JP’s Exe to Axe 2019

JP’s Exe to Axe 2019
  The JP’s Exe to Axe is a grade B fell race and has been described by Runners World as a brute of a race with outstanding views. The route follows the Coastal Path and offers the runners a little under twenty two miles of the beautiful Jurassic Coastline an AONB. It is needless to say a very tough route with approximately 3800 ft of elevation gain.
   Planning the 17th annual Exe to Axe has been in progress for 12 months and was led by David Lee the Race Director, with Rob Edwards as Race Officer and past Race Director, Paul Mitchell. This year as in previous years, Race HQ  was at the Exmouth Life Saving Club and was opened at 08:00 in readiness for the early runners. Two seventy seat coaches arrived early, having transporting runners from Seaton the finish, to the start line at Foxes Hole Car Park in Exmouth. The seafront was buzzing with excitement as the runners prepared for the big race. Rob and Sue Edwards (time keepers) arranged the race number issue, accompanied by several members of his family including young Stanley, Belinda and Katy. Julie Mitchell and Ashlyn Lee processed the runners before going on to Seaton to prepare for the end of the race.
   JP’s Exe to Axe has a 6 hour completion time, so to help slower runners an early start is offered and 25 runners took advantage of this option. Time keeper Colin Flood, who has undertaken this important role has performed this duty for the club for many years. Dual recorders are used and are calibrated before the event. Three hundred and twenty five runners registered for the race this year, with some sensibly opting for a race deferral due to late injuries. Hamish Spence, SRC Press Officer reported and Kyle Baker photographed the preparations and then set off around the course with Head Marshall and referee Tim Clay with our First Aid responder provided by Rapid Emergency Medical services.
   The race starts at Foxes Hole carpark on the seafront of Exmouth and heads to Budleigh Salterton. This section is the flattest and can lull the competitors into a false sense of ease. Section two takes a turn inland for a tour along the River Otter estuary and then on along the coastal path to Sidmouth Sailing Club. This is the halfway point and the runners can stock up on provisions. The relay teams do their hand overs at this point. Section three is the toughest, throwing the runners into a long steep hill immediately with plenty more to follow all the way to Branscombe Mouth. The last section goes through the village of Beer and finishes along the Seaton Promenade at the Axe Valley Sailing Club.
   The first small group (25 early starters), including Mighty Green Jennifer Bentley who continues to raise funds for HCPT group, were all sent on their way at 09:00. This group has an extra hour, 7hours in total in which to reach Seaton. 
   The second race started promptly at 10am with those going half way, those doing the relay and the full Exe/Axe race. With good running conditions, grey skies, dryish under foot and a head wind. all 244 competitors got on their way along the seafront to the zig-zag (bottle neck) narrow slope. Those that wanted good time-keeping sprinted to that point.
   Kirsteen Welch pretty much led the ladies the whole way, with a short spell as 2nd lady leading between Budleigh and Sidmouth. She picked up the pace coming down peak hill into Sidmouth, taking the lead back from then and gaining distance on every mile. She also overtook 5 men in the last 6 miles and was beaming from ear to ear as she flew through Branscombe. In fact she by all accounts smiled the whole way around. The hilly training runs she does seem to have paid off as she remained strong throughout. This is the longest race Kirsteen has competed to date and also the 1st race since she tore her hamstring tendon 9 weeks ago. She wasn’t sure how her hamstring would hold out, so to do that well in such a tough race shows that Kirsteen is back and on track. Kirsteen now holds the Exe Axe record breaking time for the ladies, knocking 8 minutes from Anna Bartlett the previous holder from Mercia Fell Runners. A massive well done to her.
   Not far behind Kirsteen and running with her for the first half of the race was Mark Soutar. The Exe to Axe has been his bogey race and he has yet to have one go smoothly. This time, just three miles in and a calf muscle tear turned the race to a Jurassic journey back in time! He said “Having started in Exmouth in an upright posture akin to Homo Sapien, that by the time I arrived in Seaton, I was slumped, lolloping along and communicating with grunts like primitive man”! He found it harder than the Grizzly! Jim Forrer and Jessica Raynor were just a few minutes behind Mark. Both Jim and Jessica looked like they had their stride and were in the zone.
