Chambers and Newman are new Devon Champions

[Cathy in the 2006 Last Chance 10k]

29th April 2007

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Andrew Chambers and Cathy Newman are the new Devon multi terrain champions. The pair, running for Exeter Harriers and Exmouth Harriers respectively, raced to impressive victories in the Arlington Court Canter 10k event that incorporated the county championships.

From a record field of 250 runners Chambers cruised to a clear win finishing 1mins 42secs ahead of Bideford’s Wayne Stephens, although his winning time of 35minutes was shy of John Ward’s course record of 34:13. Stephens had the ample consolation of leading the Bideford squad of Craig Dellew, Steve Gallienne, Don Mapp to the team title.

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Cathy Newman dominated the women’s race to such an extent that she left North Devon Road Runners’ Vicky Skelton trailing by over four minutes. Alicia Leal was third and with Agie Clinch claiming the over 50s prize, North Devon Road Runners claimed the team title.

Organiser Tom McClenaghan was delighted with the turn-out.“Previously the race has clashed with the London Marathon but we got an alternative date this year and while we have been close to 200 runners in the past this was the first time we were well over 200,” said McClenaghan. "We also had 50 youngsters in the fun run. It was a brilliant day.”

Men: 1 Andrew Chambers (Exe) 35:00; 2 Wayne Stephens (Bide) 36:42; 3 Pete Rigler (NDRR) 37:35; 4 Mark Bachelor (SMoulton) 37:51; 5 Craig Dellew (Bide) 39:14; 6 Zac Warwick (SDAC) 39:27.M40: Ian Pang (SWRR) 40:06. M45: Dave Cameron (SWRR) 39:49. M50: John Shapland (NDRR) 41:12. M60: John Perratt (Exm) 47:34.

Teams: 1 Bideford AC (Stephens, Dellew, Steve Gallienne, Don Mapp).

Women: 1 Cathy Newman (Exm, W35) 40:14; 2 Vicky Skelton (NDRR) 44:15; 3 Alicia Leal (NDRR) 45:11W50: Agie Clinch (NDRR) 49:35

Teams: 1 North Devon RR (Skelton, Clinch).

The athlete of the day... let's hear it for Cathy!

More from 'London'

DEVON runner Heather Foundling-Hawker finished runner-up to former World champion Liz McColgan in the Flora London Marathon. Former London winner McColgan has long since retired from international competition but was back in the capital to run the race for charity. She showed that her old competitive instincts are still alive as she won the over 40 veterans’ prize in 2hrs 50mins 38secs with Foundling-Hawker, a member of Honiton Running Club, second in 2:54.56 despite having recently suffered with illness that has curtailed her training. But Foundling-Hawker wasn’t pleased with her run or that she wasn’t allowed on the same start line as McColgan. “I was on the elite women’s start and ended up running the whole race on my own and I hated it,” said Foundling-Hawker. “Liz was on the ‘Good For Age’ start and ran with people, including some of my friends, all the way.“ It was no fun at all and I won’t be doing it again.”

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Wells City Harrier Jennifer Moore was sixth veteran over 40 (3:00.03) just in front of Tiverton’s Caroline Hewitt (3:00.22). To complete a good showing by west athletes in this age group Kathleen Sincock, who runs for South West Road runners, was 10th in 3:02.28.

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Exmouth Harrier Dave Stone was the quickest Devon runner completing the 26.2 miles in a time of 2:42.25 just over two minutes quicker than Rupert Warren of Tavistock AC. From Plymouth Harriers Richard Gannon clocked 2:48.52 while Stephen Sincock, of South West Road Runners, finished in 2:53.27. Fastest Bristol & West AC finisher was Christian Nicholson, though he wasn’t particularly happy with his 2:31.52. Neither was clubmate Phil Parry, who had targeted sub 2:30 but had to settle for 2.36.34. “It didn't really work out and I just got slower and slower in the second half,” said Parry. The club’s women did well with Sian Monahan and Lisa Newing running personal bests as they broke three hours for the first time with Monahan claiming second place in the over 45s age group. With newcomer Camilla Mottram clocking 3:14 the trio should be in with a chance of a top six finish in the team contest.

