Michelmore's 5K, Yeovilton 5K Series, Umborne UG & Junior 2.5K (14/06/2010)

Olivia Higginson and Nick Bradley-Carter ran in the Michelmore's Charity 5K in Exeter last week. It is a new course this year running from the Quay to Double Locks. Luckily the rain held off and conditions were quite good. Olivia finished in 542 place with a time of 28.30, a very good result especially considering it's her first race since recovery from a foot injury back in the spring. Nick managed 142 place in 22:33 which he was delighted with as it's yet another new personal best time.

A few more Honiton runners took part in the 3rd in the series of Yeovilton 5k. Brian Charters was first from Honiton home in 25th place and 18:19. Jill Harrison was next in a time of 18:32 achieving 2nd lady and 29th overall. Tom Dunn was the only runner to achieve a pb. He was 50th in a time of 19:50. Other runners: 47th Julian Gigg 19:46, 56th Richard Harris 20:00, 73rd Ceri Oak 20:45, 75th Steve Davey 20:47 and 97th Judy Davey 22:33. There were 153 finishers.

Umborne village is presently having a brand new village hall built and the Umborne Ug, an annual 10k mainly off road race, is part of the villagers’ fund raising efforts. Luckily the weather was glorious as the headquarters was outside because the hall isn’t yet usable. Brian Charters was first home for Honiton in 5th place with a time of 46:17. Richard Harris had a great race coming 9th in 49:03. Bruce Strawbridge came 12th in 51:46 and Steve Davey had him in his sights for the entire race. Steve came 13th in 52:42. Judy Davey came 1st lady after a well fought battle in 54:46. Simon Hall said he took Eleanor Wood’s advice a bit too literally when she told runners to admire the view. He came 34th in 1:01:25. Pippa Westall was pleased with her race as she hasn’t done a lot of running recently. She was 38th in 1:02:35. Tracey Strawbridge hadn’t felt great at the start so did very well to complete it. She came 53rd in 1:21:59. There were 54 runners.

The juniors had their own 2.5k race and Honiton runners did very well. Iain Ross was 2nd in 12:31 followed by Kieran Anderson who was 3rd boy in 13:14. Edward Cannings was delighted with his performance coming 5th overall in 13:20. He was followed by Isaac Williams; 1 place and 12 seconds later. Katie Davey was 2nd girl, 7th overall in 13:47 and young Joshua Foundling-Hawker had a go coming 18th in 17:22. There were 21 runners. Thanks to the organizers, Axe Valley Runners and the local land owners for a great but tough run. The cakes were great too!

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Crewkerne 9,  Talaton Trotter, Run in the Wild 10K (06/06/2010)

Steve Boyes took part in the military charity Project 65 Forces March last week. This is an incredible ‘Super challenge’ consisting of 5 legs of marathon length put on to raise funds for the care and support of wounded armed forces personnel and bereaved families. The event takes place over 5 days and participants choose to take part either by walking or running and, obviously, Steve chose to run it. The course is particularly challenging with many hills and valleys along the way. Spectacular scenery is very much a part of the route. It went fom Ilfracome to Bulford Camp in Wiltshire and Steve took a total time of 21hours 25 mins. He was delighted to get in under 24 hours – an amazing achievement, well done Steve!

The Crewkerne 9 mile road race took place last week and several Honiton runners took part. The race’s headquarters is at the Town Hall where the finish is and runners are taken straight out into the countryside where there are some glorious views. The first 1½ miles is an out and back route which also forms the 3 mile Junior/Fun Run route. This part is very hilly which is particularly challenging for those taking part in the Junior race. At least the adults get a bit of respite with a flattish section somewhere mid race.

This was the first time Brian Charters had run the race and he was determined to finish under the hour. He managed this by 9 seconds finishing 13th overall. Steve Davey doesn’t usually like hills but he was determined to keep ahead of his wife Judy which he just about managed. He came 37th in 1:07:56 followed by Judy 3 places later in 1:09:27. Judy was 4th lady and 1st in her category. The only other two Honiton runners in the main race were Sarah Warren who came 61st in 1:14:21. She was pushed by Maria Wadey who came in one place and 16 seconds behind her. There were 102 runners. Katie Davey ran a great time in the Junior race collecting a trophy for 2nd girl. She finished the 3 miles in 26 minutes.

