One marathon too many for Ellie!

Also on Sunday 26th August, over in the Channel Islands, was the annual Guernsey Marathon. I, Ellie Sutcliffe, took part in this race last year and, to my surprise and delight, won it. It was such a stunning course and so well organised and friendly that I decided to sign up again this year and to go and try and defend my title... oh, the rather nice sum of money I won last year might have also played a small part in luring me back!

This year, however, I knew that the task of winning again would be very tough as I had much stiffer competition in the form of Shona Crombie-Hicks. Shona is a vet 40 athlete from Bourton Road Runners who boasts a marathon PB of 2:38 and has previously represented Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Austrailia. Last year she won and set a course record at the Jersey Marathon with a 2:53 clocking: 10 whole minutes faster than my winning Guernsey time. On paper she was the favourite. All I could hope was that with a good summer's build up I could chip some more time off my 2:59 PB and give her a decent run for her money (literally!).... er, yeah, didn't quite happen!


To cut a long story short, I came 2nd to Shona, who posted a fantastic new course record time of 2:56. I ran 3:07. Vicky Barret of Jersey came third with 3:19.

For a more detailed account of the event see my own blog site:
http://elliesutcliffe.blogspot.co.uk/

On on to next year when I will try and gain the honours back again... with much better preparation behind me!

Local hero, Lee Merrien, is on official race starter duties at Guernsey

5 Harriers take on Torbay

The other 10k road race on offer on Sunday 26th August was the Torbay Regatta event which also incorporates the Devon County Championships.

This race is deceptively tough as it entails two nasty little climbs that really push the lungs to limit, firstly as the runners climb up out of Torquay and the as they climb up out of Paignton on the return stretch. A nice downhill 800m to the finish on Corbyn Head is then a just reward for all the previous efforts.

5 Harriers chose to take on this challenge, some of whom no doubt enticed by the lure of the medals that were on offer by Devon County AA across each of the age category groupings, and others, well, because it's a nice seaside course with a good atmosphere!

First Harrier home was Andy Johnson in a time of 43:41. Andy placed 83rd overall and 10th MV45.

Next in was Andy's long time training partner, Roger Rowe. Ever competitive in his age category, Roger again took the MV65 spoils, placing 1st in a time of 44:37, giving him 92nd place overall.

Lee Russell followed on, crossing the line in 51:49 for 218th place overall and 11th MV55.

Then to the husband and wife team of Stan and Joan Mason. On this occasion it was girl power all the way as Joan showed Stan a clean pair of heels (Stan, you didn't stop to help a damsel in distress again like last year did you?!). Joan had a superb run to finish in 291st place overall in a time of 55:10. She was really really unlucky to just miss out on a podium place by just a minute in the FV50 category, coming 4th.

Stan rounded off the proceedings with a 57:00 clocking which gave him 319th place and 15th MV55.

Always a hugely popular event, there were 482 finishers on this occasion.
The race was won by Jon Gilby, also the winner of the Exeter 10k the previous week, in a swift 31:23.
The leading lady was super-vet FV55 athlete Anne Luke of Tamar Trotters, 19th overall in 38:33.

Mike does battle at Sedgemoor for the 2nd year running

There were 2 local 10k road races for the Harriers to choose between on Sunday 26th August and both of them boasted flat PB courses. It just depended whether you wanted to run in the morning or the evening. Mike Musgrove opted for the morning and headed to Langport in Somerset for the Battle of Segdemoor 10k.

This is the second consecutive year that Mike has run this race and last year he set a PB on the course but was nevertheless frustrated as he had hoped to run under 36 minutes but came in just 4 seconds over. This year, however, the pressure of running a sub-36 was not there as he has already achieved it at the Exeter 10k earlier this month, so Mike was able to enjoy this race without the pressure of hammering it the whole way round!

That said, he didn't dawdle either which is reflected in his finish position: a highly creditable 15th overall and  4th MV40.

There were 325 finishers and the race was won in a superb sub 30 minute time of 29:28 by David Cooke. What is even more amazing is that David is in the MV50 category! There's hope for us all yet!!

4 Harriers "fly" around the forest

To kick of a very hectic August bank holiday weekend of racing in the region, 4 Exmouth Harriers headed to Haldon Forest on the evening of Friday 24th to take part in the Dawlish Coasters organised 'Forest Flyer 5' race. As the name suggests, this is usually a 5 mile trail race, however, this year a marshalling mishap with one of the directional signs being turned around before the race meant that the runners headed back towards the finish prematurely, only completing a run of 3.92 miles in distance. It must be every race director's nightmare, and our thoughts go out to the Dawlish Coasters who always do an excellent job of staging races, so we hope that this will not deter them from running the event again next year.

So, the times below reflect the fact that the course was just short of 4 miles rather than 5 (otherwise, they are certainly exceptional performances!). As it stands there were still 3 very good performances from the Harriers.

Leading them home was Howard Bailey, in an excellent 5th place overall and in a super quick time of 23:35. Howard was only a little over a minute behind the winner, Pete Monaghan from Torbay AC.

