A group of Honiton Running Club revellers took on the athletes of Languedoc last week during a club trip to the south of France. The Foulees du Pic St Loup, a ten kilometre road race just north of Montpelier, turned out to be a fairly flat 10.7k burn up in 27 degree sunshine. So after rigorous preparation the previous night trying out the various wines and gastronomic delights of the region it was not surprising that the Honiton runners didn’t figure in the first few places. John Burgess obviously didn’t drink enough the night before as he was first Honiton runner across the line in 293^rd with 55.45. He was soon followed by 355 Nick Thorpe, 58.06; 401 Alan Nicholls, 60.00; 405 Sarah Warren, 60.05; 505 Rod Warren, 65.14; 537 Gerry Evans 67.47; 559 Sandra Thorpe, 70.35; 560 Jackie Costello 70.36.

 

Several of the more racy types turned out on Sunday for the gruelling Exmoor Stagger 15 mile race. The event turned out to be a Jack and Jill event that started at sea level then rose for the first eight country miles to Dunkery Beacon, the highest hill on Exmoor,  then follows a different path down to the finish seven miles away. Then of course there was the traditional wind, torrential rain and mud to contend with which gave the runners even more enjoyment. The indefatigueable Heather Foundling Hawker again led the Honiton crew and all the other ladies to the finish in 14^th place overall in 2 hours 11 minutes. Paul Davey is rounding into form once again after his North Devon 10k time of 39.40 last week to finish this one in 35^th place in 2.23. Richard Harvey posted a time of 2.32 in 69^th  with Lisa Maggs enjoying the conditions enough to pick up 3^rd vets prize in 95^th with 2.38. Jarrod Brown found the distance tough and trailed home 116^th with 2.44 while super vet John Burgess also found the going difficult but finished in 3.10 in 195^th place.

The Honiton Specsavers 12k Road Race and Fun Run were staged on Sunday in excellent running conditions which was enjoyed by over 240 runners. The Honiton Running Club members hit the streets early to put up signs and bunting to mark out the course and also to set up registration and facilities at the sports centre finish area. The main race was started in the High Street at 11.00am by Mayor Vernon Whitlock and the 170ish runners who had travelled to the race from all over the southwest area set off at a sprint towards Heathpark behind the vintage jeep lead car driven and supplied by chief marshal Nick Thorpe. The lead runners quickly pulled away from the main bunch with a first mile passed in about 5 minutes. The pace was held through Heathpark and along the old A30 to Ironbridge until the testing climb back towards Gittisham. By this time the leader and twice winner Royston Green of Bristol & West AC had broken away from his pursuers and was heading towards the sports centre still knocking out 5 minute miles. Royston reached the field well clear of second placed Russell Forsbrook of Cheltenham to break the tape in 41.07.  Royston broke the course record on his first visit to Honiton but has just missed pocketing a further £50 for a new record on the past two runs. Russell came home second in 41.44 with Hereford runner Tim Clarke taking third place with 42.46. First M40 vet was Mark Rice of Southwest Road Runners in 6th place with 45.49. Bob Minting M50 vet finished in 16th in 49.02 while M60 vet Roger Rowe of Exmouth Harriers finished in an excellent 10th place in 47.57. In the ladies race veteran Marilyn Blair of Torrington AC was pleased she made the trip to Honiton as she crossed the line first in 19th place and beat the 50 minute mark with 49.18. Hannah Dupain of Exmouth was next home in 34th overall with 51.34 with another Torrington runner, Steph Oliffe finishing third in 52nd overall in 55.47. Medals and Specsavers goody bags were awarded at the finish with prizes to the various category winners. Spot prizes, donated by Honiton Sports (Asics), were also given out. 

Only a few Honiton runners took to the start line this year as other duties took precedence to running the race but Vernon Gillard put on his racing shoes after getting up early to help set up the finish area and was pleased to finish in 26th place with 50.23. Ceri Oak ran her usual solid race and finished 64th in 57.36 which placed her fifth in the ladies race. John Burgess kept Ceri in sight all the way round the circuit but couldn't quite find the puff to overtake her and came home 67th in 57.48. Junior athlete Emily Matthews ran her debut race for Honiton RC and finished well in 118th with 64.57 while Tony Whiteley enjoyed the relaxing Sunday run after his recent outing in the Bristol half to finish in 149th in 70.58.

