Showing what a community spirited, versatile bunch Sidmouth Running Club are, they fielded three teams on Saturday evening at Sidmouth Rotary Clubs’ Swimathon.

The Mighty Green Swimathon Team

With personal sponsorship and a donation from the running club the Mighty Green swimmers raised approx £500 for 3 local charities.

Sarah’s Sharks

Surpassing the adult teams, the six juniors under the guidance of Carol Thomas, swam an impressive 117 lengths with Sarah’s Sharks swimming 116 and Kay’s Mighty Green Swimming Machine swimming 108.

Kay’s Mighty Green Swimming Machine

It was another enjoyable night for the club especially as we all retired to The Volunteer to celebrate with a superb meal and award ceremony.

The MG Juniors with their well-deserved trophies

SRC’s Bert Dykema took part in the Diepe Hel 10K run in Holten in the Netherlands on a beautiful sunny autumn day along with over 2000 runners! The run went through the Holten Berg (Holten mountain) area, and although an 83 meter climb might be a real challenge for the locals, for Bert who has lived in Devon for over 8 years it seemed fairly flat! The Mighty Green was delighted with his 0:56:13 result. Bert said it was a great experience, made more special as he ran it with his nephew Joost van Egmond (35) who finished in 0:43:33 and his niece Sacha Pekkeriet (27) who finished in 0:48:44.

Bert joined his nephew and niece in the Netherlands for a 10k adventure

Bert wasn’t the only club runner travelling with their MG shirt; Cheryl Boulton took hers on holiday to Playa Blanca, Lanzarote last week. Cheryl managed 2 early morning runs as the temperature was already at 20-21 degrees at 7.30am; 5 miles on Monday and 7 miles on Thursday enjoying some beautiful views and sunrises.

Cheryl enjoying the beautiful sunrise

Jane Hemsworth and Jo Earlam enjoyed a very pleasant day out on the Grand Western Canal on Sunday, notching up another marathon each, Janes’ 36^th and Jos’ 95^th! The Mighty Greens spent most of the time chatting, enjoying the peaceful beauty of the canal, and bimbling along at a steady pace, until the last half mile when Jos’ legs suddenly remembered what they were supposed to be doing and they crossed the line with a 9:45 minute mile pace. Jo said it is great to be able to count down on one hand to the magic 100^th marathon.

Jane and Jo at the Grand Canal Canter

The hours of training, physio, strength and conditioning paid off for the Mighty Greens running in this year’s London marathon especially for first timers Richard King and Carol Hounsell.  The Club has seen how their training has progressed over the last two months and how their mileage steadily increased. Mighty Green David Knapman who holds the club marathon record, had a very strict training timetable to adhere to as he earnt a place in the Elite category. The talented chef finished in 729^th place in 2:48:17, a fantastic result.  The next club runner over the finishing line was Jim Forrer in 3:35:14, 8,799 place overall-last weekend he was running the streets of Sidmouth in the club’s carnival entry, this week running the streets of London!

Mighty Green Jim Forrer spotted during the London Marathon.

MG Lynda Hawkins was the club’s first female over the line in 3:54:15, she ran her first London marathon 10 years ago in 4:11:00 and was very happy with her finishing time.

Richard King and Lynda Hawkins raring to go.

Richard and Carol were nervous but excited waiting beforehand but enjoyed every minute of the route and Richard was very happy to finish in 4:28:39 and Carol, running for Hospiscare, ran over the finish line in 5:12:13 and met Mr Motivator too!

A very happy Carol Hounsell running her first marathon.

Closer to home Winding Paths’ Exe Estuary Marathon and Ultra took place, starting from Budleigh, the route took you to Exmouth, down the estuary to Topsham and back again.  Mighty Green Jessica Watkins had an amazing run despite the very wet start finishing first overall in an impressive 3:54:27 with SRC’s Grahame Womersley-Westlake completing his first marathon in 4:43:09 and Darren Pearce completing his first marathon in 4:58:32.

Altogether now! Overall marathon winner Jessica Watkins with Grahame Womersley-Westlake and Darren Pearce.

The weather threw Grahame at first as all his training had been in dry conditions but he stripped off along the way as the sun came out and although Darren regretted his sheer lack of training at mile 21 did the club proud.  MG Mark Andow had a great run in the Exe Valley Ultra finishing 16^th in a field of 51 in 5:44:23 despite it being a last minute entry and having ran the hilly Chagford Challenge, LDWA event on Dartmoor the previous weekend!

Ultra marathon runner Mark Andow with first time marathon runner Grahame Womersley -Westlake.

Mighty Green Niall Hawkins was very pleased to get a PB when he ran in the Cardiff half marathon on Sunday.  Niall completed the half in 1:30:07!

Niall Hawkins whizzing by in the Cardiff half marathon.