Having missed a year, Saturday saw the return of the Talaton Trotter 6 ½ mile race and several Honiton runners took part in very hot and humid conditions. First home for Honiton was Kevin Hawker who was 4th in a time of 46:38. Fran Bond was 2nd lady coming 11th overall in 53:01.
Other Honiton runners: 6th Tim Legg 49:18, 18th Ceri Oak 55:18, 33rd Guy Paddon 58:24, 34th Judy Davey 58:39, 35th John Burgess 58:41, 44th Greg Axsel 1:01:33 and 48th Paul Davey 1:03:07. There were 94 finishers.

John Burgess and Judy Davey decided one race at the weekend was not enough and took part in the Run in the Wild 10k hilly multi-terrain race at Cricket St Thomas on Sunday. John and Judy had their usual battle with Judy coming out on top for the second time in two days in a time of 56:16 and 76th place. John’s time was 57:11 and 84th place. Richard Harvey was delighted to be first Honiton runner home in 51:15 and 33rd place. He was ahead of Bruce Strawbridge who finished 52nd in and 53:39. Steve Davey was next back; 56th in 54:25. Warren Oak was pleased with his race as he was disappointed to have missed Talaton. He came 104th in 1:00:39. Nick Bradley-Carter has been a frequent racer recently and was pleased with his time of 1:02:32 in 120th. Runners who took part in 2009 found the going tougher this year and most found themselves slower by several minutes and Tracey Strawbridge was no exception. She finished 240th in 1:17:24. There were 279 finishers.
The second running of Honiton Running Club’s Blackdown Beauty takes place on Saturday 24th July. This is a social run taking in 5 pubs and a cream tea on an 18 mile circuit of the wonderful countryside of the Blackdown Hills. This is not a race but a chance to run and walk in good company enjoying the beautiful scenery following public footpaths and minor roads. It starts at 11.45 am at the Holman Clavel pub at Culmhead and heads through Pine Woods to the Queen’s Arms at Pitminster. The route then goes cross country to Blagdon Hill and up to the Merry Harriers pub and then on to the Half Moon at Clayhidon. The next stop is at Pear Tree Cottage at Stapley for a cream tea provided by the ‘legendary’ Smeatharpe WI, then on to the York Inn at Churchinford before heading back to the Holman Clavel via Otterhead Lakes. Visit www.honitonrc.com  website for an entry form. Entry fee is £6 to include a souvenir map and cream tea. Meals will also be available at the finish.

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Edinburgh MArathon, The Beast (Swanley) Dated (27/05/2010)

Heather Foundling-Hawker, John Burgess and Simon Hall took part in the Edinburgh Marathon last weekend with mixed results. Edinburgh is a very unusual route, in that it is a city centre start, but then goes past the finish at Musselburgh Racecourse which is 8 miles out of the city, and then does a loop for the remaining 18 miles, with a lot of those 18 a double back on the same road. This means that runners can catch a glimpse of those ahead or further behind them at several points and Simon and Heather managed to exchange words of encouragement to each other on such an occasion giving them a brief lift of energy and pace. With ridiculously barmy conditions of up to 25c/77F, with virtually no wind and on a course devoid of any shelter most runners suffered and Simon and John were no exception. John felt he was not doing too badly until 22 miles at which point a knee problem forced him to walk for 2 miles. He eventually managed to complete the race in just under 4 hours 30. Simon decided to forget finishing within a certain time and adopted a walk/run strategy. His 4 hours 54 minutes was disappointing but in the end he was just pleased to finish.

John and Simon’s problems were not over when they crossed the line as Simon had a mad dash to catch his plane and John had to get back to Edinburgh to the start. It took him several hours to find public transport that could accommodate him as it was so busy with everyone else who had got in first. It must have crossed his mind that he could have run back faster.

Heather predictably finished well ahead of John and Simon and was 6th in class in 3:12 with an overall finish position of 254 and 17th female. There were about 9460 runners.

Steve and Judy Davey decided to take in a race when they visited Kent for the weekend. They were attracted by the Beast in the East in Swanley. The course starts and finishes at Canada Heights which is the venue of the local motocross circuit. The race itself is billed as tough and very hilly which is not surprising as the first and last 1.8k consists of the motocross track itself which, although abnormally dry, contained seemingly vertical ups and downs. The middle part of the course took the runners into fields and woodland which would have been welcome relief but runners could only focus on the thought that they had to tackle that track once more. They were also faced with randomly placed netting which involved getting on hands and knees at one stage. Steve was very happy to finish 54th in a time of 52:07 with Judy not far behind; 68th in 53:27. Judy managed to finish 2nd lady overall and won a suitcase for her efforts. They both found the race completely energy sapping which was partly due to the hot conditions. There were 349 runners.

