Teignbridge Trotters Running Club
Newton Abbot, Devon
Established 1982
Born to Run
Decent weather helped for an explosive start in the fireworks season as Trotters fizzed, popped and sparked their way to prizes across Devon, and participated overseas.
Caroline Clark and Corinne Bright took part in the Toffee Apple challenge, a RED event on Sun 3/11/24. They were up at the crack of dawn for a nice early start, with good weather conditions as dry, blustery lovely autumnal morning. The Out and Back 5k laps meant Corinne completed 3 so just under 10 miles in 1:30.23. Caroline completed 4 laps achieving 1st place lady in the half marathon distance. They both enjoyed the run and a well earned coffee at Darts Farm.
In nigh-on perfect conditions, Teignbridge Trotters showed themselves to be amongst the county’s very best in Bideford's very fast paced 10-mile race. With an unseasonably warm 13C temperature and only a slight headwind on the outward 5 miles, Trotters filled their boots with 5 podium finishes and 4 new club records!
First Trotter home was Alex Sparks in 21 st place in a great time of 57.36, closely followed by Tim Pratt in 26 th place in a very good time of 58.14.
Chloe Olford set a new Senior F Club record with 1:04:22 (1:04:19) and was 3rd FSen. Suzanna Pratt came in at 1:08:41 (1:08:36), with Chloe Weeks close behind in 1:09:53 (1:09:43). Together they were the 1st placed female team.
Caroline Clark & Corinne Bright
Ben Elphick
Freya Morrissey came in at 1:12:58 (1:12:48) and was 3rd FV35. Mandy Wheeler was 3rd FV50 in 1:13:52 (1:13:43), setting a new Club record for Over 50. Not to be outdone, Jacki Woon came home in 1:15:23 (1:15:15) as 2nd FV60 and also setting a new Club record for Over 60! Together, they were the 2nd placed Female Vet team.
Jacki’s time knocks no less than 15 minutes and 46 seconds off the previous record!). Scorchioooo !
Ben Elphick – 128th 1.10.50 and Steve Weeks 129 th in 1.10.50. Final Trotter home was Bob Small with a new club MV75 record of 1.20.35 finishing in 265 th position as 1st MV75.
Outstanding performances, what a super day out in North Devon.
Freya Morrissey
Alex Sparks
Mandy Wheeler
Graydon Widdicombe, our very own Alan Whicker travel correspondent, took part in New York City Marathon. In his 6th and final world marathon major (well, until Sydney becomes the 7th, which seems likely). The six World Marathon Majors are considered by many to be the largest and most renowned road marathons and they consist of London, Berlin, Chicago, Boston, Tokyo and New York City.
The race itself has some incredible moments, and takes the runners through all five boroughs of the City of Dreams. The race starts with Sinatra’s “New York, New York”, which was spine tingling, and takes runners straight up and over the steep 2-tier Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, which is a tough way to start the race. Other top highlights of Majors are running through The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, “Right on Hereford, left on Boylston” within a few hundred metres of the finish in Boston (Graydon’s personal favourite moment from the majors), and Tower Bridge at London are great moments. But up there with them is coming off that leftward turn on that curve off the Queensborough Bridge onto First Avenue in New York. After 10 minutes of the quiet of the bridge where spectators aren’t allowed, you get hit by the loud cheers of spectators on First Avenue. Unforgettable.
Graydon's big bling
Graydon on 1st Avenue
The race crosses over several bridges, which are tough, and the final few miles of the race take runners through undulating Central Park, with the race finishing close to the Dakota Building and the Strawberry Fields memorial. Graydon had a tough second half finishing in 3:55:47, and after crossing the line was ushered through to pick up his World Marathon Majors finishers medal. The medal, poncho, race booklet and even the race number are all beautifully designed and they’re a great way to remember the race.
It feels incredibly fortunate to have been able to do all six; it’s not just the training and racing, but the different logistics of getting entries into the races and the planning takes just as much effort as the training. It’s been a brilliant few years participating in these iconic events. Graydon’s partner, Christa, has visited these majors with him too and is an expert at buzzing around the cities to get good spots - a proper ‘spectathlete’!
Tim Synge ran in the Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes, an event some Trotters may know from a few years ago. The route runs pretty much along the coast from Nice to Cannes via the resorts of Antibes and Juan-les-Pins. Weather was warm and the sky was blue, so very different from England in November!
"I set out with an eye on the four-hour pacers and managed to stay among them until around mile 23, where fatigue set in and they started to pull away from me. I decided that these opportunities to run on flat courses don’t come along that often in Devon, so hung on for a time of 3:59:53. Very pleased with that!"
Well done Tim.
Tim Synge