Chamonix Challenge...

A quartet of Exmouth Harriers have just returned from a highly successful encounter with Mont Blanc, where the races involved running, walking and clambering over boulders, by day and by night.

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Paul Champion completed the race which started at Chamonix (France) and passed through Courmayeur (Italy) and Champex (Switzerland) before returning to Chamonix (over 100 miles), for the second successive year. He lived up to his name by producing an even more magnificent performance than last year and confirmed that as well as being longer, this year’s courses had been made even tougher by the addition of a massive climb at the end.

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Paul found it particularly hard on the Saturday, when temperatures of 30o centigrade meant that he could hardly eat or drink anything until the temperature dropped in the evening when, fortunately, he managed to pick up several places. Despite this handicap, however, he achieved his objective by finishing 326th out of over 2,300 starters.
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Jon and Lorraine Croome, who completed the shorter but still incredibly hard route which started at Courmayeur and passed through Champex before finishing at Chamonix (over 60 miles), found it very tough and hot. They went round together in just under 25 hours and described it as a very spectacular and very rewarding experience. They really appreciated the great reception all the runners received at the finish at Chamonix.
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Sue Wilkin also undertook the Courmayeur, Champex, Chamonix (over 60 miles) route and she, too, should be very proud of her achievement. As was only to be expected, she found the adventure even tougher than her clubmates, but couldn’t believe how strongly she was able to run the hills. She, too, thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Congratulations to all four superstars, who were a real credit to their club!!

Dartmouth Regatta Road Race
On Saturday, 30th August, Hugh Marsden represented Exmouth Harriers at the 5 mile Dartmouth race, where another great performance saw him come 1st V45 and 7th overall in 31:58.

151 runners completed the race that was won by Peter Monaghan of Torbay A C in 29:37.

The Beast
The next day, Exmouth Harriers Terry Oldham and Lorraine Slight completed “The Beast”, Poole A C ‘s tough, 13-mile multi terrain event that starts and finishes at Corfe Castle, Dorset. The race was won by Mike Grist of Poole Runners in 1:24:43 and there were 486 finishers. Terry was 288th in 2:17:1 and Lorraine was 311th in 2:19:7.

(LT)

Exe 5k Series - Final Race

Last Thursday in the final race of the Exe 5k series, Jim Wyatt beat Mark Waddicor by exactly a minute (23:09 to Mark's 24:09), the result being that Jim was the overall winner of the V65 category in the series (2 wins to Mark's 1). WELL DONE JIM!

There is little doubt that weeks and weeks of work or the track have paid dividends.

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Peter McKeown, also completed the final race and came 2nd V40 in 18:42, and 2nd V40 for the series.

(RR)

Bank Holiday Weekend races

Friday:

On a perfect evening for racing, the Haldon Forest Flyer 4 ½ mile race was won by Ashley Humphreys in 24:57 and included eight Harriers. Paul Samways was 12th in 27:56, Duncan Parkes was 33rd in 31:07 and Hannah Dupain was 35th in 31:12. Bob Woodall was 53rd in 32:27, with Ray Elston 58th in 33:09 and Nigel Dupain 71st in 34:34. Les Turner was 119th in 40:02 and Kevin Lingard was 144th in 46:33. 161 runners finished the race.

Sunday : Torbay Regatta 10k
Dave Stone really excelled in this year's 10k with a excellent 34:48 (7th overall), with Emma Dupain turning in a 45:56 and her dad Nigel Dupain, completing in 46:40.

Monday:

The Dupains were back in action again the following day at the Lustleigh Show 10k. Hannah was 2nd lady in 45:30 and the other times were Chris 47:00, Nigel 51:27 and Emma 51:40.

South West Vets Championship 5k
How can you manage to find a circular course that is uphill in every kilometer? Apart from around a half-mile of downhill running in the second kilometer, that is what faced competitors at Barton St. David (Somerset) on Bank Holiday Monday. And did it tell in the times on a warm and very humid day!

In the Vet/60s Peter Hamilton (Blackheath) easily outpaced Rog Rowe winning by 57 seconds in 19:10 to Roger's 20:07 (his 2nd slowest 5k of all time)! Peter too was way down on his expected finish time.

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Chris Woodcock (Blackheath & Sidmouth) cantered to an easy win in the Vet/65s in 21:49, whilst Eric Barber (Torbay) also won easily in the Vet/70s with a 24:49 showing.