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The Woodland Relays, Yeovilton 5K Series, Ivybridge 10K, Ottery St Mary 10K (13/05/2010)

The first Woodland Relay race of the year took place at Morganhayes, Nr Colyton this week. This was organised by Axe Valley Runners and 24 teams of 4 from Honiton, AVR, The Met Office and Sidmouth took part. Some runners managed to take in some of the woodland scenery which was particularly sensual as the bluebells were in abundance. Others ran blinkered concentrating only on the mission ahead.

AVR men won the overall event and Honiton ladies made up of Fran Bond, Judy Davey, Ceri Oak and Jill Harrison took the first ladies’ team slot. Honiton also won the junior prize. The team was made up of Sam and Joe Urquhart, Jake Harvey and Reuben Heeler-Frood. Honiton men’s first team came 3rd overall. Tim Legg, Kevin Hawker, Richard Harvey and Brian Charters made up this team.

Other runners taking part from Honiton included; Steve Davey, Brent Dicks, Tony Whiteley, Richard Harris, Katie Davey, Kieran Anderson, Sophie Keywood, Iain Ross, Dougie Keywood, Harry Whiteley, Jill Wood and Pippa Westall. Thanks to AVR for the organisation, Warren Oak who organised the teams and John Burgess who supervised them and provided much needed support on the evening.

Wednesday saw the 2nd in the Yeovilton 5k series and 6 runners bravely left Honiton in the rain, saw completely dry roads on route but found it was pouring down at Yeovilton. Many runners who have been competing in this series for years commented that they had never had to run it in those conditions. It was quickly obvious that personal bests were out of the question as runners not only had to contend with the weather and the resultant puddles but there was also a substantial stretch of roadworks which runners had to negotiate twice. Tim Legg was first in for Honiton in 17:52 and 14th place followed 1 place and 18 seconds later by Brian Charters. Steve Davey was next home 64th in 21:03 with Roger Saunders hot on his heels for the entire race. Roger came 69th in 21:16. Judy could see them both for the whole race and was happy to use them as pacers. She was pleased to finish 40 seconds quicker than last month 76th in 21:42. Brent Dicks had been re-roofing his house all day and having done physical work for a change found himself very tired and was ok about finishing in 22:55 and 94th albeit slower than last month. He’s got to go some to touch his pb by the end of the summer. There were 143 runners.

Paul Davey and Nikki Campbell went to Ivybridge on Saturday evening for the Ivybridge 10K. This is one of the first races Paul did and still enjoys. He ran a negative split doing the first 5K in 20.25 and the second 5K in 19.25 to get under the 40 minute mark by ten seconds and was very pleased. Nikki Campbell had a good run and was pleased with her time of 52.15 showing that her Brighton Marathon is out of her legs now.

Sunday saw a larger than usual entry for Karen Hall Ottery 10k even though it was a wet morning. This local undulating road race brought a good turn out of Honiton runners led home by Brian Charters who finished 5th overall in 38:27. Paul Davey having had less than 24 hours to recover from Ivybridge didn’t manage under 40 minutes but was delighted with his time of 41:44 and 12th place. Richard Harris’ appearance confirmed what everyone knew already – he’s completely nuts! He’d had an operation on his wrist on Wednesday and looked like he had a boxing glove on. His attitude was that the doctor hadn’t said he couldn’t run and you don’t run on your hands! He had a great battle with Julian Gigg both being given the same time of 42:52 but Julian crossing the line first. John Burgess and Nick Bradley-Carter tussled for position throughout the race with John coming out on top in 37th place and 47:36 with Nick 45th and 47:36 having achieved yet another pb.

Other Honiton runners: 24th Steve Davey 44:41, 27th Roger Saunders 44:47, 35th Judy Davey 46:12, 44th Jarrod Brown 47:34, 60th Pippa Westall 48:53, 84th Jennie Sleeman 51:05, 94th Alan Rowe 51:47, 118th Tony Whiteley 53:47, 151st Anne Ephraum 58:41, 176th Blanka Obornik 1:02:19 and 181st Tracey Strawbridge 1:02:49. There were 212 runners.

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The Great West Run & Stratford-Upon-Avon Marathon (09/05/2010)

The Great West Run half marathon took place in Exeter on Sunday and Honiton Running Club’s Heather Foundling-Hawker came an impressive 2nd lady and 38th position overall in a time of 1:26. She was not far behind the first lady; South West Road Runner Lucy Commander who finished in 1:25. Tom Merson of Bristol and West AC was 1st overall in an impressive 1:10.

