JP’s Exe to the Axe Race

It was a chilly but beautiful morning that would get sunnier and warmer throughout the day that greeted the 275 competitors that gathered at the Foxholes car park in Exmouth on Sunday for the start of the most seriously gruelling JP’s Exe to Axe race.

‘A brute of a race with some extraordinary views’ was how Runners World described it in its April edition. And our ANOB did not let them down with some outstanding views along the 22 mile route. Full results can be found here. Additional photos by Kyle Baker Photography and Kit Woodcock. More photos of Sidmouth Runners that Kyle took can be found here.

Anthony above Exmouth

Ladram Bay

First to finish was Michael Robinson of Exmouth Harriers in 2:53:15, this was the third time that he has won this race. Second, Richard Roberts of Eryri Harriers in 3:00:37, Richard took a wrong turning near the end putting him just over the 3 hours.

Third, Graham Willis Tiverton Harriers in 3:07:58. First lady was Anna Bartlett of Mercia Fell Runners in 3:21:33 who also took the female over 40 trophy.

First relay team was Matthew and Robert Salt of Dacorum and Tring in 3:32:59: Male over 50 trophy, Richard Everson of SWRR in 3:20:15: Male over 40, Chris Perry of Axe Valley Runners in 3:28:19: Senior female, Laura Swanton in 3:35:53: Male under 23, Jerome Borghgraef in 3:46:00: Male over 60, Christopher Kelsey of Wells City Harriers in 3:47:40: Female over 50, Jayne Angilley of Cornwall AC in 3:57:19: Female over 60, Eleanor Wood of Axe Valley Runners in 4:05:30.

First club runner home was once again Antony Hall in 41st place in 3:45:13: Gary Anning 3:54:46: Nigel Maeer 4:08:36: Julian Bartlett 4:14:50: Simon Hollyer 4:47:51: Lynda Hawkins 5:03:17. Lynda had planned to run with daughter Kaylee but a bad ankle injury a couple of days before put paid to that. Jo Earlam 5:06:29: Becky Robson dropped out at Budleigh Salterton with a niggle in her calf and with the London Marathon coming up very sensibly decided not to risk an injury.

Sidmouth was also well represented by the Sidmouth Sirens, Helen Palmer, 5:26:07: Monica Read, 5:26:07: Sue Collman 5:26:08 and Janice Ranson 5:23:32. This was the first time Monica and Sue had run this race and they did extremely well. Beth Wells who joined the beginner’s course in January and who had run from Exmouth to Ladram Bay a few weeks earlier reasoned that it was not much further to Sidmouth maybe forgetting the two large hills in between but finished in a respectable time of 2:22:00.

In the team event Sidmouth Mighty Green Oldies, Jon Ball and Tim Clay came 6th in 4:16:30 and Sidmouth Ancient and Dazed Arthur and Christine Vince brought the proceedings to an end in 7:42:16

Another runner training for a 100k run in the Alps ran to Seaton, ate a flapjack, turned around and ran back to Exmouth to catch a train back to Exeter that he had previously booked.

Gavin

The story of the day belongs to the West Hill contingent. Jo Pavey the Club’s ambassador is in the final stages of her training for the London Marathon so was unable to run, however husband Gavin was talked into running with a group of friends who had already entered. Seizing the opportunity at the start Terry Bewes quickly took off his club running vest and gave it to him to wear. This was paying off as at Budleigh, Gavin went by in 6th place and at Sidmouth he had dropped back a little, the reason would become clear later. The next time I saw him was at the finish when I heard someone say “There’s Gavin”, I looked up but could not see him on the promenade then I saw him on the pavement being supported by a medic, his rescuer and a shooting stick. It turned out that the injury to his achilles started as he came down Peak Hill and by the time he got to the top of Weston cliff it was so swollen and sore that he could not walk on it. Luckily running club member David Hedges was out on the cliff in his jeep and had the shooting stick with him so with the help of David and the stick he managed to drag himself to a lane where he was hauled into the jeep and driven to Seaton. It was decided that as he had only completed half of the race he would be awarded only half a medal.

