The National Inter Counties Cross Country Championships
Nine Torbay AC runners represented Devon at the Inter-Counties cross country championships at Loughborough on Saturday; an event where the best athletes in the UK represent their county in one of their most important cross country races of the season.
Despite facing the muddiest conditions they’ve ever experienced! Torbay’s Devon representatives ran superbly with true grit and determination.
Charlie Arnell finished superbly in senior ladies 8k race – she was 29th overall and first home for Devon, really happy with 29th place with a chance to race against some of the top ladies in the country.
Iona Farquharson finished a very impressive 46th in the U13 girls 3k race with team mates Ella Rogers 229th and Mia Ratcliff 281st.
‘To be selected to represent Devon and race at this event is a huge honour and we are very proud of all of the athletes’, said a Torbay Athletics Club spokesman.
Bideford Half Marathon
Seventeen club members rans in the biggest ever Bideford Half Marathon, with some great success
taking the Mens veteran Team prize with Lee Turner, Steve Weeks Anthony Raine and Nigel Fenn
category awards also for Lee Turner 2nd M40, Naomi Flanagan 3rd SL, RayBrown 2nd M70, with many Personal bests also recorded. The course which took in magnificent countryside alongside the River Torridge between Bideford and Great Torrington on the Tarka Trail with even a run through a tunnel. “A great race, well organised, I love a wee bit of bagpipes and also the band was cracking” said Hamish Renton afterwards Club results were:-
4 lee turner 2nd M40 (1:15:08)-17 Jason Hurford (1:20:01)-51 Nigel Fenn (1:24:56)
69 Steve weeks (1:26:46)PB -76 Martyn Breslan (1:27:34)-94 Naomi Flanagan 3rd SL (1:29:07)
117 Anthony Raine (1:31:41)PB -141 Ian McClean (1:33:51)-161 Nick Robinson (1:5:12)
402 Peter McCaig (1:46:58)-414 Ray Brown 2nd M70 (1:47:39)- 506 Deb Webber (1:51:15)-536 Hayley Ratcliff (1:52:46)
541 Cassandra Harrison (1:53:09)-553 Sara Jane Crozier (13:43)-703 Tessa Hearfield (2:00:05)
715 Raymond Wilson (2:00:29)-768 Hamish Renton (2:03:46)PB
Deep River 10k Trail Race
Three intrepid club members ran in the Deep River 10k Trail Race from Castle Drogo, this trail race saw runners head down to the river below the castle then along the picturesque wet, muddy route to Fingle Bridge, before heading back to Castle up the long steep climb. First home for the Club was
21st Brian Lewis (54:58)- 28th (4th Lady) Jo Loten (56:46) 55th Mark Luscombe (1:06:16)
Larmer Tree Races
Mark Bruce ran in the Larmer 20 miler near Salisbury, held in the Larmer Tree Gardens and
organised by the White Star running team. The weather conditions were great but there was a massive helping of thick mud and couple of hills for the lovely of it said Mark Bruce after completing the tough 20 mile challenge in (3:26:18) 49th in the field of 278
Parkruns
Weymouth parkrun (254 runners): 109 Roger MATTHEWS (27:05)
Torbay Velopark parkrun (122 runners): 20 Nick ROBINSON (24:20), 93 Louise OLDRIDGE (32:41), 121 Anita LEY (01:03:32)
Exeter Riverside parkrun (224 runners): 109 Charley ALCOCK (26:54), 112 Kathleen ALCOCK (27:08), 169 Robert WELLS (31:22)