Over 115 runners stood on the start line of the Dalwood 3 Hills Challenge last Sunday on a very cold but dry morning. This is a tough multi-terrain race which takes runners up not the advertised 3 hills but runners have to suffer 4. The race was won by Michael Robinson in the amazing time of 1 hour 6 minutes. Honiton Running Club managed a fantastic turnout of 20 runners in the main race. Leading the Club home was Richard Harvey who came 25th in 1:23:58. He did well to stay ahead of the next three Honiton runners as there is always healthy competition between them. Bruce Strawbridge was next back in 27th place in 1:24:28 followed by Steve Davey 29th in 1:25:15. Fran Bond finished just one place and 10 seconds behind Steve and was delighted to win the trophy for 2nd lady as well as coming 1st in her age category. Howard Bidmead was next back coming 41st in 1:29:54. Ceri Oak was 50th in 1:33:42 just two places ahead of Simon Spiller who ran with his wife Suzanne both finishing in 1:34:46. Rod Inglis and Judy Davey swapped positions many times during the race but Rod eventually pulled away quite convincingly to finish 55th in 1:35:09. Once Judy had lost Rod, she had Mark Dallyn to chase and she finished 61st in 1:36:24 with Mark just 12 second behind her. Mark Andow was next back having found the hills very tough finishing 73rd in 1:40:59. He was followed by Helen Davy and Steve Briggs who took the next 2 positions with times of 1:41:17 and 1:41:58 respectively. John Burgess had a much better run this year than he did at Dalwood last year finishing 79th in 1:44:54. Peter Lyus has completed this race many times before and despite the hills, he keeps coming back for more. He finished 95th in 1:53:36. The next 3 runners are all training hard for the Grizzly in 2 weeks time and Linda Pike led them back finishing 98th in 1:54:14. Clare Melbourne was 104th in 1:56:47 and Carol Turnham 109th in 2:06:41. All they have to do now is run it twice and they have completed the Grizzly! Juliet Hall is training for London Marathon in April and has also been putting in some serious miles. It was her first time at Dalwood and she did well to finish 112th in 2:11:33. There were 115 finishers.
Alongside the main race is the Mini Challenge which is approximately 3 miles and is open to juniors and adults over the age of 12. First back for Honiton and 3rd overall was Florence Swan in 28 minutes and 2 seconds. She was followed by Sam Taylor who was 4th in 29:59 and completing Honiton’s entry was Morgan Davy who came 7th in 32:12. Morgan’s sister Sasha isn’t old enough to take part in the Mini Challenge so she had to be content to take part in the 1 ½ mile fun run. She did amazingly well completing in 8:43 and finishing 1st overall out of a total of 19 finishers. Thanks to Dalwood Run Committee for a great well organised run. Also, thanks to their sponsors and landowners and not forgetting the marshals for standing out so long in the bitterly cold and being so encouraging to the racers. Thanks also to those who provided delicious bacon butties or homemade cakes and tea. Last Sunday, Honiton Running Club’s Nick Bradley-Carter and Olivia Higginson ran in Running Forever Running Club’s 9 ½ mile Hestercombe Humdinger. This is a very hilly road race incorporating almost 1500 feet of total climb. The course is a figure of eight which starts and finishes at Hestercombe Gardens, near Taunton. The route takes runners up to the top of the Quantock Hills before returning to Hestercombe ready for the second loop which takes runners to Kingston-St-Mary and then up the infamous Humdinger Hill! Neither Nick nor Olivia were feeling on top form and with it being their first race this year they didn’t have high expectations. Nevertheless, they were both pleased with the results. Nick came 155th in 1 hour 27 minutes and 22 seconds and Olivia finished 176th in 1:32:05. There were 216 runners and the race was won by Luke Scott of Taunton AC in 52:19. Alongside the Humdinger is the shorter Hurtle which is the first loop of the Humdinger. A friend of Nick’s, Jimmy Pan from Shanghai, ran in this race finishing in a time of 35:11 and 80th place. He has only started running recently and this was his first 5K race.
The heavy snow and ice in the week leading up to this year’s Honiton Running Club’s Blackdown Beast meant that the event going ahead last Saturday was in jeopardy. However, the main organiser, Chairman John Burgess, put his trust in the weather forecast and The Beast went ahead as planned. Most of the snow duly disappeared and although there was still some ice about, the weather on the day was perfect for the 16 mile run. The mud was prevalent with runners spending most of the time either in ankle deep freezing water or wading through leg sapping mud.