One of his team mates also didn’t fare much better getting lost and running a further 3 miles ending up at the Donkey Sanctuary and he too came in for a lot of stick as he is supposed to be good at map reading being a Royal Marine. They eventually made their way to the Bowd Inn to rehydrate on real ale.

The club would like to thank Johanna Morgan the Zumba diva from JM Dance Fit for the Zumba warm up. Thanks also to Axe Valley Runners for the water station at Branscombe.

Danny and Corinna

Several runners asked the Club to pass on their gratitude to Corrina Stevens and Danny Painter the back markers for all their help and encouragement which got them through the final stages of the run. It was however a fitting reward at the finish when many competitors were full of praise and congratulated Paul Mitchell the Race Director on the organisation and how well the whole day had gone and said they would be back next year in greater numbers. Paul however was quick to point out that without the support of the Club members, their spouses and children it would not have been the success it was.

Not only did our AONB shine but SIDMOUTH Running Club did as well.
Congratulations to you all.

Chairman’s Mighty Green Challenge

and

Exe to Axe

The final entries are now coming in for Sidmouth Running Club’s chairman’s Mighty Green Challenge.

In the racing category Andy Shearer took himself off to Spain and along with his friend Kevin Druce entered the Barcelona Marathon. The great Catalan capital was host to the Zurich Barcelona Marathon which was reborn in 2005. The race starts in the Avinguda, Maria Cristina and the course it follows is one of the most attractive in Europe. The favourable climatology that characterizes Barcelona combined with a fully urban circuit that passes through the main landmarks of great interest for the runners. It was a very warm day with Andy finishing 4:20:00 and Kevin in 4:23:00

Meanwhile taking herself even further afield Milly the Marvel Frankpitt was in Wungong Dam, Australia. Milly just couldn’t wait to show off her Mighty Green shirt to the locals and after just 2 hours sleep due to jet lag wakefulness in the night she ran the 14.1k Darling Ranges in Perth then went straight back to bed.

EXE TO AXE

With the upcoming Exe to Axe race on April 2^nd we have been informed that the ladies record holder Annie Conway (Ambleside AC) has won the World Long Distance MR Championship in Podbrdo, Slovenia. In 2015 she came in second just 9 seconds behind Axe Valley runner Matt Clist. It was a very exciting finish as coming along the esplanade at Seaton she was catching him up. With the extended route this year to the Eastern end of the esplanade it would have been an even more exciting finish. There is still time to enter this race with entry forms on the club website or you can enter on the day.

The Forest of Dean Half Marathon

There seems to be a theme running through SIDMOUTH Running Club at the moment where husbands invite their wives out for the day only to find when they arrive at their destination a pair of running shoes are produced from the boot of the car. And so it was for Cathy Keast who looking forward to a nice day out with husband John in the Forest of Dean found herself running a half marathon around it.

Utilising well maintained forest trails with gentle inclines the race starts from Speech House and is run through the forest on way-marked trails laid out by the Forestry Commission in a clockwise direction back to the start.

This was to be John’s last run of the season and luckily his new replacement pacemaker was up to the job and he finished in 1:49:51 and Cathy in 2:15:38 which was an excellent time seeing that she had completed the Grizzly the week before.

John now begins his cycling training in readiness for June when he will undertake to cycle 360 miles of the Tour de France route in order to raise money for the William Wates Memorial Trust. If you would like to sponsor John he would be most grateful and can be contacted through the contact tab on the Club website.

English Schools Cross Country Championships

Last weekend saw SIDMOUTH Running Club members Kate Marriott and Toby Garrick take part in the English Schools Cross Country Championships in Norwich, Norfolk.

After over 10 hours travelling there, they managed to shake off the tired legs and finish in 196th and 244th respectively, on a very flat course. The two athletes were very proud to finish 4th and 6th in their Devon team. This event followed the Inter-County Championships, held in Loughborough, on 11th March. Again, it was another long trip up, with an extremely challenging course with lots of mud and hills.

Both runners were at the bottom of their age group, and were very nervous to be competing with over 350 runners per race. The day was successful with Kate finishing 2nd in the Devon team and 202nd overall, whilst Toby got pipped on a sprint finish to finish 4th in the Devon team and 192nd in the testing field.

