A Very Memorable 20^th 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 20^th 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, 10^th overall in 2:46:03, with fellow MG David Knapman hot on his heels, 11^th 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 20^th 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 11^th 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

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 19^th 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 6^th 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 6^th place overall and 2^nd 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 1^st in 75+, Gail Goldsmith finished 2^nd in 70-74 with Marion Johnson 3^rd and David King 3^rd 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

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.

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.

JP’s Exe to Axe Takes No Prisoners

‘Brutal’, ‘tough’, ‘harder than an ultra-marathon’ were some of the more printable descriptions of JP’s Exe to Axe race which Sidmouth Running Club organised and ran on Sunday.

The 22 mile race which starts on Exmouth seafront and follows the coast path to Axmouth has been previously voted the 9^th best race in Runner’s World magazine and attracted 168 entrants from Falmouth to Aberdeen and everywhere in-between plus the Canary Islands.

Organisers Paul Mitchell, David Lee and Rob Edwards ensured covid safe regulations were implemented and this included a rolling start time with chip timing which proved very successful and much less stressful at the finish line.

Four of the nine relay teams were made up of SRC runners. Father and son team ‘The Clay Twins’ aka Tim and Dan Clay had a great run coming in second place, 4:07:17.

Bee Gees Medley

‘The Bee Gees Medley, comprised of Derek Blackburn running Exmouth to Sidmouth and Clive Gilbert running Sidmouth to Seaton. Clive was slightly worried when he saw Derek approaching looking slightly worse for wear and knowing the leg he was about to run was a lot hillier. On reaching the finish line in 4:40:31 (5^th place) Clive received good news that his lost mobile phone had been found and he didn’t need to retrace his steps!

Rocker and Dazzer

Relay team ‘Dazzer and Rocker’ thoroughly enjoyed the run, with Dazzer running the first leg and Rocker the second. They finished in 4:41:19-7^th place.

Easier said than run

The four female relay team ‘Easier Said Than Run’ had to adapt to 3 runners when a disappointed Ann Cole had to pull out due to illness. Julia Haddrell ran Exmouth to Budleigh, handing over to Lesley Dunford who ran to Sidmouth, Jane Stein increased her mileage on the toughest leg, and Lesley Dunford ran the final Beer to Seaton part. They were very pleased with their achievement of finishing in 4:57:23 especially as their average age is 64.75 years!

Sarah Ginsberg was pleased to reach Sidmouth from Exmouth as she was still recovering from illness and David Welsh ran half the route, Sidmouth to Seaton in 3:15:20.

Hannah

Ready to experience her first Exe to Axe, Mighty Green Hannah Maslen was the first runner over the start line. Hannah found the steps past Sidmouth challenging as they led to cramp but all was forgotten as her children joined her to run over the finish line in 5:44:10.

Hannah, Gripper and Ollie

First SRC runner over the finish line was Ollie Goodchild-Horne who took the challenge in his stride finishing in 61^st position out of a field of 168 in 4:22:02. His dad Adrian ‘Gripper’ Horne took slightly longer to complete the route due to injury and limited training in 5:40:04 but had his grandson cheering him on along the way and over the finish line.

Jamie, Naomi and Simon

Jamie Locke found his first Exe to Axe tough, tiring and very hot at times especially between Sidmouth and Branscombe but this didn’t stop him from enjoying it. The MG crossed the finish line in 4:40:32 in 87^th place and is already thinking of entering it again! Michael Garrish completed the race in 5:04:18 and Simon Hollyer, Sam Ingram and Bex McDonald finished in 120^th, 121^st and 122^nd respectively in very similar times-5:16:08-5:16:48. Simon had nothing left in the tank having given it his all and needed a recovery banana on crossing the finish line-it must have done the job as he is also talking about signing up for next year! First timers Sam and Bex had a cunning plan; they had learnt that by climbing up the ‘stairway to heaven’ they had 14m less of climb and at that point it mattered! Naomi Garrick felt proud as she ran along the beautiful coastal path and felt honoured to live where she does. The MG finished in 139^th place in 5:29:56.