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(from the Ironbridge Runner website)

London Marathon 2007

Ten Exmouth Harriers fought the sweltering heat in the London Marathon and produced some outstanding performances. The first of the men to finish, Dave Stone, was 177th in 2.42.25, out of the 24815 who completed the race.

Shaun Lock, running his first marathon, came 880th in 3.00.42 and was so unlucky to just miss getting round in under 3 hours. Adrian Kearns was 971st in 3.02.51 and Tony Hatchard was 1424th in 3.09.50. Trevor Cope came 14816th in 4.41.36.

10854 runners completed the ladies event. Camilla Mathison was 384th in 3.28.20, followed by Steph French who was 651st in 3.38.56. Jo Darwood was 667th in 3.39.25 and Emma Dupain was 2417th in 4.16.52.

Spare a thought for Chris Dupain who, despite feeling ill all week, started the race and managed to keep going until mile 12 – a tremendous effort in all that heat! By mile 10 he felt as if he’d done 20. Although feeling gutted, he’s positive and determined about running the London again next year.

Sister Hannah Dupain, another of this super family of athletes, wasn’t able to start the race, but will also be back with a vengeance in the future.

(LT)

Athlete of the day? Has to be Dave Stone. Remarkable time with a minimum of training.!

Bampton to Tiverton

Just a short stroll down the Exe Valley from Bampton to Tiverton... looks great, all downhill (on paper). Hey, but... but... there is a little matter of the three hills on the way PLUS the Bolham/Knightshayes hill in the last mile. Just over 7.1 miles in all -- 61st running of the race.

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Good field of around 200 runners, and a pleasant, if cloudy morning. John fresh from his Helsinki efforts ran his usual 'blinder' (Just look at the age-related percentages)! Andy must have been very close to a PB for the 'unique' course; he and I first ran it 21 years ago!

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Bit of a mix-up at the prizegiving, with a Torbay athlete given the Vet/65 prize in front of John and Ray... but that was soon sorted out. And well, yes, it was a nice Easter Monday bit-more-than-a-stroll!

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Adrian Kearns - 43:07 - 72.78%

Andrew Johnson - 44:15 - 74.01%

Roger Rowe - 46:06 - 83.30% - 1st Vet/60

John Perratt - 48:31 - 86.33% - 1st vet/70

Ray Elston - 49:56 - 81.05% - 1st Vet/65

Jim Wyatt - 57:00 - 68.74%

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Pity there was no over 60s team prize!

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Athlete of the day? Has to be John Perratt.

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(RR)

Races - 1st April 2007

[Les, negotiating the traffic at 14 miles in the Taunton Marathon]

Eight Exmouth Harriers took part in the tough off road Exe to Axe race, four as a team and four as individuals. The team of Paul Champion, who went on to run the full distance as part of his training for the 100 mile race at Mont Blanc in August, Phil Bater, Lee Russell and Steve Merry came 1st vets team and 3rd team overall.

The other Harriers at the Exe to Axe were Cathy Newman, Lorraine and Jon Croome and Tim Gent.

The marathon and half marathon races at Taunton included eight more runners from Exmouth Harriers. In the full marathon, Julie Gellender ran superbly for 39th overall and 2nd lady vet 35 in 3.21.07. Les Turner was 160th overall and 4th vet 60 in 4.19.58. The race was won by Brian Cole of RNAC in 2.43.45 and there were 192 finishers.

The Taunton half marathon was won by Pete Waumsley of Tamar Trotters in 1.14.02 The field of 1098 included Dave Stone, who was 8th in 1.15.56, Shaun Lock 28th in 1.21.01, and Paul Samways 40th in 1.22.52. Duncan Parkes was 346th in 1.42.35 and Sue Wilkin was 655th in 1.57.30. Trevor Cope was 740th in 2.02.29. Some of the Exmouth runners were using the half marathon as part of their preparation for the full London marathon in three weeks’ time.

