Harriers clean up at the Devon County track and field championships!

There has been much talk in the athletics' fraternity of late about diminishing numbers at county track and field championships and, certainly, the numbers participating in the distance races at the Devon County Championships were very small in comparison to those at road and multi-terrain races, but for those who were willing to give it a go, they found that they were rewarded with medals and PBs a plenty! The low cost of entry - £4 for your first event and £2 for each subsequent event - adds a financial incentive to trying out the track and running a fast time in the process. Five Exmouth Harriers, the majority with either very little or no prior experience of racing around the 400m oval, rubber strip, were prepared to give it a go last week-end (26 & 27 May), when the event took place at Exeter Arena.

Carly Miller was the first Harrier to test herself when she contested the 1500m (just under 1 mile) on Day 1. This was her first time running over this distance but she had set herself a pre-race goal of completing within the 6 minute barrier: no easy task for a first attempt at a 1500m! Nevertheless, unfazed, she went out hard and attacked it from the gun, passing through the first 400m a little ahead of her planned pace. For the next 2 laps she backed off slightly and got into a rhythm, then, when that magical bell sounded in her ear, she kicked and gave it all she had, crossing the finish line in a time of 5:59:86. Inside her target time and perfectly paced, as if she had been doing this for years, not for the first time! Her efforts were rewarded with a silver medal in the senior women's category.

Dave Eveleigh then tackled the same distance in the men’s race that followed. This is his preferred distance and he made the most of the good conditions to storm around the track to a new season's best of 5:32:61, taking 5 seconds of his previous best this year. This is also his best performance of the year in terms of an age-graded score and will give him a good boost in the club championship. He was comfortably 1st man age 55-59 and, as such, received a gold medal for his fine run. 

By the time the 5000 metres (12.5 laps) race came around, later in the afternoon, the weather had gotten warmer, but the wind had also picked up slightly. Not that this was going stop the two Harriers contesting this mixed-sex event from giving it their all. In the women's race, I, Ellie Sutcliffe, was trying my hand at my first ever track race. Prior to October last year, I had never set foot on a track since it was enforced upon me at school (#shudders at the memory). I am now comfortable with doing reps on it, but racing on it was to be a whole new experience. After a few minor corrections for etiquette (or, rather, lack of it) at the start line, I was off, chasing after the experienced Helen Dyke from the gun. Helen got the gap in the opening lap and, although it never grew, I didn't manage to reduce it much either. Eventually Helen took the win in 18:16 and I finished 9 seconds adrift in 18:25:05. Fighting off a late charge from a fast closing Newton Abbott athlete pushed me on in the final 100m to a new PB time over the distance by 15 seconds. As Helen is a vet 35 athlete, I cannily managed to scoop the gold medal for the senior race. Felt a bit of a fraud as I was clearly 2nd, but that's the way they work it, and I ain't complainin'! 

Ellie, feeling the heat (and the pain!) in the 12.5 lap 5000m race.

In the same race, also being pulled up for his lack of track etiquette - what a pair, we'll give the club a bad name! - was new Exmouth Harrier member, Rob Orton. Although new to the club, Rob is not new to running and was a member of Tavistock AC for many years before moving to France where he spends the most part of the year. However, when he's back visiting family in Devon, he stays in Woodbury and last autumn he attended a few training sessions with the club and liked us; so this year he decided to sign up and this weekend's race was his debut in the blue and gold vest! If his performance in the 5000m is anything to go by, we are lucky to have him, as he is clearly a talented athlete. Rob himself was slightly dissatisfied with his run as he paced himself according to his garmin and not to how he felt: the technology went slightly awry, with the satellites (and thus, the distance), not being accurate, and by the time he realised he had left it too late to react and make up the ground. A substantial negative split and a time at Killerton parkrun from the previous week that was only 4 seconds slower, on a hillier, rougher surface, confirms that there is much more to come from Rob over this distance in the near future. Nevertheless, he still bagged a small PB of 16:21 and scooped a bronze medal in the 'Combined Events'.... er, sorry, 5000m race! ;-) (You had to be there to get this little joke!)

Day 2 dawned and it was time for Adam Miller to uproot himself from the sunny grass bank he had been lounging on as a spectator on day one, to dust off his racers and have a go himself. He opted for the 3000m, a new distance to him, and also his first ever experience of a track race outright. Not knowing what to expect of himself over such a short distance and following a season of marathon training, he set himself the rough figure of a sub 10 minute clocking as a pre-race target. Blustery conditions greeted the athletes on day 2, making their task slightly harder, but Adam is nothing if not gutsy and he set out hard, attempting to stay with the leaders. It soon became apparent that an under 20 junior athlete was a clear front runner in the race and he comfortably began to pull away, leaving Adam with Exeter University athlete, Will Cullen, to hang onto to. Having raced Will several times over the cross country terrain, he knew he was an athlete to be respected and, with Will having the added advantage of having run several 3000m races, his experience triumphed on the day. Adam was still a highly creditable 3rd overall though in a time of 9:51:28, well inside his 10 minute target, and he took the spoils and a shiny gold medal for the men over 35 section. 

Adam contesting his first ever track race: the 3000m (7.5 laps).

In the same 3000m race, Dave Eveleigh was delighted to hold off category rival, Dave King, for the first time in four races over this distance to win the men aged 55-59 category in 12:00:56: agonizingly close to a sub 12 minute clocking, but, in the windy conditions, and considering he had also raced the 1500m the day before, was a superb time nonetheless. That shaky performance at Ivy Bridge 10k is now but a distant memory for Dave!

Dave, pulling away from category rival Dave King, in the 3000m

Carly Miller also did the 1500m - 3000m double and came up with a second Personal Best at the Championships in recording a time of 12:44:82. Undeterred by the fast start, Carly ran her own race and, after establishing a good rhythm in the opening laps, found that she was able to reel in an athlete from Bideford who had started to fall off the pace. This was not Carly's first attempt at this distance as she had done a couple of the IBR organised winter 3k races, but the more clement conditions seem to have suited her as she took 15 seconds off her previous best.

Carly, just after the overhauled a female rival from Bideford AC, in the 3000m

In total the five Harriers came away with five Personal Bests and six medals! Not a bad tally for such a small club, showing that once again, we can punch well above our weight when it counts!!

The 4 Harriers from day 1 and their trinkets.