It was a first marathon for MG Hamish Spence too as he ran the COSY marathon in aid of Exeter Dementia Action Alliance.  Hamish enjoyed the scenic route, especially the view from the top of Pennsylvania Road but was horrified when he noticed Strava had stopped recording his activity. But this did not stop the Mighty Green and he completed the circular route in 7:25:00, his first marathon completed!  (The route was created by MG Jo Earlam and has organised the Exeter Memory Baton relay on Sunday 16^th October with fellow MG’s Simon Hollyer and David Welsh in cha

When SRC member Clive Gilbert highlighted that Cranbrook Parkrun was celebrating its’ 1^st birthday last Saturday and there would be cake, Tracy Scannell, Lesley Fitzhenry, Beccy Johnson, Mark Norton and Alexa Baker decided to join him!

Where’s the cake?!

What he didn’t mention was the fancy dress opportunity, but everyone had great fun running among Little Red Riding Hoods, Where’s Wally, Cheerleaders and unicorns.  The twice out and back route set in Cranbrook Country Park was very flat, along gravel pathways and grassy stretches through the community orchard.

Mark Norton and Clive Gilbert off to a good start at Cranbrook Parkrun

The volunteers behind the weekly parkrun were very friendly and welcoming and the cakes at the end were delicious.  The Mighty Greens will certainly return despite cake being a one off.

Saturday evening saw members of Sidmouth Running Club Juniors and adults take part in the Sidmouth Carnival as a walking group entry to have a MIGHTY fun time together, support the carnival and promote the club in the community.

Mighty Green Cheerleaders Beccy Johnson and Tracy Scannell

The theme was ‘Mighty Green’, and we had a lot of caped crusaders but the greenest of them all was Martin Barnard and his son Ben who went full on ‘Incredible Hulk’ green!

Martin ‘The Incredible Hulk’ Barnard greening up Chairman Terry Bewes

The idea was to have ‘slo-mo’ races through the finishing ribbon with a podium finish at intervals along the route but the competitive Juniors left the adults standing as they practically sprinted the whole way round.

Just your average night out in Sidmouth

A great evening was had by all topped off by coming first in our category.

The 9am start time for LME Bradleys Exmouth 10k held on Sunday was a bit of a shock for those involved in the carnival the previous evening but the sun was out and the sea sparkling which made it all the more worthwhile.

Nearly all the Mighty Greens taking part in LME Bradleys Exmouth 10k

The popular flat road race was a comeback event from injury/illness for Mighty Greens Yasmin Salter, Suzi Rockey and Christy Ward and it was great to see them back in their Mighty Green shirts.

Yasmin Salter hot on Cheryl Boulton’s heels

The two lap event takes you to Orcombe Point, round the flagpole, all the way back to The Grove and repeat.  One of the nice things about running a loop is the encouragement given by fellow runners as they pass by in the opposite direction; although it does help to get their names right and in true Chairman’s form Terry only found out when reading the results that the ‘Pete’ he was cheering on was ‘Colin’!

Colin Ryan ran a magnificent 10k

The encouraging marshals (many from sponsors Bradleys Estate Agents) keep you going too and on this occasion as well as receiving a medal we were all treated to cake from Launchpad, Budleigh. (Bit of a theme going on this weekend!)  Colin Ryan was the first Mighty Green over the line in 44:26, 21^st out of a field of 186 with Catherine Hilton hot on his heels finishing in 48:57.

Catherine Hilton checks her time as she crosses the line

Cheryl Boulton was very happy to get her 10k PB and Donna Womersley-Westlake was delighted to have run the whole 10k without walking.

Results: Colin Ryan 44:26, Catherine Hilton 48:57, Sam Ingram 51:31, Suzi Rockey 53:37, Cheryl Boulton 55:23, Yasmin Salter 55:32, Christie Ward 58:31, Terry Bewes 1:08:23, Alexa Baker 1:08:23, Donna Womersley-Westlake 1:14:34, Grahame Womersley-Westlake 1:14:39

Sidmouth Running Club Juniors were able to enjoy a sunny first session of the Autumn term on St John’s School sports field last Wednesday.  It was lovely to welcome back familiar faces and see some new ones too, including adult helpers.

A great start to the Autumn Term for the SRC Juniors

The 8-11yr group focused on paced running activities whilst the 11+ group which has almost tripled in size, had fun getting to know each other and their abilities with some running games.  It is not too late to join us, please contact Junior Coach Kerry Boyle for more details. www.sidmouthrunningclub.co.uk

Some race events have a reputation that goes ahead of them, the Grizzly for example, where you know vaguely what challenges lie ahead but you still want to enter and experience it first-hand.  This can be said of Honiton Running Club’s ‘Honiton Hippo and Calf’-you hear about the water crossings and the mud and think that sounds challenging but fun I’ll enter that, especially as it is part of Sidmouth Running Club’s Autumn Challenge series. But did anyone mention the hills?!?

The Mighty Green contingent at the Honiton Hippo (plus Stuart who was warming up round the corner!)