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There were no entries in the V40, V45, V50s from Devon at all -- a real disappointment.

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(RR)

What happened last week?

Despite the awful weather on Saturday, 9th August, 235 runners turned up the next day for the Michelmores’ sponsored Sidmouth Festival 10k Run and their faith in the weather forecast was justified by near perfect running conditions. The overnight rain had made the multi terrain course a bit slippery but this did not prevent a very fast time of 40.07 by the winner, 22 year old Ashley Humphreys from Torbay.

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Dave Stone, the first Exmouth Harrier, had a superb race and finished in 3rd place just 40 seconds behind the winner. Well done, Dave! Next came Mark Thompson, 32nd in 48:40. Hannah Dupain came 55th in 51:53, with Emma Dupain 80th in 53:57. Ben White was 84th in 54:23. Congratulations to Ray Elston who was 1st V65 and 92nd overall in 55:22. Finally, Kevin Lingard came 150th in 62:27.

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120 runners completed the fifth race in the Yeovilton 5k Road Race Summer Series at the Yeovilton Air Base which took place on Wednesday 13th August and was won by Jon James of Wells City Harriers in 15:40. Exmouth Harrier Roger Rowe had his best result of 2008 so far, completing the 5k in 19:23 (6:14.3 pace) for 1st Vet/60. Jim Brumfield (Egdon Heath Harriers) however is getting quicker too, this time Roger beat him by less than 30 seconds.

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As always, it was a great evening with a large (and fast) field - Roger was 36th overall even at that pace, on a lovely sunny evening after a day of rain. There is just one more race in the series on the 10th September, but there is a small matter of the SW Vets 5k Championship before then on Bank Holiday Monday. Then Roger hopes for even more improvement before the SEAA Veterans Road Relays at the end of September.

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On Saturday, 16th August, two Exmouth Harriers competed in the Tywyn, Mid-Wales Race the Train that takes place alongside, as far as practicable, the route taken by the Talyllyn Railway on its journey to Abergynolwyn and back. In order to do this the course uses a mixture of public roads, lanes, un-metalled roads, tracks, agricultural land, and rough grazing pastures. The terrain varies all the time and was rain sodden in places, so the wise runners wore studs. The route also ascends and descends quite steep terrain and runs on narrow footpaths with little chance of overtaking.

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There were 822 finishers and the race was won by Gareth Raven of Sale Harriers in 1:18:15. Exmouth’s Hugh Marsden finished in 1:33:14, 2nd V45 and 18th overall, beating the train in the process. Dawn Teed came 521st in 2:11:32, 4 minutes quicker than the last time she ran the race. Well done, Hugh and Dawn!

Run Exe Summer 5k Series

7:30pm 7th August - Flower Pot Fields

Just 50 entrants for the second of this new summer series, just 5 of us from the Harriers. The course for the 5k is a double loop up and down the river from the FPF Car park, on tarmac and concrete paths, but with several very tight corners - four of 180 degrees and four of 90 degrees. Unfortunately that knocks the pace back quite a lot. Checking my Garmin watch after the race I noticed that my pace was down to 10 minute miles on two of these bends!

Results:Jim Cole of Tavistock won easily in 15:42 30 seconds ahead of Mike Zlotnik from Exeter Harriers.

Harriers results and placings:

Rog Rowe - 17th in 19:40 - 1st Vet/60
Hannah Dupain - 29th in 20:48 - 3rd Senior Lady
Emma Dupain - 31st in 21:50 - 4th Senior Lady
Benny White - 36th in 22:49 - 11th Senior Man
Jim Wyatt - 38th in 23:08 - 2nd Vet/60

Interesting to see that Jim beat arch-rival Mark Waddicor by over a minute, but having come behind him in the first race a month ago. The track work is paying dividends Jim!

(RR)

Bob Graham Round

How about this for endurance? Exmouth Harrier Jon Croome successfully completed the “Bob Graham Round” of 42 Lakeland peaks in less than 24 hours. This is one of the most demanding challenges in England with an ascent of approximately 28,500ft and a distance of about 74 miles. Congratulations, Jon, on an extremely impressive performance!!

