Some of these runners were racing again last Saturday at the Umborne Ug. This is also a tough 10k multi-terrain race with plenty of hills but spectacular views. The day started off a little chilly but this is an evening race and by the time the race and barbecue began the summer evening was perfect for spectators and just a little too warm for the runners. Tim Lenton of Axe Valley Runners came in first with a new course record of 39:29. New Honiton runner Alasdair Moffett was first back for the club in 8th place with a time of 47:45. Richard Harvey and Steve Davey repeated their battle of the previous week with positions changing several times. The result was the same but closer with Richard 11th place in 48:44 and Steve just 3 seconds later. Steve took the male vet 50 prize of a bottle of wine. Young Finlay Fuller certainly gave the adults a run for their money finishing next in 16th place in 50:05. Hot on his heels was Hadleigh Davies in 50:36 and only 2 places later was another youngster, Henry Riddle, in 50:49. Stephen Boyes is more used to racking up marathon miles but he fancied a local run of a shorter length. He finished 28th in 52:48. The next 4 Honiton runners came in one after the other within a minute of each other having switched positions throughout the race. Judy Davey led the group in 35th place in 54:15. She was delighted with her race coming 3rd lady overall winning a bottle of wine. The others were another youngster, Iain Ross and then a little older Simon Spiller and Howard Bidmead. Mark Dallyn only made the start by the skin of his teeth arriving just as racers were listening to the health and safety warnings. Mark struggled with the terrain finishing 41st in 56:01. Completing the group was Steve Briggs in 43rd place in 57:07. There was a great turnout with 90 finishers. Thanks to the organisers but in particular Eleanor Wood and her helpers. A great event, a super atmosphere and wonderful barbecue upon the runners’ return. Money raised went to the upkeep of Umborne Village Hall.
On Sunday, 2nd June, 9 Honiton Running Club members took part in the Run in the Wild 10k race around the grounds of Cricket St Thomas. This is a tough, hilly off road race organised by Chard Running Club. It was a gorgeous summer’s day although a little warm for running but disappointingly there were only 120 runners compared to last year when there were over 200. The beach must have been more appealing for some. Chris Entwistle was wearing his Honiton vest for the first time and he did the club proud coming a fantastic 3rd overall in a time of 48 minutes 31 seconds. Richard Harvey tried his best to keep in front of Steve Davey and he succeeded coming 15th in 50:02. Steve was only 32 seconds behind in 18th position. Suzanne Spiller was next back coming 3rd lady overall in 31st place in 54:22. She also won the 1st senior lady position. As usual, Vernon Gillard’s decision to race was a late one but he was pleased to come 35th in 55:37. He was followed by Judy Davey who had swapped positions with Simon Spiller countless times throughout the race. Judy finished 43rd in 58:04 and was first in her age category. Steve Briggs could see Simon and Judy throughout the race and he managed to overtake Simon within half a mile from the finish. He came 47th in 58:25 with Simon just one place and 10 seconds later. Last but definitely not least as she managed 2nd in her category was Jennie Sleeman. All runners agreed it was a very hard race but a great venue with some fantastic views.
Some of these runners were racing again last Saturday at the Umborne Ug. This is also a tough 10k multi-terrain race with plenty of hills but spectacular views. The day started off a little chilly but this is an evening race and by the time the race and barbecue began the summer evening was perfect for spectators and just a little too warm for the runners. Tim Lenton of Axe Valley Runners came in first with a new course record of 39:29. New Honiton runner Alasdair Moffett was first back for the club in 8th place with a time of 47:45. Richard Harvey and Steve Davey repeated their battle of the previous week with positions changing several times. The result was the same but closer with Richard 11th place in 48:44 and Steve just 3 seconds later. Steve took the male vet 50 prize of a bottle of wine. Young Finlay Fuller certainly gave the adults a run for their money finishing next in 16th place in 50:05. Hot on his heels was Hadleigh Davies in 50:36 and only 2 places later was another youngster, Henry Riddle, in 50:49. Stephen Boyes is more used to racking up marathon miles but he fancied a local run of a shorter length. He finished 28th in 52:48. The next 4 Honiton runners came in one after the other within a minute of each other having switched positions throughout the race. Judy Davey led the group in 35th place in 54:15. She was delighted with her race coming 3rd lady overall winning a bottle of wine. The others were another youngster, Iain Ross and then a little older Simon Spiller and Howard Bidmead. Mark Dallyn only made the start by the skin of his teeth arriving just as racers were listening to the health and safety warnings. Mark struggled with the terrain finishing 41st in 56:01. Completing the group was Steve Briggs in 43rd place in 57:07. There was a great turnout with 90 finishers. Thanks to the organisers but in particular Eleanor Wood and her helpers. A great event, a super atmosphere and wonderful barbecue upon the runners’ return. Money raised went to the upkeep of Umborne Village Hall.
