Home

WELCOME TO HONITON RUNNING CLUB

We are based in Honiton, East Devon, Southwest England and spend our lives running through some of the most beautiful countryside in the UK.

HRC Events

Blackdown Beast
Cancelled for 2021

Honiton Hippo

2021 Results

Ottery 10K

Cancelled for
2021

Blackdown Beauty

Now a virtual event

Payhembury
Duathlon
15 Aug 2021
Results

Parkrun
Report of all HRC runs last Saturday here
Killerton here
Exeter here
Seaton here
Exmouth here

Instep Devon Championship
2021 Results

Club Charity
2021
TBD

Honiton Sports Shop
offers members 10% discount upon production of HRC card. Click here

Exe to Axe
Several Honiton Running Club members took part in Sidmouth Running Club’s JP’s Exe to Axe race on Sunday, 10th October. The race begins at Exmouth and follows the coast path all the way to Seaton. It is a particularly tough race with nearly 4000 foot of climb in the 22 miles. Of course, there are spectacular views and it was a perfect day with plenty of sunshine. This year, because of Covid restrictions, runners could start any time between 8.30am and 10.10am with chip timing being used to record the results.
The race was won by Samuel Kelly in the amazing time of 2 hours 40 minutes and the first lady home was Lucy Commander in the equally awesome time of 3:25. First back for Honiton was Johnny Bennett who came 38th overall in 3:55 having secured his place at the last minute. Marcus Durant followed coming 51st in 4:09 reporting that he felt broken at the finish. Steve Davey was pleased with his run coming 67th in 4:28 having had the company of other club mates throughout the entire race. Firstly, he ran with Rebecca Stevens and Tim Wigram and was later joined for 10 miles by Howard Bidmead who was out for his usual Sunday training run. Sharon Wells was the first HRC lady home coming 70th in 4:32 and Rebecca was hot on her heels finishing in 4:34 and 5 places later. Tim Wigram was disappointed with his race and blamed a lack of a banana as fuel meaning he finished in 4:54 and 103rd place. This is Clare Melbourne’s first really long race since the birth of son, Edward, less than a year ago. She came 108th in exactly 5 hours having run with Mark Newson for support for the entire race. Mike Mears and Mandy Ward ran together finishing 135th in 5:31. All the runners did really well as anyone who knows the coast path will know how tough it is. There were 141 finishers recorded and several DNFs.
.

Chester Marathon – Esme is back fitter and stronger.
One of our seasoned marathon runners Esme Moffett is back to her true running form by stepping up to the start line of Chester marathon on Sunday the 3rd of October 2021. Esme has worked hard on her training taking time and scheduling in long runs, speed work and hill training around her work as a highly skilled vet. Managing a busy family life but focusing on cross training too with the addition of home workouts. These included HIIT, strength, conditioning and flexibility.
The race started at Chester Racecourse providing a spectacular backdrop for both runners and spectators. The fast (and mainly flat) route covered 19 miles in England and 7 miles in Wales. The weather was very changeable with wind and rain but with an early start time of 9am competitors soon got warmed up. More than 2,000 runners took part and Esme crossed the line in 3hours and 32 mins. 11th/119 in her age category, 25th Female/ 762 and 304th/2491 in the entire race. Well done Esme.
The race was won by Michael Young to win with a time of 02:27:31