Tony Whiteley also had a go at this undulating course finishing in 1380th position in a time of 2:05 which wasn’t too far ahead of Honiton RC President Alan Rowe who finished 3 minutes later in 1501st position. Tony had developed cramp but ran a better time than in 2007. There were 2103 finishers.

While everyone else seemed to be running London Marathon last week, Nick Bradley-Carter took part in his first marathon on the same day at Stratford-upon-Avon. He chose Stratford because it's his home town and he was running for Macmillan Cancer Charity in memory of his sister who died last year. He was disappointed with his time of 4hrs 52min as he got bad stomach cramps at 18 miles but he was still pleased he managed to finish.

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Many runners were pleased to see The Black Death run at Combe Sydenham Park return after a 2 year sabbatical.  It is somewhat on the edge of Honiton’s catchment for events, but 4 club members took part in this 10 mile off road run on the edge of Exmoor.  It’s a hilly run mainly along woodland tracks, with the occasional really scenic view.  Event times are quite a lot different from what people recorded on their own watches – generally event times around 3 minutes slow.  Bruce Strawbridge was beaming at the finish, not so much with a great time of 1.30.34 to come in 45^th, but because at last he was back to running on the surface and type of terrain he most enjoys.  Simon Hall was also really pleased with 1.51.04 and 138^th, as it exorcised some of his London marathon demons, and after an enforced lay off since then, is finally optimistic of being able to start Edinburgh in a couple of weeks. His plan was to go really steady, but he got fed up with that during the first long hill and went past Claire Pomeroy and Tony Whiteley.  Claire did pull back some time during the long descent at the end to finish in 1.58.05 and 159^th.  Tony started steadily but found some of the rough descents hard to negotiate, but still came in respectfully at 2.11.12 in 196^th.  Winner Mark Hopkinson finished in 1.07.24, or around 7 minute miling,and a good two minutes clear of the next runner - phenomenal for the amount of climbing in the distance.  

Meanwhile, Nick Bradley-Carter was also in Somerset running the Curry Mallet 10k which had a much smaller field of runners. Nick had a brilliant run securing a new personal best time of 47:49 which gave him 3^rd place in his age category. Milan Gok, who has recently moved away from Honiton, won the race in a time of just over 37 minutes which was a new personal best for him too.

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Thirteen Honiton Running Club members took part in this year’s London Marathon and most were raising money for charity. The Club’s nominated charity this year is the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Kevin Hawker and Milan Goc both managed to come in before 3 hours. Kevin in 2:51 and Milan in 2:54. Fran Bond had a very good even run, hardly slowing at all. She beat last year’s time by 6 minutes finishing in 3:18. Judy also had an exceptional run managing to break the 3:30 barrier by 4 minutes which was over 12 minutes quicker than last year. All four of these runners now have an automatic place in London for 2011 and 2012.

Richard Harris had overtaken Judy at 9 miles but she managed to pass him at 13 on Tower Bridge. Richard managed 3:37 which he was quite happy with as he has been very busy recently and not done as much training as last year. Bruce Strawbridge started from a different place to the others and when the routes merged he could see Fran and Judy ahead. He was running very comfortably with another competitor at that stage and decided he wasn’t going to burn himself out by trying to catch the girls preferring to run and chat with his new friend. He finished in 3:41 which was faster than his time of 2 years’ ago.

Claire Pomeroy was disappointed to have missed the 4 hour barrier by 3 minutes but she enjoyed the atmosphere of her first London Marathon. Vernon Gillard wasn’t far behind finishing in 4:05. It was the first time Laura Pyle, Louise Saunders and Jill Wood had ever run a marathon and all three have been training hard. Jill has recently been in away in New Zealand but she managed a couple of long training runs despite the heat. Laura finished in 4:23, Louise 4:24 and Jill 5:17.

Gerry Evans got his London place through the Club ballot so it has been good to see him running with the Club recently as he usually only turns up when there is a pub involved! As a result he managed to crack the 4:30 barrier by just 7 seconds. Janet Leach got a charity place and has raised a considerable amount of money for Children with Leukaemia. She finished in 5:13.

Meanwhile, Lily Helston took part in the 3 mile Mini London Marathon after being selected recently. She said it was an amazing experience and was delighted with her time of 19:45 and 30th place in her category of age 11-12 girls.