   Jess and Nicola Dowsing both ran this tough course and it was the last of 4 runs they did in an effort to raise money for a friends little girl. Previously taking part in the Blackdown Beast, The 4 Trigs, The Grizzly and now the Exe to Axe. Betsy, the young girl was diagnosed with a brain tumour when she was two and a half and has lost her sight. We are raising money for future treatments to try and improve her vision. 
   Charlotte Forrer and Jess Trim ran the route together along with a half eaten banana holding Simon Hollyer, with whom a game of cat and mouse was being played out. Pre-race nerves is something that Simon Hollyer has not suffered before as he describes his race running style as a plod. He has never been in contention for a medal and consequently not been remotely anxious before a race. However, this time he was nervous. For the past couple of months, his training runs have got longer and his calves have started to cramp at around 18 miles. Also he finally retired his old trail shoes after the Grizzly, as the heel had worn away along with a part of the sole below. The new shoes came 2 weeks before the race, so plenty of time to wear them in. However, he hated them! The first run left a hole in the top of a toe and very sore instep. With strategically placed plasters he headed for the second run to find that the shoes bit into his heel and I could barely walk at the end. Having cost a small fortune and with some perseverance they were worn on a couple of shorter runs. Everything felt fine, but they had done on earlier runs for the first few miles!  Simon contemplated using his road shoes but with the recent rain was worried that the trails may be too muddy. So reluctantly chose to wear the hated new shoes! Hence the nerves.
   Simon started the race still holding a half eaten pre-race banana as he couldn’t face finishing it. Having not gone far, in fact only to the top of the zig-zag ramp at Exmouth he had to stop and check inside one shoe. A £1 coin was retrieved and placed in a pocket for later.  Whilst messing around with the shoe Rocker Shepperd, Charlotte, Jess and Nicola all overtook him. Rocker didn’t take much catching up as he was recovering from an injury and was finishing at Sidmouth. They ran together for a while, high-fived Tim at Sandy Bay who was standing like a mannequin with his arm out giving directions. Simon still had the half eaten banana in his hand at Budleigh, which was rapidly turning black, The first half of the race to Sidmouth went well and he was able to climb a lot of the hills without his heart racing, but coming down Peak Hill the vague shape of the hills in front shrouded in mist looked ominous. Knowledge of the area is sometimes not an advantage, especially when you know how tough that actual hill is.
   On reaching Salcombe Hill the sun had made a welcome appearance and half way up were Kyle and Martin waiting for photo opportunities. They demanded that Simon stops walking and to sprint up the hill instead. This was so they could capture the moment for posterity. This order was met with Simon stopping as soon as he had passed them. Simon asked Martin for the lead of his dog in the hope it would pull him up the hill. He wasn’t having any of it!  At the frog stone was nemesis Charlotte with Jess and Nicola. Simon felt it wise to give them a wide berth as he passed, for fear of feeling a hand in my back sending me sprawling. A little later on when descending down towards Weston, someone shouted out that he’d gone the wrong way, followed by gleeful laugher as Charlotte & friends passed him by. He smiled to himself when he saw them take the longer path into Branscombe. He had them….he thought. With spirits raised all the way through, helped on by the friendly reception from the Marshalls, Simon had his sights firmly on finishing. He particularly enjoyed the very enthusiastic welcome at the Branscombe water stop.         
   Daring not to look more than a few feet in front of himself, Simon made it all the way up the Branscombe Hill steps. The last time he did this each step felt like it was double the height it needed to be and came close to giving up. It wasn’t as bad as remembered and so he looked around for the view. Trouble had almost arrived, Charlotte & co had almost reached the top. Thinking that he was in better shape at this point than a previous race and still no calf twinges he thought he wasn’t to be caught. However, when he reached Beer Head the three ladies breezed past him chatting as though it was an easy Sunday social run. They pulled further away going out of Beer and looked like that was that! When cresting the last hill, the three ladies were back in view. They weren’t as far ahead as thought, but it was going to be difficult catching them. On reaching the Hideaway Café, the race was back on. However, the timing for the sprint finish would have to be good. Nicola took off after another runner, so she was uncatchable. He waited just a bit longer and then started the sprint, he really pushed himself but it was not to be, they beat Simon by seconds! All three, Charlotte, Jess and Simon finished with just seconds between them. 
 