In the last edition of the Journal it was reported that Dawn Teed had won the award for 2nd lady vet 40 in the Brooks Westward Cross Country League. She was actually 3rd in the cross country series, but 2nd lady overall after her brilliant run in the Falkland Islands Marathon.

Harrier Tony Hatchard, who was omitted from the report on the Bath Half Marathon, had another excellent race, coming 43rd in 1.12.43.

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Athlete of the day: Les Turner for his great first attempt at the marathon... a difficult one too... at the age of 64. What an achievement!

Other Weekend Races...

Six Exmouth Harriers took part in the sixth and final men’s race in the Brooks Westward Cross Country League which was held at Bicton College. Andy Kennedy was 40th, Lee Russell 51st, Ray Elston 52nd, John Perratt 56th, Jim Wyatt 67th and Les Turner 68th out of the field of 71 runners. Over the whole series, Ray Elston won the award for 2nd vet 60 and Jim Wyatt won the 3rd vet 60 award.

The only Exmouth Harrier in the ladies event at Bicton was Julie Gellender. Dawn Teed had already completed five races and won the award for 3rd lady vet 40 over the series.

Dawn was far away in the Falkland Islands battling against 40 to 45 mph winds, not good when you’re running a marathon with a distance of over 26 miles to cover! Her time of 4.16 was very commendable for the conditions; she ran a great race and was 2nd lady overall. Fellow Harrier Hugh Marsden ran brilliantly, once again, taking 3.10 to win the event and complete his hat trick of Falkland Islands Marathon victories. Well done, Hugh!

Harriers Andy and Denise Kennedy took part in the Teignbridge Ten. Andy came 60th in 1.08.38 and Denise came 195th in 1.34.32. Simon Anderson of Plymouth Harriers won the race in 54.25. There were 224 competitors.

The Bath Half Marathon was won by Shiferaw Tewodros in 1.02.09. Harrier Tony Hatchard had another excellent race, coming 43rd in 1.12.43 with Adrian Kearns in116th (1.19.57) and Nicholas Brown 6,308th in 2.19.29 out of the large field of 8,165 finishers. Perhaps pointing to a sub 2:35 London Marathon for Tony in a few weeks (his first outing at that distance).

Finally, further afield, an even bigger event, the Reading Half Marathon with 9,877 runners, included three of Exmouth Harriers’ Dupain family. Christopher was 2,745th in 1.44.52, Emma was 3,104th and Nigel was 3,105th , both in 1.47.18.
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Athlete of the day? Tony Hatchard for the 72-minute 13.1... certainly 2:35 on the cards in the London marathon - Tony's first outing over the distance.

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(LT)

European Veterans Indoor Championships - John Gets a Silver

{Photo - Rushmoor 2006}

Helsinki - 22-25 March 2007
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Three weeks after winning a gold and a silver medal at the BMAF Indoor Championships in London, Exmouth Harrier John Perratt competed in the European Veterans Indoor Championships in Helsinki. After the disappointment of just missing out on medals by coming fourth in the Vet/70 5k cross country and the 3,000 metres, John ran superbly for second place and the silver medal in the 1,500 metres. All three events were won by the Russian, Leonid Gubenkov. With John’s training partner from Sidmouth, Bob Minting, winning two golds, a silver and a fourth place, it was great to see Exmouth and East Devon so well represented. Another Exmouth Harrier, Roger Rowe, would also have had an excellent chance of medals, but was prevented from competing through not quite recovering sufficiently from his recent knee operation.