Nikki Campbell ran Brighton Marathon last week but was hoping for a quicker time than the 4:32 she managed as her training has been going very well. Steve Boyes also took part in this event managing 3:24 after slowing dramatically after the 18 mile mark.

Congratulations to all our marathon runners no matter what time they obtained - running 26.2 miles is an amazing achievement in itself. They should all feel very proud.

If this has inspired you but a marathon seems just a little too far, Honiton Running Club is organising a course of one hour sessions to get runners fit for the Race For Life Charity Runs. The 8 week course starts on Monday May 10th at 6.40pm at the Sports Centre where registration will be held (meet at 6.30pm). The local Race For Life event will take place on 11th July at Westpoint, Exeter – see www.raceforlife.org to enter and for more information. Although this course has been put on with ladies training for Race For Life in mind, everyone is welcome to come along – even men! This would be an ideal opportunity if you fancy running and would like to join a beginners’ group. Either complete an application form available from the race page on our website www.honitonrc.com  or just turn up on 10th May. For more information email Jo or Paul Lowman at race4lsec@honitonrc.com.   

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Last week, Honiton Running Club members took to the lanes around Yeovilton Air Base to take part in the Easter Bunny 10k. This is a fast flat course that is ideal for runners seeking a personal best time for the distance as well as the runner wishing to try out a 10k for the first time.

First home for Honiton in the incredibly fast time of 38:00 was Jill Harrison who managed 2nd lady position and 42nd place overall. Jill has had a break from running recently but has gradually been regaining her form and this race has definitely proved she is now there. Paul Davey came in next feeling a little disgruntled not to have cracked the 40 minute barrier by 30 seconds. He came 67th overall.

Next home was Simon Hall in 162nd place in a time of 48:03. He was pleased to have come in front of Claire Pomeroy who managed to beat him in their last race. She came 177th in 49:02. John Burgess was next home 189th in 49:47. He had been taking it steadily because Simon, Claire and John had all planned to run the route again straight after the race as part of their marathon training. They managed to repeat about 4 miles of the route but having pushed themselves during the race, found it very hard and decided to stop short of the full distance.

Marie Wadey who had run the race pushing her son, Oscar in his buggy started right at the back and had gradually worked her way through to finish 192nd in 50:18. Completing the Honiton group was Nikki Campbell who came in 200th place with a time of 51:02. There were 356 finishers.

On Sunday, several members took part in the Taunton Half Marathon which is a reasonably flat road race starting and finishing at Somerset College of Art and Technology.

Kevin Hawker is running the London Marathon in two weeks had said he was going to run the half at his marathon pace but ended up getting carried away finishing in 1:17. Had he completed the marathon at that pace, he would almost have won it! Tim Legg was quite happy finishing 4th in his category in a time of 1:23. Not content with his disappointment at the Easter Bunny, Paul Davey managed to disappoint himself again by missing his 1 hour 30 minute goal finishing in 1:31. Judy Davey and Vernon Gillard both agreed at the start that they would be happy to finish in 1:38. Vernon usually runs much faster than this but has just come back from an all inclusive holiday and had piled on a few pounds. Both managed to miss their goal; Judy just by one minute finishing in 1:39 and Vernon finished in 1:41 having had Judy in his sights for most of the race. Next in was Claire Pomeroy who was very pleased with her race coming in very close to her personal best time in 1:48.

Simon Hall was a little braver and tackled the marathon which is made up of two loops of the half marathon but all marathon racers would agree that the organisers put a few more hills in for their second loop! He had decided at the outset that he would pull out at about 20 miles and at that point he met up with a colleague who wasn't running and settled for getting a lift back home chatting as other competitors trundled past. Simon’s colleague wanted to check on another runner further back so Simon walked on for a bit. He came across a lady in a wheel chair attempting the half marathon but struggling on a slight incline. Someone gave her a push but there was no way she was getting up a steeper hill at Oake a little further on. Simon was still of a mindset on getting a lift home even though he had run on to this point, but decided to recruit someone from the pub beer garden to push her up the hill. They jogged back to find her and got her to the top. It became clear that there was no way she was going to be able to finish her half marathon before the cut off time and there were still hills to come so Simon began running and pushing a wheel chair! Soon after they obtained a police motorcycle escort as they were about to join the main road. Simon forgot his aches, pains and tiredness as he had a new race to run. At 23 miles they had 35 minutes left to finish but with the main hill still to come. It got tight but a shattered Simon crossed the line with his new friend with minutes to spare both accepting well earned medals. What a prep run for the Edinburgh Marathon!  