The Beast is a social run with several stops on route at convenient pubs with the route taking in the scenery of the beautiful Blackdown Hills. The event began and ended at the Highfield Sport and Social Club, Dunkeswell. The first stop, after 7 ½ miles, was Smeatharpe Village Hall where participants were treated to delicious hot sweet mulled cider and equally delicious warming pasties. Thanks to the ladies of the WI for making and serving this very welcome sustenance. The next stop was the Sidmouth Arms, Upottery where some runners took the opportunity of taking a mini bus back to Dunkeswell having completed 10 miles. Then it was on to the Luppitt Inn; one of the smallest pubs in the country! Organisers made sure the landlady knew runners were coming as opening times are usually somewhat hit or miss. Runners then had a choice of a road route back or to take the cross country option. Most took the cross country way but those who took the road route were glad they did. The cross country route was just as muddy as everywhere else and there was the added chance of losing your way. This year the event attracted over 130 runners and was a sell out several weeks earlier with participants coming from as far afield as Bristol and Plymouth. The atmosphere was brilliant and the run was thoroughly enjoyed by all. About £700 was raised for Smeatharpe Village Hall. Thanks to everyone involved in organisation as well as the landowners for allowing runners to cross their land. Honiton RC’s summer version in the form of the Blackdown Beauty will be held on 13th July. This is also likely to be a sell out so if you are interested, keep an eye out on www.honitonrc.com to register your interest very soon. When the Honiton Running Club Chairman announced a 10 mile off road run in the Goyle on Sunday, 4 Honiton runners decided to take the easy option and instead run the First Chance 10K along the River Exe. Temperatures were just below freezing but Exeter has been spared the snow and ice seen further east so the paths were dry allowing for good times. Graham Reeves led the Honiton team home in a time of 39 minutes 37 seconds which was a PB for him over 10K!. Roger Saunders followed in 44:37 again with a surprisingly good time for him closely followed by Mark Dallyn in a time of 45:19. Sam Shute finished in 57:04 looking very pleased at the finish. The event was well organised and a big thank you has to go to the marshals for standing still for so long in freezing temperatures.
Two Honiton runners braved the cold to take part in the Dawlish Coasters' 'Oh My Obelisk' last Sunday. Billed as a 10mile multi-terrain race, runners are taken on a undulating course up to Haldon Forest and the obelisk, and back down again, which ends up being closer to 11.5 miles in total! Although cold, the weather was on-side with beautiful sunshine throughout. The course was muddy in places but it all added to the fun. First back for Honiton was Clare Melbourne, in 2 hours 2 minutes, and second was Juliet Hall in 2.17. This was a great result for Juliet's first off-road race and both runners thoroughly enjoyed it! The only disappointment of the day was that neither runner actually saw the obelisk, leading them to believe that it may be just a myth created to entice runners up the steep climb to the summit!
On the same day, several Honiton runners took part in the much closer Axmouth Challenge where runners could choose from a variety of route lengths. The main race was 9.4 miles and mainly on road. The route differed slightly to previous years but there were still plenty of hills and, this year, very slippery mud in places. Steve Davey was first back for Honiton in 21st place in 1 hour 13 minutes and 23 seconds. Howard Bidmead was next back in 35th place in 1:18:44. Rod Inglis finished just one place and 11 seconds later having had a great run. Ceri Oak had an amazing race as she has not raced for well over a year due to injury but she stormed round coming 38th in 1:19:31 showing she is truly back on form. Mark Andow had to get off to a very hurried start as he thought the race started 30 minutes after if did and it may have been lack of time for nerves but he had a great run. He finished 49th in 1:21:47. Mark had overtaken Judy Davey on a particularly slippery field near the finish and he managed to maintain this position with Judy finishing just one place later in 1:21:52. Mark Dallyn was wearing his Honiton vest for the first time. He was out not to push himself to his limit but rather to enjoy the event. He came 53rd in 1:22:50. Warren Oak was next back in 58th place in 1:25:13 with John Burgess hot on his heels finishing just 20 seconds later in 62nd position. Steve Briggs completed the Honiton line up coming 71st in 1:26:45. There were 96 finishers. Honiton’s junior boys flew the flag brilliantly with Henry Riddle coming 1st in the 5 mile race and Findlay Fuller 2nd bringing home a medal each. Henry finished in 39 minutes 45 seconds and Findlay completed in 41:28. There were 22 runners in this race. Iain Ross isn’t old enough to take part in the 5 mile race so he had to settle for the mile long fun run for juniors. He also won the race in 8:26 with 15 juniors finishing the run. After the race, runners were treated as usual to hot soup, rolls and delicious home made cakes. Thanks to Axe Valley Runners and Axmouth Village Hall for another great event. |
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December 2013
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