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M70 1,500 metres

1 Leonid Gubenkov Russia 5.41,29
2 John Perratt Great Britain & N.I. 5.44,40
3 Roman Tomczak Germany 5.45,09

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M70 5k Cross Country
1 Leonid Gubenkov Russia 20.49
2 Bruno Baggia Italy 20.56
3 Manuel Rosales Spain 20.59
4 John Perratt Great Britain & N.I. 21.51
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M70 3,000 metres
1 Leonid Gubenkov Russia 11.39,54
2 Manuel Rosales Spain 11.42,19
3 Bruno Baggia Italy 11.42,72
4 John Perratt Great Britain & N.I. 11.50,08
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M55 400 metres
1 Vincenzo Felicetti Italy 55,72
2 Bob Minting Great Britain & N.I. 56,20
3 Mauri Lyytikäinen Finland 56,91

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M55 800 metres

1 Bob Minting Great Britain & N.I. 2:08,98

2 Franz Josef Schmidt Germany 2:12,59

3 Yves Levasseur France 2:13,17

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M55 1,500 metres

4 Bob Minting Great Britain & N.I. 4:41,25
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M55 4 x 200 metres

1 Great Britain & N.I. (Including Bob Minting)

(LT & RR)

Winter 3k Series - 4th race and overall results

[Photo - Andy J at the Bampton 10k]

The last in the series of four winter 3K races, which took place at Exeter Arena on Wednesday, 7th March, included five Exmouth Harriers.

Andy Johnson was outstanding, coming 21st in the “A” race in a personal best of 10.49. Lee Russell also ran well to come 20th in the “B” race in 11.31.

The “C” race included Roger Rowe, who was 4th in 11.46, and John Perratt, who was 6th in 11.56. Roger showed that his recovery from knee surgery is progressing extremely well. After taking the first lap very slowly, he found he was able to cruise past runner after runner and finish in a very respectable time.

Jim Wyatt, who ran in the “D” race, produced another good performance to come 10th in 13.22.

Both Roger and John topped their individual categories with maximum points after the final race.

(LT & RR)

PS. Harrier Michael Smyth ran in the Duchy 20 (miles) race held at Redruth in Cornwall. He came 52nd in 2.38.34, out of the field of 222 runners.

BMAF Indoor Championships 2007

Picketts Lock, Enfield

On Saturday and Sunday (3rd & 4th March), Harrier John Perratt took part in the 2007 BMAF Indoor Championships in London.

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After celebrating his 70th birthday on the 2nd March, John travelled in high hopes of some decent performances in his chosen events: the 1,500 metres and 3,000 metres. John has been working on the track this winter seeking to sharpen his speed in readiness both for this Championship, and the European Indoor Championships in Helsinki at the end of the month.

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It is always difficult to 'peak' for two championships in one month, so the BMAF event must be seen as a stepping stone on John's quest for medals in Finland.

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In the 1,500 metres John came up against Len Tew from the Midlands, probably one of the most gifted of 70+ middle-distance athletes competing today. And so it turned out... Len finishing in 5:32.46 to John's 5:44.06... still a silver in your first 70+ competition is not to be sniffed at. (AND remember these men are over 70 -- amazing times for a kilometer-and-a-half, indoors).

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On the second day of the event, John lined up in the 3,000 metres with every expectation of going one better. Notwithstanding the speed work he has been doing, John is pretty lethal over 3k or 5k.

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John's time of 12:15 was just a bit quicker than his 12:24 & 12:26 (Outdoors) this winter, and he was two-and-a-half minutes clear of the second placed athlete.

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So, a gold and a silver on his first outing as a vet/70, and both National Championship medals. Well done John! Roll on Helsinki.

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(RR)

PS. Training partner and friend, Bob Minting, won no less than 3 golds and a bronze in the same championships. Bob and John will travel to Helsinki together at the end of March.

Bideford Half Marathon

Seven Exmouth Harriers were among the field of 718 runners who competed in the Bideford Half Marathon on Sunday 4th March.

The race was won by Kevin Heywood of Bideford AAC in 1.06.04.

Tony Hatchard was the first Exmouth Harrier to finish, after another outstanding performance, in 8th place in 1.15.12. Shaun Lock was 30th in 1.21.07, just two seconds ahead of Adrian Kearns, who was 31st. Dave Stone came 49th in 1.24.05. Steve Price came 72nd in 1.28.13, with Andy Johnson 84th in 1.28.38.

Dawn Teed was 10th lady v40 and 313th overall in 1.44.34.