   This was a first attempt at JP’s Exe Axe race for Colin I’Anson. Colin had told his wife he would be four and a half hours and amazingly he was right. Crystal balls do work then, or perhaps like me, you just know how long you will be when you give a time to your better half. He had a good race, but found himself unprepared when he got to Weston Mouth as all the fresh relay runners descended upon him. Not far behind Colin was Lynda Hawkins sweeping up the SRC runners.
 
   In the half route Cathy Keast got off to a flying start, literally! Having thrown herself onto shingle not long after setting off and making a right mess of the stones, she picked herself up, got patched up and was off again with her fellow Mighty Green Ladies, Helen Palmer and Els Laureys.
   In the relay race there were four Sidmouth teams
Kat and Antony Hall (SRC Team Hall) with Kat doing the first half and Antony doing the second they came in 5th place in 3h56m33s.
Sarah Ginsberg and John Doherty (Pair-a-greens) Sarah had to make haste and improve their time keeping as John was so busy high fiving the marshals and getting group hugs at Budliegh! I think he had eaten to many Jelly Babies. These two came 11th in 4h36m58s
Auther and Christine Vince (Sidmouth Ancient and Dazed ) Although they completed the route, they unfortunately they missed the shut off time. There were 13 teams.
 
The event was officially closed at 16:00 however the last runner did not finish until 16:30 . The last runner, Back Marker and Marshall Danny Painter, one of the quickest runners in the club undertakes this job every year. It is a difficult task, as he needs to ensure all runners are accounted for who may stop around the course and to keep motivating the last competitors to make it to the end.
Paula Farrand and daughter Amelie were in charge of awarding medals to the winners supported by Ashlynn Lee and Julie Mitchell who were issuing snacks and drink. Colin Flood and Alexa Baker who transported the runners baggage from Exmouth to Seaton also timed and registered all returning runners as they arrived. They did a fantastic job with a constant stream of runners for three and half hours.
A really well organised race and awesome support from all the Marshall’s and other mighty green members.
 
Results, full distance 6h cut off: Record breaker Kirsteen Welch 1st SRC, 1st Lady past the post in 3h:07m:56s – Mark Souter 70th 3h:47m:45s – Jim Forrer 75th 3h:50m:22s – Jessica Raynor 79th 3h:52m:45s – Nicola Dowsing 144th 4h:24m:45s – Charlotte Forrer 146th 4h:25m:05s – Jess Trim 147th 4h:25m:09s – Simon Hollyer 148th 4h:25m:14s – Colin I’Anson 159th 4h:30m:45s – Lynda Hawkins 181st 4h:46m:13s. Full distance, early start: Jenifer Bentley 224th 5h:36m:23s.

Deep River Trail

Terry Arrives Early In The Deep River Trail
  Early in the morning on Saturday the 23rd of March, SRC Chair Terry Bewes, set off to run the 10k Deep River Trail Race in Fingle Woods, near Castle Drogo. 
  On arrival, at the registration, there was no sign of any other runner. So, thinking he had missed the start, he made enquiries. This confirmed that he was in fact one and a half hours early! Luckily the café was open at Castle Drogo so he had enough time for a coffee and breakfast. 
  The race is one of a series organised by Pure Trail Running. It roughly follows the route of the Drogo 10k, from the top of the hill down to the river, across the iron bridge and down to Fingle Bridge. The route then sends you back up the other side of the river to the Iron Bridge, then up the hill the same way you came down to the finish. It is a very stony run under foot with many rocks waiting to trip you. The race information sheet advises, that on the way back up the river there are a couple of technical sections, they were not joking! In one there was a steep rise and a scramble over rocks. This led the runners to believe that they had at least started the accent to the finish, but no! Once at the top of the climb, it then dropped steeply down to the river. There was a total of 784 feet of elevation gain which was basically the final climb from the river to the finish.
It was a very well organised event with 141 finishers in the 10k and 152 in the Half Marathon. Terry came 107th in 1h14m18s and came second in his age group.