“Paula and Lou take on the North Coast Ultra 55km”
Paula Ferris and Louise Bennett ran their first ultra together on 2nd October 2021. They have ran many races together but this being both their longest and toughest challenge by far!
The event was run by Climb South West and started in Combe Martin heading to the finish at Minehead…(55km). It completes a full traverse of the Exmoor Coast and is nearly completely off road including the largest stretch of coastal woodland in England and Wales…making the undercliff from Lyme Regis to Seaton seem easy! It is described as a tough section of the coast and should not be underestimated with elevation reaching over 6,000 feet and it did not fail to deliver this!
As they started the race at 7:30am with the rain and wind already upon them they headed straight up for their first elevation of up to 1,000 feet heading to Great Hangman….it certainly pays to live in East Devon when these runs take you straight out onto hills! Once the runners spaced out, Paula and Lou continued to follow the South West Coast path signs all the way to the first check point at Lynmouth (approx. 13/14miles into the route). The coast path that runs along this way is not for the faint hearted with a sheer drop to your left so it wasn’t the time to put a foot wrong. After refilling water and eating some compulsory cake they headed off for checkpoint 2…another 11 miles to go. Along this section the weather continued to challenge them but also at points became very calm as they continued to be sheltered by the massive cliffs on their right. This part also included the largest stretch of coastal woodland. It was here that Lou took a tumble to the deck but luckily headed for a soft landing. Heading for their second checkpoint at Porlock Weir they were met by husbands Adam and Johnny as support crew. This was a great boost and feeling that there was only one more section to go.
They left the men still feeling strong but took a wrong turn so had to back track taking them onto the beach. Nothing prepared them for the last elevation to come after this! At this point the only thing on their side was the sun was trying to come out! They continued to dig deep but making it to the top…still chatting or trying as they went! Again then they were met by Adam and Johnny with only 2½ miles to go until the finish….both men joking they could actually hear them coming before they could see them! A great sign to show the girls were obviously still in good spirits. They then finished, after again taking a wrong turn adding on an extra mile and coming into the finish the wrong way! 36 miles complete.
What a journey. It was an amazing experience and a part of the coast path that is pretty much inaccessible for miles….very different to our Jurassic coast path and Dartmoor where they have trained on. Every terrain of mud, stones, beach, fields, road and unimaginable elevation were experienced adding the weather elements too.
There were 52 (17 ladies and 35 men) entries into the 55km route but running alongside this were runners competing to complete a massive 110km and 110mile routes!
1st Place was taken by James Long out on the course for a total of 5hrs 39mins. 51 finished the course with Paula and Lou taking 7th/8th place in the ladies category and 24th/25th overall with a time out on route of 8hrs 30mins but total running time of just over 8 hours. The last person for this mileage crossed the line after just under 13 hours from the start. This was not a chipped time event so is complete time out on the course and not true running time. Cut off time for this event was 14 hours.

Honiton Hippo
Congratulations to everyone who took part in this Year's Honiton Hippo!
Results below:
Hippo
Hippo Calf

Honiton Runners before the Hippo

Honiton Hippo & Calf
After a 2 ½ year break, Honiton Running Club managed to run its own Honiton Hippo and Hippo Calf races. The Hippo is a tough, just over 7 mile run that takes runners on country roads, through woodland, over fields and through the Landrover Experience. There are two river crossings as well as the dunking runners are subjected to in the Landrover Experience. There are several extreme ascents to contend with too! The weather was perfect and there wasn’t too much mud. Andrew Snook won the main race and the first female was Olivia Taylor. Many of HRC’s members were involved with marshalling but Marcus Durant was first back for the club coming 12th in 1 hour 1 minute. Mark Dallyn followed coming 26th in 1:06. Lin Grady had a fantastic race and was very surprised to find she had won her age category. She was 43rd overall in 1:16. Mandy Ward came 50th in 1:21 and Shane Hudd was hot on her heels coming in one place and one minute later. Shane’s wife, Michala, was next back coming 67th in 1:28. Father and son team, George and Sam Oldfield, had run together and finished 80th in 1:36. Former HRC junior, Ashleigh Ford-Cosens, finished 85th in 1:38 completing the HRC line-up. Numbers were down for a variety of reasons but over 100 eventually crossed the finish line.
The Calf is aimed at Under 16s and many HRC Junior members took part. This is a 1.7 mile run taking in a river crossing and some tough woodland running with a nasty hill thrown in. HRC’s George Pemberton won the race overall finishing in11 minutes 21 seconds. The 1st girl home was Hannah Carr in 13:34. As well as George, HRC runners had great success with many bagging prizes including 3rd girl, Fay Driscoll 14:49; U11 Boy - Taylor Anderson, 11th in 15:01; U13 Boy - Finn Driscoll, 6th in 13:30; U16 Boy - Charlie Wheeler, 4th in 13:03; U13 Girl - Eloise Dean, 19th in 16:02 and U16 Girl - Ella Spiller, 10th in 14:50. Other HRC Junior runners were: 5th Max Spiller 13:15, 12th Alex Yapp 15:06, 16th Noah Pemberton 15:39, 17th George Bornet 15:38, 18th Keir Osborne 16:01, 21st Imogen Clarke 16:14, 22nd Megan Shaw 17:24 and 28th Joseph Dean 21:04. There were 35 finishers.
Thanks to all the marshals, organisers, landowners, cake makers and everyone else who made this a great event.