(LT)

Wellington 10

The Wellington Ten gives runners a choice of two distances, 10 miles or 10 k. Both races follow similar routes, starting at the Sports Centre and then following a series of undulations through beautiful Somerset countryside. The two distances join again for the finish through Wellington and back to the Sports Centre.
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The longer event was won by Tom Merson of South West Road Runners in 55:01. Exmouth Harrier John Perratt was also among the field of 257 runners and came 1st V70 and 65th overall in 1:13:20.
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It took Philip Parry of Bristol & West A C 34:17 to win the 10k distance, completed by 244 runners. Mark Thompson was the Exmouth Harrier in this event, coming 30th in 43:01.

(LT)

Totnes 10k

A cloudy but warm Sunday morning saw in excess of 375 runners lining up for the Tones 10k race. Included in that number were a gaggle of a dozen Exmouth Harriers. As a novelty a firework, a rocket, was used to get the event underway.

The course dictates a fast start with runners racing around the perimeter of the cricket pitch toward the tarmac path where the course narrows and negotiates a series of right angled bends with central bollards positioned to catch the unaware. The course then follows the route of the river before entering the wooded area. Here there are many hazardous tree routes across the path and numerous areas of leg sapping mud and deep puddles, before the route ascending a steep hill, which even includes numerous steps. Descents were hampered by slippy stone and concrete surfaces, with still more ascents to follow.

The decision as to the type of footwear was immaterial as those opting for road shoes struggled to find adhesion in the mud, but those opting for off road shoes struggled with the twisting sloppy hard surfaces. Neither types of footwear appeared to give an advantage. The temperature was kind to the competitors and the first entrant home completed the race in a blistering time of 35 minutes and 38 seconds, only 9 seconds off the course record.

Dave Stone lead home the Exmouth Harriers contingent if overall 9th position in a time of 38-48, 3rd MV35, followed closely by Shaun Lock immediately behind in a time of 39-06. In overall 16th place finished Hugh Marsden in a time of 40-06, 1st MV45.

Jamie Pearson in his first outing for the Harriers finished in 20th place in a storming time of 40-12. Next Harrier to cross the finishing line in 38th position was Adam Miller in a time of 42-59, followed by Paul Samways in 46th position in a time of 44-13. Jo Darwood finished in 69th position in a creditable time of 46-19, provisionally the 7th female competitor to complete the race.

Bob Woodall wearing number 89 finished in 89th position in a time of 48-08. Ray Elston finished in position 120, to lead home the MV65 category in a time of 50-48, averaging a speed of 8-10.4 minutes per mile. In 153rd position was John Perratt in a time of 53-12 to take the lead MV70 position. Jim Wyatt, just eight positions behind, completed the race in 54-00 minutes taking the 2nd MV65 position. Last but not least of the Harriers was Dawn Teed in 191st position to complete in a time of 55-43.

All members of the Exmouth Harriers performed well on the day over an extremely difficult course which could be, on this occasion, likened to a cross country course and some members completed the race in both praiseworthy positions and times. In fact Exmouth Harriers carried off the team prize due to the brilliant results of Dave Stone, Shaun Lock and Hugh Marsden. A valiant effort from such a small club

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(RW)

Track Intervals

Hi All,

Some will know that the V60 lads have started back on the track on (most) Tuesdays and Thursdays... basically doing 1,500 based intervals (our endurance is pretty well ok, although we do do longer intervals from time to time).

We do 1.5 miles jog warm up -- round the Quay and back -- then normally 4 x 100 metres strides at the pace we will be aiming at that day, the session itself, and finally 1.5 miles warm down again round the Quay.

After yesterday's session (300 metres x 5) x 2 (i.e. two 1,500 meter efforts at 5 minute (k) pace) -- with rests of course -- we wondered if other members of the club might like to join with us.

Our next session is on Tuesday, at 6pm, and will be a 'pre-race' --Totnes 10k the following weekend -- (200 x 5) x 2 again at 5 minute (k)pace (or as close as we can get to it (again with rests to recover). That means for each 200 interval we have a target 40 seconds (we don't always reach it)!! We all agree it's hard work but fun. The last interval yesterday none of us could catch Ray at all... he saved his best till the 10th interval!

No session next Thursday.

Hope a few can join with Ray, Jim, Bob W. and Roger week by week.

Roger R.

Haytor Heller

Five Exmouth Harriers were among the field of 139 runners who completed the Haytor Heller cross country race, approximately 6 miles of tough off-road running in the heart of Dartmoor, starting and finishing below Haytor Rock.