The Fun Run was a great success with over 70 entries many of whom were in fancy dress. Runners from ages 3 to 83 strutted their stuff and received a souvenir medal at the finish from Mayor Vernon Whitlock. Spot prizes donated by Tesco and a goody bag from Specsavers were also given to the assembly of pirates, teddy bears and ballerinas. One lady had obviously arrived late for the party as she ran around the course with her teddy in her pajamas. Sincere thanks to race sponsors Specsavers (Honiton), Thornhayes Nursery, Hale Lane Nurseries, Everys, Bests of Honiton, Honiton Sports (Asics). Thanks also to the Police, St John Ambulance and to all helpers which made the race an outstanding success. Unfortunately there was one casualty of the race who collapsed near the finish and was attended to by St John Ambulance volunteers. He was taken to Exeter hospital and we understand he was recovering from severe dehydration on Sunday evening but happy that he received his medal from club chairman Paul Lowman who travelled to Exeter to make sure all was OK..

Midhurst Half, Yeovilton 5k Series & Bristol Half - (Dated 18th of September 2006).

Honiton International runner Heather Foundling-Hawker travelled to Midhurst in West Sussex on Sunday to do a low key training run over the marathon distance to complete her build up for the World 100k championships in Korea next month. The New Forest Marathon has a pleasant and picturesque course which must be quite inspiring which is the exact effect it had on Heather's race. Not only did Heather lead all the other ladies through the separate half marathon event in one hour twenty three minutes. Not only did she win the ladies marathon. It was the way that she did it. Heather ran alongside the leading man for 25 miles but decided not to race to the finish as her coach had stressed that it was to be a training run. She crossed the line first lady and in second place overall and some half hour in front of the next lady finisher. She smashed the course record which was set in 18 years ago in 1988 by Australian runner Mary Morgan who had run 2 hours 57.56. Heather  ran a time of 2 hours 49.30 which was just  two minutes slower than her marathon personal best which she set during last months GB 50k champs at Boddington, Gloucester. After her run she said "I felt good and had a super race and I had a lot more in the tank".  So now Heather is going to rest and recuperate and get herself in the mood to take on the world's best ultra-distance runners early next month in Korea. Let's all hope that it is a pleasant and picturesque course and that Korea is ready for a scintillating run from the bionic woman from Honiton, Devon.

 

Other Honiton runners were at the races in the last week. On Wednesday Kevin Hawker and Pete Ruhen went to the last Yeovilton 5k race. Kevin came away with a season best for the course in 16.59 with super-veteran Pete doing a seasons debut of 24.14. The Bristol Half Marathon attracted a trio of Honiton runners with Paul Davey leading them home in 350th place but a little slower than last years effort in 1.30.24. John Burgess has been training with Tony Whiteley for the last few months and they both ran to raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign. This was a debut race for Tony so he was glad of John's support. They both finished in 2.21.36 with over 2000 runners behind them. On Monday evening Roger Saunders organised the annual Woodland Relay match between Honiton, AVR, Sidmouth and the Met Office. Over 70 runners took part in the event and all had a pleasant evening navigating the woods and fields around  Fairmile. Many thanks to Roger.

N.B. At the Woodland relay AVR took the first place & Honiton RC came second, a good result for Honiton showing a steady improvement in performance each time this even is held. Clare Pomeroy was also in attendance at Yeovil for the third time & , for the third time, picked up another P.B. at the event. Well done all of you, Paul L.

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Seaton Half Marathon - (Dated 10th of September 2006).