Weston-Super-Mare

Weston Super Mare Half Marathon
  On Sunday the 24th of March. Cheryl Boulton took part in the Weston-Super-Mare half marathon. 
  At 10:15 the Weston Super Half Marathoners set off from Marine Parade outside the entrance to The Grand Pier. They passed the sights of Weston-super-Mare and on into the surrounding picturesque Somerset villages and countryside. It was a single lap, closed to traffic road running fast event.Cheryl, who had been suffering with Achilles tendinitis since the end of February, was anxious about how she would get around the course. Having taken advice, rested it up and kept it iced, she found her pace, a fast 9:48 min/mile average. The weather conditions were perfect with blue skies and sunshine. Cheryl even managed a bit of a tan to her shoulders and neck. With a great atmosphere she also met up with some running buddies fro her previous club.
She was pleased to have achieved a time of 02h10m59s, crossing the unique finish line, which is a quarter of a mile out to sea on Weston’s Grand Pier, in 932nd out of 1577 finishers.

Bath 1/2M

Bath Half Marathon
   The Bath Half Marathon is a flat course, which straddles both sides of the River Avon and avoids all the hills that surround the City. It is a two-lap course with proven PB criteria and is traffic-free with full road closures throughout the route. The race starts and finishes at the same point in Great Pulteney Street, a roadway that spans 100 feet across making it one of the widest Georgian boulevards in Europe. The route then takes the runners through the heart of this historic city, with the first mile going gently downhill along Pulteney Road to Churchill Bridge. The competitors then go over Churchill Bridge, gently rising up past Green Park Station, around Queen Square where there were a lot of spectators cheering on the runners. Then down Charlotte Street and out along the Upper Bristol Road, gently undulating along Newbridge Road, and on up to the ‘New Bridge’ at the beginning of the dual carriageway. From the Twerton Fork the race heads back towards the City centre with a pancake flat stretch along Lower Bristol Road. The runners then crossed over Churchill Bridge and up Green Park again for the beginning of the second lap. At the end of the second lap the runners pass across Churchill Bridge, finally rising gently back up Pulteney Road all the way to the finish in Great Pulteney Street.
   Two Mighty Green Ladies took part, Zsa Zsa Croft and Catherine Cruise. There was a huge turn out of runners and both Zsa Zsa and Catherine felt frustrated at the start line as it took ages for everyone to get moving. However, they both enjoyed the atmosphere of the event and did well with a good time of 2h15m34s. They thank everyone, friends, fellow club members who encouraged and supported them and especially the Improvers group/leaders. 

Inter-Counties

Toby Garrick Competes In The British Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships
Toby Garrick competed at the British Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships in Loughborough on Saturday the 9th of March. It was a very windy day and on a very open course. Toby had to leave by 6am, so it wasn’t just physical fatigue that he had to fight! But, with determination he managed an average of 5.45 minute miles over a 9km route that had thick mud and hills. He came 58th in a very tough field of runners and was the first Devon runner by over 70 places. He was running as an U20, so was nearly the youngest in his category.

 

The Grizzly 2019

The Grizzly 2019. Trails Of The Unexpected.

Organised by Axe Valley Runners, this year’s version of the Grizzly (2019) was given the title of The Trails Of The Unexpected. This is a tough 19 (ish) mile, cross country all terrain race with hills, mud and 2 bogs. There are streams and sea water to wade through, pebble beaches to run along and the killer Stairway To Heaven to climb. With over 3000 ft of elevation gain to get around the course, it is not for the faint hearted.

So, on the blowy but sunny Sunday the morning of March the 10th, there were 44 Mighty Greens amongst the 2000 plus runners. All of which were very excited and dead keen to get going.  All were waiting behind the start line, with hundreds of spectators looking on. The loud chatter came to a sudden stop when the Seaton Town Crier loudly rang his bell to address all in attendance. He gave encouragement to all participants raising their spirits with some light hearted banter. He also announced that this would be his last Grizzly duty… and so The Trails Of The Unexpected began.