The race was won by Neil Holmes of Erme Valley Harriers in 42:01. Hugh Marsden was the first Exmouth Harrier to cross the finish line in 11th place in 46:44, followed by Paul Samways who was 16th in 48:09. Duncan Parkes was 35th in 53:56, with Jim Wyatt 78th in 62:38 and Dawn Teed 111th in 71:13.

(LT)

Tavy Town Relays ~ Thursday 17th July

Another outing for the Harriers V/60 squad members, this time to Tavistock for the evening relays through the park and around the River Tavy. Always well attended, this year there were 37 teams of 4, with the eastern side of the county being represented by a very hot South West Road Runners squad, in addition to ourselves.

Roger ran the first leg in a solid 6:34 (5:58 pace), handing over to Jim. Always a keen team member Jim did not disappoint with a creditable 7:22 (6:42 pace).

Senior super-vet Ray was our secret weapon on leg three, and he ran a superb leg to finish in 7:00 dead (6:22 Pace - where does he find the gas?).

Les ran anchor, with marathon training in his legs, but held together well with an 8:18 (7:33 pace). Total time 29:14 for the 4.4 miles.

The aformentioned SWRR squad obliterated the field to run 20:26, a new record! Hey, guys, that's inside 4:39 pace for the whole distance, including as it does two very sharp turns and a nasty uphill 300 metres. What a performance! Phew!!

On examining the age-related percentages, it turns out that Ray beat Roger into second place in the squad with 81.29% to Roger's 81.11% ~ what a great run, well done Ray.

Members of the V60 squad (and anyone else who fancies it) will be at the track again this coming Tuesday and Thursday. Two more of their weekly interval sessions seeking to add a bit more speed in their aim for better than their two successive bronzes in the Southern County Road Relays at Aldershot in September.

(RR)

Yeovilton 5k - Race 4

7:15pm tonight - 9th July at the Yeovilton Air Base.

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Only yours truly from the Harriers, but absolutely ideal conditions... light rain, but not cold. Best result this year as I finished in 19:27 (6:16 pace), 1st Vet/60. Not too far away from last year, but a long way from 2005 results. Did enjoy it!

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Heel still a bit sore... but much better than of late.

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First mile in 6:02, second in 6:15, and third in 6:27 (into the wind). The final 0.1 in 43 seconds. Much better than of late, but still a bit too quick over the first kilometer or so.

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(RR)

Erme Valley Relays, Charmouth & Launceston

The Harriers had a great turnout when they sent a large squad of athletes to the increasingly popular 4 x 2 ½ mile Erme Valley Road Relays at Ivybridge, and seven of the 73 teams who competed were from Exmouth.

Despite the weather, Exmouth had a very successful evening, taking three of the 16 team awards. They won both the ladies team categories with their “A” team (66:45) of Julie Gellender (16:35), Emma Dupain (17:21), Jo Darwood (15:44) and Hannah Dupain (17:05), and their “B” team (77:20) of Lorraine Croome (17:34), Katie Comer (19:36), Nicky Crook (20:15) and Lorraine Slight (19:55).

Exmouth also won the men’s V60 team award in 67:01 with John Perratt (16:42), Ray Elston (17:38), Roger Rowe (16:15) and Duncan Linklater (16:26). They have now won this category four years in a row, i.e. on every occasion since its introduction.

Exmouth’s other teams were their men’s “A” (56:10) of Shaun Lock (13:35), Hugh Marsden (14:04), Adrian Kearns (14:54) and Dave Stone (13:37), and “B” team (62:37) of Chris Dupain (15:20), A. Miller (14:42), Ben White (18:26) and Shaun Lock (14:09).

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The men’s V40 team (59:02) was Andy Johnson (15:30), Paul Samways (14:34), Pete McKeown (14:33) and Jon Croome (14:25).

Finally, the men’s V50 team (75:24) with Terry Oldham (18:15), Jim Wyatt (19:06), John Perratt (17:44) and Les Turner (20:19).

Congratulations to the overall winners, South West Road Runners men’s “A” team (52:25) and their anchor man, Tom Merson, who ran the fastest leg in 12:21.

Special thanks go to Exmouth team manager / timekeeper Dawn Teed who recorded the times for every one of her club’s runners, together with the team totals. Subsequently, her quick wits and rapid intervention enabled her to ensure that the trophies for the ladies “A” team, which had been incorrectly awarded to Plymouth Harriers, were retrieved and presented to the rightful winners, Exmouth. Well done, Dawn, for an excellent evening’s work!!