They are both very pleased the cross country season is now over which means no more mud, sweat or hills but the track season is soon looming.

The GRIZZLY

The Grizzly, what can you say about this 20 mile multi terrain race? Renowned as one of the toughest going, that takes in shingle beaches 3 times, river runs twice, hills many, muddy woodland trails, no make that very wet and muddy, flint paths, fields, and not forgetting the two bogs and the famous Stairway to Heaven. A race that sold out 2000 places in a matter of hours back in September and is greatly oversubscribed, attracting runners from all over Europe, well one word, FANTASTIC.

Fantastic organisation by Axe Valley Runners, start by the Town Cryer, route, views, marshals, supporters all around the course, entertainers, water and food stations, competitors and the fantastic 25 Sidmouth Running Club members nearly all resplendent in their Mighty Green Club shirts who took on the challenge.

Of the 1573 that started the main race 1569 finished, with the Club having 6 runners in the top 500. Danny Painter 109^th in 3:00:33 (last year142^nd in 3:02:19), Antony Hall 124^th in 3:03:09, Gary Anning 317^th in 3:26:48, Nigel Maeer 419^th in 3:35:19 followed by Julian Bartlett in 3:37:40 and Mark Welland in 3:37:48. This is the second race in a row that Danny has just gone over the hour mark by just a few seconds, third time lucky Danny.

Other club results Susie Perry 3:49:26, Carine Silver 3:48:26, Alan Colwill 3:55:03, Charlotte Forrer 3:58:24, Katie Kent 4:03:14, Naomi Garrick, 4:04:35 who ran dressed as a Strawberry in preparation for her attempt at the world record for the Guinness Book of records at the upcoming London Marathon.

Simon Hollyer 4:06:46, Rocker Sheppard who last year took the ambulance to the finish when an injury got the better of him at Seaton Hole managed to finish this year in 4:12:11, Becky Robson 4:23:47, Lynda Hawkins 4:27:33, Jonathan Dale 4:38:52.

The Rusty Runners, Helen Palmer, Cathy Keast, Moncia Read, Terry Bewes along with Janice Ranson and David Wright all ran the course together and finished in 4:48:39.

We had 2 runners amongst the 494 that started the 10 mile Grizzly Cub Run, Suzi Rockey 2:03:36 and Sarah Burston 2:06:54. Suzi was outstanding when you consider that only a few weeks ago she was hobbling around on crutches.

A feature of this race is the tree of remembrance where runners can tie a ribbon to it in memory of someone. This year it was particular moving and emotional to see Debbie and Don by the tree as runners tied their ribbons in memory of Debbie’s 19 year old son Sam who recently died so tragically.

Another great Grizzly and we all look forward to the next one.

Bideford Half Marathon

Three members of Sidmouth Running Club put on their Mighty Green shirts and headed up to north of the county for the Bideford AAC half marathon. The race this year was run in memory of Geoff Fanson one of the founding members of the running section of the Bideford club.

Beth and Danny

The course takes in the magnificent countryside alongside the river Torridge between Bideford and Great Torrington. The course is half on road and half on the Tarka Trail and you even get to run through a tunnel. The route is moderately flat with a small hill section. It was pretty windy though which made it a lot tougher.

Bethany Wells who joined the beginners course in January had set her sights on having a go at this race and despite being ill last week she still turned up at the Club for her 5 mile training run and was even more determined to complete the 13.1 miles. On the day however she did have the support of her step-dad, the well-known local marathon runner and back marker for JP’s Exe to Axe race, Danny Painter, who ran with her. Both turned out to be winners with Bethany finishing in 2:32:58 and despite Danny’s ‘encouragement’ she was still talking to him after the finish. A Mighty Green runner in the making Bethany, the club is proud of you.

Becky

Sidmouth’s other runner Becky Robson had an eventful start. After a busy week at work she took a laid back approach to this race as preparation for the London Marathon, a little too laid back as it turned out as exiting the port-a-loo she found that the runners had set off two minutes earlier so she had to get a move on and still finished in 1:57:34. A lesson learned for London.