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Stephen Boyes took part in the Forces March – 5 marathons in 5 days challenge raising money for the Veterans’ Charity. It started very cold on Wednesday morning, 22nd May so no sun screen was applied! However, although the wind was cold on the back, it got burnt. The first leg was Ilfracombe to Exford, a length of 27.1 mile saw Steve managing it in 4 hours 26 minutes. Runners found a great hill out of Combe Martin and an even better camp site; the 25th best in the country. Next day was Exford to Crowcombe and 26.1 miles. One of the support team physio commented Steve looked ‘rapid’ – he’s never been called that before! He finished in 3 hours 57 so perhaps she was right as there wasn’t much flat on that route. The weather was exceptionally cold for the time of year. The third part was extra long compared to last year because participants ran into Langport to avoid traffic. This made it 5 hours 39 and the distance 32.8 miles! Somerton in Somerset was the camping ground. The 4th leg was Somerton to Maiden Bradley. A short route of 24.1 miles but a great deal of it up hill. Steve finished in 4 hours 2mins. A music festival in the village helped take the pain away. The Final leg was Maiden Bradley to Bulford Camp; a distance of 26 .4 miles. Steve’s time was 4 hours 15 making a total distance of 137.6 miles in five days! Steve will be there next year for the 5th Forces March. A great holiday!
Two Honiton runners travelled to the Forest of Dean on Saturday 25th May for a 10k as part of the Trailblazer series. The weather was sunny but still cool enough to make the forest trail enjoyable and runners were set off in waves according to their predicted finish times. The course was run entirely on the forest trails and the gradual incline from kilometres 3-6 added to the challenge. Clare Melbourne went off too fast, wrongly anticipating a flat course, and paid for it in the second half finishing in 56.24, while Juliet Hall ran a great post-marathon race finishing in 59.23. Runners were rewarded with medals, t-shirt and a goody bag making for a very enjoyable event! In the absence this year of the Ottery St Mary 10K, six Honiton runners drove over to Crewkerne for a similar event. The only trouble was the hills. The race started with a 100ft climb with prizes for King and Queen of the Hill, but there were no Honiton contenders for these prizes. Once at the top there was a nice descent before the next climb came along. So it went on round the course, either going up or going down, and Richard Harvey who had assumed that after the first hill the race would be quite flat got a bit of a shock. He still managed to get round in 43 minutes 51 seconds and lead the Honiton contingent home. Next in was Vernon Gillard who hasn't managed to race much this year but had a good run of 44:55. He was followed by Rod Inglis who likes to run steadily for the first half of a race and then go for it in the second. This has the advantage of overtaking lots of tiring runners as he works his way through the field. He finished in 46:25. Local vet Esme Wilson was next home in 50:01very pleased that she could maintain her pace despite the hills. John Burgess had managed to lead Esme up the first hill and kept her in sight for the next mile but lost her on a long ascent. He managed to pick up his effort towards the finish and came in 50:47. Finally Brent Dicks, who only decided to do the event at the last minute and who doesn't like going uphill, took advantage of his sprinting speed on the downhill finish to overtake lots of other runners, and came home with a flourish in 55:20. The race was won by Ben Broyd in the excellent time of 37:07. Bring back the OSM 10K PLEASE!
Honiton Running Club had a good turnout for the second running of Beer Primary School’s Beer Blazer on Sunday, 12th May. This is dubbed as a mini-Grizzly as part of the route goes along Branscombe Beech and up the Stairway to Heaven just like the Grizzly. Fortunately, for the runners, the race is a lot shorter at only 6 miles.