The Charmouth Challenge follows a hilly, multi-terrain course of about eight miles through coastal scenery, including an ascent of Golden Cap, the highest point on the South Coast. This year’s event took place in very wet and windy conditions and it was none too pleasant on the high, exposed ground.

There were 242 finishers and the race was won by Tom Fisher in 52:52. The two Exmouth Harriers, Hugh Marsden and Mark Thompson, came 8th in 57:20 and 31st in 62:50, respectively.

The Launceston Half Marathon, which was won by Kevin Heywood of Bideford A A C in 1:10:18, is fondly known as “the Real Beast of Cornwall” and starts and finishes in Coronation Park, Launceston. Exmouth Harrier Trevor Cope came 262nd in 2:11:18 and there were 327 runners.

(LT)

Forde Abbey XC

On Tuesday evening, 17th June, Exmouth Harrier Mark Thompson competed in the Forde Abbey Cross Country Race, coming 12th in 42:58 out of the field of 205 finishers, after a good performance. The winner was Garry Perratt of Axe Valley R C in 37:17. The weather was fine and the race involved 10 km of challenging cross country through the stunning Forde Abbey Estate, crossing meadows, rivers and woodlands in its idyllic corner of West Dorset.

Inaugural Festival Four - Exeter

113 runners took part in the first inaugural Exeter Festival Four on Thursday evening, 26 June. Starting at the Canal Basin, the route (which was actually 4.3 miles) followed the River Exe to Countess Weir Bridges, returning to the finish at the Canal Basin along the Exeter Ship Canal cyclepath and towpath. Although dead flat, the course was not without its challenges. On the outward stretch, through the Exe flood plain, competitors had to contend with a herd of cows stampeding past runners and criss-crossing the course, while the return was into a stiff breeze.

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Of the four Exmouth Harriers who took part, Pete McKeown coped best with the challenges, finishing 10th in 26:01. Andrew Johnson ran the first half faster than he had planned, having to sprint past the cows before they blocked the course, and as a consequence he found himself struggling later. Although he was able to keep the two leading women (Caroline Hewitt of Tiverton Harriers, 27:04, and Karen Cook of South West Road Runners, 27:22) in his sight along the canal, he was unable to close the gap, eventually finishing 14th in 27:35.

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Ray Elston was 31st in 30:25 and Jim Wyatt finished 54th in 32:33. The race was won by James Bellwar of Exeter Tri Club in 22:54.

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Full results from

http://www.city-runs.co.uk/fest4/images/festive4_results.xls

Torbay Half Marathon

Seven Exmouth Harriers competed in the Torbay Half Marathon which was won by Toby Lambert of Alton Runners in 1:07:21.

Altogether, 1215 runners completed the race and the first Exmouth Harrier to finish was Adrian Kearns who came 42nd in 1:27:48, after an excellent performance. Eight minutes later, after an even better race, the evergreen John Perratt came 1st V65 and 130th overall in 1:35:31.

Next across the finish line were the three members of the Dupain family, Chris 221st in 1:39:41, Hannah 262nd in 1:42:13 and Nigel 447th in 1:49:26. Les Turner was 726th in 2:00:25, just ahead of Trevor Cope who was 744th in 2:01:49.

Of Talaton & Yeovilton

[Escot House -- the Talaton route passes through the Escot Estate]

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The Talaton Trotter, a 6½ mile multi terrain event, largely off-road following fields, footpaths, woods and country lanes, was held on Talaton Village Day, amongst all the other village festivities.

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The race was won by Gary Perratt of Axe Valley Runners in 44:12 and the field of 112 included two Exmouth Harriers. Adrian Taylor was 28th in 56:22 and Tim Gent was 42nd in 58:10.

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Lee Russell represented Exmouth Harriers at the June event of the Yeovilton 5K Road Race Summer Series. The winner was Toby Lambert of Winchester & District A C in 14:47 and 136 runners completed the race.

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Lee started the race rather tentatively, but soon found that he was able to increase the pace to consolidate his position. As the race went on he was able to speed up even more and enjoy the experience of passing runner after runner in the latter stages, coming 61st in 21:15. Although pleased with his performance and the result, he felt so strong as the race ended that he hopes to do even better at his next 5K race.

