Helen Anthony retains Ladies 10k crown & Blues 'brothers' succeed up north...

A field of 170 women flocked to Teignbridge Trotters’ all-female road race for a morning of running beneath a big yellow ball of September sunshine.

The club’s own captain Helen Anthony retained her crown, putting on a brutal show of strength and speed to reward herself with a resounding win and knocking a chunk off her 2014 winning time.

The Ladies 10k starts and finishes at Dornafield Caravan Park, near Ipplepen, and meanders its undulating way through the leafy lanes of Ogwell and Denbury.

Helen hammered over the finish line, clocking 39.09 - slicing 18 seconds off 2014’s time of 39.27. Cleo Perry of Erme Valley Harriers dug deep to finish within the 40-minute mark in a superb 39.44 while Rebecca Ezra of Tamar Trotters showed she was made of stern stuff, finishing third in 40.53.

Just outside the top three, and in a performance which marks how far this runner has progressed, was Royal Blue Hannah Walsh, who crossed the line in 41.53 - categorically booting her 2014 time into touch by nearly five minutes. Her club-mate Mel Dunn clocking 42.29 for fifth place, coincidentally the same as her 2014 time.

Teignbridge Trotters took home the team prize with individual category place prizes being awarded to Helen Anthony (first FV35), Sarah Schutte (third FV35), Eyvoll Aston (third FV40), Jacki Woon (second FV50), Eleanor Taylor (third FV55).

In many ways, Trotters organise more than just a ’race’. The event has strong links to charity having raised thousands of pounds for Bowel Cancer UK, the chosen charity of Dornafield Caravan Park owner Peter Dewhirst who tragically lost his wife to the disease 17 years ago.

Mr Dewhirst has raised more than £27,000 for Bowel Cancer UK with the Trotters making contributions towards this sum over the years.

Each year Mr Dewhirst, son Simon and the team at Dornafield kindly allow Teignbridge Trotters and competitors to use their high-standard facilities for the race with £2 from each entry going to Bowel Cancer UK.

This year, in an idea pioneered by Jacquie, wife of late Trotter Dennis Milstead, U18s were given free entry in a bid to encourage them into the sporting past-time loved by her popular husband. It proved to be a success with some talented teenagers turning out impressive displays of running. It’s hoped many more will take the opportunity to give it a go in the future.

A bank of marshals, catering crews, club members and committee members ensure it’s more a kind-of coming-together of friends, family, supporters and runners. Post-race food, handcrafted momentoes for all finishers (a watercolour print by feted Teignmouth artist John Skinner), spot prizes and free massages add value to the event giving it a family feel; an air of a jolly morning out with a run around the countryside thrown in for good measure.

Full Trotter results were: Eyvoll Aston 46.15 13th, Jacki Woon 46.41 14th, Sarah Schutte 47.46 18th, Jo Randall 47.49 19th, Kate Lenthall 49.14 22nd, Jennie Roberts 51.53 31st, Kathryn Steemson 52.13 33rd, Kirsty Bowman 53.09 39th, Donna Walker 53.10 40th, Eleanor Taylor 55.11 50th, Lucy Payne 55.48 53rd, Jess Hayes 56.51 57th, Caroline Hayes 57.33 62nd, Lorna Martin 57.37 63rd, Sharon Bowman 58.06 66th, Hannah Jones 58.07 67th, Caroline Clark 58.35 70th, Ruth Johnson 58.43 72nd, Mary Goulden 59.27 84th, Lisa Godfrey 59.30 85th, Kim Nichols 59.56 90th, Claire Ayling 59.57 91st, Tracy Elphick 59.58 92nd, Sharon Hutchins 1:00.18 93rd, Tamsin Cook 1:00.47 99th, Jo Billyard 1:02.50 110th, Maggie Anderson 1:02.54 113th, Sarah Seymour 1:03.23 119th, Mel Hooper 1:03.29 121st, Cheryl Hales 1:03.39 122nd, Julie Webb 1:05.19 133rd, Maggie Garrett 1:07.28 142nd, Suzie Mills 1:14.23 165th.

*While the lanes of Ogwell and Denbury were sprinkled with women in trainers, a pod of Trotters headed up the A361 to compete in Barnstaple’s half and full marathon races. The races are only in their second year and are considered to be good for personal bests. In the half marathon Craig Churchill finished in 1:35.54 with Pete Kirby in 1:46.42. Bev Dennis ran strongly to achieve a course PB by just over one minute, registering 2:11.41.

A summer of long run training paid off for ‘bruvvas’ Julian Scanes and Russ Wheeler. They pulled a clear sub-four out the hat both clocking 3:52.04 in the full distance with Paul Sharples not far behind in 3:52.33. Mark ‘Wurzel’ Wotton aced another 26.2-miler clocking 5:24.57.

Now we're getting ready for the Templer Ten. What are you waiting for?

Report by Emma Pearcy

Photos by Nigel Penwarden (for more of Nigel's outstanding efforts, see the FB page). They show Helen Anthony and Cleo Perry battle it out on the circuit and girls just wanna have fun...