The Exmouth Harriers senior men’s team of Tony Hatchard, Shaun Lock, Adrian Kearns and Dave Stone were 2nd in their category.

(LT)

Dalwood 3 Hills Challenge

[Photo: Shaun in the Great West Run in 2006]

Last Sunday, four Exmouth Harriers took part in the Dalwood 3 Hills Challenge, a rolling ten mile trail run through the Devon countryside near Axminster. One of them, Shaun Lock, clocked up his first race win for the Club, following a brilliant performance on the day.

After being in the lead pack for the first half a mile, Shaun started climbing the first hill and took the lead, which he then held for the rest of the race. He reached the finish line in 1.11.17, 51 seconds ahead of the second runner home, Andrew Vallance of Tavistock A C.

The other Exmouth runners were Jon Croome, 8th in 1.16.20, Lorraine Croome, 54th in 1.31.03 and Diccon Haynes, 67th in 1.35.58.

113 runners completed the race.

Race reports - Sunday 18th February

Peninsula Challenge

Two Exmouth Harriers represented Devon against Cornwall in the Peninsula Challenge, with athletes selected from each county’s running clubs forming a combined county team. The challenge was part of the Plymouth Hoe 10 Mile Race. The male team comprised eight athletes with six to count. The female team comprised six athletes with four to count.

Devon won both team challenges, helped by superb performances from Exmouth’s Cathy Newman and Tony Hatchard. Cathy was 2nd lady v40 and 3rd lady overall in the main race in 1.00.10. She was also 3rd runner home in the team event, with the first five Devon runners all finishing before the first Cornish athlete. Tony Hatchard was 8th in the main race in 55.03. He was the 5th Devon team member to finish, beating all but three of the Cornish team.

Congratulations to Cathy, Tony and both the Devon teams.

Falkland Islands Half Marathon (yes really)!

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, another Exmouth stalwart was contesting and winning one of the Falkland Islands races which he seems to have made his own.

Although the conditions were wet underfoot, Hugh Marsden’s time of 1.17 in beating the other 77 runners in the half marathon, hopefully augurs well for his attempt to complete a hat trick of wins in the full marathon on 18th March.

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Four Trigs

Four Exmouth Harriers took part in the annual Four Trigs race at the weekend. This is a ‘low-key’ off road event taking in the four trig points and other controls around the Sid Valley. It is tough (some say harder than the Grizzly!) and takes in an obscene amount of climbing. A Fell Runners’ Association category B Race.

First Exmouth Harrier home was Jon Croome, despite head butting a tree on Saturday while checking the course and having an impromptu pole dancing session during the race on the Sunday! Jon finished 11th (same as last year) in 2hr 50min. Next home in 12th place in 2hr 52min was Paul Champion. Tim Gent had a strong run coming in 21st in 3hr 4min with Lorraine Croome also running well to finish in 31st place in 3hr 20min.

The race was won by Malcolm Bayer of Sidmouth in a time of 2hr 24min. A great race even though it was very wet under foot.

Sunday 11th February

Last Sunday, six Exmouth Harriers took part in the 5th and penultimate race in the Brooks Westward Cross Country League which was held at the Parke Estate at Bovey Tracey. The course was extremely boggy after all the recent heavy rainfall.

Dawn Teed, representing Exmouth ladies, had another good run and was 26th out of the 42 ladies who completed the race.

There were 93 runners in the men’s race. Exmouth’s Shaun Lock was 28th, and Andy Johnson was 44th overall and 10th v40.

John Perratt was 2nd v60 and 67th overall, with Lee Russell 11th v50 and 71st overall. Jim Wyatt was 3rd v60 and 85th overall.

(LT)

The Grizzly has been postponed until September

This is the situation as of Sunday 11th Feb. More details should be available within the next day or two and mailed to all entrants later this week.

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Axe Valley Runners have decided that the Grizzly will definitely be postponed due to the high risk of there being containers on Branscombe Beach around race weekend. More details will be emailed and put on the website tomorrow or Tuesday.

