Get ready for JP’s Exe to Axe

Preparations for JP’s Exe To Axe are well underway

While the focus for some of the Sidmouth Running Club members is increasing the mileage preparing for the upcoming Grizzly, three Mighty Greens are working hard behind the scenes organising the Club’s renowned JP’s Exe to Axe race on Sunday 3rd April.

Seaton here we come

Named in memory of John Perratt, a founder member and long term treasurer of the club, the 22 mile course starts at Foxes Hole car park on Exmouth seafront and follows the SW coast path to finish at Seaton Sailing club. Chipped timing allows runners to set off between 9:30 and 10:00.

And down to Ladram Bay

Dubbed ‘An adventure 22 miles in the making’, it is not for the faint hearted but there are relay and half distance options which make the event novice runner friendly too. Organiser Paul Mitchell is keen to encourage more relay teams to enter the challenge so that runners can experience the ups and downs of the scenic route in 5/6 mile sections. This year the half option is Sidmouth to Seaton and starts at 11am by the water station at the flag pole.

 

A Memorable Four Trigs

A Very Memorable 20th Anniversary Four Trigs Challenge

How many entrants checked their emails on Sunday morning to see if the Four Trigs had been cancelled? With winds gusting at 48mph and driving rain the weather certainly played its’ part in making the 20th anniversary fell race memorable especially for the organisers, Marion and Robert Hayman. Supporting the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), since 2015, the event was started in 2001 by Nick Keast. The 4 Trigs has only been cancelled twice: once due to Storm Ciara in 2020 and secondly, due to the pandemic in 2021.

A bit wet

This ‘low-key’ off-road running event covers a distance of approximately 28km with an obscene amount of climb involved. Underfoot is mixed terrain, mainly dirt trails, but with some grass and gravel not to mention steps, tree roots and some drainage gutters on the route as well as some steep sections of climb and fast descents. This year we had additional water coming off the fields creating rivers to run down especially coming into Sidbury but it did clean our trainers off!

4 Trigs Group

The aim is to visit each of the four Triangulation Pillars around the Sid Valley with runners choosing their own routes but they must visit each Trig Point in order (High Peak was first this year) taking in the 5 Check points to help taper the route.

This year a new app, MapRun6 was encouraged which enabled a staggered start which worked well especially with the wild conditions as the runners didn’t have to wait around getting colder and wetter.

Sidmouth Running Club came out in force though the Mighty Green shirts were well hidden under waterproofs! Out of a field of 125 finishers, 42 were Mighty Greens, 31 completing all 4 Trigs and 11 ran 3 Trigs. Antony Hall was the first SRC runner over the line, 10th overall in 2:46:03, with fellow MG David Knapman hot on his heels, 11th overall in 2:46:41. An astounding result, showing grit, determination and good balancing skills in those conditions.

Fire Beacon Hill

Julia Haddrell who ran 3 Trigs summed her run up by saying, “We ran through streams, chased our hats, fell over in the mud and laughed-what a memorable day.”

A bit slippy

Sidmouth Running Club would like to thank the organisers and marshals who were stood out in the same weather conditions as they were running in but remained cheerful and encouraging. A special mention and thank you must go to the sponsors of the event. Nigel Winchester, of Ian Winchesters and Sons, who not only provided the bananas, he served them too, on top of East Hill. Richard king of Kings Garden and Leisure, sponsored the special 20th Anniversary celebratory mugs and also provided delicious flapjack and brownies at the finish.

Marion and Robert are delighted to announce that The four Trigs has managed to raise £2,302.00  for  CRY this year which brings the total over the last 8 years to £11,562 and thanks everyone for their generosity.

