Pascoe represented Exmouth Harriers at the Templar Ten, a ten-mile multi terrain race on roads, tracks and fields incorporating the picturesque Stover Park and ran superbly for 6th place in 58:01. The winner was Jon Parkinson of Torbay AC in 55:06 and 227 runners completed the race.

Finally, this Sunday, 25th November, Exmouth Harriers will be hosting the Bicton Blister, supported by Ironbridge Runner. This popular annual off road race involves 11 miles of paths and tracks on East Devon Common Land, over the beautiful area of pebbled heath to the north of Exmouth, with spectacular views. The race will start at 11.00 am and late entries will be taken on the day. The Event Centre at Bicton College, where the race starts and finishes, provides all the facilities you could wish for and is a wonderful backdrop. All members of the club who are not racing themselves and are in a position to help out at the event are strongly requested to contact Roland Young (01395 278455) or Bob Keast (01395 225042) in advance.

Arena 3k - Wednesday 7th

Harriers results:

Andrew Johnson - 10:57 (M40)
Roger Rowe - 11:03 (M60)
Bob Woodall - 11:42 (M55)
John Perratt - 11:57 (M70)
Ray Elston - 12:08 (M65)
Lee Russell - 12:34 (M50)
Nigel Dupain - 12:42 (M55)

Excellent conditions, not too cold with a light wind. The largest turnout for ages, there being 5 main races and 20 children under 11 in the Mile race (incidentally, Dan Tucker from the South Devon club ran 5:56 in that race!)

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Andy J has pointed out to me that around 30 people went under 11 minutes, which must be a record for the event. Including Exeter Harrier Rosie Chamberlain [remember the name] who is 12! She ran 10:48. Just think about THAT for a minute!! (5:47.6 pace for 100 metres short of 2 miles).

Dublin... and Drogo

[The Teign Valley below Castle Drogo]

Two Exmouth Harriers were among the 8428 runners who took part in the Dublin Marathon. Emma Dupain and Ben White ran together for the first 30 kilometres before Emma pulled away to finish 289th lady in 4:10:52. Ben came 1360th man in 4:14:39. Congratulations to both for their excellent performances and to Ben for completing his first ever marathon.

This marathon was unusual in that both the men’s and women’s events were won by Russians and both retained the titles they won in 2006. Aleksey Sokolov’s time of 2:09:07 was also a new Dublin Marathon men’s record time and Alina Ivanova’s winning time was 2:29:20.

The Drogo 10, which starts at Castle Drogo, is a really tough, hilly, ten mile cross country race, but the “10” could also refer to marks out of 10 for scenic splendour. The course drops away from the castle down to the Teign valley, then follows the river before some stiff climbing up the other side of the valley. At the top it's back down to the river and back along towards Fingle Bridge. After crossing the bridge, the route turns uphill and back towards the castle following the Hunters Path. The Hunter, whoever he was, must have had thighs like tree trunks because that path just goes up and up!! The finish is back at the castle.

First home out of the field of 314 was Jim Cole of Tavistock A C in 1:04:20. Rapidly improving Exmouth Harrier Joe Pascoe continued his excellent season with a superb run to come 7th in 1:09:27.

(LT)

20th & 21st October races

The Exmoor Stagger and Exmoor Stumble, organised by Minehead Running Club, are two tough, off road races over some high, exposed hills. The 15-mile Stagger includes 3300 feet of climbing over beautiful countryside with breathtaking views, from Minehead to Dunkery Beacon and back. Although much shorter, the Stumble is no less tough, involving six miles of precipitous terrain over Grabbist Hill.

The winner of the Stagger was James Baker of Chichester Runners in 1:52:24. Exmouth Harrier Joe Pascoe produced an excellent performance for 16th place in 2:11:48 and Mark Thompson was 86th in 2:40:00, out of the field of 241 runners.

104 runners completed the Stumble, which was won by Lee Turner of Torbay A A C in 43:35. Exmouth’s John Perratt, again outstanding, was 1st V65 and 31st overall in 1:02:36.

The second of the six Brooks Westward League Cross Country races took place at Exeter Arena. The course was in perfect condition and the rain that had threatened did not materialise, making it ideal for racing.