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The Grizzly has unfortunately been postponed until Sunday 9th September. You can either do nothing and carry your entry over to September or return your number (which will be mailed later in the week) for a refund of your entry fee. Your accommodation arrangements are your own responsibility but the holiday camp has told us that they will not be offering refunds. A weekend of running activities will take place in Seaton so still come if you can to the gathering of shipwrecked Grizzly soles!

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Rest assured that we do appreciate what the event means to the runners and the local community and that we have not taken this decision lightly.

Fulfords Great West Run '5'

Last Sunday, Exmouth Harriers hosted their first event of 2007, the Fulfords GWR Five, through the streets of Exmouth, swathed in glorious sunshine.

This year, the 5 mile race is also linked with the Teignbridge Ten on 25th March and the Great West Run in Exeter on 6th May, providing the opportunity to race shorter distances building up to the Great West Run.

The race was won by Ashley Humphreys of Tipton Harriers in 25.48. Mark Cowan of Exeter Harriers was 2nd in 26.11 with Wayne Stephens of Bideford AAC 3rd in 26.33.

There were outstanding performances from some of the 14 Exmouth Harriers who completed the race, the best coming from Cathy Newman. Cathy’s brilliant run made her 2nd lady overall and 2nd lady/vet40 in 29.10. But on the age grading basis, which takes age and sex into account, her 88% was better than the grading of all the other 375 athletes, male and female, who finished the race. So on this basis she was the overall winner!

The first lady home was Heather Foundling-Hawker of Honiton Running Club in 28.41.

An excellent run made Dave Stone, the first Exmouth Harrier to finish, 9th in 27.36. Joe Pascoe was 13th in 28.05, with Steve Hockings-Thompson 26th in 29.09 and Adrian Kearns 28th in 29.13.

Andy Johnson was 44th in 31.16 and Chris Dupain 79th in 33.51.

Next, after another great run, came first v65 and 81st overall, John Perratt, in 33.56. But in a month’s time, John will be a v70 – what an athlete! Ray Elston was 2nd v65 and 91st overall in 34.21. Ted Bloomfield, progressing steadily in his return to racing, was 3rd v60 and 105th overall in 34.53 (His first race in a Harrier's Vest).

Nigel and Emma Dupain were 138th and 139th, both in 36.27. Jim Wyatt was 5th v60 and 145th overall in 36.36. Ian MacDonald was 251st in 42.02.

Race director Bob Keast welcomed everyone to the awards ceremony, thanking Fulfords for sponsoring the event for the 4th year running, and GWR for the link up which had helped to increase the numbers considerably.

He also thanked the Exmouth Harriers involved in marshalling, timekeeping, finish line and results team activities, who had made his job as race director easy. But he was particularly grateful to the Exmouth Sea Cadets and Air Cadets who stepped in at the last minute when the Exeter Cadets pulled out a week before the event.

Altogether, the Fulfords’ representative presented 43 individual trophies to 24 male and 19 female athletes. He also presented trophies to 4 male and 4 female club teams, plus 2 unattached teams.

The men’s team awards were won by Exeter Harriers with 2nd place going to the Exmouth Harriers’ team of Dave Stone, Joe Pascoe, Steve Hockings-Thompson and Adrian Kearns.

Exmouth Harriers also took the 2nd vet men’s team awards with Steve Hockings-Thompson, Andy Johnson, John Perratt and Ray Elston.

The awards for the unattached teams went to Michelmores and Stephens and Scown.

Postscript
Five days after knee surgery last Tuesday, Roger Rowe walked the Fulford 5 course in 1:09:20. His recovery from the arthroscopy seems to be progressing rather quicker than expected, and he hopes to actually run within 10 days of the operation, and race again before Easter.

(LT & RR)

28th January races...

Twelve Exmouth Harriers took part in the Broadclyst Bimble, a thirteen mile cross country race, and did really well to achieve four of the first six places. The course was reasonably good this year and drier than usual and 160 runners completed the race.

The winner was Andrew Chambers of Exeter Harriers in 1.21.46, just 21 seconds ahead of Tony Hatchard, the first Exmouth Harrier to finish after an outstanding performance.