Dartmoor in a Day
Three members of HRC took part in the self-navigation trail run or walk organised by ClimbSouthwest across Dartmoor last weekend. The weather was typically damp and misty adding to the navigational challenge!
Clare Melbourne and Mark Newson ran from Postbridge to Ivybridge, completing the 30km (18miles) in 4hrs 29mins. First back on this distance was Adam Bradshaw in a time of 3hrs 5mins.
Sherrie Hair took on the 50km (32mile) ultramarathon from Okehampton to Ivybridge for the second time. She finished 3rd overall in a time of 5hrs 33mins. The 50km was won by Colin Clarke in 5hrs 22mins, narrowly followed by Pip Riches in 5hrs 23 mins.
A big thank you to ClimbSouthwest for organising yet another great event and to all the volunteers.

Brighton Marathon – Gareth hits his goal
One of our newest club members - Gareth Henwood, took on his first ever marathon at Brighton on Sunday the 12th of September 2021. Training went well hitting specific targets on long runs, consistently putting in the weekly hill sessions and interval sets throughout the summer. The 16 week programme, including trail running, various cross training HIIT workouts, strength training and stretching. Running with the club has not only helped with different speed groups and trail activities like the “Beauty” but listening to other members experiences too.
Target and goal time was to cross the line in under 4 hours. Highly motivated, Gareth was running for the Prostrate Cancer charity of which is close to the Honiton Fire Fighter community. The support and generosity of family and friends would keep spirits high both mentally and physically.
On the day the weather was warmer than expected which is great for the spectators and supporters but possibly not for the runners. The atmosphere was buzzing and the race went well, hitting a tricky point at the 15 mile point. Gareth dug deep and pushed himself, spurred on by family support around the course crossed the line in 3 hours 59 mins and 55 seconds – amazing.
Finishing in the top ¼ of his age category (101/441) and 1474th out of 7232 runners. Totally ecstatic to hit his target all the hard work had paid off. What a great 1st Marathon for Gareth raising an amazing total of £1,165 – despite later on in the day a notification that the course was over marked by 568m it was worth every step.
The winner of the event was Neil McClements in a time of 2:33:44

September 2021 - Well done Jo!

August Handicap - Well done Steve!

Summer Larmer MT Half marathon
On August 1st Olivia Killen, Rchael Hennessey and Jennie Sleeman ran the Summer Larmer MT Half marathon at Tollard Royal near Blandford. The race was organised by fun-loving White Star Running with entertainment, camping, several races and entertainment – including a barn dance on the Saturday night – adding to the party atmosphere over the weekend. The run was everything a trail race should be: woodland trails, fields, tracks, mud and two killer hills (with stunning views when the clouds lifted). Finishers received not just an enormous medal, but local beer, fudge and a muff. Pip Vanham had planned to run, but was unable to. Instead, having camped on Saturday, she was there to greet the runners before the start and to share coffee and cake afterwards. Jennie came in 57/159 in 02;27:33, followed by Rachael in 02:35:10. They ran together until the last mile or so, when Rachael suffered a recurring injury. Olivia followed soon after in )2:44:37. The winner was Paul Russell in 01:33:24.