(LT)

South West Vets T&F Championships

At the South West Veterans’ Track & Field Championships at Exeter Arena, gold medals in all his four events, and setting new championship records in two of them, meant only one thing. Exmouth Harrier John Perratt (M70) is still a top performer in his age group and ruthlessly efficient at destroying the opposition.

In his first event, he reduced the championship record for the 5000m from 20:38.5 to 20:14.9. Then he won the 800m in 2:52.5 before going on to win the 400m in 76.6 secs. Finally, he reduced the championship record for the 1500m from 5:48.9 to 5:35.5.

During the course of the championships, John was also presented with the award to the winner of the South West Veterans’ Road Racing Grand Prix for the best average age graded % over four races. Congratulations to John on a brilliant set of performances!!

Les Turner also took part in the Track & Field Championships, coming 2nd in the 100m (M65) in 17.4 secs and 2nd in the 200m in 37.7 secs.

(LT)

Bampton 10k

At 18.30 hours on Saturday 14 June 2008 the long standing Bampton 10 kilometre road race commenced on a fine sunny evening. The windless, cloudless sky illuminated the runners as they lined up at the start in the picturesque village centre. There was a happy atmosphere hanging over the start line as the runners realised that the proceeds of the entry monies was being donated to the Exeter Leukaemia Fund.

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The starting gun saw Hugh Marsden, Exmouth Harrier, away at a fast pace with the front runners, followed further back in the pack by the other Exeter Harriers contingent consisting of Andrew Johnson, Bob Woodall, Ray Elston and Dawn Teed. Dawn who prefers longer distances was the sole female club entrant.

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The course is run through scenic countryside over extremely undulating lanes around the village of Bampton. From the start in the centre of the village the course immediately rises along the first hill and dwellings are soon left behind in the distance. The only sounds to disturb the birds in the hedgerows, was the slapping of the runners footwear on the metalled road surface, along with the laboured breathing of some of the competitors.

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Hugh Marsden maintained a in close contact with the race leaders throughout and about two kilometres into the race Andrew Johnson, as his norm starting well back in the pack, steadily overtook the middle markers and progressed higher up the positions. Hill after hill was mounted by the runners before descending into the valleys to be greeted by yet another hill.

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Just after the five kilometre marker, approaching the drinks station, a new sound greeted the athletes. The sound of leather on willow mingled with the other country chorus as the runners skirted the local village cricket green which was hosting a match. Much needed refreshing water was taken on board by some competitors as they faced the homeward stretch of the race.

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As the nine kilometre marker approached the last long hill stretched into sight before the final fast down hill stretch into the finishing lap of the football pitch.

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Hugh Marsden romped home in 11th overall place in a respectable time of 37 minutes and 19 seconds just two and one half minutes behind the ultimate winner, Peter Monaghan of Torbay Harriers. Andrew Johnson finished in 37th place in a time of 42 minutes and 11 seconds followed by Bob Woodall in 64th position in a time of exactly 45 minutes. Ray Elston finished second in the over sixty age category in a respectable time of 46 minutes and 9 seconds, in an overall position of 74th out of 214 finishers. Dawn Teed completed her valiant race in 122nd position in a time of 50 minutes and 54 seconds.

(RW)

A week's races...

Andrew Johnson ran the Michelmores 5K on Wednesday night. This is a difficult course, with lots of turns and a couple of nasty short rises, so he was quite pleased with his time of 20:44. (And according to his Garmin, it was a little long!) He was 35th (in the under 50 category - 39th overall), after losing a few places on the descent to the entrance to the Imperial.

Then Andrew travelled to Plymouth on Saturday for the Saltram 5K. He reports, "legs felt like lead after Wednesday and wandering round the house and garden during the afternoon. The course takes you downhill for about a mile before the stretch along the river and then the final long drag and I was quite pleased about how I managed to hold onto a decent pace until the final, steeper climb near the finish. My official time has me at 20:00 but I ran 19:59 on my watch - so I was just on my sub-20! 39th overall - I was on my own after turning away from the river, so I had no help at all on the hardest part of the course".

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Three Exmouth Harriers competed in the Killerton Kanter cross country race. Phil Bater was 59th in 52:43, Jim Wyatt was 1st V65 and 66th overall in 54:12 and Terry Oldham was 71st in 55:11. Peter Monaghan of Torbay A C was the winner in 37:48 and there were 147 finishers.

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The Ruby Run Half Marathon at Holsworthy was won by Peter Hockin in 1:16:15. Harrier Cathy Newman was 1st lady and 6th overall in 1:27:47 and Peter McKeown was 24th in 1:38:48, out of the field of 150 runners.