In the Full Grizzly was Jessica Raynor, who was doing very well until around the 16th mile when bad cramp set in! She tried walking, but this made it worse! However, not wishing to stop, she gritted her teeth and continued at a slower running pace for the last push home. Back from injury was Antony Hall with an average 9.30min/mile pace, he got around in very good time having felt encouraged by the race Marshals and spectators. Danny Painter took off from the start and never held back. He even managed a PB from Branscombe Mouth all the way up The 168ft of Stairway To Heaven in13m54s. Sue Coleman survived the icy stumble through the Bog and retained her composure and an average pace of 11.19min/miles over the whole route with a superbly fast 7.31mi/mile sprint over the finish line. She ran with Charlotte Forrer, Jim Forrer and non MG Andy Rosewarm. Knocking around 13 minutes from his last time at the Grizzly was Ross Walton. Ross did a 10 mile training session the day before this race as he is preparing for a ‘back to back’ long run weekend in the East Devon Round. Martin Trueman puts his successful Grizzly run down to his pre-race prep…a banana and Latte at Le Pisani, while soaking up the warm morning sunshine. I think it’s more likely that what got him through his run was the re-fuelling of Jelly Babies and Beer sampling for pain-relief. Either way i think he had it sussed. He also thanks the fantastic Marshall that found his phone and took the time and effort to reunite him with it at the finish line. This was Sam Ingram’s first Grizzly run and he was using it as a training run in preparation for the forthcoming London Marathon. He took it easy and really enjoyed the camaraderie amongst both competitors and Marshals. Naomi Garrick having checked the days weather report, made a wise decision on her attire, opting for proper running kit instead of the fancy dress option. This was by far the toughest run to date for Els Laureys who said she loved the atmosphere created by runners, marshals at the spectators. She also enjoyed the scenery, the flapjacks and the well stocked Jelly Baby watering stations. Sarah Watkins ran with Terry Bewes for the first half saying that “she was making sure he didn’t do himself in, as she was not quite ready to take over as Chairperson”! However, at the halfway point Sarah took off and left Terry in the capable care of Helen Palmer. As it turned out, it was Terry who did the saving of the day. When the pair were running through the second bog, Helen got her foot stuck in a tree root. She then got severe cramp in her calf while in the ice cold water and was only stopped from falling head first into the bog by the Mighty Green King Terry.

In the Cub, was Ben Chesters who had decided to limit himself to this race due to oncoming orienteering events, set out to run at a constant effort pace. He stopped once at the memorial to remember lost family and friends. His effort pace worked very well for him as he took first place over the line. Colin L’Anson was impressed by the news being given to him by the Marshals who kept him informed of who was in the lead, even their encouragement to run fast and catch him up was helpful.  Steve and his son Jack Saunders ran most of the way together. Steve was very pleased to have knocked 10 minutes from his previous time. This was the second Cub for Kat Hall and although she found the Stairway To Heaven tougher this time, she also managed to make better time than the previous attempt by 20 minutes.

RESULTS: Full Grizzly.

Mark Souter 1st MG in 107th in 2h57m09s, Antony Hall 148th in 3h01m30, Jessica Raynor 177th in 3h08m24s, Danny Painter 203rd in 3h12m10s, David Chipping 255th in 3h18m29s, Nick Dicks 430th in 3h32m10s, Nicola Dowsing 510th in 3h40m09s, Sue Coleman 513th in 3h40m15s, .Jessica Trim 569th in 3h44m43s, Sophie Trim 570th in 3h44m45s, John Keast 578th in 3h45m27s, Mark Welland 583rd in 3h45m50s, Charlotte Forrer 590th and Jim Forrer 591st both in 3h46m06s, Martin Trueman 600th in 3h46m46s, Simon Stokes 628th in 3h48m35s, Greg Ward 659th in 3h50m58s, Sam Ingram 672nd in 3h52m09s, Claire Ashby 818th in 4h03m12s, Simon Hollyer 860th in 4h06m41s, Naomi Garrick 861st in 4h06m41s, Kaylee Hawkins 1009th and Lynda Hawkins 1010th both in 4h20m28s, Graham Sheppard 1235th in 4h41m41s, Els Laureys 1267th in 4h45m05s, Sarah Watkins 1332nd in 4h51m15s, Terry Bewes 1505th in 5h23m06s, Helen Palmer 1506th in 5h23m07s, John Sharples 1565th in 5h37m53s. Out of 1589 Runners. Out of 1605 Runners.

RESULTS: Cub.

Overall Winner Ben Chesters and first SRC in 1h10m20s, Colin L’Anson 54th in 1h30m18s, Jack Saunders 62nd in 1h31m47s, Steve Saunders 182nd in 1h47m57s, Renata Mihalik 183rd

Woodbury Common

Battle Of Woodbury Common.

