Trotters do some cool running as the heat rises...

It was another weekend of chewing up personal bests and spitting out gutsy performances as Teignbridge Trotters took to the road for some big distance races, returning home once again with some good times.

A field of over 1,200 runners lined up to tackle one of Taunton’s two distance races on Sunday April 12. With Championship points most opted for the 13.1-miler but the club was also represented in the marathon.

The races attract a strong contingent of Trotters every year and 30 turned up and took them on. There were some notable personal bests too fromTracy Elphick, Martin Randall, Julian Scanes, Donna Walker and Kim Nichols (nee Bindon) who made her debut at that distance.

Trotters at Taunton were: Daryl Milford 1:18.16 fourth overall, Adam Johnstone 1:23.10 18th, Jamie Barnett 1:27.06 37th, Russ Wheeler 1:29.03 54th, Mark Hutchins 1:30.47 64th, Martin Randall 1:30.53 66th, Tracy Elphick 1:31.07 67th, Hannah Walsh 1:33.39 85th, Roger ‘Smokes’ Hales 1:34.47 95th, Julian Scanes 1:34.59 97th, Dermot Smyth 1:35.12 98th, Mark Becker 1:36.02 112th, James Ayling 1:37.58 140th, Derek Skinner 1:39.02 159th, Noel Fowler 1:42.08 221st, Jo Randall 1:42.26 229th, Rob Mann 1:42.39 231st, Adrian Handley 1:42.53 238th, Jacki Woon 1:43.48 257th, Gary Watson 1:45.46 296th, Nigel Barnett 1:46.38 306th, Jennie Roberts 1:51.51 421st, Donna Walker 1:54.36 474th, Kevin Besford 1:58.20 572nd, Lance Mason 2:00.43 636th, Ruth Johnson 2:04.29 697th, Kim Nichols 2:08.54 781st, Guy Roberts 2:22.25 969th, Tony Stepney 2:25.45 1,000th place.

Stephen Barker clocked 3:25.17 46th and Paul Sharples 3:36.13 68th in a field on 168 finishers at the marathon distance.

*Roger Easterbrook showed his class in the Endurancelife Coastal Trail Series. The CTS consists of 10 events and showcases the very best sections of our country’s coastline. There are usually a variety of distances covering ultra, marathon, half and 10k.

Two events in the series take place in Devon: One on Exmoor and the other around the South coast at Beesands. Beautiful and brutal in equal measure, the Exmoor event, on Saturday April 11, started at Heddon’s Valley and is widely regarded as the toughest in the series.

A quad-burningly hilly route with 2,700 ft of stiff cliff climbs, long descents and superb scenery Roger was joint fourth in the half marathon clocking 1hour 40minutes nine seconds.

*Mark ‘Wurzel’ Wotton ticked off another marathon this time in Worcester. The 26.2miler started at Sixways, home of the Worcester Warriors, and weaves through country lanes. There’s a half marathon option as well the full which is two laps of the same course. A field of 2,500 tackled the races which are mainly flat with a few hills thrown in. Mark battled with gusty winds and unseasonably warm weather finishing in 4:47.12 for 198th place.

Report by Emma Pearcy

Images kindly supplied by Iain Large

Photos show Martin Randall, Tracy Elphick and Mark Hutchins making it look easy around Taunton half marathon and, pictured below, Julian Scanes and Hannah Walsh doing much the same thing...