British 100k Championships

Imagine the scene... there was I this afternoon, just back home after a day out in Exmouth, when a breathless Heather Foundling-Hawker come running up our drive shouting, "I did it Roger... I did it". "Did what", I shouted back. "I won the 100k Championships on one leg!"

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Heather has been a friend for ages, originally as we often paced each other in races, and then following a serious injury about 18 months ago, I tried to help her recover with advice, massage and a bit of training together. She became very much a friend of the family, and for ages has been working to recover from the foot injury she had suffered.

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On Sunday she ran the Celtic 100k race in Galway and came away with a second place in the race (to Irish athlete Helena Crossan) so ended the race as the new British 100k Champion, and with Angie Sadler winners of the team title.

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Although not yet firing on all cylinders, Heather is an amazingly determined competitor as anyone, male or female, will agree who have tried to race her in the closing miles of a race.

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She intends now to race the Edinburgh Marathon in May before the World 100k Championships in Belgium later in the year.

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She asked to be remembered to her many friends in the Harriers.

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The race report:
A sunny and cool day greeted competitors at the Celtic 100k race, which took place in Galway, Ireland on 28 March. The 100km (62.1 miles) road race incorporated the 2009 Anglo Celtic Plate competition between the home nations of Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.

The Mayor of Galway, Councillor Padraig Conneely, was on hand to start the race at 08:00. The event was overseen by race director and organiser, Richard Donovan.

In the men's competition, England's Jez Bragg ran a stellar race to take the individual title in a world class 6:58:00. The winning time, a PB for Bragg, meant he ran each mile at an average pace of under 6 minutes 44 seconds. He was followed by Germany's Stefan Hinze and England's Allen Smalls in second and third place, respectively. The Anglo Celtic Plate team competition was retained by England with Scotland second and Ireland third.

Helena Crossan brought great cheer to the home crowd when she overtook England's Heather Foundling-Hawker in the latter stages to take the female title. Crossan, the Irish 100km record holder with a PB of 7:52:45 settled for a time of 8:11:04 on this occasion. Angie Sadler of England finished in third position to ensure England retained the Anglo Celtic Plate team title for women ahead of Scotland and Ireland.
(RR)

Teignbridge '10'

The Great West Teignbridge Ten is a 10-mile race that starts and finishes at Teign School, Kingsteignton. The route starts with approximately 1½ miles around the upper end of the village, followed by two slightly undulating rural laps through Sandygate and Fosterville, then via Preston Manor and back to Kingsteignton.

The race was won by Alan Ryder of Erme Valley Harriers in 57:00 and there were 262 finishers, including five Harriers.

Andy Kennedy ran well to lead the Harriers home in 65th place in 1:10:31, followed by John Perratt, 2nd V60 and 96th overall in 1:15:03. Stan Mason came 182nd in 1:28:01 with Joan Mason 198th in 1:29:55. Denise Kennedy was 225th in 1:35:24.

(LT)

All sorts of SUCCESS (!)

[Hugh in the Falklands Marathon]

On Sunday, 15th March, Harrier Hugh Marsden ran an excellent Falkland Islands Marathon and came second, just as he did last year, but in a PB of 2:57:08. The conditions were reasonably warm, but not as balmy as last year, and the race was won by Lee Pattison in 2:55:51. The Argentinian Marcelo E DE Bernardis came 3rd in 2:57:22, several minutes faster than last year and only 14 seconds behind Hugh.

The fifth and final round of the Ironbridge Runner Winter 3K Series at Exeter Arena on Wednesday, 18th March, was won by Tom Merson of South West Road Runners in 8:56. Congratulations to Tom, who also won the overall series (4 out of 5 races to count) with 3 wins and a second place.

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Harriers athletes were very successful with 3 overall series winners and a second place, out of the 7 male categories. Roger Rowe was 1st V60 in 12:13, and also 1st for the overall series, having won all 5 rounds. Well done, Roger!

Congratulations, also, to Ray Elston, who was 1st V65 in 12:37 and 1st V65 overall, having won all the 4 events he contested. And to Jim Wyatt, 3rd V65 on the night in 13:42 and 2nd over the whole series.

