Report on the Jurassic Coast 10K

The question has to be asked, have SIDMOUTH Running Club found their new wily old fox following the departure of the formidable Brian Gosling through injury to cycling? Brian was a master at playing the game in competitive running and many Club members enjoyed their own battles with him in races, and those who dared to overtake him near the end then had to encounter Brian’s wife and strongest support Sheila for a right old ear bashing. They were excellent memorable times. But now Rob Edwards has steps forward to claim the crown. He was off for a month with an injury and then returned for a training run following which I received an e-mail saying he now had a heel problem and would be joining the ranks of the running injured on Wednesday taking on the two mile at a leisurely pace.

On Saturday I found out that he had taken part in the Jurassic Coast 10K knocking two and a half minutes off last years’ time. When I challenged him he said “It was not as bad as I thought”.Classic Brian.

The Jurassic Coast 10K starts in Budleigh Salterton and follows the scenic but hilly coastal path to Ladram Bay where it heads inland to pick up the river Otter and then follows the path alongside the river back to the start. The very strong South West Wind was most welcome in assisting the runners up the hills but the heavy showers which accompanied it was not so well liked. Rob finished 80^th out of a field of 259 in a time of 50:30. Tim Clay had also entered but a back injury on the Wednesday night run put paid to that.

The Club has taken on an international feel over the last few weeks welcoming guest runners from Canada, Saudi Arabia, Holland, Ireland and not forgetting Sussex. The fame of the Mighty Green is spreading.

With August coming to an end we will be starting the Sunday Morning runs in September. These are open to all who want to increase their mileage in preparation for the coming autumn and winter race programme. See the Club website for details.