Chairman Rog nails a race win and club records tumble....

The Royal Blues had a victorious weekend with club records taking another tumble, race wins, a race 1-2-3, team prizes and personal bests.

Roger ‘Chairman’ Hayes powered his way around the Granite Way to win the 10-mile race and Roger Easterbrook emerged as the triumphant winner of the Moonlight Flit 10k race.

Ladies captain Helen Anthony, Jo Randall and Jacki Woon scooped silverware for their performances in the Granite Way 10-miler - taking a clutch of prizes including the winning ladies team - and Helen and Jacki now proudly hold club records for their age categories at that distance.

Comprising of a 10 or 20 mile distance, the Granite Way race started and finished at Okehampton railway station and took in a route along the famed cycle track from which the event takes it name.

Chairman Rog, already dominating the Club Championship, continued his rich vein of form with a win in an outstanding time of 1hour 2mins and 12secs. He was followed by talented newcomer Tim Pratt - a man who is definitely one to watch in the future - in 1:02.38. Helen Anthony’s 1:04.14 gave the Trotters the top three places.

In fact Trotters made up eight of the top 10 places in the shorter race: Russ Wheeler 1:06.10 5th Mark Hutchins 1:09.18 7th, Rog ‘Smokes’ Hales 1:09.58 8th, Martin Randall 1:10.45 9th, Jo Randall 1:14.48 10th, Gary Watson 1:15.33 11th, Jacki Woon 1:15.33 12th, Keith Anderson 1:21.27 21st, Jennie Roberts 1:23.17 25th, Ruth Johnson 1:27.41 36th, Caroline Hayes 1:28.19 38th, Kim Nichols 1:33.01 47th, Graham Penn 1:48.29 60th.

Over the 20-mile distance Adrian Handley clocked 2:44.11 for 24th place and Dave Dunn recorded 3:03.12 for 57th. There were 66 finishers in the 10 mile race and 86 in the 20.

*On Saturday three nocturnally-minded Trotters headed into the South Hams for Wild Running’s Moonlight Flit half marathon and 10k. Under the cover of night, the off-road 10k took runners around Sharpham and Ashprington. Roger Easterbrook emerged triumphant to win the race clocking 39:50. Lisa Godfrey also ran the race in 1:05.42. Briony Goldsmith ran the half marathon distance in 1:54.52.

*Elsewhere on the running circuit, Allen Taylor notched up a new half marathon personal best. Allen and Craig Hobson ran the Weymouth inaugural half marathon on Sunday 15 March 2015.

Starting at the famous Weymouth Clock Tower, the relatively flat one-lap course took competitors through Weymouth to Portland Marina where the race turns around and returns to Weymouth Bay. The course was mainly on road with two small off-road sections of gravel and grass. Allen finished in 1:27.33 a new PB and Craig 1:46.57.

Report by Emma Pearcy

Photos show Team Trotters at the Granite Way and Craig Hobson and Allen Taylor at Weymouth half marathon

Thanks to Mandy Wheeler and Marie Taylor for contributing pictures.