Finally, John Perratt was 1st V70 in 12:25 (and he’s only 72!) and, like Roger, 1st overall in his category with 5 straight wins out of five. Well done, John!

Last Sunday also saw the final event of another winter series, the 6th round at Redruth of the Brooks Westward Cross Country League. Only 56 runners, around half the usual number, completed the senior men’s event that was won by Jim Cole of Tavistock AC in 26:12. Although there were no senior Harriers at Redruth, congratulations go to Ray Elston who was 3rd V60 over the whole series (5 out of 6 races to count).

Exmouth did, however, have rapidly improving Jamie Pearson in the Men U17 event. And, after coming 2nd in both of the last 2 rounds at Bideford and Bovey Tracey, Jamie finally beat both the overall series winner, Tom Gill of Tavistock AC, and the series runner-up, J Waldie of Cornwall AC, to win his category, together with his trophy for a thoroughly well-deserved 3rd place over the series, just 1 point behind J Waldie. Well done, Jamie! (Definitely one to watch in the future)

Finally, last Sunday, Harrier Mark Thompson took part in the Hogweed Hilly Half Marathon, a great race for those wishing to get away from it all across prime South Gloucestershire countryside, with hills that require runners to put their legs in gear and forget all about PB’s. 270 runners completed the race that was won by Tom Fisher in 1:19:00. Mark was 31st in 1:36:47 after an excellent race, following a recent viral infection.

(LT)

Ironbridge Runner Winter 3k Series - Final results

Tom Merson (Senior Man) 1st in three races, 2nd once - 1st overall

Roger Rowe (V60) 1st in all 5 races - 1st overall

Ray Elston (V65) 1st in the 4 races competed - 1st overall

Jim Wyatt (V65) 3 seconds and a third - 2nd overall

John Perratt (V70) 1st in all 5 races - 1st overall

(4 out of 5 races to count)

I hear from Peter Ferlie that there are still a few places left for the Great West Run (9:30am - Sunday, 3rd May). They will of course disappear very quickly, so if you would like to run enter now!

(RR)

Tom at Bath - Sunday 15th

Tom Merson marked his debut for Bristol & West AC with a personal best in the Bath Half Marathon. Merson shrugged off a 30 minutes delay at the start due to traffic congestion and unseasonably warm conditions to clock a time of 69mins 29secs for 18th place in a field of almost 11,000 starters, eight seconds quicker than he ran in Nottingham last September though clearly Merson has a lot more to offer.

Merson should also get a nice cash bonus in the team contest. While official results had still to be confirmed the initial feeling was the Bristol & West AC squad finished runners-up to Cardiff so will get a cheque for £50 each. Top Devon runner was new county champion Kairn Stone, who pulled clear of Merson in the second half of the race to finish 11th (68:29).

(Kevin's Column - Ironbridge Runner)

The Grizzly, and other races...

Wednesday, 4th March saw Round 4 of the Ironbridge Runner Winter 3K Series of five events at Exeter Arena on a cold evening with temperatures only just above freezing. The winner was David Wilkinson in 9:43, over ¾ minute slower than the winning time of 8:55 at Round 3 in December.

The first Harrier to finish was Andy Johnson in 11:35, followed by Roger Rowe in 12:10, John Perratt in 12:27, Ray Elston in 12:44, Jim Wyatt in 13:46 and Les Turner in 15:00. The fifth and final round, postponed from 4th February, will be held on Wednesday, 18th March.

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Last Sunday, the Grizzly 2009 duly took place and, fortunately for the participants, the weather was much less hostile than forecast. So although the strong, cold wind caused some discomfort at the more exposed locations, the rain / hail was limited to a few very short-lived showers. 1446 runners completed the full 20-mile event, including 15 Exmouth Harriers, who produced some excellent performances.

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The race was won by John Macfarlane of Thames Hare & Hounds in 2:19:21. Dave Stone had a superb run to lead the Harriers home in 40th place in 2:49:01. Well done, Dave!