Tim Lenton of Axe Valley Runners won the race in 39 minutes 25 seconds with new Honiton RC runner Chris Entwistle first back for Honiton in 12th place and a time of 45:56. Steve Davey was next back in 19th place in 48:38 and another new runner for Honiton, Alistair Moffett, finished in 21st place in 49:03. Rod Inglis had a great race finishing 24th in 49:23 and Richard Harris is getting his fitness back coming 24th in 49:56. Howard Bidmead has suffered with injury recently and although he slowed down considerably mid race he managed to finish in the respectable position of 41st in 53:27. There were several changes in positions of the next two runners in for Honiton but Mark Andow managed to overtake Judy Davey just a few hundred metres from the line. Mark finished in 53:38 and 44th place with Judy just 14 seconds and one place later. John Burgess also managed to get ahead of Judy during the race but the beach and the hill took its toll and he finished in 53rd place in 55:19. He was followed one place and 8 seconds later by Steve Briggs. This is the first race that Pippa Westall has run for over a year and she definitely picked a tough one. She came 64th in 58:40. There were 94 finishers. On the same day, Stephen Boyes took part in the Waendel Walk in Wellingborough which is about the length of a marathon - 26 miles. Steve had taken his dog, Marly, with him and after getting lost a couple of times, he guessed he had run more like 30 miles. He came first finishing in 4 hours 51 minutes – but then he was the only participant who ran! A great warm up for The Forces March this week – 5 marathons in 5 days! Three Honiton runners took part in the 100% off road Killerton 10k around the grounds of Killerton Estate. Tom Bornet was first back in 51:11 in 19th place. This was Julie Payne’s first race for months but she did brilliantly finishing as 3rd lady in 29th place overall in 54:45. Nick Thorpe was pleased to finish under the hour coming 59th in 59:44. There were 191 runners. Honiton Running Club representatives John Burgess, Judy Davey and Roger Saunders attended the Devon Sports Awards 2013 presentation at Sandy Park, Exeter last Friday evening. HRC was nominated under the category of Amateur Club of the Year and was invited to the awards evening as a finalist. The winner of the category was Kingsley School Judo Club with HRC and Barton Cricket Club runners up. Over 200 people attended the evening which saw Olympic diver Tom Daly reach the final in the Sports Performer of the Year category. He was runner up along with Jay Thompson with the winner being Olympic swimming gold medallist Ruta Meilutyte. The evening was hosted by BBC Spotlight’s Jenny Walrond and Jimmy Frost who rode Little Polveir to victory in the Grand National in 1989 was guest speaker.
On Sunday, 21st April, three Honiton Running Club members joined the 35,000 others to stand on the start line at the London Marathon. Hadleigh Davies who was running for CLIC Sargent was delighted to finish in 3 hours 28 minutes meaning he broke the 3:30 barrier. Judy Davey was less than 2 minutes behind and was just 14 seconds outside 3:30 having had the 3:30 pace maker overtake her on The Mall within spitting distance of the finish. Nevertheless, she was delighted with her performance coming 25th overall in her age category. Juliet Hall joined the beginners group at the Club last year and, running for The Donkey Sanctuary, she bravely took on the challenge. She had a complete mix of emotions; she laughed, she cried, she smiled and she said thank you a thousand times to the supporting crowd. She ran all the way and managed to find a spring in her step for the last mile – the very proud owner of a London Marathon finishers’ medal. She finished in 4:52 – a great result. She’s now inspired to run Amsterdam Marathon and try to beat her time!