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A half marathon race several weeks before a spring marathon is always good training and Simon Hall and Claire Pomeroy took the opportunity to have a weekend break and take in the Reading Half at the same time. Claire had an excellent run finishing within seconds of her previous personal best in 1:49. She had the added satisfaction of finishing in front of Simon who came in 1:53 just 43 seconds in front of club mate Nick Bradley-Carter. Milan Goc also made the long trek to Reading finishing in a brilliant time of 1:21 and 161st place.

Several Honiton runners travelled the much shorter distance to Whimple last Sunday to take part in the Whimple 5 mile road race organised by Honiton Running Club members Janet Leach, Maggie Richards and Sarah Evans. The Honiton Club had considerable success with Tim Legg winning the race for the men and Ceri Oak coming first lady.
This is a very low key event with the emphasis being on having fun and raising money for the Children with Leukaemia charity rather than finishing positions and times. The race starts and finishes at Whimple Cricket ground and consists of a loop taking in the quiet country roads nearby. About 50 runners took part.

For some (mentioning no names), the race began before the actual event upon the realisation that they had not put their clocks forward. Nevertheless, they all made it to the start in time.

Ceri’s husband was able to make a hasty decision to take part after organising a last minute child minder in the form of Gill Day of Axe Valley Runners who was spectating. Tracey Strawbridge was accompanied by her husband Bruce who acted as her pace maker and as a result Tracey was very pleased with her time of under 50 minutes. Nick Bradley-Carter, fresh from Reading also took part after running 21 miles on Saturday.

Some of the juniors, after having a taste for a longer distance by taking part in the 6 mile Sport Relief run recently, decided that the fun run around the cricket ground was not for them and ran the full 5 miles with the adults. Sam Urquhart, Lily Helston, Jake Harvey, Harry Whiteley and Katie Davey all did incredibly well with Lily and Sam winning a medal for first under 16 girl and boy. Harry was accompanied all the way round by his Dad, Tony and was very pleased to finish in 43 minutes.

Other Honiton runners taking part included Julian Gigg, Richard Harvey, Steve Davey and Brent Dicks. There were many spot prizes to be had and runners could treat themselves to cakes or a barbecue and it wasn’t even raining! Hopefully, a substantial amount was raised for charity.

Elsewhere, three Honiton runners went to the Teign Valley for the Teignbridge Ten at Kingsteignton. The rain held off and with little wind the conditions were ideal. Paul Davey led the runners home but set off too fast which caught up with him later on. The course used to be a one lap circuit with long stretches but has been changed to a three lap circuit. Paul was happy with his 1.07 but felt he should have done better. Next across the line was Nikki Campbell who has been training hard for her Brighton marathon next month. Nikki took off not knowing what to expect as this was her first 10 miler; she crossed the line in 1.23 and was very pleased with her time. The next Honiton runner was Lesley Crocker who has only just joined the club after moving up from Cornwall. She was quite pleased with her time as she hasn’t been racing lately with the move to Honiton but she crossed the line in 1.33 and it looks like she could be a regular on the racing circuit. Well done and welcome to Honiton Running Club Lesley.  