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Adam Miller, 53rd in 2:52:21, Jon Croome, 63rd in 2:55:21 and Paul Champion, 214th in 3:16:01 all ran excellent races. Joe Pascoe was 144th in 3:08:59, Ben White 295th in 3:23:27 and Hannah Dupain 296th in 3:23:34. Lorraine Croome came 452nd in 3:35:56, Terry Oldham 521st in 3:41:47 and Emma Dupain 531st in 3:42:15. Dawn Teed was 542nd in 3:42:52, Lorraine Slight 718th in 3:55:20 and Matt Mason 765th in 3:58:04.

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Sue Wilkin was 1139th in 4:32:25 with Les Turner 1140th in 4:32:58. However, on an age-graded basis, Sue was in the top 750. And this was despite waiting several minutes while Les, who managed to get well and truly stuck in the deepest bog and was “claimed” by the Lean, Mean BogStalker, had to be pulled out and rescued by several stout-hearted helpers.

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The 9-mile Grizzly Cub run was won by Martin Owen in 1:04:34. Congratulations to Harrier Jim Wyatt who had a great race for 1st V65 and 55th overall in 1:33:31, out of the 277 finishers.

(LT)

Recent races...

On Sunday, 22nd February, John Perratt took part in the Dalwood Three Hills Challenge. The race, which starts at the village hall in Dalwood, near Honiton, is 10 miles and largely off-road with only three hills – but each one is 500’ high! 158 runners completed the race that was won by James Denne of Honiton Running Club in 1:12:40. John was 1st V70 and 81st overall in 1:40:43.

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Our man in the Falklands, Hugh Marsden, has just won the Island’s Half Marathon for a very impressive fifth consecutive year!! The Falklands’ weather was quite nice for a change and Hugh took full advantage to run 2 minutes faster than last year and win the race in 1:19:31, beating the runner-up by nearly 7 minutes. Congratulations to Hugh, who will be taking part in the full Falklands Marathon on 15th March.

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Eight Harriers were among the field of 1000 runners who completed the Bideford Half Marathon last Sunday. The race was won by Kairn Stone of Newham & Essex Beagles in 1:10:48. Adam Miller was the first Harrier to finish, 61st in 1:26:38, just 8 seconds ahead of Adrian Kearns, 64th in 1:26:46. Andy Johnson came 147th in 1:33:15, Terry Oldham 291st in 1:42:33 and Dawn Teed 359th in 1:45:33. Lorraine Slight ran superbly for 2nd FV50 and 376th overall in 1:46:21, Lissie Lingard was 636th in 1:58:28 and Corinna Stephens 981st in 2:32:41.

(LT)

Ho, Ho, Hoe...

[Tom leaving Kairn Stone for dead, second time up the Hoe hill]

[Andy, enjoying it rather too much]

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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 558 runners to finish, Jim Cole of Tavistock A C in 52:06, led home the victorious Devon County squad that included Exmouth athlete Tom Merson who was 2nd in 52:13.

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Although Devon won the men’s race easily, the women’s event could not have been closer. Devon and Cornwall finished on the same number of points, but the Duchy were awarded the title on countback.

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Harrier Andy Johnson had an unusual experience. He completed the race in 1:08:29, but was not included in the official results list. Had he appeared there, he would have come 110th.

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Exmouth Harriers were well represented by eleven runners in the 9th Sidmouth Four Trigs Challenge, out of the field of 92 who completed the race. 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 hardest part of the event, however, was trying to finish the enormous Hayman’s pasty that was given to each runner to restock the energy reserves after the race.

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The event was won by Edd Charlton-Weedy in 2:19:07 and the first Harrier to finish, after a superb, strong run, was Jon Croome, 4th in 2:27:34. Paul Champion also had an excellent race to come 28th in 3:01:00, Lorraine Croome was 40th in 3:14:08 and Tim Gent was 43rd in 3:19:45. Dawn Teed, Lorraine Slight and Terry Oldham were 62nd equal in 3:44:09. Nicky Crook ran really well and was 66th in 3:45:12, with her coach Steve Merry 67th in 3:45:30. Sue Wilkin also had a very good race to come 78th in 4:04:23 and Les Turner was 79th in 4:05:10. Sue would have been several minutes faster without the handicap of having to drag Les around the course behind her – he did finish all his pasty, though!