Last Saturday, three Honiton runners headed off to Haldon Hill to do the Haldon Heartbeat. The race starts and finishes at Exeter Racecourse so the cold wind felt even chillier as it whipped over the hill but the runners soon warmed up as they set off on the 8 mile route. The first two miles of the race is a loop on top of the hill close to the racecourse followed by a long descent on forest roads and paths into woods. After a steep muddy climb that most have to walk, the route heads back towards the racecourse with several more climbs before regaining the top of the hill and the final mile to the finish. First in for Honiton was Ian Stewart with a very good 17th place in 56:57; next home was Rod Inglis 60th in 1:03:24 and finally John Burgess, 105th in 1:10:12. John was particularly pleased as he came third in his category having over-taken the 4th placed runner a few yards from the line. The race was won by Lee Turner of Torbay AC in a time of 49:15. There were 193 finishers. On Sunday four Honiton runners rose early to brave another chilly spring morning to run the Plymouth Half Marathon which starts at 9am. Over 3000 runners on Plymouth Hoe observed a 30-second silence at the start of the race to remember those killed and injured in Boston. The race was won by Tadele Geremew from London in 1:09. For the Honiton runners this was the first time Roger Saunders had run this event and enjoyed the route through the grounds of Saltram House to finish as 452 runner in a time of 1:41:16. Amazingly his ride share Mark Dallyn came in 2 seconds immediately behind him to smash his previous PB at 1:51:51 with 1:41:18 so he was overjoyed with his time even if he didn't beat Roger. Steve Briggs also finished not far behind at 664 in 1:45:20 with a good run for him. Graham Reeves also started the race but was seen hobbling off at Saltram obviously with some kind of injury. Howard Bidmead travelled up to Arlington Court in North Devon for a race advertised as one of Devon's most beautiful and tough off road 10k's. Runners were not disappointed with fabulous views and serious climbs but with the sun shining it was perfect running conditions. Howard ran well for the first part of the race but suffered when an injury sustained on the Grizzly forced him to slow down considerably for the last 5k. Despite this Howard still finished in 49mins and took the award for the first male vet O55. Honiton Running Club’s very own Honiton Hippo took place last Sunday. The terrain was extremely muddy and even though runners waded through the River Otter right at the end of the race giving them a brief wash, they were still plastered almost from head to foot as the field out of the river seemed to be the muddiest part of the whole run. Runners were taken through woods, fields, paths and roads all managing to boast a hill or two. Half way through the race runners are taken down a steep hill before entering the Land Rover Experience just to climb all the way to the top of it again! Runners are then treated to a Land Rover Experience of their own with the ground pre churned by 4 wheel drive vehicles.
The race was won by local Axe Valley Runner Tim Lenton in a time of 50 minutes 21 seconds and the first lady was Ellie Sutcliffe of Exmouth Harriers in 58:42. Although many Honiton Running Club members were involved with organisation and marshaling, some did manage to run. First home was Ian Stewart in 58:15 in 10th place. Amazingly the next two in for Honiton were both two of the older juniors with Henry Riddle coming 15th in 1:01:39 and Findlay Fuller 19th in 1:02:05. Suzanne Spiller was the 1st Honiton lady home coming 3rd lady overall in 26th place in 1:04:22. Other Honiton runners’ results: 21st Jarrod Brown 1:02:05, 34th Richard Harris 1:06:43, 45th Tom Dunn 1:09:05, 46th Vernon Gillard 1:09:21, 47th Simon Spiller 1:09:45, 72nd Helen Davy 1:16:42, 75th Pippa Westall 1:17:04, 77th Sarah Warren 1:17:55, 87th Esme Wilson 1:20:11, 105 Hayden Adamson 1:25:04, 107 Pete Lyus 1:25:11, 110th Jo Jo Davey 1:26:49, 117th Carol Turnham 1:28:55, 130th Wendy Le Masurier 1:34:44, 138th Wendy Williams 1:39:43. There were 171 finishers. The Hippo Calf, which is mainly aimed at juniors aged 9 and over, took place at the same time. It is approximately 3K and starts with the same route as the beginning of the main race. Much to the disappointment of many juniors, organisers decided the river was too swollen to risk taking the youngsters across this year. This did mean that finishing times were much quicker. The race was won by Sam Pyne in a time of 12:07. First back for Honiton was Jack Elsom in 12:49 in 4th place overall making him 2nd U16 boy. Arthur Heeler-Frood was 5th overall and 2nd U11 boy in a time of 13:22. Harry Whiteley also gained a prize for 3rd U16 boy finishing 