Just when they thought that the heatwave had ended Honiton runners enjoyed  a run in the sun on Sunday at the Seaton Half Marathon with some excellent results. First home for Honiton was Heather Foundling Hawker who took the chance to add to her tan and retain her Devon Championship Crown by leading home the ladies in 6th position overall with a clocking of 81 minutes. Tim Legg followed Heather home in 12th place with a solid finish in 84 minutes.  Vernon Gillard celebrated his birthday in style by putting one over on his younger team rivals by showing them that he is in good form with a 90 minute finish in 37th place. Paul Davey finished a little behind his usual pace in 52nd in 93 minutes followed in 62nd by Steven Boyes in 95 minutes. Roger Saunders just got the better of Richard Harvey by crossing the line 69th in 96 minutes with Richard a few seconds behind. Second Honiton lady home was Leisa Lavender in 116th with 1.43 while Wayne Spiller improved his last years time by ten minutes by finishing 128th in 1.44. John Burgess came home in 186th in 1.56 but suffered considerably in the heat of the day while Bill Garvey was glad to see the finish in 2.06 in 231st  place. Tracey Dingle and Wendy Graham completed a good day for Honiton runners in 267 and 268th place with a time of 2.25.47.  As well as Heather's gold medal in the individual ladies race the men also took home medals in the Devon Championships team race. Tim Legg, Vernon Gillard, Roger Saunders and John Burgess were the beneficiaries of an unfathomable points system to come away with bronze medals in the Open section. The first three also came away with silver medals for the veterans category.  Earlier in the week Kevin Hawker put on his track spikes to contest the Devon 10,000 metres track champs at Exeter. Kevin was delighted to run an even split race of 17.30 for each 5k to finish sixth in 35 minutes.

GB 50 kilometre championships - Boddington, Gloucester (Dated 14th of August 2006).

 

Honiton's star ultra-distance runner Heather Foundling-Hawker had a wet and windy race at Boddington on Sunday where she was attempting to retain her GB 50k crown. The course was around a dizzying fourteen laps of a 3.537 kilometre loop which at times was into the full force of the blustery wind. Heather has been focusing her training towards this race for several months and so was confident that she could maintain a good pace throughout but her pace was such that she found herself neck and neck with 2.35 marathon runner Lizzie Hawker for most of the race. The first lap was passed in 13.42 and Heather was still doing sub 14 minutes per lap until the halfway point. The pace then eased slightly and by the marathon point had slipped to just under 15 minutes per lap. By the finish the pace had eased a little more and Heather had slipped behind her rival by a small margin but she was really pleased to get home 5 minutes faster than last years time in 3hours 30 minutes. But the amazing facts didn't emerge until after the race was over and Heather worked out her marathon time which was an amazing 2 hours 47.40 which was an personal best by about 16 minutes - and she almost maintained that pace for another 5 miles. Heather said "I was second but I ran well, I am so proud of me. I beat Danille Sandersons World Best Time for a Veteran over 40 so am now the new record holder." Husband Kevin was very proud of Heather too and is looking to get under 2.47 in his next marathon as Heather beat his London Marathon time by two minutes. Kevin was also envious that Heather didn't seem to have been affected by the run as most of us are really stiff for days after such a trial but Heather has gone shopping and intends to go to Running club to show off her medal. Well done Heather - a fantastic run.

In a more low  key event Honiton runners competed at Yeovilton 5k last Wednesday. Paul Davey was very pleased to finish in 18.43 with his daughter Sophie trying the 5k for the first time coming home in 25.42. Nick Thorpe and his son Reis ran together in 22.45 while newcomer Claire Pomeroy ran 24.01. Rod Warren is warming up for an autumn 10k in France and finished this one in 25.21.

Kevin Hawker ran the Sidmouth Festival 10k and came home in 8th place with 41.05. Julian Gigg was feeling below par for much of the race and came home 43rd in 48.36 with Ceri Oak finishing 74th in 52.04.

Launceston Half Marathon - (Dated 3rd of July 2006)

They say that only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun but Heather Foundling-Hawker and her husband Kevin are making a habit of it lately by taking part in many of the long distance races throughout the Southwest. And Sunday was very, very hot for the Launceston Half Marathon. Kevin had started out fairly briskly but by 5 miles he was starting to struggle. The heat and the hills were taking its toll and, by his own admission, this was the toughest half marathon that Kev had ever done. But he struggled on towards the finish only to find a huge hill for the last two miles which took him over seventeen minutes to complete. Kevin's overall time was 91 minutes. Meanwhile Heather had started a little more conservatively but had passed Kevin by 5 miles. At the ten mile point Heather went into a cold wet sweat and dehydration was starting to kick in. People were struggling all along the course. The 80 degree heat and paucity of water stations on the route took its toll but Heather still finished first lady in 88 minutes. Both Kevin and Heather will watch the weather before returning to race at Launceston.