The men’s event was completed by 139 runners including eight Exmouth Harriers. Andy Johnson ran strongly to come 74th, Bob Woodall was 104th and Duncan Linklater came 109th. Ray Elston ran superbly to come 113th, ahead of John Perratt who was 118th. Lee Russell came 129th, Jim Wyatt was 133rd with Les Turner 138th.

Last but not least, in Hertfordshire on Saturday, 20th October, Roger Rowe paced his daughter down the aisle in the most important 30 metres or so of his veteran career. Many congratulations to Roger and Mary on Sarah and Matthew’s wedding!

Dartmoor Vale Marathon

The fifth Dartmoor Vale Marathon was held in glorious autumn weather on Sunday. Although last year’s event was quite tough enough, the course was changed to make this year’s race even hillier and even tougher.

116 runners completed the race, which was won by Peter Norris of Tiverton Harriers in 2:53:46. Dave Stone, the first of the three Exmouth Harriers to finish, produced an excellent performance to take 7th place in 3:04:24. Peter McKeown was 21st in 3:18:07, and Julie Gellender, who also ran superbly, was 1st lady and 33rd overall in 3:25:56.

13 & 14th October Races

Parratt Trail Relay

Exmouth Harriers fielded two teams at the Parrett Trail Relay, a well-established six stage trail relay run on permissive and public rights of way from the mouth of the River Parrett on the North Somerset coast. It crosses Somerset to finish just over the border in Dorset close to the source of the river at Winyards Gap. The Winyards Gap Inn is the Official finish area, and the pub is open during the afternoon and evening for meals, snacks and much-needed sustenance. The route is approximately 53 miles long and is broken down into 6 stages.

The Exmouth Ladies team produced a magnificent performance to win their category, their total time of 7:39:46 beating second placed Yeovil Town Ladies ‘A’ by just 32 seconds! Although this was a brilliant team performance, special mention must go to two of its members. Jenny Timms, who not only ran two stages, but won her second stage by nearly 5 minutes. And the awesome Camilla Mathison, who started the anchor stage with a huge 19-minute deficit but came storming through to claim first place for Exmouth. The fact that the runners start each stage together at the same predetermined time, the winners being the team with the lowest total time, means that there is no runner in front to be overhauled and each runner is just competing against the clock. This makes Camilla’s performance all the more remarkable!

The victorious Exmouth Ladies team comprised Jenny Timms (stage 1 – 10.5 miles and stage 4 – 8.6 miles), Sue Wilkin (stage 2 – 7.9 miles), Lorraine Croome (stage 3 – 8.1 miles), Dawn Teed (stage 5 – 8.6 miles) and Camilla Mathison (stage 6 – 8.6 miles). Well done, the Ladies team!!

The men’s relay was won by Yeovil Town ‘A’ in 6:00:44 and the Exmouth team were 4th in 6:36:20. A superb first stage of 1:08:41 by Hugh Marsden gave Exmouth a flying start and a lead of 4 minutes. But although the whole team ran well, the opposition was too strong and the lead could not be maintained. The other Exmouth runners were Paul Champion (stage 2), John Croome (stage 3), Jim Pyne (stage 4), Dave Stone (stage 5) and Joe Pascoe (stage 6).

Honiton 12k

Two Exmouth Harriers competed in the Honiton 12K Race. Adrian Kearns produced an excellent performance to come 12th in 47:51 out of the 160 finishers. Julie Gellender was also outstanding and was 3rd lady and 38th overall in 52:16. The winner was Ian Stoneman of South West Road Runners in 43:21.

With all the other events going on at the weekend, there were only two Exmouth Harriers, both V60’s, in Redruth at the first of the new season’s six Brooks Westward League Cross Country races. Ray Elston maintained his current good form with another solid performance, coming 3rd V60 and 88th overall. Les Turner did not finish.

(LT)

SW Vets 10k Championship

... or Harriers supervets to the fore again.