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Last but not least, Exmouth Harrier John Perratt took part in the South West Veterans A C 5K Road Championships at Barton St David, Somerset. There are no prizes for guessing that he was 1st V70 and his time was 22:19.

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(LT)

Brooks Westward XC League - Round 5

Round 5, the penultimate race of the 6-round Brooks Westward Cross Country League 2008/09 series, was held on Sunday, 8th February, at Bovey Tracey in the picturesque National Trust grounds of the Parke Estate.

The race involved four laps of the course that commenced with a small loop around the flood plain of the river before rising steeply along the muddy track into the Blackmoor Copse. Several hundred metres along the wooded ridge, the course took a dogleg right turn down a steep incline back towards the river. At the bottom, another sharp dog-leg right turn took the runners back to the starting loop.

93 runners, including six Harriers, completed the senior men’s category that was won by O. Shilston of Cornwall A C in 34:06. Hugh Marsden led the Harriers home in 29th place, in 39:54. Bob Woodall was 68th in 48:32 and Lee Russell 77th in 50:24.

John Perratt was 3rd V60 and 79th overall in 50:35, Ray Elston 82nd in 51:29 and Jim Wyatt 87th in 53:23. Congratulations to Ray Elston, who has now completed all of the first five events and is already assured of 2nd or 3rd V60 over the series, dependent on the results of other runners in the final race at Redruth on Sunday, 22nd March. As the awards are based on the best five races out of the six-race series, Ray does not need to take part in the final event. And if Jim Wyatt, who has only completed four races so far, runs well at Redruth, he could achieve 3rd or 4th V60 over the series.

Jamie Pearson is having to battle really hard for a top three place over the whole series in the U17 men’s category. On this occasion he was 2nd in17:55 behind the strong Cornwall A C runner, J. Waldie. It looks likely that these two athletes will take 2nd and 3rd place over the series behind Tom Gill of Tavistock A C, but everything again depends on the results at Redruth.

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(LT)

Blackmore Vale 13.1 & Fulfords '5'

A freezing cold Sunday morning in Dorset was the setting for the annual Blackmore Vale Half Marathon. The race starts in the village of Bishops Caundle before heading out along quiet country lanes with plenty of hills, including a long drag up the final mile to the finish. 550 runners took part and the race was won by Doug Hall of VOTwo in 1:13:58, with Sara Winter the first lady in 1:22:01. Exmouth Harriers Jenny Timms and Mark Thompson were 64th in 1:30:25 and 68th in 1:30:52, respectively.

Although the weather stayed dry for this year’s Fulfords’ Great West Run Five Mile Road Race, the runners had to endure a bitterly cold wind, particularly along Exmouth’s exposed sea front. Congratulations to the winner, Exmouth runner Tom Merson of South West Road Runners in 25:26.

Twelve Harriers competed in the race and it was good to see the group led home by its two youngest runners – hopefully this bodes well for the future! Seventeen-year old Jamie Pearson, continuing his rapid development, was 6th in 27:43. Even younger Adam Cornish, still sixteen, was 23rd in 30:45. Well done, Jamie and Adam!!

Andy Kennedy was 42nd in 33:24, Emma Dupain 51st in 33:44 and Lee Russell 80th in 35:09, all turning in excellent performances.

Also outstanding were John Perratt, 1st V70 and 81st overall in 35:22, Ray Elston, 1st V65 and 100th overall in 36:51 and Jim Wyatt, 3rd V65 in 38:22. Congratulations to the three award winners!

Ben White was 85th in 35:59, Nicky Crook 159th in 40:35, Stan Mason 175th in 42:21 and Joan Mason 178th in 42:31.