Payhembury Duathlon

All the ruunners and riders at the start

On 15 August 2021 Honiton Running Club and Honiton Spinners came together at the annual Payhembury Duathlon which consists of a 3.8 mile run followed by a 15 mile bike ride and finally a 2.4 mile run from the Payhembury village hall. This was the first ‘real’ event the Running Club had hosted for some time due to the Covid restrictions. The weather was mostly dry and not too hot which was ideal for the runners and riders. There were 30 athletes comprising of 17 teams either of a single person doing all 3 legs or 2/3 persons per team each doing the run or ride. The winning team of Steve Davey (runs) and Julian Gigg (ride) in a time of 1:32:43 only entered the event 30 minutes before it started so the secret in winning maybe being unprepared for doing it!. Husband and wife team Ceri and Warren Oak won the mixed team prize in a time of 1:38:48 after coming back from walking in Snowdonia. David Hatfield-Shaw was the first male back to do all three legs in a time of 1:39:46 and Hannah Brown the first female back having done all 3 legs in a time of 1:47:40. Finally mother and daughter team Judy Davey and Jo Buxton won the ladies team in a time of 1:47:59. Mention should also be made of Julian Gigg for the fastest ride around the route and Mike Mears for the fastest times in both runs. All the results and more photos are at http://www.honitonrc.com/duathlon.html.
There was much cake on offer to be consumed afterwards to refuel the athletes. Thanks go to Jennie Sleeman and Roger Saunders for organising the event and to Payhembury School for allowing their playground to be used as the transition area. All profits from this event will go to the school.
Photos of all the winners are on the Duathlon page.

Haytor Heller
Last Saturday on the hottest day of the year, Teignbridge Trotters hosted the 35th Haytor Heller 10k on Dartmoor. Starting at 5.30pm the race begins with the infamous climb to the top of Haytor followed by a sharp descent to the old quarry line and an undulating and spectacular run across the moor before another steep climb to the top of Hound Tor. From here runners descend into the valley below before another tortuous climb back up to Haytor and the final sprint down to the finish line. All in all nearly 1200 feet of climb.

5 Honiton runners took part with Mark Newson having a really good race being the first Honiton member home finishing in a time of 61m 28s and finishing 53rd overall. Next home was Howard Bidmead a veteran of this event who ran a steady pace and finished in a good time of 70m 46s and in 109th position and 3rd in the MO60 Category.

The Honiton ladies were represented by Olivia Killen, Michelle Selley and Kathy Layzell. All three ladies ran together and had a thoroughly enjoyable race crossing the line in 204th, 205th and 206th respectively with Olivia leading them in with a time of 1.30.17s and Michelle finishing three seconds later followed by Kathy in 1.30.27.

The race was won by James Baker from Chichester Runners & AC in a time of 43.01s. Liz Dyson from Haldon Trail Runners was First Lady home, finishing 24th overall in a time of 50.54s.

There were 244 finishers.

Otter Vale Rail and River Run
With running events now taking place again and several local events happening over the weekend, 5 members of Honiton Running Club made the short trip to Tipton St. John for the Otter Rail and River 10k.

The course left Tipton playing fields and followed the banks of the Otter to Harpford, returning through Harpford woods and back to Tipton along the Old Railway Line.

Running conditions were ideal but recent rain had left the course extremely muddy in places and slippery underfoot.

First home of the Honiton Runners was Mark Newson who finished in a time of 47 minutes 33 seconds and 32nd overall. Esme Moffett was next for Honiton in 35th place in a time of 49.23. Esme was second lady home overall and also won the O35 F category. Next for Honiton was Howard Bidmead in 37th place in a time of 50.16. Kate Harding was next for Honiton finishing 103rd in 63.57 with Janice Newson next in 169th position and finishing in a time of 73.32.

The race was won by Toby Garrick in 36.00. There were 216 finishers.

Ham to Lyme
Some Honiton Running Club members took part in the Ham to Lyme Ultra Marathon Race on Saturday, 3rd July. As its name suggests the race took a multi-terrain route from Ham Hill to Lyme Regis. Jennie Sleeman, Vanessa Knowles, Michele Selley and Kathy Layzell set off together. Richard Kemp and Tim Wigram set off soon after them. The weather was a mixed bag but was basically kind as it was a bit muggy and a little too warm but there were also a few cooling drops of rain. The race is tough with plenty of hills on the 30 mile route with a several chances to get lost! All HRC runners survived with no falls! When they finished they were told to climb up a hill to get on the bus but unfortunately, a few of runners staggered all the way up the wrong hill to find no bus! Luckily, they were quickly chauffeured around by Asilah Jarrald, a HRC runner herself, to the bus just before it left! The girls ran at a sensible steady pace and took just over 8 hours. Richard and Tim also kept together throughout the race finishing in about 6 hours 20 minutes.