Crewkerne 9

Sunday, 1st June 2008
One of the most 'undulating' courses I have ever run. No mile of the nine is complete without flogging uphill for a while and plunging down the other side. "A good test" as they say.

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Just John Perratt and I made the short 30-mile trip to Crewkerne (plus Bill Valentine from Torbay AC). John finished on top of the 'age-related percentages' with 81.44% (1:06:49) - 3rd Vet/60. Just three others broke the 80% barrier, Paul Rose (2nd in the race) from Yeovil Town RRC with 80.71% (52:27), Martin Pearse (4th in the race) from Taunton AC with 80.36% (53:28), and yours truly with 80.38% (1:01:55) - 1st Vet/60.

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A tough undertaking, but very satisfying for all that. At one point in the lanes we were running through the flood-water that has plagued Crewkerne -- around a foot deep I'd say. And we all arrived back at the finish looking like we had run a particularly muddy cross country race.

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At least I feel that I can enter and run a race again without thinking about whether the medics are well trained!

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(RR)

Plymouth 13.1 & Edinburgh 26.2

Six Exmouth Harriers completed the Plymouth Half Marathon which was won by Jean Ndasenga of Birchfield Harriers in 1:06:00. A large field of 3,421 runners finished the race.

The first Exmouth Harrier to finish was Shaun Lock, in 21st place in 1:17:57, after a superb run that saw him knock around 2 ½ minutes off his personal best. Well done, Shaun! Hugh Marsden, consistent as ever, was next to the finish line, 1st V45 and 25th overall in 1:18:33. The equally consistent Cathy Newman was 1st LV45 and 63rd overall in 1:24:37. Dawn Teed also ran well for 969th in 1:48:41 and Stef French was 1486th in 1:56:59, a good result considering her lack of training recently. Trevor Cope may have been the last Harrier to finish, in 1501st place in 1:57:48, but he achieved an amazing milestone in the process. He has now completed 230 half marathons, an English record by a considerable margin and quite possibly a world record as well!! Trevor, has also completed around 70 marathons too... Congratulations!

Another Exmouth Harrier, Julie Gellender, ran a superb race in Scotland at the Edinburgh Marathon. Her time of 3 hours 18 minutes was a personal best, achieved in difficult, windy conditions. Well done, Julie!

(LT)

BMAF Road Relays - Sutton Park

17th May - 21st Year of the event.

[The Exmouth Harriers BMAF 2008 V60 team]

35 V/60 teams entered this year, and the Exmouth 'lads' came in a respectable 17th overall.

Roger took his accustomed place -- 1st leg runner -- but found the pace very hot (the 2008 race was the fastest in some years due, no doubt, to the cool weather). he struggled somewhat up the hill, but found from then on he could gradually move up the field. At the turn he was around 16th place in the V/60s, but running down the hill he quickly caught and passed the 'gaggle' in front driving home up the hill in 18:53 in 12th place overall.

Jim, taking on the mantle that Ray normally carries, was our 2nd leg runner. His gutsy performance against much faster men showed his grit and determination, but overall lost 9 places to the V/60 field in 22:54 a decent effort.

New team member Duncan (Linklater), new to such distances (3 x 3 miles) flew away as if he was going to pull everyone back in the first mile. But as always for the Sutton Park 'rookie' found the long hill not much to his liking. However, his strength and power saw his gain place after place to the field, and 4 places in the V/60s. Pulling away from his chasers came home in a great time of 19:46 -- a great 1st attempt at anchoring the team.

Our friends from Clydesdale - Bobby, Brian and Peter, like us all another year older, came in a brilliant 4th overall. This is quite exceptional as all three of them are over 65.

Here is a photo of both squads in front of the Harriers tent.

Many thanks to 'supporter in chief' Mandy Marvin and the date flapjack, and especially to Les Turner acting as driver and travelling reserve (never a great position to be in). And Mary for the photos and encouragement.

Overall, Oxford City were knocked off their perch (hooray) by Elswick, with Rotherham coming in 3rd, with the aformentioned Clydesdale boys in a close 4th (we almost feel they are honorary members of Exmouth Harriers, as they feel we are of Clydesdale Harriers)!

