The Lockdown #3 Challenges Commence
Sidmouth Running Club chairman Terry Bewes has laid down the gauntlet again and this time round over 70 members have risen to the challenge(s).
New for this lockdown and alongside Terry’s challenges which are based in the vicinity of Sidmouth, run leader John Chesters has devised the OGLE (Ottery Group Lockdown Exercise) challenges for running club members living in the Ottery area. These challenges involve check points and trig points and it has been great to see on the running club’s FB page where the runners have been and what they have or haven’t found!
If you happen to look on the Sidmouth web cam early in the morning or later in the evening you might spot a Mighty Green completing the lamp post challenge as set by club runner Christine Hellier. The challenge is to start from the flag pole, run to the first lamp post and return, run to the second lamp post and return, etc, etc, all the way to the end, approx. 10k! It has already become competitive with the challenge completed in under an hour and the mileage increased!
There is also an artistic challenge, run a route of 4+ miles which makes a recognisable picture on their Strava/Garmin. Entries so far include one from Yasmin Salter, an upside down outline of South America from David Welsh and a heart by Carol McManus. It is a lot harder than it might sound!
This month sees the start of the beginners and improvers courses which despite the current restrictions have commenced (virtually) with everyone signed up recording a bench mark run. The supportive club spirit is with them and we look forward to running alongside them when allowed.
This week saw two on road challenges, an off road one and a weekend Chairman’s Special!
The off road route took in the Bowd, Harcombe Woods, Fire Beacon and Core Hill. The idea was to replicate the route set by Terry. Many of us failed, some realised reading instructions wasn’t their forte but Tim Swarbrick and Derek Blackburn did it perfectly as did Bex McDonald and her intrepid family. Jenny Kay and Alexa Baker ran the route on Saturday morning following the heavy rain during the night; this added two river crossings and a lot of mud but also added to the adventure!
It has to be said Terry is one who leads by example, and he certainly immersed himself on Sunday following an interview with Howard Jones on Exmouth Air about Sidmouth Running Club. Spring tides meant an opportunity to run along the sand in front of the Bedford Steps rock groyne all the way to Lade Foot. Remembering his karate training when they used to run bare foot, in their gis, knee depth in the sea from Jacobs Ladder to Lade Foot, the Chairman’s Special was born.
Low tide on Saturday and Sunday saw club runners taking on the chilly challenge by running on the firm sand and in the invigorating sea, which took a lot more effort to run through but was very exhilarating.