Coombe Keynes Trail 10k at Lulworth

With races returning to the running calendar, Honiton Running Club members Howard Bidmead, Mark Newson and Sharon Wells travelled to Dorset for the Coombe Keynes Trail 10k at Lulworth. The weather was warm, damp and overcast making conditions slightly muggy but ideal for running. The course was undulating, muddy and slippery in places and took runners through the Lulworth Estate and past Lulworth Castle before returning to the quaint Dorset village of Coombe Keynes. Covid restrictions were in place before the start and after the pre race briefing, the runners were held very briefly on mass before the off and to cheers from the many spectators that were present.

Howard Bidmead had a fine race and was really pleased after 8 months without an event. Howard finished in 43rd position in a time of 50m 45s and was 3rd in the O60 category. Mark Newson and Sharon Wells ran together finishing 134th and 135th respectively in a time of 63m 26s.

The race was won by Julian Critchlow from Purbeck Runners in a time of 39.52. There were 263 finishers.

Plym Trail Marathon and Half Marathon
Three Honiton Running Club members joined First and Last Running at their race headquarters (a gazebo, a van and a portaloo on the grass) in the tiny village of Clearbrook, on the edge of Dartmoor, on May 1st and 2nd. Runners dodged ponies, cattle, walkers and families on bikes along the Plym Trail. It was a chilly start as runners ran up the hill through the village and back down again before heading off along Route 27 on the old railway line, but the rain held off until late morning.
Steve Boyes breezed along to complete the marathon double, Jennie Sleeman completed the half Marathon double and Kathy Layzell completed the Saturday half Marathon.
Saturday: Steve completed the marathon in 3:55:50, coming 8/25. The winner was Jonathan Dumelow in 3:10:46. In the half marathon, Jennie came in 6/23 in 2:01:46 and Kathy finished 18th in 2:18:31. The winner was Mike Saywell in 1:47:50
Sunday: Steve completed his second marathon only two minutes slower than on Saturday, coming 17/32 in 3:57:54. The winner was Lee Muscott in 2:56:48. Jennie was also two minutes slower in the half marathon, coming 16/31 in 2:03:13. The winner was Graeme Chamberlain in 1:40:25. It was a sunnier, warmer day and this time there was even a steam train chugging out of the station.

East Devon Round
On Saturday, 1st May, two Honiton Running Club members took on the epic East Devon Round. This is organised by local runner, Alasdair Moffett, with a great deal of help from his wife Esme and many other friends. This was the second running of the event which was cancelled last year. This is a mainly off road ultra-marathon of about 64 miles in length. The race starts and finishes in Offwell and runners also have the option of running half of it and stopping at Blackbury Camp. The route is amazing with many beautiful vistas of the East Devon countryside including Dane’s Hill at Dalwood, the River Yarty, Lyme Regis, Seaton, Blackbury Camp, Pen Point Wood, Hartridge Common and Dumpton. Of course, in order to see the views runners have to climb many hills and there is almost 9000 ft of climb on the route. The race was won by Gareth Shellard in the amazing time of 11 hours 16 minutes. The first lady home, Rachel Fawcett, finished in 12 hours 3 minutes. HRC’s Judy Davey was 3rd lady home, 16th overall and delighted to finish in 14 hours 55 minutes. This is more than twice as far that Judy has ever run before. HRC’s men were represented by Adam Hennessey who had run the race in 2019. He suffered in the latter stages but pushed on through the pain to finish 30th in 17 hours 10 minutes. Approximately 50 runners completed the full distance. Support around the course was phenomenal and the event was extremely well organised. The weather was chilly but mainly alright although there was a freezing hail storm followed by heavy rain during the afternoon which dampened runners’ spirits for a while. Thanks to Alasdair, his crew and, of course, the landowners.
Sid Valley Ring
On the same day, after being rescheduled due to Covid from the 2nd January some HRC members finally got to run their first race of the year! Paula Ferris, Johnny Bennett, Tim Pepper, Hadleigh Davies, Mike Mears, Mandy Ward, Rachel Hennessey, Louise Bennett and Gareth Henwood all took on the hilly challenge of the Sid Valley Ring organised by Climb South West and reaching a total of over 2,000 ft in elevation and climb. The start and finish being along Sidmouth Seafront. Runners were greeted with beautiful sunshine and a well organised check in point and staggered starts to comply with current guidelines. Paula, Johnny, Tim, Hadleigh, Gareth and Lou set off first as they had decided to run as a team of 6 and turned out wearing their newly sponsored t-shirts supplied by local company Jurassic Fibre. Mike and Mandy followed and Rachel set off soon after at about 9am. The first mile was pretty much uphill which was hard going with not much of a warm up. It was well worth the views as you get to the top and continue along this inland to coastal route. The route was well marked, with a feed station including homemade cake half way around and friendly support all the way. It didn’t go without a little drama as Tim took a trip/dive down the path down through Dunscombe Cliffs (around mile 10). Luckily the first aid kit came to good use and Paula’s first aid bandaging skills were put to the test! Gareth had been pleased the run had been postponed due to having an injury so this meant he had time to train and recover for his first event as an HRC member. All the members thoroughly enjoyed the run. Rachel completed the course in 2:35:41, Paula, Johnny, Hadleigh, Tim, Gareth and Lou all came in together with a time of 2:39:06, Mandy with 2:58:45 and Mike with 2:58.52. There were 176 runners. The first person back was Kevin Bale with a time of 1:36:43. It was nice to be back at an event again although a little different from the normal and the medal was worth every effort put in on the hills.