Torbay Half Marathon - (Dated 26th of June 2006)

Heather Foundling-Hawker continued a trend of impressive runs at the Torbay Half Marathon on Sunday in sweltering heat. The event was described by the organisers as a 2 lap traffic free course starting from Paignton Seafront heading towards Torquay and back, passing palm tree lined promenades, sub-tropical gardens, wonderful sandy beaches with breathtaking views of Torbay, turning back by Torquay’s glitzy marina. Probable the most scenic half marathon in the UK. Heather finished second lady, 4 minutes behind England International Wendy Jones of Cirencester, in a time of 1.22.16. She was happy with her time and pointed out that Wendy holds the best time for a half marathon this year of 73 minutes. Heather's target this year is to retain her England and European 50k titles and also to keep her speed at its optimum over the shorter distances. Paul Davey was the only other Honiton runner to travel to Torbay and came away with a respectable 1.33.10 in 89th place.

The previous week Heather and her husband Kevin had competed in two other events. Before taking on the field at the Bampton 10k Kevin had delighted his son Josh by winning the fathers 50 metre race at Littletown Primary School. At Bampton Kevin blasted around the field to finish in 11th place with 37.16 and was nearly two minutes in front of Heather who finished first lady and 21st overall in 39.07.

Yeovilton 5k, Midsummer Dream & Race for Life  - (Dated 18th of June 2006)

Dartmoor Discovery, Talaton, Crewkerne 9, Exmouth 10K - (Dated 3rd of June 2006)

 

The hot weekend didn't wilt the spirits of Honiton athletes as they competed at four different events across the region. Ultra-distance star Heather Foundling Hawker went west to defend her title in the Dartmoor Discovery race over 52 kilometres of undulating roads. Heather has run many races since her last visit to this course which kicked off her international career last year and culminated in winning the European 50k title. This year Heather is aiming for the World 100k title in Korea and the way she demolished the field in the Dartmoor race shows that she is well on the way to accomplishing that task. With several British Ultra-distance Squad male runners in the race Heather knew that she  would be in good company throughout  and so tucked in with the leaders for as long as possible. Despite the crippling heat coming from above and also from the road surface Heather finished the race first lady home and beat her own course record of last year by a staggering 12 minutes in 4 hours 5 minutes 38 seconds. She was only 12 minutes behind the race winner Brian Coles placing fourth overall just behind her Taunton training partner Rob. That position meant she beat two of the male squad members by a substantial margin and she is now looking forward to attempting to retain her 50k UK title in Gloucestershire in a few weeks time.

 

Another Saturday race was the Talaton Trotter cross country race over 6.5 miles which had the best turnout of the weekend for Honiton runners with 14 out of the 96 finishers from the club. Tim Legg showed his class by  speeding round to 4th place in 44.34. Paul Davey came home 15th in 51.28 and was pushed all the way around by Roger Saunders 18th in 52.34 and young Steven Strawbridge 24th in 54.29. Lisa Maggs finished well in 32nd place and took the prize for third lady in 56.58 just a second in front of Malcolm Hall. Ceri Oak ran a super race and was very pleased with her time of 58.01 in 37th place while John Burgess came home first over 60 vet in 39th with 59.22. Other runners: 46 Nick Thorpe 1.01.40; 70 Kate Sandel 1.09.29; 74 Tracey Strawbridge 1.10.43; 77 Sandra Thorpe 1.11.30; 85 Vanessa Jones 1.15.55; 94 Tracey Davey 1.23.07.

 

The Crewkerne 9 mile road race was enjoyed by three Honiton runners with Vernon Gillard finishing well in 33rd place with 63.47 nearly three minutes in front of Julian Gigg who finished 53rd in 66.33. Sarah Warren has been working in Crewkerne for a little while now so grabbed the chance to impress her workmates by running a solid time of 82.38 finishing in 129th.