7th overall in 13:33. Honiton girls did very well too with Sasha Davy winning her U13 girl category coming 19th overall in 14:27. Honiton girls took all 3 top spots in the U16 group with Florence Swan coming 1st in 13:48, Isabel Helston 2nd in 14:22 and Morgan Davy 3rd in 14:25.There were 54 finishers. The primary school team cup was awarded to Redstart Primary School, Chard for the first time. There were plenty of other Honiton junior members achieving some very creditable results including: 6th Aidan Harrison 13:31, 10th Olly Talbot 13:54, 11th Max Helston 13:56, 12th Harry Boswell 13:58, 16th Iain Ross 14:19, 21st Thomas Lilley 14:34, 24th Sam Taylor 14:49, 29th Josh Rowe 15:28, 40th Hannah Land 18:28, 41st James Oak 18:47, 44th Verity Fuller 19:03, 45th Ella Harvey 19:06, 46th Megan Burton 19:28 There were 54 finishers. Thanks to the many people who supported and assisted in any way and especially the landowners for allowing hundreds of muddy feet to cross their land. Meanwhile, a little further afield, Stephen Boyes took part in the Brighton Marathon. Despite the strong winds and not feeling quite as fit as he would like, he managed to finish in a time of 3 hours 39 minutes. On Easter Monday, in the perishing cold, four Honiton Running Club members took part in The Easter Bunny 10k based around Yeovilton. It is a fast course with the last 5k being a loop of Yeovilton airbase and almost pancake flat. Steve Briggs finished in 47 minutes, John Burgess 49 and Clare Melbourne 54. Jo Jo Davey’s ambition was to finish under the hour which she did in fine style, smashing her personal best time for the distance to finish in 57 minutes.
Last Sunday, Graham Reeves took part in the Paris Marathon after following a rigid training regime. The weather was in his favour with sun and cool temperatures and just a slight breeze. The Marathon went really well for him and helped by the cheering crowds, he surpassed his expectations finishing in 3 hours 8 minutes. He smashed his previous personal best time and hopes to have secured a place in next year’s London Marathon gaining a ‘Good for Age’ place. Back in England it was very cold and windy on the seafront at Exmouth for the start of Sidmouth Running Club’s Exe to Axe race. Three Honiton runners took part in this 21 mile race which follows the coastal path from Exmouth to Seaton going through Budleigh Salterton, Sidmouth, Branscombe and Beer. The weather did feel warmer for the runners as they climbed the many cliffs. Steve Davey was first back for Honiton finishing 32nd in 3 hours 41 with Bruce Strawbridge following shortly after in 39th place in 3:44. Mark Dallyn completed the race for the first time and understandably found it very tough but was pleased to finish in 93rd place in 4:08. There were 184 finishers, almost double that of last year and the winner was local Axe Valley Runner Tim Lenton in 2:46. On the same day several Honiton runners took advantage of the fairly flat Taunton Half Marathon. Jennie Sleeman led the group home completing a pb run to finish in 1 hour 50 minutes. She was followed just 34 seconds later by Nick Thorpe with John Burgess not far behind in 1:51. Lin Pike is running extremely well at the moment and also managed a pb just missing out on a sub 2 hour finish by 12 seconds. Other Honiton runners with their finishing times were: Sandra Thorpe 2:01, Jo Jo Davey 2:06, Wendy Le Masurier 2:14, Kathy Layzell 2:16 and Wendy Williams 2:55. Honiton Running Club’s President Alan Rowe MBE ran the Lisbon Half Marathon on Sunday 24th March to promote the Baton's Message with one of the Trustees. Alan really enjoyed his first time there and found the Portuguese to be such lovely people. It’s a fast flattish "T" shaped course along the sea front. For the Baton’s cause Alan ran with a rucksack containing Baton leaflets and messages which he handed out along the way. Alan’s time was 2 hour 28 minutes and allowing for stops and photos, Alan estimates a real time of about 2:13 - not the fastest, but taking into account a chest infection that he’s had for over 6 weeks, he was very satisfied. Alan found running over the famous 25 de Abril Bridge at the start quite an experience. It is pretty much a direct copy of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alan was told that many low budget film companies choose to shoot there rather than travel to the USA. The whole run was very well organised, plenty of water stations and a really lovely finish area by a park and historic building. There were good quality bands along the way who entertained but crowds were thin until the finish area. The weather on the day was absolutely perfect; 20C with a cooling breeze. Many of the runners, including Alan, took up the offer of a free Baseball Cap in view of the temperature.