As on previous occasions, the race followed the lead car provided by Fulfords, who have now sponsored the event for at least ten years. Before presenting the awards, Bob Keast said how grateful the Club are for the continued support of Fulfords, who provide assistance on race day as well as sponsoring the event. He also thanked the Air Cadets, who turned out in force to do a great job once again, St John Ambulance, the police and all the members of the Harriers who helped out on the day. Without all this assistance, we could not put on the race.

Devon Schools and SW Vets XC Championships

Harrier Jamie Pearson ran superbly at the Devon Schools’ Cross Country Championships, Staddiscombe Playing Fields, Plymouth. Jamie, an Exmouth Community College member of the Exeter & East Devon squad, took the gold medal in the Senior Boys’ event with a magnificent 6-second victory in 22:56 over second placed Elliot Buckner of South Devon in 23:02. Well done, Jamie!

Two of Jamie’s training partners, Adam Cornish and Matt Sharp, also took part in the championships. Adam was 14th in the Senior Boys’ event in 25:23. Matt came 35th in the Inter Boys’ race in 19:00. As a result of their achievements, Jamie and Adam will go on to represent Devon Schools at the Inter Counties Cross Country Championships.

The South West Veterans’ A C Cross Country Championships were held simultaneously with those of the Sidmouth Running Club at Pinn Barton Farm, Muttersmoor, Sidmouth. Fortunately, the extremely strong winds and heavy rain the previous night had relented to leave an ideal morning for racing. And although some parts of the course were very wet and slippery, most of the ground was reasonably firm.

Five Harriers took part in the Championships and three of them won medals. 26 runners completed the three-lap (6K) event that was won by Daniel Clapp of Axe Valley Runners in 25:44. Ray Elston produced an excellent performance to come 2nd V65 and 12th overall in 29:50. John Perratt was at the megaphone to start the race and presented the awards at the Sidmouth Sailing Club afterwards. In between, he decided to win the V70 category and came 14th overall in 31:33! Les Turner was 3rd V65 and 17th overall in 33:57. Congratulations to the three of them.

There were 24 finishers in the four-lap (8K) event that was won by Graham Hill of Sidmouth Running Club in 30:58. Exmouth’s Andy Kennedy was 14th in 38:40 and Lee Russell was 17th in 42:32.

(LT)

First Chance 10k

[Rog nearing the finish]

Last Sunday, eleven Exmouth Harriers took part in the First Chance 10K in Exeter, that hugs the river and canal along the paths and cycleways. The runners were very fortunate that the heavy sleet a couple of hours earlier did not return, and the race was completed in blue skies and sunshine. They did, however, have to put up with the fresh breeze that often blows across the plains and slowed them down on the last half of each of the two laps involved in this event.

The race was completed by a field of 486 runners and the winner was Jim Cole of Tavistock A C in 32:20. The first Exmouth Harrier to finish, after an outstanding performance, was Adam Miller, 40th in 39:22. Well done, Adam! Paul Samways was next, 45th in 40:02 with Chris Dupain 63rd in 41:27. Congratulations to Roger Rowe, who is still producing the goods and was 1st V60 and 70th overall in 42:02, after another excellent performance.

Andy Johnson came 83rd in 42:31, Duncan Parkes 107th in 43:50 and Emma Dupain 112th in 44:09. The evergreen John Perratt was 1st V65 and 131st overall in 44:53 after another solid performance. Well done, John! Nigel Dupain came 160th in 46:19, Jim Wyatt 229th in 50:18 and Les Turner 315th in 55:36.

(LT)

Kellie in Oz

Hi to everyone who remembers me. Hope everyone is running and training well. Also I hope you all had a great Chrissie and have a safe and Happy 2009. My training has had a bit of an interruption as I have just had my first child. We had a little boy, Tyler Joseph Macknamara, born on the 6th December weighing 6pd14 or 3.1kg. He is now 6 weeks old and growing fast....too fast!

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I managed to run through my entire pregnancy and was out doing run/circuit training session the night before my waters broke. When I say "run" it was more like a glorified waddle. I think it was taking my over an hour to clock up 10km, but it was still good to be out there. With all the training I was certainly fit and strong enough to cope with the birth.