There were 1150 finishers showing how popular this race is particularly with personal best runners.

Stroke Association Resolution Run

The mighty green vests of Sidmouth Running Club members were put to one side for the sake of charity this week. As part of the entry fee for the Stroke Association Resolution Run, held at Escot, runners were provided with a very smart vest or t-shirt to wear.

It was a dull, cold day and very windy. Lots of people were putting on extra layers of clothing, gloves and hats. There was a very cheery atmosphere amongst the contestants and the musical warm up was enjoyed by all, especially John as you can see. The course was mostly road and track with a couple of small hills, with about a quarter of it taking you along a woodland trail. There was a choice of three distances 5K, 10K or 15K, one, two or three laps of the course.

The star club runners or should I say super stars would have to be Team Mediocre made up of Hayley Otway, Kim Harland and Rachel Austen-Rigby; these three ladies started on the beginner’s course in January. The furthest they had run to date was 5k and here they are now having completed their first 10K in 1:20:00 with a stunning medal to prove it. I have also had inside information that Kim and Rachel only intended to run the 5K but the gentle persuasion of Hayley convinced them to run the 10K. A potential running club run leader in the making and a new name, Team Awesome. Congratulations ladies.

Also in the 10K Paula Farrand 42:30, Bert Dykema 45:13 and John Doherty 57:03 all enjoyed good runs while Antony Hall who ran the 15k and started with his wife Kat finished in second place in 1:02:00.

Although pleased with the second place he was gutted to miss out on the hour mark especially after the painful sprint finish as you can see in the photo.

All timings were taken from their watches as people were saying that the official time clock was 5 minutes out.

Barcelona Half Marathon

The great Catalan capital of Barcelona was host to the eDreams Mitja Marato Half Marathon. This half marathon has had to take second place to the new marathon which was reborn in 2005. However it is a great race and looks set to become popular with local runners and foreign guests as it establishes itself and if the number of world class elite athletics who entered is anything to go by, it certainly will.

Lining up at the start somewhere amongst the 15,239 competitors wearing the Mighty Green of Sidmouth Running Club was Katie Kent who was accompanied by an old school friend from Finland Dr Valpuri Luoma.

The route is a flat, fast course that takes in many of the city’s sights. It can best be described as a figure of 8 which is great for spectators and supporters. Starting at 9am it is still cool and the first 10 miles of the course are along many of the city’s wide boulevards with their pavement cafes from where you can relax and watch the runners go by. The shade from the tall buildings is a welcome feature. The last three miles is along the coast road and then back into the city to finish. It was dry and around 10 degrees for the race and although the windy conditions clearly hampered the elite runners, Katie and Val took no notice and both finished in a respectable time of 2:06:20 giving them plenty of time to change and enjoy the many delights of this beautiful city.

Punchbowl Ultra Marathon

Carine Silver from Sidmouth Running Club travelled up to Surrey with her family to take part in the LDWA 48^th Punchbowl Ultra Marathon. There are two options, either a 20 or 30 mile self-navigation route for runners and walkers. There is a 10 hour limit for both events.

Carine entered her first ultra, opting for the 30 mile with her sister Evelyne Wilkinson while husband and daughters 12 and 11 and nephew 10 walked the parallel 20 mile event. Both start from Witley Village Hall near Godalming and follow a route through the Devil’s Punchbowl across heath, common land, paths and bridleways and parts of the North Downs way, ending with a run along the rim of the Punch Bowl. There are 3 check points on route providing drinks, light refreshments, sandwiches and fruit.

The weather was not ideal, cold and foggy with snow on the ground between the puddles of mud but it didn’t actually snow on them which was a bonus.

Carine and Evelyne finished in 6:40:00 with about 40 minutes spent at the checkpoints enjoying the hospitality making them 7^th females home, although LDWA events are most emphatically NOT races. By quirk of routes and timing they passed the walking family members twice which was a boost to the spirts. The Mighty Green t-shirt attracted a lot of attention as it seemed that everyone has a connection to East Devon.