He was followed just over a minute later by the in form Marc Cox who ran a very strong race for 9th place overall in a time of 24:30.

Very hot on Marc's heels was Jon Garrity who ran 24:50 for 13th place overall. His category position is unknown as they are not listed on the results page. However it's likely that he was in the top 3.

The only Harriers female representative on the night was Moira Glen who finished in 35th place overall. Moira had an excellent run, leading the ladies race for some of the way but unable to keep up the pace on some of the killer climbs, she went onto finsih 3rd female, earning herself a bottle of wine for her top effort. Moira was also the first female vet runner home in a time of 28:38, just 28 seconds behind the first female runner.

There were 118 finishers.

Marc, Moira (with her winning wine!) and Jon after the race.

It's time to 'Race the Train' again for Hugh and Dawn

It's mid-August and for Harriers duo Hugh Marsden and Dawn Teed that can only mean one thing: it's time to jump in the car and head to Wales to take part in the annual 'Race the Train' event.

This race is what it says on the tin!

Held at the town of Tywyn in mid Wales, this race follows the Talyllyn railway as runners race a steam train out and then back again, covering a total distance of 14 miles. (Though there are shorter race distance options as well, the main 14 mile race is the blue ribband event).

Alongside a railway line? Must be a fairly flat course then right? Easy. Er.... not quite. Whilst the gradient might not be steep, the difficulty of this event lies in the nature of the terrain, which is boggy (particularly so this year with all the rain), slippery and uneven, being all off-road, and which sees runners negotiating some tricky cambers, styles and rutted narrow pathways.

Dawn and Hugh are no stranger to this route though and know exactly what to expect from it. They often incorporate a short break with the race and make a weekend of it and they usually make their mark on the field by running hard, competitive races.

Last year Hugh managed to beat the train and also placed 1st MV50 overall, in what is always a top quality field. And this year? Well, he managed to do the same again. He beat the train by 10 minutes exactly as he stormed home in 1:38:44 for 29th place overall and 1st MV50. He even beat the Eryri Harrier's athlete, Arwel Lewis, in this category, whom I know well as I worked with him in Bangor University, and believe me, he is one very talented, committed and tough runner, so this is quite a scalp for our Hugh to take!

Dawn Teed also had a successful run. Not many female athletes manage to beat the train - only 7 managed it in this year's race - and so that would never have been top of Dawn's agenda. She nevertheless is always competitive and places well up the field, especially in her age category. On this occasion she finished in 494th place overall in a time of 2:16:51. This was exactly 10 seconds quicker than last year (talk about consistent!) but in much wetter, tougher conditions, which was reflected in the fact that she placed 129 places higher than last year! Impressive stuff and showing that Dawn has worked as hard as ever to keep her fitness up over the past year.

Hugh - with no train in sight as he was well ahead of it!

There were 839 finishers with the last runner taking a sedate 4:14:00 to complete the out and back course, so Dawn and Hugh really did do the Harriers proud by placing so highly up the field! Well done to both.

Some EXEtremely good performances at the Exeter 10k

On a grey and drizzly Thursday evening on 16th August a group of 6 Harriers went to that old familiar stomping ground that is the First Chance / Exeter 10k course at Haven Banks alongside the River Exe in Exeter. Although many of us know the course like the back of our hands and find it not to be the most inspiring of routes, it does however offer the chance of recording a fast time as it is pancake flat, so PB seekers just suck it up and run for their life! The only thing that can slow times is a headwind on this course, and the weather was not particularly kind to runners on this evening as there was a stiff headwind blowing up river on the outward stretches which will have added on precious seconds.

Talking of PB seekers, the first Harrier home, Mike Musgrove, did just that: he went out hard, hammered his way around the course and set a new PB! Not only was it a new PB it was also his first sub-36 minutes 10k, with him finishing in 35:53. This gave him 14th place overall and placed him 1st in the MV40 category. However, I am sure that Mike will be more excited by the fact that he has finally nailed that much covetted sub-36 minute time that he has been after for a couple of years now. Well done Mike!

Next in was myself, Ellie Sutcliffe. I set my PB of 38:04 in this race last year and earlier in the season my target was to get my first sub 38 minute 10k at the Exeter 10k. However, a hectic racing schedule, alongside marathon training and the old achillies injury meant that I have not been able to train much for the past month and so a PB looked less and less likely. I still gave it my all but the sharpness just wasn't there and so I crossed the line 45 seconds adrift of my PB in 38:49. This gave me 36th place overall and 3rd female.

Then came Richard Hawes, a fairly recent recruit to the Harriers, Rich's running is going from strength to strength at the moment, and this was his first outing on an accurately measured, fast 10k course, and so he wanted to test himself and see where he is at with his running. And the verdict? Well, he's doing darn well! He stormed around the course to a superb time of 41:35, giving him 57th spot overall. To say that Rich has not been running long and is only now starting to take it seriously and do some structured training, this is a remarkable result. Much more to come there, we're sure!