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Tried to get back into running a little too early.....darn athletes, too keen. I attempted to jog about 2.5 weeks after having him....don't recommend it. So I am waiting until the 6 week mark and should be back into it. Life back in Oz is good, although I do miss Exmouth and the long Sunday runs with the Harriers. That run up over the cliffs is one of the most beautiful in the world. Well best fly have "mum" stuff to do.

Lots of love, Kellie and Tyler

Bideford XC

Sunday 11th saw the fourth race in the Brooks Westward Cross Country League at Bideford. Due to the warmer conditions the off road sections of the course on grass turned slippery making the choice of footwear more important than at other recent events. Just five men from the Exmouth Harriers entered the races: Jamie Pearson, Hugh Marsdon, Bob Woodall, Ray Elston and Jim Wyatt. Unfortunately the women from the club were unrepresented.

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The course started at the river estuary and made its way along roadways fronting riverside houses before taking to the lanes. The first obstacle was soon reached, namely the orchard, where the ground rose steeply. Between the trees the grass underfoot was slippery and was difficult to obtain purchase. At the top further lanes were encountered before a steep decline lead back toward the river estuary. Again purchase was difficult on this downward stretch. Further undulations followed along the side of the river before the turning point was reached and the runners continued their second circuit at the top of the orchard, fortunately missing the slippy steep incline. Back once more and the final push was again along roadways affronting riverside houses and into the finishing park.

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Jamie Pearson continued his challenge to top the under 17 category by finishing this race in second place in a time of 19 minutes and 13 seconds just 15 seconds behind the race winner.In the senior men category Hugh Marsdon finished in 24th place in an impressive time of 29 minutes and 55 seconds. Bob Woodall finished further down the field in 71st place in a time of 37 minutes and 24 seconds. Ray Elston finished just behind in 77th place in a time of 39 minutes and 54 seconds. Jim Wyatt completed the Harriers contingent in 81st place in a time of 42 minutes and 12 seconds. There were 86 finishers in this category.

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(RW)

Devon XC & Wellington Monument

The results of the Brooks Devon Cross Country Championships, which were held in conjunction with the third Brooks Westward League Cross Country event at Exeter Arena, show some outstanding performances by members of Exmouth Harriers.

Out of the seven Harriers who competed, there were four 1st places, one 2nd place, one 4th place and one 5th place, in the various categories. The 1st places went to Cathy Newman (W45), Dave Stone (M35), John Perratt (M70) and Ray Elston (M65). Jim Wyatt was 2nd M65, Jamie Pearson was 4th U17 and Bob Woodall was 5th M55. Well done, everyone!!

Exmouth Harriers also produced some excellent results at the Wellington Monument 10K Race on 21st December. Out of the five Harriers who competed, three won their categories.

193 runners completed the race that was won by Peter Monaghan of Torbay AC in 36:09. Jamie Pearson was 1st U18 and 2nd overall in 36:39 after a fantastic finish that saw him move from 8th place up to 2nd whilst climbing the hill at the end of the race. Well done, Jamie, what a performance!!

Dave Stone was 1st senior man and 3rd overall in 36:40, just 1 second behind Jamie! Congratulations to Dave and also to John Perratt who was 1st MV 70 and 109th overall in 50:00. Andy Kennedy was 48th overall in 44:48 and Corinna Stephens was 174th in 62:24.

A very Happy Christmas to all

Christmas Wallpaper...

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Reindeer and Hogs

Last Saturday, after a night of prolonged, heavy rainfall, Sidmouth Running Club, the organisers of the Reindeer Run at Otterton, had to reduce the multi-terrain course from 10K to around 8K due to the very severe flooding. Although the rain had stopped well before the 10.00am start and the weather remained dry throughout the race, the water level on the flooded roads just got higher and higher, for longer and longer stretches, after the river burst its banks and the water poured down through the fields onto the road.

The runner who coped with all the mud and water best to win the race was James Denne of Honiton Running Club in 30:57, beating the other 161 finishers. Jon Croome, the first of the seven Harriers to finish, was 10th in 35:09, just 8 seconds in front of Jim Pyne who was 11th in 35:17. Andy Kennedy was 53rd in 41:15, Lorraine Croome 57th in 41:53, Lissie Lingard 90th in 47:00, Kevin Lingard 105th in 48:07 and Les Turner 119th in 51:12.