Dave Stone was 4th in 1.31.59, with Hugh Marsden 5th after an excellent run in 1.32.25. Shaun Lock was 6th in 1.33.08.

Joe Pascoe came 13th in 1.36.51 and Adrian Kearns 25th in 1.43.57. Paul Champion was 43rd in 1.49.07 and Tim Gent 52nd in 1.54.03.

Both the Exmouth ladies had good runs with Stef French 95th in 2.08.41 and Dawn Teed 100th in 2.10.12.

Diccon Haynes came 104th in 2.11.41 and Trevor Cope 145th in 2.34.24.

The South West Veterans Cross Country Championships were also held on Sunday, at Pinn Farm close to High Peak. The 8 K race was won by Mike Feighan of Exeter Harriers in 30.39.

The 6 K v65 race was won by Chris Barretto of South West Vets A C in 27.58. Two Exmouth Harriers, Ray Elston and John Perratt, took part. Ray had a superb race for 2nd v65 in 30.10 and John was 3rd v65 in 31.15.

(LT)

Last weekend's races

Last week, three Exmouth Harriers took part in the South West Cross Country Championships which were held at Bicton College. The race was won by Rob Whalley of Bristol & West A C in 22.19.

Tony Hatchard was the first Exmouth Harrier to finish and came 30th in 25.17. Jimmy Zaple was 79th in 28.44 and Lee Russell came 115th in 35.24.

This week’s events included the 4th race in the Brooks Westward Cross Country League which was held at Bideford. The 44 runners in the women’s race included two Exmouth Harriers. Cathy Newman ran superbly for 3rd place and Dawn Teed was 29th.

Cathy is one of Exmouth’s most gifted athletes and still holds the course records for the Taunton marathon and half marathon which she set as far back as 1985 and 1989, respectively. On 18th February, she will be representing Devon in the Peninsular Challenge which is incorporated in the Plymouth Hoe '10'. In May, she will be representing Great Britain in the 10k in the European Non-stadia Championships in Regensburg, Germany. We wish her well for both events.

Nine Harriers were among the 94 runners who completed the men’s cross country at Bideford. Dave Stone ran well for 14th and Joe Pascoe was 23rd. Hugh Marsden was 25th and Shaun Lock 29th. Andy Johnson came 39th, Bob Keast 67th and Ray Elston 74th. Jim Wyatt was 86th and Les Turner 92nd.

Oh My Obelisk! is a 10 mile multi terrain race from Dawlish Leisure Centre to the Obelisk monument in Haldon Forest and back, mostly on green lanes, forest tracks and country lanes.

The race was won by Mark Cowen of Exeter Harriers in 1.06.14. There were 350 finishers including three Exmouth Harriers. Paul Champion was 66th in 1.23.29. Diccon Haynes was 180th in 1.36.21 and Sue Wilkin came 287th in 1.52.00.

Last Chance 10k - New Year's Eve

[The start, and Cathy Newman being squashed]

[Cathy in flowing form]

Nine Exmouth Harriers were among the 497 runners who completed the Last Chance 10K at Haven Banks, Exeter on the 31st December.

Just before the start, a short, sharp shower and blustery wind threatened to make life difficult for the runners. However, conditions eased, and were much less unpleasant while the race was in progress, although the strong southerly wind meant running the whole distance with a strong crosswind.

The winner was Kevin Heywood of Bideford A A C, who amazed everyone by running a new record time of 30:31. Exmouth’s Cathy Newman ran superbly for 3rd lady and 19th overall in 36:36; a class effort on a difficult day. Adrian Kearns was 28th in 37:32 a few seconds outside his all-time PB.

Roger Rowe, after a troublesome achillies problem and under instructions from his coach to run two minutes slower than his current potential, was still able to come home in 1st place in the Vet 60 category in 39:44. Aiming to run 4-minute-kilometers, he finished 48th overall and several minutes ahead of the next runner in his category.