   Hosted by Wild Night Events and based at Bicton College, The Battle Of Woodbury Common took place in the evening of the 2nd of March 2019. There were four races, a 1k for 3-7 year olds, a 2k for 8-11 year olds, a 10k and a half marathon.

The sun was sinking below the horizon, on a cold, windy, damp evening, with Storm Frayer threatening to blow up at any moment, five hardy Mighty Green’s got themselves prepared for what was to come. Just as the participants were gathering to do battle, the darkness descended upon the Common! At 19:00hrs the Half Marathon and 10k races were started from the helm of Uphams Plantation and Crook Plantation. The runners exited Bicton College along the back entrance and then skirted around the Castle Plantation. The half marathon adds on a section through Colaton Raleigh Common towards Hawkerland, making this battle similar to the Bicton Blister.

The route was hilly at the beginning, with very thick mud and some deep puddles in many places. There was also a lot of ducking and diving to miss low hanging and storm damaged branches. At the halfway point there was a very well stocked water station with fruit and jelly babies ,which helped the last leg of the race pass wonderfully. Laura Broughton, invited her friend Becky McDonald for an evening out… only telling her at the last minute that it was actually a 10k night run! Laura, Becky and, Terry Bewes all ran together. Emma Vine was using the race as a warm up for the London Marathon. Martin Truman took Stig his dog with him and ran the half marathon canicross. Stig was rewarded with two warm pasties for his part. Phil Welsford blinked at the wrong moment, missed a directional marker and ran extra distance totalling 15.6 miles!

A birch wood medal was given to all that completed, along with pasties and lots of cake at the finish line. A tough experience , with a great sense of achievement at the end.

SRC Results

In the Half Marathon, Martin Truman arrived back in 2h16m14s, with Emma Vine not far behind in 2h19m34s and 2nd in age group. Amazingly Phil Welsford who missed a directional marker, ran 15.6 miles and still arrived back 2h19m34s.

In the10k, Laura Broughton and Becky came back in 1h19m30s, and Terry Bewes in 1h19m39s giving him a 2nd in age group

Dalwood 3 Hills

Debbie and Don Do The Dalwood.
The three hills challenge is a distance of 10 miles, with a multi-terrain route which took the runners around the beautiful hills of Dalwood which lie between the towns of Axminster and Honiton. Edmund Grierson came in 3rd in 1h11m25s, gaining 1st SRC runner and 1st M17. Then Don Cawthera crossed the finish line in 88th with Debbie Marriott in 89th, both with a time of 2h03m33s. There were 97 runners.

Exeter 10k

The Exeter 10k.

 Laura Broughton ran in the Exeter 10km on the 24th of February and was really chuffed with her performance. The race started and finished at Exeter Quay after completing two laps of Dukes Meadow and Valley Park. Our Mighty Green lady come home with a new personal best time of 57m:56s, crooning the finish line in 203rd place out of 351 runners.

Resolution Run

Resolution Run 2019 at Escot.
 An absolutely beautiful day for a fun-run in the sun came on Sunday the 24th of February for the Resolution Run 2019. The Resolution Run takes place in many locations around the U.K. It is an annual event and raises funds for the Stroke Association. The participants all wear the colours of The Stroke Association which is purple, so there was not a green shirt in sight.
Our local event in East Devon took place in the scenic grounds of Escot Park. The route goes through the parkland and includes running on roadways and on tracks, with a hill and some easier, flatter trails through the woods at the top, then it’s down the hill again to the finish line. There isn’t proper time keeping as this is that oxymoron, a Fun Run, although there was a big clock at the finish. 
 
With 100% perfect conditions at 11 o’clock, Jo Pavey MBE did the honours and started the ‘fun run’ race. The Mighty Greens, that turned purple for the day, were Carol Hounsell, one of the new intake beginners and Emma Granger who both did the 5k route in around 33 minutes, along with Jodie and her sister Chloe Hawkins. Also, a pregnant Emma Salter, walked the route in just over an hour and ten minutes. Kat Hall went solo and took on the 10k and Sarah Clapham along with Theo Burgess did the 15k. At the end, on the finish line was Jo Pavey, congratulating and awarding medals to every finisher.