Jon and Lorraine Croome were runners up in the married couples category, despite the fact that their accumulated time was less than that of the winners, Steve and Judy Davey from Honiton. The reason was that the cross country scoring method was used where the winner gets 1 point, 2nd two points and so on, and the pair with the lowest number of points is the winner.

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On Sunday, 14th December, Harrier Andy Johnson had an earlier start - 9:30am - for the 49th running of the Hog's Back race, at Guildford, Surrey. After raining constantly all day Saturday, the runners were fortunate to be rain-free and flood-free, but the whole race was run in mist. There were a couple of short, sharp inclines in the first couple of miles, which were harder than the Hog's Back itself - a long drag up from miles 2 to 3.3. They then dropped for the next mile, and around a dozen runners swarmed past him. As the route levelled off, he maintained a fairly steady pace but couldn't maintain this in the final mile along the long entrance drive to the Losely House stately home, which didn't looks quite so impressive in the mist. He finished 96th out of 644 in 54:27 for the 7.9 mile course.

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(LT & AJ)

Christmas Awards (and some races too)

[Les Turner receives the President's Shield from Roland Young]

First, an apology. In last week’s edition of the Journal, the male athlete of the year (2007) was incorrectly named as John Perratt when it should, of course, have been Ray Elston. Apologies to both Ray and John, who has won the award in the past, but not on this occasion.

Fast forward a year to the Harriers’ Christmas Dinner which was held at the Rugby Club last Friday. The event was a massive success, thanks largely to the efforts of chef Jon Bamsey (alias the Club secretary) and all those who assisted him in setting up the tables, preparing and serving all the food, washing up and clearing away afterwards, etc. On behalf of the whole Club, many thanks to Jon, Steve Merry, Phil Crook, Bob Woodall, Phil Bater, Paul Champion, Sammy Merry, Kayleigh, Hugh Marsden (who helped on Thursday, but unfortunately missed the party due to illness), Jono, Laura, Charlotte and Alice.

[The Kitchen Crew]

Many thanks, also, to unofficial compere Phil Crook who again did a great job organising the raffle and making sure everything went with a swing.

The annual awards for 2008 were presented by Club president Roland Young in the absence of chairman Bob Keast, still unable to attend any functions while recovering from his hip operation.
All members can vote for the athletes of the year, so these awards are valued very highly by the recipients. Congratulations to female athlete Julie Gellender and male athlete Hugh Marsden, who have both had brilliant seasons.

This year’s president’s award went to Les Turner for keeping everyone, both inside and outside the Club, informed of all that’s happening, and assisting with the work involved at the Bicton Blister, etc.

The president was able to pass on the welcome news that Michelmores Solicitors, Sidmouth, have very generously contributed £250 to offset the loss that arose from the theft of trophies, etc., which had to be replaced. This means that the Devon Air Ambulance will now receive £250 more, so very many thanks to Michelmores on behalf of both the Club and the Air Ambulance.

Of course, athletics clubs are not just about annual general meetings and Christmas parties and there are a few races to report, as well.
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Wednesday, 3rd December, saw Round 3 of the Ironbridge Runner Winter 3K Series of five events at Exeter Arena on a very crisp evening with temperatures around freezing and a rather slippery track. The winner was Jack Bancroft of Exeter Harriers in 8:55, just 4 seconds ahead of Exmouth runner Tom Merson of South West Road Runners in 8:59. First Exmouth Harrier home was Roger Rowe in 11:48, followed by John Perratt in 12:29, Lee Russell in 12:50, Les Turner in 15:17 and Dave Eveleigh in 15:58.
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The third of this season’s Brooks Westward League Cross Country series of six events took place at Exeter. 137 runners completed the men’s event that was won by K Haywood of Bideford AC in 28:05. The Exmouth Harriers’ contingent was led home by Dave Stone, 16th in 31:12. Next came Hugh Marsden, 58th in 35:02 and Bob Woodall, 106th in 40:05, just 1 second in front of Andy Kennedy, 107th in 40:06. John Perratt was 3rd V60 and 113th overall in 41:11, Terry Oldham 117th in 41:40, Lee Russell 122nd in 42:35, Ray Elston 125th in 43:34 and Jim Wyatt 130th in 45:03. Exmouth’s Jamie Pearson was 5th in 19:04 in the U17 men’s event that was won by T Gill of Tavistock AC in 18:20. 27 runners completed the race.