Portland - 14th October 2007

"Come on Jim, it's only 12 minutes to the start". The 'isle' of Portland is a most interesting place for a race. Portland has two claims to fame, first the large prison, and second the number of quarries mining the famous Portland Stone. Apart from that nothing much really. There are cliffs all around, so once up on the plateau the views are stupendous. Warming up and being able to see 'down' in every direction makes one wonder 'just how hilly is this race going to be'? And yes, Jim arrived with a few minutes to go so any thought of a warm up -- on, it must be admitted one of the lovely June days we did not experience this year -- was out for him.

So a quick line up and off on-time at 11am, running towards the aformentioned prison. Roger found himself in a very unaccustomed postion after the first kilometer of 2nd on the road, with Ian Barnes from Poole (now just 60) tracking him. John has already broken clear of the V70 field, and Jim was vainly trying to warm up whilst looking around for the other V65s in the field.

Basically the first 5k is downhill, and some pretty fast 3k and 5ks must have been run by quite a number of the field. But in all our minds was the climb back to the top. The turn at around 5.5k saw a quick right, and a couple of hundred metres 'up'. It proved pretty tough on everyone. It was here that Roger finally lost Ian, and John and Jim started to exert themselves in their categories.

From the 6k to the 9k marker it was basically a long drag up the hill, followed by a quick blast down toward the finish, and then an uphill last 400 metres.

The winner, Mark Pittaway (V/45) from the Portland Club ran a creditable 35:20, with Ian B nearly three minutes behind in 2nd (1st V/60) in 38:12. A quite breathtaking time for a V/60 on that course. Roger came in a further minute-and-a-half down, 3rd on the road but only 2nd V/60 in 39:55 [and felt that was a minor triumph]!

After his disappointing time in the Brixahm 10k last weekend (45:34), John P stormed home on a much more difficult course in 43:41 and 1st Vet/70 -- 6th overall in the field. Jim, by now having warmed through, and proving too hot for the rest of the V65 field came in in 50:18 and 1st Vet/65.

So three Exmouth athletes, and two golds and a silver to show for it; an excellent return.

(RR)

PS... not only was it hilly, but the temperature got up to 22.5 by the finish... it did feel like June!

Last Weekend's Races

The Frank Elford (Mizuno) Autumn Trail Run , an 8 mile off-road race set in Newnham Country Park, just outside Plymouth, was won by Kairn Stone of Newham & Essex Beagles, in 44:12. Exmouth Harrier Shaun Lock came 20th in 52:31 out of the field of 516 runners.

Two of the more mature Exmouth Harriers, V65’s Ray Elston and Jim Wyatt, produced excellent performances at the North Devon 10k. Ray came 53rd in 44:30, a personal best and 1 minute faster than last year, and Jim was 107th in 49:38. 255 runners completed the race which was won by Wayne Stephens of Bideford AAC in 34:25.

Exmouth Harrier Stephen Tancock ran strongly to come 57th in 39:50 in the Newquay 10k, out of the field of 429 runners. The winner was Dave Buzza of Cornwall AC in 32:57.

John Perratt produced another excellent performance for 1st V65 and 67th overall in 45:34 in the Brixham 10k, which was won by Peter Monaghan of Torbay AC in 34:50. 167 runners completed the race.

A superb run in 60:21 earned Harrier Dave Stone 2nd place in the 10 mile Teign Valley Toddle, but was not quite enough to beat the winner, Tom Merson of South West Road Runners, in 57:25. Joe Pascoe also ran extremely well for 4th place in 64:33, out of the 91 finishers.

Finally, Bob Keast, the chairman of Exmouth Harriers, will be presenting a cheque for £250.00, as a donation from the proceeds of the Manor Hotel 10k to the Exmouth Lifeboat Appeal, at 10.00 am on Friday (12th) morning. The presentation will be made on the site of the new lifeboat station (Maer Rocks), with the inshore lifeboat in attendance.

SEAA Road Relays 2007

[double click on any of the photos for the full effect]

The bronze medal winning team with travelling reserve Les Turner

Here we go again... our third trip to the Rushmoor Arena, Aldershot for the Southern Counties' Road Relays. After and 4th in 2005 and a bronze in 2006, we did wonder if we might go one better again and manage a silver... but it was not to be as you will see.