(RR)

Kernow May '5'

The Kernow May 5 Miler took place on bank holiday Monday in Launceston, Cornwall, and was unusual in that the first and second places went to two brothers. Matthew and Ryan Cleave of Cornwall AC. They completed the race in 28:07 and 28:45 respectively, to head the field of 133 runners. Exmouth Harrier Andy Johnson was 29th in 33:36.

Ivybridge 10k

At 18.30 hours on Saturday 10th, on an evening better suited to barbeques and cold beer, several hundred runners lined up at the start line for the 2008 Ivybridge 10k road race. A contingent of eight Exmouth Harriers lined up with the starters.

The start was fast with the a short descent from the Station car park to the main road, B3219 where the course took a sharp left turn. The front runners set a blistering pace on a hot balmy evening hoping to achieve a course record, which was, unfortunately, not ultimately achieved.

The course followed a gradual ascent to just after the 2k marker where the course again turned left under the railway bridge for a very steep ascent for nearly a further 2 kilometres. The runners had to dig deep to maintain their momentum along the gruelling stretch. This climb highlighted the need for both speed and hill work in training. The course was well marshalled as the course meandered through the quiet lanes of Bittaford where at the 5k marker essential supplies of water were available. The hot night saw a greater than normal supply of liquid taken.

Shortly after the drinks station the course took a right turn to rejoin the B3219. The runners faced an undulating 3.5k run along the road before turning left off the main road for the final stretch to the finish.

The first runner home, Kairn Stone of the Newham and Essex Beagles, completed the race in 32 minutes and 6 seconds.

Andrew Johnson was the first Exmouth Harrier home in 80th position in a time of 41-26, followed by Mark Thompson in 107th position in a time of 42-51. The next Exmouth Harrier to complete the race was Chris Dupain in 115th position in a time of 43-11 followed closely by his sister Hannah Dupain in 137th position in a time of 44-06.

Bob Woodall finished in 143rd position in a time of 44-16. Ray Elson was the second Vet65 in 181st position in a time of 46-08. Nigel Dupain completed the family trio in 195th position in a time of 46-56. Finally Jim Wyatt complete the Harriers contingent in 320th position in a time of 53-24.

All the Harriers turned in admiral performances and there were some good individual performances especially from Jim, who considering that 24 hours previous he was still languishing in Gambia completing his "bird watching" holiday, without his wife finished strongly.

A total of 552 runners completed the course and the last runner home completed the 10k in just over one and one half hours.

(RW)

Great West Run (13.1 miles)

The official account of the Great West Run stated that "Twenty-two years after she first won the half marathon the 46-year-old Exmouth Harrier Cathy Newman underlined what a great competitor she is with an emphatic victory. Newman and Torbay AC rival Helen Parkinson ran together for the opening three miles before Newman edged clear and opened a gap that stretched to 59 seconds by the finish line, which she crossed in 1hour 21mins 11secs. 'I have run it a few times since then but not for a couple of years now so it is great to come back and win it again. I’m pretty pleased with that,' said Newman", who was also 14th overall out of the field of 2043 finishers. Congratulations, Cathy, on yet another awesome performance!!

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The race was won by Kairn Stone of Newham & Essex Beagles in 1:10:26.

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Fourteen other Exmouth Harriers completed the race:

Paul Samways was 42nd in 1:27:06 and Roger Rowe was 2nd V60 and 79th overall in 1:31:08. Considering that Roger had not been able to train properly for 7 weeks, his time was very acceptable and he was pleasantly surprised to be 2nd in his category. He felt strong all the way, but found the last 5k pretty tough due to a right heel problem he has been carrying for months.

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Andy Kennedy was 3rd V50 and 204th overall in 1:39:15, Hannah Dupain was 208th in 1:39:21 and Chris Dupain was 245th in 1:40:20. Duncan Parkes came 350th in 1:43:42, with Nigel Dupain 514th in 1:47:38 and Emma Dupain 661st in 1:51: 13. Katie Comer was 666th in 1:51:17, Trevor Cope 873rd in 1:55:50 and Nicky Crook was 1040th in 1:59:40. Liz Pridham came 1328th in 2:07:29, Denise Kennedy 1444th in 2:10:46 and Guy Somerfield 1577th in 2:14:59.

(LT)

Great Edinburgh Run (10k)

Just heard that Mandy Marvin ran 1:06:57 in Edinburgh this morning. Nice to know there was a representative of Exmouth Harriers in 'Old Reekie'.

(RR)

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.