Honiton Running Club was extremely well represented at Good Friday’s Kilmington Kanter with 14 adults taking part in the main race and 4 juniors tackling the fun run. This multi-terrain race is just under 7 miles and takes in Shute and Umborne as well as Kilmington. It looked like a beautiful spring day but the biting wind made it bitterly cold. Richard Harvey was first back for Honiton in 17th place in a time of 52 minutes 58 seconds. Steve Davey followed coming 20th in 53:51. Richard Harris and Suzanne Spiller battled to the line with Richard coming 25th in 54:57 and Suzanne just 1 place and 2 seconds behind. Suzanne had her victory, however, as she was first lady overall winning a wonderful hamper of fruit for her efforts. Howard Bidmead has been suffering injury following the Grizzly but he had a good race finishing 32nd in 56:20. Mark Dallyn was next back coming 34th in 56:40. Simon Spiller led the next batch of Honiton runners home finishing 36th in 57:40 with Roger Saunders following 9 seconds later having just outsprinted Judy Davey by 7 seconds on the final stretch. Steve Briggs followed in 43rd place with a time of 58:46 before the next trio of Honiton runners finished one after the other led by Lesley Crocker who came 47th in 60:38 followed by Mark Andow in 60:43 and John Burgess finishing just one second later. Lesley was delighted and very surprised to find out she was the winner of her category winning a bag of healthy goodies. Lin Pike completed Honiton’s adult line up finishing 58th in 67:34. There were 67 runners and the race was won by Axe Valley Runner Matthew Clist in 42:30. Runners were treated to a much needed cup of tea and hot cross bun on their return. The four junior runners did spectacularly well in the fun run with Henry Riddle winning the race in 17:31. Rowan Westall was 2nd in 18:27 and Florence Swan won her category finishing 5th overall in 19:59. Megan Burton was wearing her brand new Honiton racing vest and finished 2nd in her category in 26:04 in 17th place. There were 25 runners. Thanks to the main organiser Malcolm Macdonald with Kilmington Primary School as well as the sponsors for the great prizes. Steve Davey, Bruce Strawbridge and Mark Dallyn took part in AVR’s Night Runner last Saturday evening. Runners are guided on the course of this 6 ½ mile off road race by lights placed at strategic points. It is a tough race made tougher by the darkness with runners taken along Branscombe Beach before climbing the infamous Stairway to Heaven. Steve was first back for Honiton coming 21st in about 57 minutes. Bruce followed just a few seconds and 2 places later whilst Mark finished a very respectable 41st. There were 80 runners and the winner was Michael Robinson on Tamar Trotters. Paul and Jo Lowman are starting a runners’ beginners’ course on Monday, 15th April. Meet at 6.30pm at Honiton Community College. For further information contact Paul on 07764308627 or [email protected] Four Honiton runners braved the cold temperatures and biting winds to run Age Concern's 'Wrap up and Run' Exeter 10k on Sunday, the title of the race could not have been more apt. This race is one of a series run across the country to raise money for the elderly. Starting in Princesshay the race takes in a lap of Southernhay before descending down to the Quay. From the Quay the route took runners along the River Exe straight into the freezing wind and out to the swing bridge. Here it was time to turn back for home towards Exeter alongside the canal; at least the wind was now on their backs. The finish line, by Haven Banks was a welcome sight and the chance to grab some sustenance and wrap up again. First home for Honiton was the ever improving Graham Reeves with another personal best time of 37 minutes 59 seconds 23rd place. Nick Thorpe was next in 157th place in a time of 48.41, followed by his wife Sandra finishing 270th in 54.14. Both were pleased to finish third in their age categories. Graham's partner, Sam Shute was next with a time of 57.30 in 358th place. The race was won by Tom Merson of Bristol and West AC in a time of 31.15. 550 runners completed the race.
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December 2013
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