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Roger led off as usual on an overcast day, after overnight rain. The course had a few puddles and some soft places, but was not at all slippery. Roger blasted off rather too quickly up the hill, and led for the first lap (11:20 for the 3k), but at around 4.5k was caught and passed by Oxford City's Dave Parsons. Dave did not get away however, and Roger managed to hold the gap to 15 seconds at handover, running 23:21 for the 6k.

Ray was, as usual, our second leg runner, and with shouts (from Roger) of "mind that hill Ray" raced away, seeking to hang on to Oxford's Clive Rutland. We soon saw however, that although Ray was running the leg of his life, he was making no impression. But Ray knuckling down to the job in hand, continued to pull away from the third place athlete, in the end running a PB for the course (taking 19 seconds of his previous fastest in 2005); a wonderful effort.

Ray handed over to Jim Wyatt for his first run around Rushmoor's deceptive 'ups-and-downs'. Over the past months the whole squad has been working hard on the track, seeking to knock those 'difficult' seconds off race times; Jim too excelled in his work, running the most even paced leg of the afternoon from the Exmouth team, running a creditable 27:42 for the 6k and handing over, still in second place to new member, and long term elite veteran athlete, Pete Tabenor.

Pete, on paper the second fastest of the quartet was, we felt, just the man to consolidate the gains of the previous legs. That is why he was chosen to run 'anchor' -- the best laid plans! Pete had the unfortunate experience of coming up against the Oxford 'B' team's fastest athlete, who ran not only faster than 3 members of his club's 'A' team, but the second fastest leg of the day, Mick Welland. Mick's faster leg-speed quickly closing the gap that Jim had managed to maintain, and poor Pete was left chasing shadows. Pete is however a very strong competitor himself and managed to finish strongly in 25:39, bringing the Harriers home in a solid 3rd place.

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Then the fun started. The race referee (Paul Ross from Ivybridge) announced to team-leader Rowe that the Harriers would be awarded the team silver medal as Oxford had won the gold in the event, and that one club could not be awarded two medals. However, after some delay this was overturned, and we were demoted again back to the bronze. Pity... but on the other hand we maintained our good record in the event adding team bronze to the team bronzes of 2006. And against clubs with much greater resources than little old Exmouth Harriers.

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We frightened them a bit, that's for sure. Times:

RR -- 23:21

RE -- 25:52

JW -- 27:42

PT -- 25:39

Total time -- 1:42:34 (nearly 5 minutes clear of Burnham in 4th)

Thanks to Mandy for the scrummy date flap-jacky things and Mary for the photos. And for all their support with Les who acted as driver, reserve, encourager and supporter in chief.

(RR)

World Masters - Riccione, Italy

Just managed to track down John Perratt's results from Riccione, all V70 remember:

400 metres... 1:14.89 for 13th in the Semi-Final
800 metres... 7th in 2:43.51
1,500 metres... 6th in 5:41.09
5,000 metres... 4th in 20:03.62
10,000 metres... BRONZE Medal in 43:29.79

8k Cross Country... TEAM BRONZE with Eric Barber (Torbay) and Reg Checkley (Heaton)... John was 2nd in the race, so in addition to the team bronze won the INDIVIDUAL SILVER. The team were just 24 seconds off a team silver. Three medals in all... pretty impressive huh?

John, do let us know the gory details...

JOHN WRITES:

"Italy was a great experience although I possibly did too much and that was reflected in my 10k time. The semi finals for the 800 and 1500 were pretty straightforward but the pace certainly picked up in the finals. I was though pleased with my 400 time in the Quarter Finals when I did 1.12.06 and that got me a place in the 4x400 relay team where we came 4th.

The XC also went well and I did pick up Silver for that. In fact the race was postponed from the Tuesday because of a storm and was held on the Saturday, a rest day. We ran at about mid-day after we had done the 5k on the previous evening so rigor mortis hadn't quite set in.

We also managed a bit of sightseeing at the same time with local trips and further afield to San Marino and Venice. Since coming back I have picked up a nasty cold and feel achy and miserable so not sure that I will be goping to Newtown (BMAF 10K) this weekend. I will see how I feel later."

