Molly smashes Junior Club record to win Newton Abbot Ladies 10K

Teignbridge Trotters staged the annual Newton Abbot Dornafield Ladies’ 10K, which started and finished at the beautiful Dornafield Caravan and Camping site. The race sponsor was Sibelco.

This was the 22^nd running of this very popular ladies race at this superb venue. The scenic course followed undulating rural roads throughout, with little traffic, and passed through local hamlets of Denbury and Ogwell.

The weather at start time was dryish but with a blustery wind to make conditions difficult.

And at the finish of course, there were the legendary Trotter cakes to feast on!

All our lady trotters ran superbly and represented the Club admirably.

There were some notable performances, but the outstanding performer of the day must go to Molly Canham who won the event in an outstanding time of 00:37:50. Molly finished 4 minutes 16 seconds ahead of Naomi Flanagan, representing Torbay Tri Club.

Molly also smashed a long standing Club record, by breaking the Junior 10K record by 2 minutes 33 seconds. The previous record was set in Exmouth 2007, by Carrie-Anne Hewings. A fantastic achievement.

Tracy Elphick finished in 4^th place, recording an impressive time of 00:45:10, which also won her the FV45 age category award.

Sarah Pike, Jacki Woon and Lucy Payne also ran particularly well to finish 2^nd in their respective age categories.

In the team event, Teignbridge Trotters filled the first three positions. The winning team comprised of Molly Canham, Tracy Elphick, Jacki Woon and Kim Knight.

A special mention for Emma Ray, who set a new personal best for a 10K. Well done Emma.

The other Trotters positions and times were:

Jacki Woon (5, 00:45:43), Kim Knight (12, 00:47:47), Kathryn Steemson (14, 00:48:22), Sarah Pike (15, 00:48:26), Kate Lenthall (17, 00:48:43), Rachel Steele (18, 00:49:22), Sarah Hearn (19, 00:49:52), Jo Randall (21, 00:50:31), Rebecca Harvey (25, 00:51:04), Melanie Sheehan (30, 00:52:16), Sarah Buningham (31, 00:52:20), Emma Ray (33, 00:52:24), Kat Ashburton-Scott (35, 00:52:31), Caroline Clark (36, 00:52:32), Claire Youngman (37, 00:52:34), Sue Tremlett (51, 00:55:37), Tamsin Cook (59, 00:56:38), Eleanor Taylor (60, 00:56:42), Alexis Marsh (63, 00:56:46), Colette Easton (68, 00:56:53), Lucy Payne (74, 00:57:25), Carrie Ann Labdon (79, 00:57:50), Sassie Tickle (80, 00:58:09), Sara Keatley (88, 00:59:08), Beverley Dennis (89, 00:59:09), Angela Blakesley (101, 00:1:00:40), Kay Shillabeer (108, 1:01:21), Karen O’Brien (112, 1:01:49), Alison Jackson (119, 1:02:40), Tina Caunter (125, 1:03:26), Imogen Farley (131, 1:04:15), Rachel Duncan (141,1:04:56), Tricia Smith (148, 1:05:20), Corrine Jackson (149, 1:05:22), Jo Baird (194, 1:12:36), Hayley Giles (198, 1:13:24), Zilpah Walton (211, 1:17:29).

There were 227 runners.

New Race Director, Jason Trevenen, & Chief Marshal, Gary Caunter, worked so hard behind the scenes, to make this event such a tremendous success.

Thanks must go to all the Trotter volunteers, who either marshalled, manned the water station, took the timings and the cake stall staff run by Lucy Evans, and anyone else who helped. A great team effort from all who were involved.

£2 of each entrant’s fee went to Mr Dornafields favoured charity, Bowel Cancer UK.

Andy Distin was on his travels again this weekend, when he travelled to Berkshire, to take part in the 37^th running of the Windsor Half Marathon. Sharon Still also took part.

This very popular race is within the close proximity of Windsor Castle, and the route is set within the confines of Windsor Great Park. This Royal Park is managed by the Crown Estate, and was once part of a vast Norman hunting forest which was enclosed in the 13^th Century.

The traffic free course was undulating, with some long flat stretches, with a few hilly sections leading to some beautiful scenery. The race consisted of 2 laps, one of approximately 4 miles, and the other of 7.5 miles. The start and finish was 1.5 miles each way along Long Walk, a tree lined avenue stretching down towards the ancient Castle. The finish is outstanding with the stunning Castle in the background.

Sharon finished in 3672^nd position, in a time of 2:50:19, and Andy completed the race in a time of 2:54:03 to finish in 3710st place. The winner was Daniel Sturdley, taking the title in 1:07:47.

There were 3861 finishers.

The 33^rd running of the Deane DLO Taunton 10K also took place on Sunday. Two Trotters travelled to Somerset, Jamie Barnett and Louise Gentry.

The start took place outside the Blackbrook Pavilion. The course was a gently undulating circular course that headed through the residential Holway area of Taunton, before meandering along quiet country roads through Stoke St Mary and Haydon. The racers then returned to the finish at the Pavilion.

Jamie warmed up for the Cardiff Half Marathon next weekend, by winning the race! Jamie won by 51 seconds, in a superb time of 00:32:42, just 5 seconds outside his own Club record set this year at the Speedway 10K!!

