60 Up for Chairman Rog and Still Counting

On a quiet weekend for Teignbridge Trotters, as nobody has come forward with any news it appears that only our marathon mad Chairman, Roger Hayes was brave enough to venture out onto the racing scene.

He took on the Broadmeadow Double Marathon in Stratford Upon Avon. The event comprises two full marathons run over consecutive days which are entirely self navigated and 90% off-road. Each runner has to register at 5 checkpoints en-route. The course is run over bridle paths, footpaths and stretches along the canal in the heart of Shakespeare Country.

The race on Saturday was run in bitterly cold conditions with frost in the ground, a biting wind and a sheet of ice covering the canal. Chairman’s finishing time of 3.46 included some unscheduled detours that he advises us are inevitable in self-navigation events.

Knowing the dedication of our Rog, after an early night of complete sobriety he lined up on Sunday for his 60th marathon. He has been prolific over the past 2 years and he is currently notching up the marathons on what seems to be a weekly basis.
 

The weather on Sunday was much milder and as a consequence conditions underfoot were somewhat sticky. Again, in order to make the event slightly more challenging Rog got himself lost and did some off-piste detours as he plotted and planned his way around the course via the obligatory checkpoints to finish in 4.08.
 

His run was completed with one eye on the weather as a torrential downpour threatened and he was just quick enough to avoid the thorough soaking that his slower companions suffered.
 

So come on everyone, surely out of our entire club it wasn’t only Chairman out there flying the flag last weekend. We rely on you to let us know the races you are running and your fellow members really enjoy reading about it. So don’t be shy and send your details and photographs to Sharon Fizz Bowman or Rod Payne.

Photos: Top, Chairman Rog at the Dartmoor Vale Marathon. Middle, Rog and Pocket at the 2010 Boxing Day Shaldon 3-legged run. Bottom, Come on Trotters, stop hanging around and let us have your reports.