(RR)

Last Weekend Races

Exmouth Harrier Hugh Marsden produced another superb performance to win the Musbury Castle Challenge, a tough, eight-mile race near Axminster which is mainly off-road, in 53:04. Fellow Harrier Joe Pascoe also ran well to come 6th in 56:21. 101 runners completed the race.

The Dornafield Ladies 10K, Newton Abbot, was won by Alison Thorn of the Womans Running Network, in 39:22. Exmouth’s Julie Gellender had another outstanding race and came 3rd F35 and 9th overall in 42:18, out of 265 finishers.

Of Marathons and Babies

[Adrian Kearns in an earlier 2007 race]

The 25th New Forest Marathon was held on Sunday 16/09/2007. The winner was 47 year old Mark Hargreaves of Bournemouth AC in 2:38:30, who was so quick that he got in front of the lead car, that led to some confusion when it escorted 2nd place Veisters Dude of Crawley AC across the finishing line in 2:49:46. First lady home was Dorset Doddler Lynda Faulkner in 3:16:36. Exmouth Harrier Adrian Kearns finished 29th out of 441 in 3:14:11.

The Truro Half Marathon was won by Jim Cole of Tavistock A C in 1:15:06. Exmouth Harrier Steve Tancock came 56th in 1:31:43, out of the field of 578 finishers.

Apologies and congratulations to Exmouth Harrier Ben White, who was missed from the report on the Grizzly, which he completed in 3:49:33 for 472nd place.

Congratulations, also, to Hannah Dupain who missed this year’s Grizzly due to the impending birth of her baby boy Aiden. He kept the whole club waiting far too long before making his appearance, but has now decided that mum will be able to resume training shortly in preparation for next year’s Grizzly.

(LT)

Final Yeovilton 5k - 12th September

On my own this time. Not exactly earth-shattering, but a 19:12 time on a humid evening was most satisfying; and the final 2k saw an increase in pace rather than a drop off. Amazing winning time, a lad from Wells ran 14:14 with his brother in second a few seconds behind. When did you last see that in the UK?

Rog Rowe - 19:12 - 1st Vet/60

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PS. Just checked the UK rankings and the winning time was the second fastest in the UK this year... with the other in the top 5. I thought it was quick!

(RR)

The Grizzly 2007 - Armageddon Now

Axe Valley Runners, who organise the Grizzly, hope everyone enjoyed themselves on their "hills are lots of fun really" course, but won't repeat what one of the first three Grizzlers called them for subjecting him to such pain! Only one person told them it was actually too hard so it can't have been that bad!

Congratulations to the winners, especially to Frank Zimmer who came all the way from Frankfurt to win overall by a good margin in 2:27:31, and to Erme Valley Harrier Neil Holmes, who's run ten of the last eleven Grizzlies and finished in the top three in all of them. You're all winners, of course, but you knew that didn't you?

Thirteen Exmouth Harriers were among the 996 runners who completed the race. Dave Stone produced another outstanding performance to come 16th in 2:44:41, with Shaun Lock also running superbly and not too far behind in 20th place in 2:49:08. Jon Croome was 54th in 2:59:27, with Hugh Marsden 99th in 3:08:28. Next came Richard Selby, who had an excellent race to come 117th overall and 3rd V55 in 3:09:59, 15 seconds ahead of Joe Pascoe who was 118th in 3:10:14.

Despite completing the mountainous 100 mile North Face Ultra-Trail Du Mont-Blanc race less than a week before the Grizzly, Paul Champion had still recovered sufficiently to achieve 245th in 3:25:35, a terrific achievement. Lorraine Croome came 275th in 3:29:09 and Steve Merry was 376th in 3:40:04. Dawn Teed came 564th in 4:01:36, with Emma Dupain 592nd in 4:04:57, Nigel Dupain 593rd in 4:04:58 and Sue Wilkin 894th in 4:51:02. Well done to everyone who completed this gruelling event!

Recently it was reported that Jim Wyatt won the V65 bronze medal at the South West Vets’ 5k Championship at Yeovilton. Apologies to Jim, because he actually did better than that and won the silver, not the bronze.