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Sport Relief came to Honiton in style on Sunday morning. Members of Honiton Running Club were up bright and early with signs and tape, banners, water bottles and goody bags, as they prepared the High Street for The Honiton Mile. By 9:30 the skies were clear, the sun was out and the Mackarness Hall was jammed with mums, dads, kids and teens signing up for the run. In one corner the marshals were being briefed and in another the kitchen crew were doling out cakes and drinks. As the time for the mile run approached Race Director, Richard Harvey, conducted the crowd down to the warm up area where local Olympian Jo Pavey welcomed everyone to the Honiton Mile and thanked them for playing their part in support of Sport Relief. She then drilled the runners in running on the spot, star jumps and stretches, the kind of body torturing exercises most had not done since their school days. The road outside the Congregational Church was crowded with over 400 runners as they lined up for the start. After a safety briefing, Jo gave the countdown and blasted the klaxon, and the run was under way. Flying off the front were many youngsters, including a good contingent from Honiton Primary School who had been rounded up by teacher, Sam Ayres. Taking it more steadily was a group of beginner runners from Axe Valley Club encouraged by their leader Jonathan Day. Also in the mix were many members young and old (one over 70) from Honiton Community Church who had delayed the start of their morning service to support Sport Relief. Finally in their splendid regalia, were Mayor Vivienne Ash and Town Cryer, Dave Retter leading members of Honiton Council at more dignified pace. It was not long before the first runners came hurtling to the finish in New Street. Honiton Running Club’s Brent Dicks’ hopes of glory were dashed as he was overtaken just before the finish, but another Honiton Club runner Kieran Anderson ran a great race to be the first junior. Jo Pavey, used to flying round the track before 1000’s of cheering spectators, jogged along chatting to people and then happily stood for photographs. Jo’s husband Gavin pushed 4 month old Jacob Pavey round the course. Jo asked if he could have a medal, because, as she said, “It’s his first medal for taking part in a run, and could be the first of many”. But the morning was not about times or positions and the spectators cheered and clapped as tots and teens, parents and grandparents crossed the line. The end of New Street was awash with runners and spectators. With the music playing , Honiton Twirlstars displaying their skills , Richard Pinney giving a commentary and the sun shining there was a great atmosphere. Then it was time for water bottles, goody bags and medals. Since these were sent out over a week ago by Sport Relief based on the number of online entries there were just were not enough to take account of the overwhelming last minute support, so there was some disappointment. Then it was time for the 3 and 6 milers. Again Jo led the warm-up and set them off. Just before the start she was thanked for giving her support to the event by organiser, John Burgess, and presented with a bouquet of flowers by Honiton Running Club Junior Kieran Anderson. Patiently waiting round the course were the marshals who do a lonely job keeping the runners safe, and the organisers would like to express their thanks to Honiton Lions Club and Honiton Rotary Club for supporting Sport Relief in this vital way. Thanks are also due to the police who temporarily closed off roads at vital times and ensured safety at difficult junctions, and also to the St John Ambulance service for providing emergency first aid cover, thankfully not required. Honiton Running Club also want to thank on behalf of Sport Relief the kind donations of cakes from local bakeries, Shauls, Warrens and the Crusty Cob and also donations of over £300 received from the general public through the street collection. We look forward to an even bigger and better event in 2012.

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Lily takes on the best in the UK  

Lilly Photo 1 & Photo 2

Lily Helston of Honiton Junior Running Club has been very busy over the last few months after qualifying to represent Devon at club and schools level. After obtaining a top 3 place at the Devon trials she then went on to race against the best in her age group at the South West heats and finished the race with a very impressive top 5 place. These consistent results secured her a place in the Devon Squad that raced in Birmingham at the weekend.

Crofton Park was the setting for the World Cross Country Selection and the National Cross Country Finals with the top 300 girls in the UK competing. Lily found herself warming up with Mo Farah the eventual winner and British 3k record holder who stopped to have a quick chat.

With over 4000 runners and spectators in the park it was an impressive sight. The 3k course started with a testing long climb out into the distance, a sweeping bend back down towards the waiting crowds, then a long loop of the park ending with a fast down hill finish.

Lily lined up with 305 of the best under 13 girls in the UK. At only 12 Lily was one of the youngest athletes in the age category and her target this year was to finish in the top 150.
At the start of the race Lily found herself in the middle of the pack having been held up at the start; but by the time she came back down the hill her confidence growing, she started to push hard. The half way point saw Lily right on target to achieve her top half prediction. With only 1k left Lily realised she could improve on her position and gave it every thing she had and started moving up the field.

Lily finished 51st with over 250 athletes behind her and only 40 seconds behind the eventual winner. This was easily her biggest race to-date and was a credit to hard work and commitment with a superb run and still more to come.
Lily now has a short rest before she goes to London to represent the South West at the London Marathon Mini Event, again lining up with the fastest and best girls in what is probably one of the top running events in the world.

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Honiton runners took part in Axe Valley Runners’ 20 mile multi-terrain challenging Grizzly last week with mixed results.

First home for Honiton and crowned ‘first local man’ was Kevin Hawker in a great time of 2 hours 41 and 9th place. Brian Charters followed him producing a fantastic time for his first Grizzly of 2:50 and 36th place. Brian is used to long distance off road running but he said this was the hardest run he has ever done and came as close as he ever has to giving up during a race.

Bruce Strawbridge is running brilliantly at the moment and his Grizzly was no exception. He came 208th in 3:20. Next came a flurry of runners all within 6 minutes of each other in the form of 308th Richard Harvey 3:29, 317th Richard Harris 3:30, 322nd Judy Davey 3:31, 343rd Roger Saunders 3:31 and 365th Ceri Oak 3:33. Guy Paddon was not far behind in 407th place and 3:36.

