local 10kms enjoyed during the bank holiday sun and a few prizes to boot .......

As the sun shone on the last bank holiday of the summer, the Teignbridge trotters were out in force supporting local races.
On Saturday 24th at the “Battle of Sedgemoor 10km” (last year’s club trip) up in Langport, Chris Rogers made a welcome return to racing after a 4 month break. He smashed his previous 10km by one minute to produce 48.53 and was 174th out of 333 runners. Bryan Hayes also ran in 188th in 49.58 his first race for quite a while .

On Sunday 25th August evening at 6pm when most people are ready to relax with dinner and a drink twenty two Trotters took to the seaside roads of the English Rivera to partake in the “Torbay Royal Regatta 10km” ran by Torbay Athletic club along with a total of 498 other runners. This was the Royal Regatta Bicentenary year and finishers received a commemorative medal to mark the occasion.

The race went from the Pavilion shopping centre, past Torquay seafront, Livermead sands, up Hollicombe head, Preston sands then onto Paignton green. They had to run two laps while a head wind appeared on the road side of the green. Plenty of locals and tourists were about to cheer the runners on as the sun beat down. They then headed back the way they came to finish at Corbyn’s head.

Gary Smart brought them all back from their seaside jaunt in 11th in 37.10 and 3rd vet 45 while Ian Langler was 36th in 40.17 and Craig Churchill 84th in 43.20.Bruce Campbell was 90th in 43.48 and Graydon Widdicombe was 4 minutes faster than last year in 118th 45.40.
Jackie Woon brought the ladies home in 45.39 and was 123rd and 1st vet 50 but also started her “attack” on the Vet 50 club records by smashing the previous record by 1 minute 10 seconds held by Gia D'Aprano since 2009. James Henderson made a welcome return to the racing scene in 127th 45.56, Jon Grimes as his first race as a trotter did 47.31 160th while Thomas Besford ran his first 10km as a trotter in 47.32 161st.Michael Jones ran 49.16 187th, Ian Woolley did 49.18 189th while Sharon Bowman was 3rd vet 45 in 50.12 211th.
Kevin Besford did 51.20 231st,Keith Anderson 233rd 51.27,Derek Blackford 53.22 275th,Lucy Payne 287th 54.10 and picked up 1st vet 60,Ruth Johnson 292nd 54.26,Rod Payne 54.39 298th,Donna Millns in her first trotter race 306th 55.04,Bev Dennis 58.27 379th and Timothy Hartley 1.03.57 436th.

On Bank holiday Monday the 26th August twenty four trotters battled in the mid-day sun at the “Lustleigh 10km”.131 runners took part in the local village show which incorporates a day of rural country fun and food. The race takes the runners through the horse show side of the show into the lanes and tracks of the surrounding area with plenty of hills and descents to keep runners on their toes. They end up finishing back in the centre of the show. Craig Churchill, James Henderson, Chris Wride, Keith Anderson and Sharon Bowman had all raced the previous evening at Torbay 10km.

Daryl “Tarquin” Milford raced hard to 4th in 39.33 while Geoff Davey was 9th in 42.07,Lance Mason did 46.30 in 23rd and Alan Boone 24th in 46.33,Mark Hutchins 27th 47.20 and Craig Churchill 29th 47.37.Gary Clarke was 44th 50.32 while Sarah Schutte chased him down to pick up 1st local lady in 50.33 45th.

Stewart Dunn 51.08 48th,Wilfred Taylor 51.23 49th,James Henderson 52.19 53rd and John Tweedie 53.01 57th.Jim Donovan was 58th in 53.16,Chris Wride 54.20 64th,Roger Hales 56.04 76th,Neil Pallant 56.38 78th,Keith Anderson 57.30 81st,Tamsin Cook 59.00 86th and Sharon Bowman 59.14.Eleanor Taylor 1.05.01 109th,Sharon Hutchins 1.06.21 111th,Steve Rawlinson 1.07.16 116th,Jo Billyard 1.08.16 119th and Catherine Barnes 126th in 1.11.40.

Report by Sharon"Fizz" Bowman

PHOTOS-TOP-Regetta bunch MIDDLE -Sarah 1st local lady at Lustleigh BOTTOM-Lustleigh gang (oh by the beer tent ...where else !) .