Team prizes for the Trotters...........................

It’s been a bit busy this week with races appearing all over the place and with the “summer “evening events the Trotters have had plenty to get their trainers into.

On Wednesday 11th July the first ever “Colyton Rebel Run” took place with 126 runners in all starting and finishing at Colyton Grammer School. The 10km race was run along lanes, fields and through woodlands with plenty of mud and a couple of mega hills thrown in for good measure! Graham Penn came 56th with 50:47 and Katrina Duignan came 76th with 53:50.

Beverley Dennis ran the "Fortress Beach Challenge Beach run 5km" on Friday 13th. It was run on the beach and sand dunes of the Kijidum,The Hague in Holland. There was a strong wind to add to the toughness of the
course but she battled on to be 19th female out of 83 in a time of 28.40

On a sunny morning on  Saturday 14th July the “Otter Rail and River Run” took place which was the venue of last year’s club trip at Tipton St John organised by Sidmouth Running Club. It was a 10km multi terrain event with the Trotters defending their “men’s team “shield from last year. Daryl “Tarquin”Milford brought the men in with 38.59 and 5th place. Gary Clark was next in 11th with 42.22 and Chris Cleave completed the men’s team in 43.24 and 11th. After some controversy they retained the men’s team award again. Stewart Dunn was 14th in 45.11, Bruce Campbell was 26th in 46.47 and Paul Banks was 47th in 50.49. Lone Trottette Sarah Schutte did 53.25 and 63rd followed by Graham Penn in 65th place and 54.07. 117 runners completed the muddy and undulating course.

On Saturday 14th July in the evening while many Trotters chose to have a boat trip across Torbay to celebrate their 30th Anniversary, The “Duckponds 7km” took place near Plymstock organised by Plymstock Road Runners. The undulating and multi-terrain race was run on a two lap course around Radford Park. 138 runners completed the course and the Trotters swept the board of prizes. Garry Smart led them in with a strong time of 25.25 and 7th place. Lance Mason battled it out behind him in 25.59 and 8th and gained 1st vet 50 while Mike Eveleigh won 1st vet 60 in 27.00 and 11th. John Crocker completed in 28th in 29.51 and Wilfred Taylor in 31.09 and 37th. Joanne Haynes brought the ladies home in 57th place in 34.06 and won 1st vet 40 and in 65th place was Katrina Duignan who had raced on the Wednesday with 34.29 and she won her vet 45 category. Eleanor Taylor was 1st vet 50 in 36.12 and 74th. The ladies also won the Female team award too.

On the same day Dave Dunn and his son Matt competed in a 21K off-road race in France (Bastille Day). It was a point-to-point race called "La Course Nature de la Mere Denis", starting in Portbail and finishing in Carteret on la Cote des Isles overlooking Jersey.

The course involved a lot of running on beaches, as well as the coastal footpath. It was dead flat for the first 10 miles before swinging uphill on to the headland at the Cap de Carteret before the finish on the quay side. The only problem was a near gale force head wind for the whole of that first 10 miles!

Dave’s time was 2:05:56 in 143rd and Matt's was 2:14:53 for 170th out of 194 and was his first race for around three years. The winner’s time of 1:26 illustrates the difficulty the wind and the sand posed!
 

Chris Rogers was lone Trotter in the “Magnificent 7” in Saltash on Sunday 15th July. He completed the very hilly, hot and hard course in 1:06:10 and was 272nd out of 384.

Report by Sharon “Fizz”Bowman

PHOTOS-TOP-THE DUCK POND CREW  MIDDLE-MATT DUNN RACING TO THE FINISH  BOTTOM-THE OTTER TROTTERS(THANKS Inky and Dave)