Perfect conditions bring fast times at Run Exe 5k

A sunny, fresh and calm evening on the banks of the River Exe provided the perfect backdrop to the fourth round of the Ironbridge Runner 5K Series, which took place on Tuesday 6 August. Over 100 runners started, though disappointingly, only about 20 of these were female. At the front end, two athletes dipped under 15 minutes, the first of these being Exmouth-based Tom Merson who was timed at 14:53. Tom was in Bristol & West A.C. colours on the night but he is also a second claim member of the Exmouth Harriers and often flies our club colours at a number of local races.

Richard Hawes was 29th in 18:52, managing to squeeze out a new PB by 1 second - but they all count! - and to place 3rd MV45. Ladies captain Dawn Teed had an excellent run, by far her best of the series so far, to place 79th overall in 23:27 and first FV50. Both Richard and Dawn are now well placed in their respective categories for podium positions at the end of the series - with 4 out of 5 available events to count - if they complete the final September round of the event.  

Andrew Johnson was timed at 20:09 in 45th place, that’s an agonising 40 metres short of a sub-20 minutes time! Lee Russell was 72nd in 22:19, a very encouraging time for someone who races very sparingly and his best time over the distance of the year. 

Karen Hawes has thrown herself into compeitive running since joining the Harriers this year and has been trying her hand at various different races, from off-road tough, multi-terrain 10ks, to parkrun, to this! She placed 104th overall in a new PB time of 28:49. It should, however, be highlighted that some races attract a higher proportion of serious runners than others and this is certainly one of them, hence the fact that she has finished much higher up the field at parkrun, despite running a faster time here! This run has also boosted her percentages in the beginners' club championship, which appears to be hers to lose at the moment, providing she completes one more race in a category other than 5ks and 10ks. 

Well done to all the runners. The last round and the last opportunity to net a 5k PB this year is September 3rd, 7.30pm, Flower Pots fields in Exeter.