The ladies’ event was won by K Humphreys of Exeter Harriers in 20:10. Exmouth Harrier Cathy Newman was 2nd FV45 and 12th overall in 21:02, exactly the same time as the 1st FV45. Lorraine Slight was 57th in 25:57, out of the field of 76 runners.
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Last Saturday, Exmouth Harrier Mark Thompson ran “45 miles of sheer pleasure” at the Beacons Ultra race in the stunning Brecon Beacons National Park. The route is a real mix of picturesque canal towpath, ancient mining tramroads and high mountain passes. Mark came 10th in 9:27:15 out of the 50 runners who completed the race. The winner was Mark Palmer of Team Tan in 6:38:00.

(LT)

Last Weekend's races...

The Dupain family enjoyed a 340 mile round trip to run 10 miles in Wales on 23rd November. The event they contested was the Sospan 10 miles multi terrain race, held in Llanelli in the beautiful Pembrey Country Park. It started on park roads, continued into pine forests, then along a lovely beach (but very windy!!) and back into the pine forest to the finish.

Chris was the first home in 1:14, followed by Emma in 1:17, then Ben in 1:21 and Nigel in 1:24. It was so nice to meet new clubs and they were all very impressed that a contingent from Exmouth had made the journey to South Wales.

The 11 mile Bicton Blister and its little brother, the 5 mile Blister Lite, did not exactly get off to the best possible start when the trophies, drinking cups, safety pins etc. were stolen on Friday night. We were however extremely grateful to Radio Devon, Gemini FM, Exeter FM and the Express & Echo for their assistance in publicising the theft and helping us in trying to recover the items. But despite all the problems we had on Friday with the theft, we are very pleased that we will still be able to make a healthy contribution to the Devon Air Ambulance.

345 runners completed the main Blister event that was won by Jim Cole of Tavistock AC in1:07:26. The first Harrier to finish after a great performance, Dave Stone, won the award for 3rd man in 1:09:19. Only 3 minutes later in 6th place in 1:12:31 after an outstanding run, 17 year old Jamie Pearson is definitely one to watch for the future.

Adam Miller was 22nd in1:18:16, Jon Croome 29th in 1:20:32, Bob Woodall 103rd in 1:30:05 and Lorraine Croome 151st in 1:35:25. Ray Elston was 2nd V65 and 178th overall in 1:38:47, Lorraine Slight was 202nd in 1:41:33 and Jim Wyatt was 311th in 1:58:27.

The first lady to finish was Helen Dyke of Torbay AC in 1:18:59. The first men’s team was Exmouth Harriers comprising Dave Stone, Jamie Pearson, Adam Miller and Jon Croome. The first ladies’ team was South West Road Runners and the first male vet team was Sidmouth Running Club.

Although only 48 runners completed the 5 mile Blister Lite, the event was very popular in that the ages ranged from 11 to 77! The winner was Ben Trigg of Erme Valley Harriers in 39:53 and the award for 1st lady went to Emma Kiernan of Axe Valley Runners in 44:25. But when it came to age graded performance, 71 year old Exmouth Harrier John Perratt, who was 6th in 45:57, was well out in front with a grading almost 8% higher than the next highest graded competitor in this race.

The Committee would like to thank race director Roland Young and all those Club members who assisted him with setting up and dismantling the course, parking, dealing with late entries, marshalling, manning the water station, timekeeping and producing the results. Our thanks also go to the Exmouth Air Cadets, St John Ambulance, the police and Ironbridge Runner with Helly Hanson for their help and support.