4 Trigs Results 2022.

Antony Hall 2:46:03 10th o/a

David Knapman 2:46:41 11th o/a

Richard Summerhayes 3:04:43

Tom Knight 3:05:19

Ross Walton 3:27:54

David Chipping 3:29:14

Martin Truman 3:36:54

Catherine Hilton 3:45:07

Charlotte Forrer 3:49:00

Jim Forrer 3:49:06

Sam Ingram 4:03:01

Simon Hollyer 4:05:16

Mark Andow 4:05:26

Chris Heywood 4:05:31

Martin Barnard 4:09:32

Lynda Hawkins 4:11:10

Rachel Barnard 4:11:44

Becky McDonald 4:12:08

Sarah Ginsberg 4:12:37

Graham Sheppard 4:24:32

Richard King 4:29:14

Mark Norton 4:32:59

Becky Procter 4:33:38

Cath Miller 4:35:26

Naomi Garrick 4:39:18

John Keast 4:40:54

Debbie Cawthera 5:15:19

Don Cawthera 5:15:19

Cathy Keast 5:15:19

Helen Palmer 5:15:19

David Welsh 6:30:00

3 Trigs

Alexa Baker, Terry Bewes, Ann Cole, Christine and Karen Farnham,

Julia Haddrell, Carol Hounsell, Brigid McEleney-Smith, Kerry Salter, Sarah Watkins, David Wright

 

Wild Weekend for Races

A Weekend Of Wild Nights, Driving Rain, Hilly Challenges and Cross Country Running

Even though dubbed ‘The SW’s toughest night race’, Martin Barnard had a lot of fun on Saturday as he took part in the Wild Night Run on Dartmoor. Wearing the Mighty Green, Martin encountered rocks, bogs and strong winds as he ran from South Brent up onto the moors twice during the 10 mile route. With 525m of climb he said it was good training for the upcoming 4 Trigs and out of 63 finishers came 19th in 1:35:00. The winning time was 1:23:00 showing what a close run race it was.

Martin at the Wild Night Run

Taking on the 50km North to South crossing of Dartmoor, MG’s Bex McDonald, Mark Andow, Simon Hollyer and Adrian Harris set off from Oakhampton at 7.30am on Sunday in the rain and 60mph winds. A great test of endurance, wearing full waterproofs and a packed rucksack Bex said it was more a trek than a run. She had never experienced winds like it, driving in from the West all day and the barren saturated terrain felt relentless at times. With Adrian navigating the way they arrived in Ivybridge after dark and were incredibly happy to see their ride home.

MGs on the Dartmoor Traverse

Nine SRC members took part in the Axmouth Challenge on a very breezy Sunday morning. This friendly village event offered a 1, 3, 5 or 9 mile option and it was great to see the children proudly wearing their medals afterwards. A 2 mile uphill start isn’t ideal but didn’t stop Shaun Tipton storming off and he had a cracking run finishing 6th in the 5 mile race in 53:09. Head coach Kyle Baker took the opportunity to get some miles in for his Grizzly training and was the first MG home in the 9 mile race in 1:28:10. All the club runners enjoyed the route which took them along tarmac, tracks and muddy fields to places they had never been before. The marshals were very encouraging despite standing in some very windy spots and the refreshments at the end were amazing-soup, bacon rolls, and homemade cakes…what hills?!?

Axmouth Challenge Team

Results 5 miles Shaun Tipton 53:09, Carol Hounsell 1:00:09, Alexa Baker 1:03:32, Terry Bewes 1:04:11 9 miles Kyle Baker 1:28:10, Christine Farnham 1:32:44, Karen Farnham 1:34:35, Christy Ward 1:51:13, John Sharples 1:51:14

Vets XC group

The SW Vets Cross Country Championship was held on Sunday afternoon around the sports pitches at Sidford. Despite it being quite soft underfoot and beginning to tire towards the end, Mighty Green Antony Hall finished in 6th place overall and 2nd in his age category 40-44. In fact 5 of the 7 Sidmouth Running Club members came in the top 3 of their age categories; Arthur Vince finished 1st in 75+, Gail Goldsmith finished 2nd in 70-74 with Marion Johnson 3rd and David King 3rd in 65-69 age group.

