All 5 Harriers in the top 15% at Jurassic Coast 10k

If this race is called the Jurassic Coast 10k, then the Exmouth Harrier members who lined up on the start line at Budleigh Salterton to tackle this 10k multi-terrain run were clearly the T-rex's of the field, as all finished in the top 15% of competitors, and 4 of the 5 members placed in the top 8 of finishers!

The event is usually an annual feature on the running calendar but did not run last year due to the committments of the organisers, who put on the event for the cancer charity, Force, and donate all of the proceeds after costs. The event is cheap to enter, at only £4 for affiliated members, but runners are encouraged to donate more or to raise money for completing the run.

After our own Fulford 5 race you could not get a race closer to home that this and any Harriers that have attended the "away days" at White Bridge, Budleigh, will be familiar with the route. From the sea front, the races skirts around the edge of Lime Kiln car park before picking up the river trail along the Otter to White Bridge. A right turn here to cross the bridge and another right turn brings runners onto the coastal path and sees them heading north-east, up some rather lung-busting inclines, to Crab Ledge, where the race veers off the coast and heads inland. Dropping down a track to meet Clamour Bridge, the race crosses the River Otter again and then sees runners pushing on for home along the last 1.5 flat miles to the finish at Lime Kiln, Budleigh.

Runners can just be made out like ants on the horizon as we head off up the coastal path away from Budleigh

On the start line were 5 Harriers, all having a slight advantage over many of the competitors by knowing the route inside and out! From the gun Mike Musgrove went off hard with Marc Cox in hot pursuit. Jon Garrity was also following in close order, then a little gap to myself, Ellie Sutcliffe, and Scott-2 Trigs-Jordan.

Hitting the first hill and the positions were the same: Mike out front, Marc 100m behind in 2nd, Hercules Wimbledon runner, Dave Grima, in 3rd, Jon Garrity in 4th. All looked promising for a Harriers clean sweep, but could we all keep up this hard pace to the finish? Read on to find out...

Still holding their positions as they crest the first hill: Mike in 1st, Marc in 2nd, Jon in 4th.

Conditions were extremely hot and we were running into full sun along the cliff path. We were all very grateful for the water station at 5k, not least because this marked the last of the major climbs and it was mostly down hill or flat from here.

Mike's strategy had been to go out hard on the hills and try and put as much distance between himself and his competitors as possible, though no-one could have known that Mike's greatest challenge would come from fellow Harrier, Marc Cox. On the flat river section in the last 3k Marc started to close on Mike, getting to within a few yards of him at one point, but Mike kicked again and increased the gap.

Mike and Marc start as they mean to finish: in first and second. Jon is in hot pursuit, sat in 4th at this early stage

2 Trigs goes off hard and is ideally equipped for the first 5k into the full sun with his go-faster shades on!

Pushing himself to the limit, Mike kept his lead from start to finish and crossed the line in an excellent time of 37:35 on a hilly course, taking 1st place overall and the prize for 1st male vet. Giving it his all and (in his own words!) "breathing like a pregnant sow" as he approached the finish, he adds this win to his victory in the 10 mile multi-terrain Yarcombe Yomp race and the June 16th Killerton Parkrun event.

Mike: victorious and knackered at the finish. The winner!

Marc had a superb run to come 2nd overall, his highest placing in a race to date (but let's not forget that he has been running for less than a year, so surely more success is to follow) in a time of 38:14. To put Marc's progress into perspective, he ran 38:12 at the much flatter and faster road course at the Karen Halls Ottery 10k back in May, indicating huge progress in terms of speed since then.

Marc storms home for 2nd place overall: surely the first of many podium places for him

Jon Garrity had a very fine run and placed 6th overall and 2nd MV40 (after Mike), also completing in under the 40 minute mark - which is always a benchmark for good club runners, but especially so in a race of this sort of terrain and hill profile - in 39:31. Like Marc, Jon has not been running competitively for very long and this time is only 17 seconds adrift of his previous 10k clocking, set at the comparatively more serene Woodbury road 10k last September, again indicating Jon's huge progress over the past 12 months.

Jon Garrity: strong run for 6th overall and 2nd MV40

Next in, in 8th place overall and first female, was yours truly. My race target was to finish as first female but to my utter amazement and delight I also set a new female course record. My time of 40:26 took 10 seconds off the previous course record, set by Hercules Wimbledon athlete, Claire Grima, in 2009. This is the first record I have claimed outright by out running a previous time (and not just earned by default as I happened to finish first in an inaugural running of a race!), so this one was totally unexpected and means a lot! This was my 2nd ever race after taking up running 2 years ago in 2010 and I managed to chip over 4 minutes off that time this time round.

Ellie crossing the line for 1st female and 8th overall

Shortly after, Scott cantered over the line and, in a spectacular finish funnel tussle, he out-sprinted a SWRR competitor for a highly creditable 34th place overall and 8th MV40. This was 2 Trigs first competitive race back in 2010, where he ran 46:40 for 49th place. This time he finished 15 places higher and 13 seconds quicker in a time of 46:27.

Scott out-sprinting a SWRR competitor for 34th place

There were 235 finishers and so all 5 Harrier competitors finished in the top 15% of finishers. We may only be a small club, but what we lack in quantity, we sure make up for in quality and team spirit! Speaking of this latter, massive thanks to Nigel and Emma Dupain who turned up to see us off at the start; to Moira Glen who appeared to cheer us on half way round at Clamour Bridge and then popped up again at the finish; and to Adam Miller and Carly Audritt who, fresh from Parkrun PBs themselves that morning, dashed over to Budleigh to watch the finish. Great team spirit and support: go Harriers!!!

With our prizes L - R: Ellie - 1st female and new female course record; Mike - 1st overall and 1st male vet; Marc - 2nd overall