Representing SRC Juniors, Ben Barnard wore the Mighty Green and ran in the Hippo Calf, a two mile route around Combe Woods which included a river crossing.  Ben finished in 17:49 and thoroughly enjoyed the run saying the river crossing was the best bit along with the medal.

Junior MG Ben Barnard crossing the finish line

There were eight Mighty Greens in a field of 139 running in the Hippo and all said how tough the 7.5 mile route was.  Heading out through Combe Woods and St Cyres the second mile was memorable for being complete climb; as MG Donna Womersley-Westlake said, it was never ending! But then the fun began as you entered the grounds of The Landrover Experience where there were uneven ruts, loose stones, ups, downs and three water crossings varying in muddiness to navigate.  It was great to hear the laughter and shrieks echoing around as you headed back towards Honiton admiring the beautiful countryside.  It was at this point you remember the pre-run briefing and realise what was coming up- two river crossings, one which involved a rope and a ladder! But in fact, these were great fun to splash through and so close to the finish line it didn’t matter that you were wet from the waist down.

Donna Womersley-Westlake enjoying a flatish part of the Honiton Hippo

Martin Barnard, like his son Ben, was the first Mighty Green over the finish line in 1:03:42 with Mark Andow finishing not far behind in 1:07:44.  All finishers received a bottle of Norcotts cider or apple juice and went home looking forward to running it next year!

Martin Barnard was the first MG over the finish line

Results: Martin Barnard 1:03:42, Mark Andow 1:07:44, Mark Norton 1:12:12, Stuart Moul 1:18:53, Hannah Maslen 1:31:53, Alexa Baker 1:37:16, Donna and Grahame Womersley-Westlake 1:50:15

It was an early start on Saturday for six Sidmouth Running Club members as they headed to Exwick for the start of the City to Sea Marathon. Organised by the charity Torbay Holiday Helpers Network the route followed the canal path to the Iron Bridge with a cheeky loop back to the river before crossing over the road to follow the train line to Starcross, Dawlish Warren, Dawlish, Teignmouth and Shaldon. This section was a relatively flat scenic 20 miles with swans, trains and two check points to distract you.  This event was Mighty Green Jo Earlam’s fifth City to Sea and her 91^st marathon so the group were pleased to follow her lead as she knew what was coming! The final 6.58 miles were very unforgiving following the SW coast path from Shaldon to Babbacombe Downs and the pace dropped dramatically but the group climbed their way up and down steep steps and valleys to the finish line in one piece.  Jo’s experience had paid off and the group were very proud to receive a very snazzy weighty medal and a bar of chocolate! Finishing the City to Sea meant Jane Hemsworth has now completed 35 marathons, Sarah Watkins 17, Rachel Barnard and Leeann Thomson 3 and Alexa Baker her first.  All ladies were pleased the rain stayed away until the end and enjoyed the train ride back to Exeter!

Wearing A Marathon Medal To Be Proud Of

On Sunday a band of Mighty Greens lined up at the start of the inaugural Budleigh Salterton Lions 10k Trail event starting from Withycombe Raleigh Common and heading out and around Woodbury Common.

Thirteen Mighty Greens Ran The Inaugural Budleigh Lions Trail 10k

The route was full of ups, downs, twists and turns with two river crossings which made for an interesting challenging run.  The route was very clearly marked out and had plenty of cheerful encouraging marshals to keep you on the right track. Ollie Goodchild Horne was the first Mighty Green over the finish line in 56:16 with Mark Norton and Clive Gilbert close behind and under the hour too; a great run from all three as it was a demanding course.  Special mentions go to Carol Hounsell who carried on running to Budleigh and followed the coast path back to Sidmouth as part of her London Marathon training, to Donna Womersley Westlake for running up those hills and not stopping until the end, to Terry Bewes for completing his first race following injury and to Alexa Baker who didn’t let a marathon run the day before stop her from taking part in one of the Autumn series club challenge races.

Results

Ollie Goodchild-Horne 56:16, Mark Norton 59:53, Clive Gilbert 1:00:56, Christine Farnham 1:06:26, Becky Knapman 1:08:04, Karen Farnham 1:09:08, Becky Procter 1:09:04, Sarah Clapham 1:12:25, Adrian Horne 1:15:30, Carol Hounsell 1:17:40, Donna Womersley Westlake 1:37:12, Alexa Baker 1:37:18, Terry Bewes 1:38:21

The Juniors are also preparing their return and are offering a taster session on Sunday 11^th September 3-5pm at St Johns school.  This is an ideal opportunity if you and your 8-11 year old would like to find out what is on offer, have the chance to try out the equipment and meet the coaches and helpers.  There are spaces available in the 11+ group too.  It’s not all about the running, the children will concentrate on different skills each week including jumping and throwing.  This year the club have been delighted to see the youngsters’ confidence grow and take part in local fun runs and races wearing their Mighty Green.

Come along and meet this friendly lot!

Please contact Junior coach Kerry via the web page www.sidmouthrunningclub.co.uk Juniors for further details about the taster day, the 8-11 year old group and the 11+ group.