Not to be out done, Louise also ran fantastically well, finishing in 35^th place, clocking a great time of 00:40:30. This earnt Louise the FV40 age category prize.

There were 597 finishers.

Teignbridge Trotters, father and son combination, Chris and Scott Andrews travelled north to Nottingham, to take part in The Robin Hood Half Marathon. This was the 39^th time this hugely popular race has been run.

Due to the huge numbers of participants, there were seven colour start zones.

The race start was at the Victoria Embankment, a 1.25 mile example of a Victorian flood

defence system. The finish line was situated on the Recreation Ground, very close to the race village.

The route was lined with supportive spectators, including live music and entertainment.

Chris and Scott ran together, and finished in 2818^th and 2819^th positions respectively. Their finishing time was 2:06:26.

Graydon Widdicombe took to the skies as he made his way to Berlin to represent the Club in the Marathon, part of the World Major Marathons!

Berlin is the fastest Marathon course in the world, with the world record being broken by Kipchoge in 2018 (2:01:39).

The route took the runners past the main sights of Berlin such as Reichstag, the Siegessaule, Berliner Dom, Brandenburg and Postdamer. Having run past these historic sights meant that the runners had travelled in a large loop of the city.

The finish was a memorable one, as the runners ran through the Brandenburg Gates. This 18^th Century monument has come to symbolize peace and unity and stands for the reunification of East and West Germany.

Due to the stature of the race, this was primarily a race for elite and Club runners alike, with very few fun runners in fancy dress running for charities.

The weather was dry at start time, but an hour into the race the rain came down, but on the whole, this made for good marathon running conditions.

This city Marathon was very well supported, with streams of spectators lining the streets. There were also cheering zones and live music to help with the jovial atmosphere.

Graydon ran a superb race, clocking a great time of 3:27:03. Graydons partner, Christa played her part, by managing to get to six cheering positions around the course, thanks to the fantastic transport system.

Four of our long distance Club runners, Suzie Mills, Karen O’Brien, Sally Ingledew and Lance Mason travelled to Dorset to take part in the official Jurassic Coast Running Festival on Saturday 28^th September. This new WSR event, gave runners the opportunity of racing over varying distances, including an Ultra, Marathon, Half Marathon or 10K.There was also a kids race on offer.

The Ultra and Marathon runners were bussed out to their respective start points for an 8:00 am start.

Karen and Suzie were dropped off at Osmington Mills for the Marathon start, a small coastal hamlet, 5 miles north-east of Weymouth.

This challenging route took the runners along the breath taking coastline, passing Weymouth Bay, Abbotsbury, and Burton Bradstock. It wasn’t easy going, as the runners had to negotiate landslides, clamber over cliff tops, and tiptoe around bays and headlands. The trade-off was some magnificent views along the way! Weather conditions were not ideal, with a strong headwind hindering the runner’s progress, although the rain mostly held off.

The support was amazing along the route from the WSR marshals and the aid stations were well stocked.

The pressure was on for the athletes, as there was a cut-off point of 5 hours 40 minutes at 20 miles! The finish was at Freshwater Beach, on the grounds of the holiday park.

Karen led the duo home, finishing in 163^rd position, recording a great time of 6:29:10. Suzie followed just behind, clocking a time of 6:39:36, to claim 174^th spot. There were 221 tired finishers.

Sally and Lance started the Ultra at Durdle Moor passed Weymouth Bay, Abbotsbury, and Burton Bradstock. They completed the gruelling test together, finishing in a time of 7:37:22 to finish in 138^th & 139^th positions respectively. There were 164 very tired finishers!

The Jewsons Barnstaple Half & Marathon took place on Sunday 29th September. This increasingly popular race was organised by North Devon Runners.

Eight Trotters travelled to the North Devon coast on a wet and very windy morning.

The Marathon started at 9.00am and headed down the north side of the River Taw first, which meant tackling the airbase at miles 7-9. The runners tracked back to Barnstaple for the start of the second half of the race, which then headed along the other side of the river bank, passing through the villages of Fremington and Yelland. The final 5 miles back to the finish followed the rivers course back into the centre of Barnstaple.

The Half Marathon started at 10:00 am. The route followed the second half of the marathon course.

James Saunders was tackling his debut marathon, a course which was perfect for a first attempt, as the course was predominantly fast and flat. There was a slight lump at mile 18 to contend with, just as the legs were starting to get weary! James ran well to finish in 22^nd position, clocking a time of 3:14:18. He also finished 2^nd in the MV50 category.

Susanna Goffe also ran well in testing conditions, to finish in 86^th place, in a time of 3:53:33.

The winner was Robert Kelly, posting a fine time of 2:51:04. There were 239 finishers.

Gary Smart ran a fantastic Half Marathon, finishing in 12^th position, in a great time of 1:21:56. This performance also won Gary the MV50 age category award.

Our other five entrants all performed well. Their positions and times were: Tim Pratt (16, 1:26:04), Robert Cooper (76, 1:42:33), Emma Boobyer (97, 1:44:25), Scott Knight (148, 1:52:48), Daryl Hall (183, 1:57:16).

Adam Stokes took the honours, winning in a time of 1:12:11.There were 475 finishers.

The event was extremely well organised by the host Club. The marshals were extremely supportive, the water stations were well positioned and the registration, bag drop off and free drinks and cake a nice surprise!!