 

The Manor Hotel (Exmouth) 10k road race was the fourth venue of the weekend as Kevin Hawker flew the flag for Honiton finishing in an excellent 13th place with a time of 36.29. The club runners are now looking forward to the 4 mile predict-a -time run which is taking place on East Hill on Wednesday evening under the organisation of club social secretary Nick Thorpe.

Yeovil 5K Series, Ivybridge 10 & Umborne Ug! - (Dated 14th of May 2006)

Honiton runners have been busy in the last week competing in three different events. On Wednesday evening the second race in the Yeovilton 5k series saw 164 runners competing in this very flat and fast course which is gaining popularity among the Honiton runners. Tim Legg had a great run and led the Honiton contingent home in 10th place in a time of 16.58 and was followed in by Kevin Hawker in his first race since the London Marathon in 15th with 17.11. Kevin's wife Heather showed that she still has short distance speed after her ultra distance successes by crossing the line as first lady home in 28th place overall with 18.12. Heather was followed by another two London Marathoners as Paul Davey came home 41st in 18.51 and Richard Harvey 66th in 19.56. John Burgess crossed the line 101st in a 30 second improvement over last month in 22.10 with young Carla Messer cruising around in 113th with 22.57. Nick Thorpe was next in 118th in 23.24 just in front of Alan Nicholls who was nursing a pulled muscle in 123rd with 23.52. Sandra Thorpe closed the book for Honiton in 141st and 26.21.

 

On Saturday evening Heather Foundling-Hawker and Paul Davey travelled to Ivybridge for the annual 10 road race. The course was rather undulating with a serious hill at 3k. Heather ran at a good pace but was just 9 seconds behind the first lady Helen Parkinson at the finish. However Heather was happy with her time of 37.21 in 35th place overall going home with a bottle of wine and three awards which she won in Devon county events in the last year. Paul Davey ran a solid race after struggling a little on the hill. But he pushed on in the second half to record a negative split for the first time in any race he has competed in finishing 70th with a time of 39.34.

 

Sunday morning saw three Honiton runners at the Umborne Ug an enjoyable low key local cross country run. Honiton's ladies scored a victory as Lisa Lavender led the ladies home with Ceri Oak in second. Julian Gigg also stretched his legs on the course after his recent London Marathon exploits.

The Great West Run - (Dated 1st of May 2006)

A new course for the Great West Run Half Marathon on Sunday was a great success with 2120 runners joining the ten from Honiton Running Club to finish the event.

Honiton star runner Heather Foundling Hawker enjoyed the race and ran off with the winners prize with an excellent time of 1.22.43 which was over 5 minutes ahead of the next lady. Heathers run placed her 20th overall in the race. It was a few minutes before the next Honiton runner crossed the line but Vernon Gillard put in a solid performance as usual to finish 153rd in 1.33.37 with a rare victory over  Jarrod Brown who finished 167th in 1.34.24. Malcolm Hall was next home in 503rd in 1.46.55 with Pete Ruhen just behind in 645th and 1.46.55. Wayne Spiller has had a few injuries over the winter so will be hoping he keeps fit after a good time of 1.53.07 in 822nd. Jackie Hall enjoyed the race but wasn't pushing too hard with a 2.18.41 finish just in front of Sarah Tyas-Peterson who was running her first half marathon and completed in 1781st in a time of 2.20.17. The final Honiton runner home was Tracey Strawbridge  who finished in 1945th with 2.29.06.

Heather warms up for the GB 100k trial - (Dated 26th of February 2006)

 

Star Honiton runner Heather Foundling-Hawker put aside the usual Mother's Day treats on Sunday for the wet and windy delights of the Teignbridge 10 mile road race. Heather was using the race as her final workout before representing England in the Anglo-Celtic Plate competition over the ultra-distance of 100 kilometres which converts to a staggering  62.5 English miles.

At Teignbridge her finishing position of third place in a time of 62 minutes was of less importance than having a good even paced run. Heather was happy to cross the line behind Maddie Howton, who finished in 59.38, and Melanie Ellis, who was just 10 seconds down from the winner in the sprint for the line.  Heather is now looking forward to next weeks race at the RAF base at Innsworth in Gloucestershire where she hopes to win the race and finish in under 8 hours which will ensure her qualification for the World 100 kilometre championships in Incheon, South Korea, later in the year.