Hannah Dupain was 72nd in 41:50. John Perratt produced another great performance for 1st Vet 65 and 96th overall in 43:10. John turns 70 in March '07 and will be a real handful for his contemporaries in the Vet 70 division.

Emma and Nigel Dupain were 159th and 160th in 46:31 and 46:37, respectively.

Jim Wyatt ran well to come 216th in 49:46, a long way ahead of Les Turner who was 279th in 53:22.

(LT)

The Wellington Monument 10k

The Wellington Monument 10 K road race was won by Luke Scott of Taunton A C in 36.27. 164 runners completed the race including five Exmouth Harriers.

Hugh Marsden was 8th overall and 4th vet 40 in 38.12,
Andy Kennedy came 19th in 41.39,
Andy Johnson was 32nd in 42.42.

John Perratt ran very strongly for 55th overall and 1st vet 60 in 45.16.

Another fine performance gave Jenny Reay 62nd overall and 3rd lady vet 45 in 46.05.

(LT)

Club Christmas Dinner & Awards

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

Female athlete of the year, Dawn Teed, has been fantastic, achieving personal best performances at all her major racing distances. First she ran the Teignbridge Ten (miles) in 1.18. Then she completed her first ever marathon, the London, in 3.35, a performance which exceeded all expectations. On to the Plymouth Half Marathon in 1.40 and the Battle of Sedgemoor 10 K in 45.55.

Shaun Lock was the male athlete of the year. At every race, his times were two to three minutes quicker than before, making this his best year ever. In the Dalwood Three Hills Challenge, a ten mile off road race, he was 3rd out of 145 finishers. Next came his best race of the year, the infamous Grizzly and 12th place out of the 1528 who completed the gruelling 19 miles off road course. Then he was 21st out of the 2130 runners who finished the Great West Run half marathon. He ran several other races after this and performed consistently well throughout the year.

Club president Roland Young presented the President’s award to Nicky Crook. Many years ago, Nicky ran with the juniors, but then stopped and became a non-running member of the club. Nicky started helping dad Phil marshalling and timekeeping at most of the races held by the club. When she was sixteen, she assisted with the timekeeping for the Exmouth Half Marathon.

About three years ago, she started running with the seniors, but only competed in small events when extra runners were needed for relay and other teams. Prior to the last London Marathon, which Nicky completed very successfully, she had not raced more than about three miles. To jump from three to 26.2 miles was a magnificent achievement!

The president congratulated the chairman on his excellent management of the club. He also showed his appreciation for everyone who assisted the chairman, because without all this support the job would be impossible.

Special guest Pete Ferlie, of Ironbridge Runner, was thanked for sponsoring the Bicton Blister for the last three years. Both Jon Croome and Dave Stone gave exceptional solo performances on the dance floor later in the evening!

Other news
Paul Champion found out at short notice that he had to complete a qualifying event of at least 50 miles before submitting his entry in January for next August’s Tour du Mont-Blanc ultra marathon.

This meant running a race longer than his current total weekly mileage. His choice, the 50 mile Rowbotham’s Round Rotherham, an off road trail race following part of the Trans-Pennine Way, with strip maps to navigate the circular route of the outskirts of Rotherham.

Previous heavy rain left the tracks very muddy, but on the day the weather was perfect with a hard frost at the start at 7.30 am. Paul settled into an easy pace. After around 20 miles he started running with a marine from Poole, which was a great help to them both mentally. The lack of training started to tell at around 30 miles. A hard five miles followed, but things picked up after food and a cup of tea at the next check point.

Three miles from home, they increased the pace and overtook the two runners in front of them with a mile to go. Paul and the marine finished 52nd equal out of 176, in 9 hours 54 mins. The winner Jez Bragg took 6 hours 27 mins.

Paul would like to say a big thank you to Sue Wilkin who acted as back-up and managed to reach all seven check points before him.

Last Sunday, two Exmouth Harriers ran in the 9 ½ mile off road Torrington Christmas Caper. It was very muddy, with deep pools of water in places and very hilly. Jo Darwood completed the race in 1.21 and Dawn Teed in 1.24.

(LT)