SRC members who weren’t running did their club proud by marshalling the event under Chief Marshal Terry Bewes’ supervision. Many of the runners thanked them for their support and enthusiasm which spurred them on. Special mention must go to Jessica and Jasmine Thomson, the youngest marshals but biggest cheerleaders who raised many a smile on Cliff Road and to Danny Painter, who despite recovering from long covid insisted on being the back runner, encouraging all along the way.

A sea of Mighty Greens at the Bradleys 10k Exmouth

As the sun burnt through the mist, 20 Sidmouth Running Club members gathered under the Mighty Green flag on Exmouth seafront on Sunday for a group photo ready to take on the Bradleys 10k race.

Before the start

The chip timed, 2 lap race organised by Lizzie of LME events was sponsored by Bradleys Estate Agents who also got involved helping with registration, running in the race and marshalling. Sidmouth estate agent Stephen French and his wife Sarah were very encouraging marshals and certainly gave us all a boost as we passed them several times!

Jack Wilson was first club runner home in 44:33 and was third in his age group; Jane Stein came 2^nd in her age group in 58:07 as did Chris Heywood in his age group in 51:29.

A special mention must go to Tracy Scannell who got a PB as it was her first timed 10k race. Tracy showed strength and determination as she started lap 2 and with some timely encouragement from Suzi Rockey who joined her for the last mile, ran over the finish line with chairman Terry Bewes hot on her heels.

Tracy

The team spirit of the club had been commented on by several runners (not SRC), who noticed how the club runners cheered each other on. As Beccy Johnson said, “The supportive waves, “well dones” and thumbs up really helped.”

Run and Talk

Another example of the running club’s supportiveness was the success of the #runandtalk session last Wednesday. Mental Health champion, Charlotte Forrer, was delighted with the ‘fantastically sociable atmosphere’ and to everyone who stayed on after the run for a drink and a chat.

Derek

Derek Blackburn set out this year to run in events he hadn’t raced before so instead of lining up on Exmouth seafront he was on the Scilly Isles for a half marathon around St Marys. Derek enjoyed the scenic route and kept Terry’s advice to keep the sea on his left in mind completing the run in 2:42:00. Where will he pop up next?!

Sidmouth Running Club will be cheering on Mighty Greens Allan Kay, Yasmin Salter and Toby Garrick as they head off to London to take part in the Virgin London Marathon this Sunday. You’ve got this!

Sidmouth Running Club Marathon Madness

Mighty Green Antony Hall found himself lining up with 30,000 + runners at the recent Manchester Marathon and finished in the top 1,000!

Ant with medal

Antony said, “ I started off really well, keeping a steady pace of 7 minute miles until mile 18 where the long stretches of road took its toll and my pace dropped off considerably; but I kept going and finished just over 2 minutes outside my PB time in 3:10:06, 975^th overall.”

Jo

Jo Earlam headed to Cornwall to compete in the Atlantic Coast Challenge-3 marathons over 3 days along the Cornish coastline. Day 1 saw Jo run between Trevone Head to Perranporth in 7:25:00, even though day 2 included 3,500 feet of elevation between Perranporth and Hayle Jo knocked 2 minutes off the previous days run. Day 3 was a 28.86 mile stretch of the coastline from Lelant to Lands End with 4,800 feet of elevation. The Mighty Green completed the final section in 9:23:00, coming in 95^th place out of 180 entrants and said the spectacular scenery and fabulous weather made it all worthwhile.

Cheryl

It was third time lucky for Cheryl Boulton when she travelled up to Weston Super Mare on Sunday to compete in her first half marathon since the start of Covid as the race had been rescheduled twice. The Mighty Green was determined to beat her 2019 time of 2:08:24 and knocked almost 2 minutes off it despite a quick dash to the portaloo at mile 8! It was the first time Cheryl ran in a new age category, senior women, having turned 50 earlier in the year and was delighted to find out she came 56^th out of 137 and overall 576^th out of a field of 1058 runners. Husband Bruce treated Cheryl to fish and chips on the pier afterwards with the added bonus of 20% discount for all runners-there’s an incentive to enter a race!

Junior swimathon

On Wednesday evening Chairman Terry Bewes presented the SRC Junior members who are representing the club at this month’s Rotary swimathon with a SRC swim bag as a thank you. The Junior team will be competing along two adult SRC teams, the Elite and the Survivors!