Heather has been training well over the winter with her longest training run in excess of 40 miles. She hopes to run each of the 62.5 miles at a pace of somewhere between 7.15 and 7.45 minutes for each mile. That would give her a time of somewhere around 3 hours 14 minutes for two consecutive marathons and then do a half marathon at the same pace. Heather is well placed to carry off the victory as she is already English and European 50k champion but this step up in distance takes her into uncharted territory. All her club mates wish her a fantastic race and hope that she arrives home safe and victorious.

Bideford Half Marathon - (Dated 6th of March 2006)

The Marathon season will soon be on us and  Honiton runners travelled to Bideford half marathon on Sunday as a warm-up for the long races to come. A cold but sunny day with a little wind greeted the runners on the fast scenic route which finished on a long stretch of the Tarka Trail.

Heather Foundling - Hawker had run 80 miles in training in the previous seven days so was using the half as a good tempo run in preparation for the English Ultra-distance Champs. She set off at a 6.10 mile pace and was happy to maintain that pace for most of the run. There were some good lady runners in the race though so she was pleased to come home in third place in the ladies section and twenty fourth overall. Her time of 1.21.48 was her best for years and puts her in good shape to accomplish her goals in the coming months.

Paul Davey has also been training hard since he got a club place in the London Marathon and is now reaping the rewards with personal best times at virtually every race he runs. Paul smashed his previous best by around three minutes to record 1.25.48 in 52nd place and is now looking forward to seeing how much he can improve before the Taunton half in a few weeks time. Jarrod Brown had a good race on the hills last week but has not been doing so many long runs of late so was happy to come home 93rd in 1.29.40.  Julian Gigg is another Honiton runner who is taking on the London Marathon and he is gradually ramping up the mileage and speed to face the challenge. His 1.30.12 was tantalisingly near to a sub 90 minute goal but he was happy to improve his personal best by a narrow margin and get into the top 100 in 99th place. Richard Harvey improved his best time for the half to 1.31.44 and is hoping that this gradual improvement will see him get a good time in London. Lisa Maggs had an excellent run to finish 235th in 1.38.19 and was really pleased to find out that she had again taken a prize with third place in her age category. Dan Brown is on the come back trail and had a steady run to finish 289th in 1.41.15 and is hoping to improve dramatically on that time in the coming months. Alan Rowe just missed out on the 2 hour mark but came home smiling in 2.02.39 in 594th.The focus for the next week is on Seaton where a large contingent of Honiton runners take part in the Grizzly on Sunday.

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A cold wind was blowing around the hills of Dalwood on Sunday morning but it didn't discourage the 145 hardy souls who set off to overcome the 10 mile 3 Hills Challenge. Wet and muddy underfoot conditions made the climbs and descents a little tricky but all the Honiton runners managed to negotiate the course without too much problem. 

Jarrod Brown and Paul Davey set off at a good pace and ran together for much of the way but Jarrod just managed to push ahead towards the end and finished 20th in 1hour 18 minutes with Paul just one place and one minute back. Julian Gigg and Richard Harvey also ran side by side until the last mile. Julian ran down the last hill at a suicidal pace to pull clear from Richard and overhaul another couple of runners finishing  24th in 1.22 with Richard 28th a minute back.

Lisa Maggs has been training very hard lately and at last it paid off with a great result. Lisa tracked AVR's Eleanor Wood for much of the way and was hesitant of going past as Eleanor has usually been well in front of her at the finish of previous races. However on the last hill Lisa decided to go for it and was relieved that there was no response form Eleanor. Lisa bounded through the line thoroughly chuffed at her position as second lady home and 51st overall in 1.29 and a bit of silverware at last. She is looking forward to the Bideford half marathon next week to see if she can better her PB and get near a qualifying time for the New York Marathon.

Tracey Davey doesn't race a lot but was pleased to have a go and finished well in 120th with 1.26 while Sarah Tyas Peterson chose this arduous race as her debut for Honiton and came home 132nd in 2.04. Alan Rowe was backmarker for Honiton in 140th with 2.10