Trotters take over Chudleigh, invade Dorset and the Heller is another huge success!

The Trotters continue to raise the bar when it comes to racing and organising races. This weekend has been hugely successful with the plaudits, prizes and personal stories rolling in non-stop. 

Newer members made their mark on the racing scene at Chudleigh and the Heller, longer serving members Chris Cleave and Marsha Garrard made a welcome return to the circuit, more personal bests were clocked across the board, and Graham ‘Inky’ Penn completed a hat-trick of races across three consecutive days.

Forty-six Trotters descended on Chudleigh for the popular and well organised Chudleigh Road Race on Friday 17 July.

The 5-mile 944 yard race is part of the annual carnival celebrations and usually attracts a strong crowd of club runners with many Royal Blues using it as an opportunity so scoop up some Championship points.

The hilly race starts and finishes outside the Bishop Lacy pub, leaves the town and heads up to the Ugbrooke ridge above the town and heads back down again. It is accompanied by a very loud, very supportive crowd who line Fore Street to cheer on those running.

The many and varied club training options and people's own commitment to running well is paying dividends for many.

The Blues bagged many 1-2-3 places. Team Teignbridge scooped the top prizes for male and female teams, first lady (Helen Anthony), third lady (Hannah Walsh), second lady-40 (Mandy Wheeler), second male-50 (Garry Smart), first male-45 (Mike Hooper), second male under-18 (Jamie Barnett), second male-55 (Peter Blakesley), second male-45 (Dermot Smyth) and second male-65 (Keith Anderson).

Full results were: Adam Johnstone 33.34, seventh, Geoff Davey 34.01 ninth, Garry Smart 34.07 11th, Roger Easterbrook 34.21 15th, Ewan Walton 34.55 17th, Mike Hooper 35.02 18th, Jamie Barnett 35.14 21st, Helen Anthony 35.35 24th, Tom Besford 38.03 33rd, Mark Hutchins 38.03 34th, Craig Churchill 38.42 36th, Hannah Walsh 38.45 37th, Mandy Wheeler 39.15 41st, Derek Skinner 39.56 44th, Roger ‘Smokes’ Hales 40.21 50th, Dermot Smyth 40.34 52nd, Peter Blakesley 40.41 53rd, Jacki Woon 42.12 65th, Dave McMorrow 43.01 72nd, Paul Johns 44.18 86th, Jim Donovan 44.21 87th, Keith Anderson 44.34 89th, Nigel Barnett 45.11 92nd, John Tweedie 45.46 97th, Jennie Roberts 46.21 104th, Stu Moulson 46.29 105th, Pete Hayward 47.07 107th, Ian Dyke 47.16 108th, Abi Blee 47.20 109th, Emily Levey 47.51 115th, Kirsty Bowman 48.53 128th, Derek Blackford 48.54 129th, Gary Caunter 49.07 130th, Richard Keatley 49.11 131st, Eleanor Taylor 49.21 134th, Donna Walker 50.17 142nd, Bev Dennis 51.38 148th, Sharon ‘Fizz’ Bowman 52.03 153rd, Kevin Besford 52.17 157th, Kat Zaple 53.08 167th, Graham ‘Inky’ Penn 56.19 181st, Kim Nichols 56.53 185th, Cheryl Hales 57.31 187th, Philippa Goodwin 1:00.31 194th, Anne Dyke 1:07.08 198th, Suzie Mills 1:07.56 201st.

All in all it was a jolly good night out with newer members giving racing a go and clocking new personal achievements.

*Saturday evening was the 30th Haytor Heller - one of our sell-out races - and this year it took place on a perfect evening for off-roading on Dartmoor. This race - organised with lots of generous help from members and friends - starts below Haytor Rock and follows a tough lap across rugged open moorland, fast descents and steep ascents before a fast downhill to the finish near the middle car park.

The course is technical, challenging, hard-going and offers what many consider to be the best visual aspects of Dartmoor and Teignbridge.

A band of Trotters were in fine fettle. Tim Pratt, who continues to impress and improve the more he takes advantage of the training offered by the Trotters, led the Blues home coming 10th overall in 45.27 and third senior male.

Trotter finishers were: Chris Cleave 52.22 45th, Mark Hutchins 52.40 48th, Kevin Woodard 53.27 55th, Tom Besford 53.52 60th, Derek Skinner 56.17 81st, Neil Skinner 58.08 90th, Craig Hobson 1:02.11 126th, Tony Stepney 1:16.48 220th, Graham Penn 1:17.32 222nd, Julie Webb 1:30.13 245th.

Tim, Chris Cleave, Mark Hutchins and Kevin Woodard’s collective times secured them the third male team prize.

*Ryan Anthony, Jo and Martin Randall, Mark ‘Wurzel’ Wotton and Marsha Garrard completed the Dorset Invader marathon on Saturday 18 July.

This race is organised by White Star Running. The marathon is an out and back course hilly 95% trail and hilly around Winterbourne Whitechurch, Blandford. The Randalls ran together clocking 4:47.12 for 88th and 89th, Wurz’s time was 5:18.59 138th, Ryan finished in 5:41.24 177th and Marsha clocked 5:42.08 179th.

Graham ‘Inky’ Penn, having raced at Chudleigh and Haytor, did the treble by completing the Cosdon Hill Race on Sunday 19 July. This traditional fell race is organised by Okehampton RC and is part of the Belstone village fair. It's 3.2 miles straight up to the top of Cosdon Hill and back down again. Runners make their own way up, a total ascent of 1,033ft with a few bogs to traverse. Graham did it in 1:02.15 and was among an estimated 30 runners to complete the feat.

Report by Emma Pearcy.

Photos kindly supplied by Graham Penn and Nigel Penwarden.

Top photo shows the army of trotters at Chudleigh Road Race (outside the pub - where else?) Tim Pratt, lower image, gets it done at the Haytor Heller.