Run Exe Summer (technically...) 5k continues

On 3rd July the 2nd round of the I.B.R. organised 'Run Exe Summer 5k series' took place at Flower Pots fields on the banks of the River Exe. A day of heavy downpours threatened to make the event a wet one, however, the skies just about cleared in time for the off and conditions for 5k running were actually fairly close to ideal.

88 runners completed this round, which was 15 up on the first race held in June. However, the overall standard of this race was down on the first one, with the first man's time being over a minute slower.

Jamie Palmer was the first Harrier home in a creditable 10th place overall and 1st in the MV40 category in a time of 17:40. Impressive stuff, but on speaking to Jamie after the race he did not feel satisfied with the run and said he felt off form and would hope to post a quicker time at the next event.

I, Ellie Sutcliffe, was next to cross the finish line, in 20th place overall and 2nd female. The 5k is my most hated distance due to the fact that it represents an 18 minute asthma attack for me. Anyway, I puffed and wheezed and heaved my body around the course to a new PB time of 18:40, shaving 5 seconds off my previous best set on this same course last year. Happy with that considering I've done no speed work for over 2 months and have been concentrating on the longer stuff.

Dave Eveleigh was the next Harrier, finishing very strongly to post a superb time of 20:39 for 49th place overall and a very commendable 2nd place in the MV55 category. This time is up by 2 whole minutes on the times he was producing on this same course last year, showing that he is defying the ageing process and still being competitive. With the combination of a good summer training programme and sheer determination (which Dave has in abundance!), Dave will surely have reduced that time to under the 20 minute mark by the end of the season in September?

The fourth and final Harrier representative was Andrew Johnson. Andrew clocked 20:52 for 52nd spot, though this time was down by almost 20 seconds on his June outing. It will be interesting to see if Andrew can also get under 20 minutes by the end of the season - maybe a bit of friendly competition with Dave will help both of them to achieve this?!

Jamie Palmer approaching the finish and still looking strong.

Dave Eveleigh pushes on along the river bank with an SWRR rival!

Next round is Tuesday 1st August, 7.30pm kick off at Flower Pots fields in Exeter. £7 entry (affiliated). Pay on the night.