The Blackdown Beauty

Ten members of Sidmouth Running Club headed off to the Blackdown Hills to run the Blackdown Beauty. This is the sister run of the Blackdown Beast which is run over a different course in January when runners battle wet lanes, boggy fields and indeed a bog. Runners could be forgiven for thinking they had entered the wrong race as there was plenty of all of this despite the recent dry weather. Massive size pigs, horses, sheep, cows and a bull were all encountered along the way just to keep it interesting

The run itself is billed as a social run as there are no numbers and no times, only the challenge of completing this 18/19 mile self-navigation course. With the current excellent growing conditions the nettles were chest height, the undergrowth so thick and the corn so high that at times we lost sight of our shortest runner Abbi.

The start is at Priors Park Farm, Culmhead and the seasoned ‘Beast Runners’ Helen Palmer, Abbi Lee, Terry Bewes, Jo Earlam, Jane Hemsworth, and David Wright were joined by new ‘Beauties’ Danny Painter, Sue Collman and Charlotte and Jim Forrer.

This is a lovely run through the beautiful Blackdown Hills taking in a mixture of lanes, trails, fields, bogs, woods, climbing over a variety of crooked styles of which there were plenty and road, not forgetting the three pub stops on the way round this year as the Merry Harriers had burnt down earlier in the year and was replaced by a water stop.

There is another reason that runners return year on year and that is for the legendary cream tea laid on by the ladies of the Smeatharpe WI at Peartree Cottage, Stapley. There were huge scones, mountains of clotted cream and lots of jams plus endless pots of tea and a beautiful garden in which to enjoy it, the only snag is that there is still six miles to run afterwards.

9 Scones and cream

For Helen Palmer this was the last of the six long runs she had set herself to complete this year. The Four Trigs 17 miles, The Grizzly 20 miles, Exe to Axe 22 miles, Blackdown Beast 17 miles, Women Can Marathon 26 miles and now the Beauty 18 miles. Congratulations Helen, what next?

Danny Painter experienced a social run for the first time. Normally Danny can be seen disappearing over the horizon on a ultra-marathon at pace but owing to a hamstring injury he wanted to test his recovery with a long easy paced run so this was just the ticket for him and his map reading skills were a bonus for us as we did not get lost this time.

10 Danny and the scones

This was Jim’s first run with the club having been persuaded to join by wife Charlotte and their first social run. Competitive athletes find it hard to run socially and so it was with these two as by the time the rest of us got to the bottom of the first field they were gone, although it may have been down to some naughty person telling them that there were only enough cream teas for the first hundred runners!! They also found out that on this type of run it does not pay to be at the front battling through the shoulder high stinging nettles as they found out by the state of their legs at the finish, much better to be

2 Charlie and Jim

further back and let others flatten them for you.

Then there was our youngest team member Abbi. My preparation for the race was to hydrate on water the day before, pasta for dinner, bed at 10pm and porridge for breakfast. Abbi, burgers on the BBQ, washed down with numerous pints of cider, followed by stargazing in the Byes on the way home and bed at 2am. In the car in the morning complete with hangover she did not look well. 18 miles later she is as bright as a button and I am looking like she did at the start. It is always a pleasure to run with Abbi as the photos show her smile gets bigger and bigger the further we run and she does all this with very little distance training.

At the finish you are normally encouraged up the last field to the sound of Chariots of Fire blasted out by DJ Howard Bidmead chair of Honiton Running Club who organised this excellent event but this year he had taken a holiday. To make sure you do not go home hungry they even have a BBQ set up in a barn with plenty of food and drink on offer, hay bales on which to relax and enjoy it and all in the name of charity, this year raising over £1000 for Macmillan.

Exeter Inflatable 5k

Last Sunday Suzi Rockey put on her Sidmouth Running Club Mighty Green shirt and headed off to Westpoint to take on the ultimate 5k challenge. This consists of a 5k course around Westpoint which is packed with some of the largest and most extreme Inflatab 10 gigantic inflatable obstacles. The participants are set off in groups with the intention of getting around the course and overcoming their various fears on the way.

The Otter Rail and River Run

Eighteen SIDMOUTH Running Club members turned out to support the 11^th year of the Otter Rail and River Run. Race organiser Jo Earlam and the Tipton Playing Field Association pulled out all the stops to put on an extremely enjoyable event.

The race starts in the playing field before crossing the road and then following the path beside the river heading towards Newton Poppleford. It then crosses the river to Harpford and into Harpford woods to the old railway bridge. At this point you climb the steps and follow the old railway track back to Tipton then onto Sargent Mill over the bridge and head off towards Fluxton, along a lane heading back towards Tipton, across a field and bridge to enter the top of the playing field and sprint to the finish. It is an undulating off-road run with plenty of challenges to overcome.

David and Sue

The club members excelled themselves this year with nine prize winners.F45 1^st Naomi Garrick, M70 1^st David Millen, F55 1^st Christine Farnham, F65 2^nd Gail Goldsmith, M60 2^nd Jon Ball, 3^rd Tim Swarbrick, M65 3^rd John Sharples, M50 3^rd Graham Hill, Senior men 3^rd Theo Burgess.

10k results. Graham Hill 9^th overall 41:22, Theo Burgess 11^th overall 42:11, Naomi Garrick 53:15, Christine Farnham 55:57, Karen Farnham 56:38, Jon Ball 56:43, Tim Swarbrick 56:57, David Millen 58:11, John Sharples 59:03, Dave Wright 1:02:00, Debbie Marriott 1:02:26, Don Cawthera 1:02:27, Gail Goldsmith 1:04:14, Milly Frankpitt 1:05:49, Richard Hedger 1:06:25, Tony Velterop 1:06:43, Jenny Bentley 1:08:25, Sue Cunningham 1:18:34.