Harriers Summary:
Dave Stone - 16th in 2:44:41
Shaun Lock - 20th in 2:49:08
Jon Croome - 54th in 2:59:27
Hugh Marsden - 99th in 3:08:28
Richard Selby - 117th in 3:09:59
Joe Pascoe - 118th in 3:10:14
Paul Champion - 245th in 3:25:35
Lorraine Croome - 275th in 3:29:09
Steve Merry - 376th in 3:40:04
Dawn Teed - 564th in 4:01:36
Emma Dupain - 592nd in 4:04:57
Nigel Dupain - 593rd in 4:04:58
Sue Wilkin - 894th in 4:51:02

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(LT)

The North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc

Well the day finally arrived for Paul Champion to line up with 2,319 other runners for the start of the 5th edition of The North Face Ultra-Trail Du Mont-Blanc. This follows a well-known route around the base of Mont Blanc. Starting in Chamonix (France) at 6.30pm on to Courmayeur (Italy) and then to Champex (Switzerland) before retuning to Chamonix. The route is 163Km long with 8,900m of ascent and descent along the route. The maximum time permitted is 46 hours.

Paul started near the rear of the field not wishing to be lulled into starting too fast to the sound of ‘Chariots of Fire’! Fortunately the first 8k was fairly easy running to allow the muscles time to warm up before being faced with having to go up the famous Kandahar world cup downhill ski run. Reaching the top in 1,686 position. By this time the sun was beginning to set and head torches were going on in readiness for the hours of darkness ahead. By sunrise Paul was well on the way to the Col de la Seigne at 59k and in 1,030th position. It was clear Saturday was going to be hot and by the time Paul reached Courmayeur (907th) just before 10am the temperatures were already in the mid 70’s. This was the first of two points where a bag had been sent forward with clean kit and shoes if needed. Now faced with two big climbs to reach the highest point on the course during the hottest part of the day it was important to keep hydrated. Just after 4.30pm Paul reach the Grand Col Ferret (804th) at 2,537m.

Next followed a long quad bashing descent with a climb at the bottom to Champex (635th) arriving just before dark to the second bag drop control. A welcome change of kit after a very hot day, more chicken noodle soup and other refreshments before donning head light again and heading out for the second night on the run. Only just over 40k to go now but still three big climbs before the finish. A strong second night on the run saw Paul reach Vallorcine in 479th position at 4am. The last control point at Argentiere (457th) was reached at 5.20am. With just 10k left the end was in sight and head lights were again being turned off. This last 10k took 1h 27m. Paul finished in 423rd position in 36hours 14min and would like to say a big thank you to an enthusiastic support team who followed him around the course and encouraged him at some of the control points that were reachable by road.

Well done, Paul! Just completing such a long, arduous course up and down mountains, by day and by night, almost 10 hours inside the maximum time permitted was a tremendous achievement. And to progress steadily through the field to end up beating 1,897 out of the other 2,319 runners was, for a man in his 50’s, awesome!!

(LT)

1st & 2nd September 2007

Exmouth Harriers competed in three events over the weekend, but several runners appeared to be preparing for next week’s infamous Grizzly, rather than racing themselves.

Roger Rowe produced another excellent performance to come 28th overall and 1st V60 in 19:29 at the hilly Saltram 5k, as part of his preparation for the Aldershot Relays at the end of the month. The race was won by Kairn Stone of Newham & Essex Beagles in 15:32. 142 runners completed the race.

The Harriers were represented by a single runner at another event, the even more hilly 5 mile Dartmouth Regatta Road Race. This time it was Hugh Marsden, winning the V45 category and coming 10th overall in 31:27 after another superb race. The winner was Mark Cowan of Exeter Harriers in 29:20 and there were 123 finishers.

Finally, two Exmouth Harriers took part in the Bideford 10 Miles Race. 134 runners completed the race, which was won by Mark Jenkin of Bideford AAC in 54:07. Cathy Newman, still in top form, came 1st LV45 & 1st lady (9th overall) in 61:59. Adrian Kearns was 20th in 65:38.

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(LT)