April 2021 Handicap - Well done Clare!

Tough Runner Exeter Epic 10k
On Saturday, 17th April, three ladies of Honiton Running Club took on the Tough Runner Exeter Epic 10k based at Haldon Forest. They ran the race mostly together and treated the terrain with respect due to the stones. It was also the first race the trio had taken on after such a long break due to the pandemic. It was super to see so many runners from all over the country and a really good atmosphere was present. HRC times were: 506th position Jennie sleeman 1 hour 2 minutes with Michele Selley and Kathy Layzell finishing together 535th place in 1 hour 43 minutes. There were 805 finishers.

CapTEN
On Sunday, 25th October several Honiton Running Club Members took on Bridport Runners CapTEN, a 10 mile registered fell run taking in Thorncombe Beacon (twice) and Golden Cap - the 2 highest points on the South West Coast with 2,400 feet of climbing. The majority of the route follows the South West Coastal Path over National Trust Land starting and finishing in Seatown. The race was socially distanced with no aid stations and one runner being set off every 30 seconds. It was a blustery day with some very localised rain storms and some runners got a drenching whilst others remained dry. Mark Newson led HRC home coming 12th overall in 1 hour 38 minutes. He was followed by Mark Dallyn who finished 20th in 1:42. Judy Davey was the first HRC lady back coming 24th overall in 1:46:05. Judy’s husband Steve was next back coming just one place and 30 seconds later. Rebecca Stevens followed coming 42nd in 1:59 having taken a few photos of the stunning scenery along the way. Howard Bidmead came 48th in 2:04 and Janice Newson was 54th in 2:11. The winner was Christian Green in 1:14 and there were 70 finishers. This was a particularly well organised race in unusual circumstances. The marshals were well briefed and supportive and the course was well marked.

This Week from

18th October 2021

Club Calendar

Mon-Wed nights meet at 6:30pm at Silver St Car Park unless advised below.

Hi Vis/Reflectors are essential for club runs in the winter and head torches when out of town.
Monday Night: Rawridge M/T Run
Tim's Route - Meet at Tim's 12 Ottervale Close, Rawridge, EX14 9TA - torches essential. Car share if possible.
Tuesday Night
Juniors
See here
Wednesday Night: Winter 5K handicap
Meet in park by Old Elm Road, Honiton. More details here but note Finish is now the start. Suitable for all abilities
Thursday
No activity.
Friday Night: Cotleigh loop
Meet Silver St Car Park at 6:30 prompt.
Saturday
Parkruns
Killerton Parkrun at 9am
Exeter Parkrun at 9am
Seaton Parkrun at 9am
Exmouth Parkrun at 9am.
Haldon Forest Parkrun at 9am
Sunday

Maps and Parking here

Club Kit Page

Order Form for kit here

Page Editors
Judy, Roger