Results Antony Hall 23:28, David King 28:38, Gail Goldsmith 38:01, Colin Flood 38:11, Marion Johnson 38:11, Tony Velterop 41:33, Arthur Vince 57:54

Blackdown Beast 2022

Sidmouth Running Club Defeat The Blackdown Beast

When you hear a Sidmouth running club member mention The Blackdown Beast you get carried away with tales of pasties, mulled cider, pub stops, picturesque countryside and before you know it you have signed up… then you hear of the many hills, mud, slurry and self-navigation involved!

Twenty five intrepid Mighty Greens gathered by the club flag on Saturday morning having signed in, down loaded the what3words app and said who they were running with before setting off with 215 runners from a very windy, damp and freezing Dunkeswell Airfield.

Blackdown Beast Mighty Greens

Slow progress was made over the first mile or so with a series of stiles and gates but it prevented you from setting off too quickly especially useful for those running the full 16 miles. Armed with a set of instructions, a map of the area and on the lookout for white drawing pins on sign posts many of the first timers teamed up with an experienced Beast club runner who could remember the route-most of the time!

The first stop off/check in point was at Smeatharpe Village hall, 7.5 miles in, where you were able to have a welcome cup of tea and a doughnut. Previously this was the pasty stop and Richard King enabled the tradition to continue for SRC members by asking MG Monica Reed to collect and deliver some freshly made pasties from Kings Garden Centre to the village hall car park. They were much appreciated by the club runners.

10 milers at Sidmouth Arms

The next leg of the run was 2.8 miles of country lanes and tracks to The Sidmouth Arms at Upottery. This was the finish point for the 10 milers who then got the mini bus back to the airfield and a chance for the 16 milers to get more sustenance before heading towards Rawridge, crossing the river Otter and climbing to the viewpoint above Luppitt.

16 milers at Sidmouth Arms

Mulled cider was on offer at the final refreshment stop at Luppitt village hall to help the runners complete the final 2.7 mile leg up and over Luppitt Common and back to the airfield.

Happy Finishers

Despite the mud there was some mighty strong running from the club and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Thanks and congratulations go to Honiton Running Club for organising this charity event for Macmillan Cancer Support so smoothly.

 

Kirsteen smashes club record

New Club Record and PB for Mighty Green Kirsteen Welch

With an average pace of 5:25 minute miles, Kirsteen Welch smashed her 10k PB on Sunday at the Speedway 10k, finishing in 33:49 minutes.

Kirsteen flying

The Mighty Green, who travelled up to Beachley, Gloucestershire to compete in the flat and fast 10k, was absolutely buzzing to hear she ran sub 34 minutes, testament that her dedication to training is paying off. Kirsteen currently fits in work around running 100 miles a week including an early morning run along the seafront to kick start her day.

Her fantastic run has also broken the SRC 10k record which stood at 34:20. The club looks forward to following and supporting this inspirational runner in the months ahead.

 

 

The Long and the Short of it

The Long and The Short of it!

As mentioned before, Sidmouth Running Club is encompassing of all abilities, is supportive of one another and celebrates achievements and milestones together whatever the distance or time.

The club’s web editor Rob Edwards has completed his mammoth virtual John O’Groats to Lands End and back again run with 4 weeks to spare before the year cut off point. Organised by Raced Coaching, Rob ran a total of 1,748 miles with over 200,000 feet of ascent with many of his runs involving a coffee stop. Over a quarter of runs in the first 6 months involved a mid-run coffee stop at Otterton Mill and in the second half of the year the Donkey Sanctuary and Otterton Mill. In fact the Mighty Green went through 2 loyalty cards. Rob said, “I am not a serious runner more a coffee drinker with a running problem!”

Rob with medal and t-shirt

Recently, Mighty Green Kirsteen Welch went out of her comfort zone and away from her mountainous training programme to compete in the Telford 10k, her first 10k in 12 months. Running a hard 10k was a shock to her system; a mountain marathon generally lasts four hours but she finished in an amazing 35:02 and is already planning to try again and go sub 35! Go Kirsteen.

Kirsteen at Telford 10k

If you feel inspired to dig your trainers out and give running a go there are still places available on our beginners and back to running courses which start on Wednesday 5th January at 7.15pm from St Johns school. Please email sidmouthrunningclub@gmail.com or ring 077345581782. A warm welcome is guaranteed!