There followed a gap then until Greg Axsel came in 584th place and 3:48. This was his first Grizzly and he did pretty much as he expected. Maria Wadey who ran with hubby Chris followed closely behind came in 602nd and 3:49. Leisa Lavendar was happy with her 654th place and 3:53 time as she felt she hadn’t done the required training.

Simon Hall managed to have someone knock into him at the bog and his glasses fell off. Another runner promptly stood on them and broke them which left Simon no option but to run in a haze. Broken glasses and runner did get reunited at the finish. This was a new experience for Simon and he did well to come 884th in a time of 4:11.

Warren Oak was next home in 1017th place and 4:22. Tracey Strawbridge was absolutely delighted to beat the 5 hour barrier and knock 12 minutes off last year’s time to come 1313th in a time of 4:55. Tony Whiteley really struggled with a knee injury and came 1386th in 5:07. He has never run anything like that distance before but he still said he would return next year. There were nearly 1500 runners.

If you weren’t quite brave enough to tackle the full Grizzly, there was always the Cub. This was in itself a gruelling 9 miles of multi-terrain hills and beach. Quite a few Honiton runners took part in this and didn’t regret taking the ‘easy’ option for a minute.

Julian Gigg had only returned from skiing the previous day and changed his mind from doing the Grizzly to the Cub on his return. He was first Honiton runner home in 27th place and a time of 1:25. Steve Davey was next home feeling very relieved that he too had recently changed to the Cub. He was 46th in 1:32. Sarah Warren was next in and managed to confuse the commentator by entering as a Crewkerne member but running in her Honiton vest. She was 49th in 1:34 and was followed by Claire Pomeroy who was 58th in 1:36. Just one minute later followed Pippa Westall in 62nd place and Dennis Costello followed her in 96th place and 1:43. Next was Jennie Sleeman, 112th place in 1:45, Vanessa Glyn-Jones 166th in 1:56 and Pete Lyus, who took a very leisurely pace accompanying his daughter. He came in 219th in 2:09. There were 300 finishers.

Both races provided entertainment along the way with musicians in abundance who could be heard for miles across the valleys. The marshals and spectators were very encouraging and Jelly Baby stocks in local shops must be at an all time low. Thanks to everyone at AVR especially Garry Perratt but thanks to all the other hundreds of people who made the race possible.

Meanwhile other Honiton runners were out elsewhere. Heather Foundling-Hawker took part in the Dutchy Marathon in gale force winds. Nevertheless, she had a brilliant run and managed to come first lady in 3:06:02, 15 minutes ahead of the 2nd lady. Steve Boyes also had a great race finishing in 3:37:05.

Nicki Campbell, Louise Saunders and Jill Wood are all taking part in spring marathons and they took a trip to Bideford as part of their training. They ran the half marathon and were delighted with their times. Nicki was 448th in 1:50:45, Louise 527th in 1:55:16 and Jill 728th in 2:09:00 which was another pb for her.

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On Sunday, five Honiton Running Club members took part in the Hestercombe Humdinger which is a challenging 9.5 mile figure of eight race. It is run entirely on quiet Somerset country roads and is organized by Running Forever Running Club. The race is set in the Quantock Hills in the heart of Somerset and starts and finishes at the delightful Hestercombe Gardens, near Taunton. The route is hilly and incorporates almost 1500 feet total climb.

This is the third year that the race has taken place and Bruce Strawbridge has run it every year. He led the Honiton runners home and was delighted to have beaten his previous times by several minutes to come 49th in a time of 1:09:58. Judy Davey was next home but didn’t do quite as well coming 87th in a time of 1:15:39 which is slower than her last Humdinger. Sarah Warren was next in 161st place and 1:22:48 followed by Tony Whiteley, 206th and 1:28:33, who was completing this race for the first time. Tracey Strawbridge completed the team coming in 274th and 1:42:54. The winner was Oliver Berry of Taunton AC in a new record for the course of 55:41. There were 317 runners.

The Humdinger’s baby sister race ‘The Hurtle’, which follows the first 5k loop of the main race, also took place on Sunday. Katie Davey, accompanied by her dad, Steve, took part coming in an excellent 8th place in 26:32. Steve has had an enforced rest from running but is thankfully recovering but didn’t feel up to the full 9.5 miles. He ran most of the race with Katie beside him but even though Katie has a strong sprint finish, he just had to take off on the home straight. He would never have lived it down if he had been beaten by his daughter! He finished one place in front of her in a time of 26:28. There were about 50 runners.

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