Andy Johnson is in fine form at the moment, having just recorded a fast 5k time the previous week. That must have sharpened his legs for this 10k challenge as he covered the distance in a swift 42:51 for 74th place overall.

Next to Roger Rowe, super-vet extraordinaire and long time running fanatic. Roger made light work of the course and cantered home in 43:49, easily good enough for top spot in the MV65 category and placing him very high up the field overall in 86th place. Age is no barrier if you are determined!

Last in but by no means least was our press man, Dave Eveleigh. Dave is in much better shape than this time last year and this is evidenced by the fact that he carved one and a half minutes off his 2011 time at this same event. Tonight he ran 45:51 which secured him 107th place overall and 5th MV55. Let's hope that 2013 will see him getting even stronger and faster and drawing closer to some of the amazing times he set in age categories gone by!!

The race was won in 31:13 by visiting Derby AC runner Jonny Gilby. Shaun Antell got the better of Harriers' 2nd claim athlete, Tom Merson, on this occasion, as they took 2nd and 3rd places respectively.
Alison McEwing of Erme Valley Harriers was the first female home in 37:47.
275 finishers.

Sorry, no photos as the lens steamed up in the rain :-(

Harriers at the Peak of their performance!

Sunday 12th August saw the annual staging of the Sidmouth Festival 10k run. Organised in conjunction with the town's folk week by our neighbours, the Sidmouth Running Club, this is a tough, off-road 10k with a breathtaking (in every sense of the word!) start.

This race is always well supported by the Harriers and this year was no exception with 12 of them taking part. At 11am we all gathered on the startline at Jacob's Ladder at the foot of Peak Hill and stared up at the monster climb that faced us. Possibly the toughest start to any 10k in the country, the first 1k of the race is up a hill which climbs up to 500ft with an average climb gradient of 20%, reaching 30% in places. It's so tough that the organisers throw in a race-within-a-race and award a trophy to the first man and woman to summit, crowning them King and Queen of the Peak.

Marc and Ellie shortly after the start of the race at the foot of Peak Hill

From there the race flattens out across Mutter's Moor before dropping down into the woods, crossing the golf course and then undulating through Bulverton Plantation. From kilometer 6 to 8 there is a nice long galloping stretch on a woodland path and then, of course, what goes up must come down, and so runners are rewarded with a 1k fast descent back down to the start/finish line.

The stand-out Harrier performance of the day had to come from Hannah Bown who stormed up the hill in at very swift pace to claim Queen of the Peak. Hannah claims that she "just loves this hill" (should we worry for her sanity, or just be in awe?!), so it's little wonder then that this was not the first time that Hannah has won this title; in fact her name is a regular feature on the perpetual trophy awarded for this effort. Most people might then be reduced to a walk after such a lung-busting climb, but Hannah went on to keep up a good pace and to take 2nd place in the ladies' race and racing her brother Chris in a sprint to the finish line!

Brother and sister, Chris and Hannah, in a race to the finish line.

Hannah: Queen of the Peak and 2nd female receiving her prizes.

Marc Cox followed up his fine Totnes performance from the previous week with another solid run to lead the Harriers home in 11th place overall. He paced himself sensibly throughout the race and started off steadily up the initial hill which meant he was still full of running towards the end and managed to pick people off in the latter stages who were fading fast!

Also deserving a mention is the ladies team composed of myself, Ellie Sutcliffe, Hannah Bown, Emma Dupain and Dawn Teed as we claimed the winning ladies' team prize and were awarded with a huge trophy for our efforts. This is the first time the Harriers ladies' have won this and our club name will now join the previous winners, Sidmouth RC, Honniton RC and S.W.R.R. (who have had it for the last 2 years).

Dawn Teed storming home to help the Harriers' ladies lift the female team prize

Here's how all 12 Harriers faired:

Marc Cox: 11th overall in 43:59
Hugh Marsden: 14th overall; 2nd MV50 in 45:21
Ellie Sutcliffe: 18th overall, 1st female in 46:42
Chris Dupain: 25th overall in 49:02
Hannah Bown: 26th overall; 2nd female and Queen of the Peak in 49:02
Ben White: 43rd overall in 53:56
Nigel Dupain: 52nd overall; 2nd MV60 in 55:31
Emma Dupain: 58th overall; 10th female in 56:11
Ray Elston: 68th overall; 1st MV70 in 58:25
Dawn Teed: 72nd overall; 5th FV40 in 59:52
Lee Russell: 82nd overall in 1:02:33
Jim Wyatt: 92nd overall; 2nd MV70 in 1:06:18

 

The winning female team: Dawn, Hannah, Emma, Ellie and their massive trophy!

There were 109 finishers and the race was won in 38:57 by Liam Roberts of Axe Valley Runners. AVR also took the men's team prize.

A lovely, low-key event, well marshalled, well organised and great atmosphere. Definitely worth a go if you've not run it before, but make sure you get the hill training in first!