Mighty Greens festive and Extremely Jolly

Sidmouth Running Club Is Feeling Festive and Extremely Jolly

The SRC Juniors and coaches kick started the festivities by wearing Christmassy things on their last session before the Christmas break. They even had a visit from Father Christmas and his Elf who congratulated the 8+ and 11+ groups, handed out their end of term certificates and gave them all a present.

Juniors Christmassy

Next up was the Extremely Jolly Race on Saturday and the Escot half and full marathon on Sunday. These races through the woods and grounds of Escot are organised by Jolly Running and encourage festive fancy dress. The events are always popular because as well as river crossings there is an optional water slide and amazing finishers snow globe medals, buffs and for the Sunday racers a Georgie’s Pudding.

Extremely Jolly Group

The 7.5 mile Extremely Jolly run was the most popular with 14 club runners entering; this was in part due to the Club’s Christmas do being held that night and the thought of running the next day was too much for some. Head coach Kyle Baker, though lacking in the fancy dress department, led the way and finished in 18th place in 1:11:14. Adrian Horne, Ollie Goodchild-Horne and Allan Kay were next over the line with soggy bottoms from the water slide with Helen Akay and Leeann Thomson not far behind with soggy, muddy bottoms and Judith Jeeves with a dry one!

By the time Beccy Johnson, Tracy Scannell, Alexa Baker, Jenny and Nikita Kay reached the slide there was a long queue and watching from the bottom saw fellow runners hurtle down past the end of the plastic sheet into stony mud, some going head over heels. This put them off and they decided they wanted to enjoy the Christmas party in one piece so continued running up the hill. It did not deter Ann Cole even though her run buddy Julia Haddrell had taken a fall in the woods earlier and she loved every second of it. There was a lot of festive banter between the runners and Jenny was serenaded more than once to ‘O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree’!

Extremely Jolly Half and Full Marathoners

Post party, Sarah Watkins and Paul Williamson lined up with Tom Knight to compete in the half marathon while Jo Earlam and Jane Hemsworth took on the marathon.

Tom Knight at the Extremely Jolly 1/2M

The ground was a lot muddier underfoot from the previous day but this did not stop Tom, wearing a very fetching tutu and Christmas leggings combo, storm round in 1:37:43 coming 3rd overall. Sarah Watkins (the Elf) crossed the line in 2:54:59 and Paul, who found it tough going with a foot injury, finished in 3:36:41. Meanwhile Jo and Jane were enjoying the scenery and friendly marshals as they kept on running completing the marathon, Jo’s 10th this year, in 6:38:12, finishing 39th and 40th out of a field of 46. They can eat a few guilt free mince pies now!

 

 

Bicton Blister 2021

Sidmouth Running Club Welcomes The Return Of The Bicton Blister

Following the wild winds on Saturday, the 37 Sidmouth Running Club members weren’t sure what to expect when they arrived at Bicton College on Sunday to compete in Exmouth Harrier’s Bicton Blister (10 miles) and Bicton Lite (4.5 miles).

Mighty Greens at Bicton

As well as plenty of climb, encouraging cadets/marshals and bagpipes, the multi terrain race had additional extras this year-a telegraph pole to duck under in the road section, a fallen tree to climb over and icy puddles to run through. The weather provided many a conversation before the start too, the sun was out but the temperature was low; how many layers were necessary?

Tim, Sam and Mark

In a field of over 480 the Mighty Greens set off along the road stretch where the runners spread out before the first climb of many on Woodbury Common.

Christine

The nine first timers now understand why members like Helen Palmer and Don Cawthera have been signing up to this event for ten + years what with the spectacular views, the well marshalled and sign posted route, the variety of terrain, (running along a single wooded track, scrambling up and down the loose pebblebed paths, charging through rivers plus the tarmac section) even the many walkers they met were very encouraging too.

Bex

Bicton Lite Results-92 finishers

43 David Welsh 51:54; 60 Sue-Ellen Lee 56:41; 76 Julia Haddrell 1:00:54; 82 Emma Grainger 1:04:34; 83 Doreth Lawrence 1:04:40.

