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.

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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.

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