There were 184 finishers

The Woodland Relays

It was hard to believe that two consecutive Wednesday evening running on Woodbury Common could be so extremely different weather wise. The first from Woodbury Castle was a Sidmouth club run on the hottest day of the year and the second on East Budleigh Common was the Woodland Relays in what can only be described as monsoon conditions.

The Woodland Relays are a series of races between East Devon clubs with each taking it in turn to organise a venue of their choice. This was the 23^rd race extremely well organised by Exmouth Harriers in the Wheathill Plantation over a proper cross country course in horrendous conditions.

Between them the N1 Tri Club, Sidmouth, Axe Valley, Honiton, Exmouth, the Met Office and Clyst Hydon entered 21 senior teams and 10 junior. Teams of three are divided into all male, all female, mixed and juniors with each member running the same 4k circuit. With the rain lashing down the whole time, running fast became more difficult for those running the second and third legs as the course rapidly became a quagmire.

Sidmouth Running club had five teams entered, two experienced and three first timers all with the exception of Deb Marriott joining the club in January.

The Sidmouth Green Army comprising Justin Ashby 16:24, Antony Hall 17:30 and Ben Chesters 16:42 did an excellent job finishing second overall just being pipped by the young bucks from N1 Tri.

The Sidmouth Ladies no. 1 team Kerry Boyle 20:29, Charlotte Forrer 21:18 and Els Laurays were the third ladies team to finish.

The ladies V45 team Karen Farnham 24:14, Deb Marriott 24:07 and Christine Farnham 24:51, the mixed team Christie Ward 30:06, Paul Wright 24:35 and John Sharples 24:47 and the ladies no. 2 team Jenni Yeoman 29:53, Laura Philips 27:20 and Julia Haddrell 32:42 all had their first experience of what life is like for a hippopotamus – wet and muddy.

However they all enjoyed the evening, supported each other, said it was one they would never forget and the Mighty Green was worn and the Club shown supporting another event. Well done to you all.

Bowood House Sprint Triathlon

Four of Sidmouth Running Club’s lady members, Becky Robson, Jane Hemsworth, Sarah Watkins and Helen Palmer had an early start on Sunday heading up to Bowood House in Calne, Wiltshire to take on the Sprint distance Triathlon taking place there for the fifth year.

The Sprint comprises a 750 metre fresh water lake swim, followed by a mile uphill run to the transition area where competitors race to climb out of their wetsuits onto their bikes. The 21k fast bike ride around the wilder parts of the grounds begins with a few technical corners and hill climbs to enjoy before the descent on each lap. The route loops around Bowood Golf course, Osprey Farm and Lord Lansdowne’s private drive which is inhabited with game fowl. Returning to the transition area once again the competitors change into running shoes for the 5K hilly but scenic run around the stunning gardens and waterfalls.

Becky has been competing here since the event started in 2013 and has watched it grow over the years. There are quite a few rules within the sport with a penalty of disqualification if you forget them so it keeps you focused.

Becky was first home with split times of swim 22:42, bike 48:40, run 28:28 with T1 & T2 a combined time of 1:41:09.

Jane, swim 31:18, bike 54:13, run 26:33 with T1 &T2 a combined time of 1:53:21.

Sarah, swim 25:38, bike 59:20, run 30:38 with T1 & T2 a combined time of 1:57:34.

Helen, swim 31:15, bike 54:13, run 30:31with T1 & T2 a combined time of 1:57:34.

Both Sarah and Helen were very pleased with their times as Sarah has been recovering from an operation over the last few months and this was Helen’s first triathlon. Standing proudly on the podium in their Mighty Green shirts complete with medals and suntan they all vowed to return next year in greater force.

There were 186 finishers.

The Torbay Half Marathon

Sunday saw the 26^th running of the Torbay Half Marathon. The race starts on Paignton’s Eastern esplanade at the pier and is a two lap traffic free route taking in the stunning coastal views across Torbay.

Starting with one lap of Paignton Green it then head towards Torquay where the course passes the historic Torre Abbey and the Princess Gardens where you turn and head back to the finish on Paignton Seafront.

Four members of SIDMOUTH Running Club took on the challenge in ideal conditions after the recent heatwave. There was a special incentive for Beth Wells as she had been promised a Weatherspoons special meal if she did well, and she did. Being paced by Danny Painter she knocked 13 minutes off her previous time, something she is becoming quite accustomed to in each race she enters.

Tim Clay also had a target in mind, running a sub 1:50:00 but despite a superb effort he missed it by 22 seconds. Sneaking in under the radar was Susie Perry as until I checked the results I didn’t know she was running, but she too came in well under the 2 hours.

As for Danny Painter despite running with Beth he somehow returned a “did not finish” but I understand that the organisation at race HQ left a lot to be desired.

Results Tim Clay 1:50:22, Susie Perry 1:50:48, Beth Wells 2:19:49.

Danny Painter finished just behind Beth. There were 1563 finishers.

The Club extends its congratulations to Tim Mitchell who has passed the England Athletics four day Coaching course.

Latest entry into the Mighty Green on Holiday challenge comes from Anna Read in Corsica.

The club will be represented by six teams in this week Woodland Relays race.