Els and Rachel

Bicton Blister Results-387 finishers

63 Antony Hall 1:22:37; 88 Ollie Goodchild-Horne 1:26:34; 105 Mark Andow 1:28:11; 107 Ross Walton 1:28:15; 143 David King 1:32:09; 156 Jamie Locke 1:33:20; 194 Tim Swarbrick 1:37:40; 197 Sam Ingram 1:37:45; 199 Mark Norton 1:37:52; 210 Catherine Hilton 1:39:12; 216 Rob Edwards 1:40:03; 221 Simon Hollyer 1:40:38; 233 Becky McDonald 1:41:36; 242 Sarah Ginsberg 1:43:05; 249 Adrian Horne 1:44:21; 252 Naomi Garrick 1:44:43; 258 Christine Farnham 1:45:16; 261 Karen Farnham 1:45:43; 266 Adam Passmore 1:46:51; 269 Clive Gilbert 1:48:12; 273 Don Cawthera 1:48:36; 277 David Lee 1:49:09; 282 Deb Cawthera 1:49:58; 294 Christine Hellier 1:51:34; 306 David Wright 1:53:31; 324 Rachel Barnard 1:57:31; 325 Els Laureys 1:57:36; 327 Alexa Baker 1:57:40; 341 Cath Miller 2:00:38; 342 Cathy Keast 2:00:38; 343 Helen Palmer 2:00:39; 375 Leeann Thomson 2:11:36.

 

November Runs in the Sun

November Runs In The Sun-especially for Suzi Rockey

SRC member Suzi Rockey packed her Mighty Green running kit when she went on holiday to Gran Canaria last week knowing there was a race scheduled that she could enter.

The keen MG went outside her 5k comfort zone and ran the 10k Maspalomas race in 20 degree heat.

Suzi at Gran Canaria

Suzi said, “The biggest mass start I have ever come across did me a favour as it meant I could not go off at my 5k pace. I tried to sustain this slower pace to achieve even splits, but after a hill I couldn’t resist testing my 5k fitness on the long flat stretch and was on for a 48 min 10k, but regretted this 4 miles in when my legs started to tire and my pace dropped rapidly.”

Despite this and having lost a great deal of fitness after the longest chest infection ever Suzi was very pleased with her result, a cracking 6.29miles in 53mins.

David

Mighty Green, David Skinner didn’t have to worry about the heat when he travelled to Padstow on Sunday to take part in Purple Gecko Events Lobster Lollop 5k running along the Camel trail. David enjoyed the very scenic, slightly chilly and windy route and explained the event is so called because a donation is made to the Lobster Hatchery in Padstow. He received a very cool medal.

Blister Training

The Sunday runners have been progressively increasing their mileage and took to Woodbury Common last week to familiarise themselves with the Bicton Blister route which takes place next weekend. The sun was surprisingly warm and conditions were dry underfoot, not guaranteed on the day but with this week’s cold spell a possibility?

 

Tommy 10k Challenge

Ollie Goodchild-Horne Runs 100k in 10 Days for the Royal British Legion

Sidmouth Running Club member, Ollie Goodchild-Horne has completed the Tommy 10k challenge 2021 for the Royal British Legion Industries.

The Mighty Green had to run 10k a day for 10 days- an impressive 100k in total. Ollie ran mainly from his home in Budleigh gaining a PB on his first run. Day 3 was a hilly one which he ran with his dad and fellow MG, Adrian ‘Gripper’ Horne, who ran this challenge last year and inspired Ollie to sign up for this year. Ollie had the company of friend, Harry Savage on day 6 and day 10 saw him reach his target by running across Exmouth seafront on Remembrance Sunday.

Ollie

Ollie was delighted and grateful for all the support and donations. He raised £175 which was over his target and will go towards supporting the RBL’s most venerable veterans, those with disabilities or homeless.

The MG is giving his legs time to recover ready to run the Bicton Blister in a couple of weeks’ time!