Sparks fly at the Sibelco Templer Ten

The Teignbridge Trotters staged their last race of the year on Sunday 6th October. The Sibelco Templer Ten is a 10-mile race, 90% of which is off road. It starts and finishes in the wonderful grounds of Stover School in Newton Abbot.

Race conditions were rather damp, with a light drizzle falling before heavier rain arrived during the latter end of the race.

Before the main race got underway, there was the small matter of the kids 1-mile fun run. The course is held within the grounds of the school. 45 youngsters stood on the start line. It wasn’t long before Riley Payne crossed the finish line in first place in a superb time of 4:59. First female home was Izzy Packer in a time of 7:11 Each finisher received a lovely bespoke medal.

At 11am, 209 runners started the main race. The first two miles of the course are within the grounds of the school, before runners head off towards the fields of Teigngrace, running alongside the river Teign and then onto Stover Park

Due to drainage works at Stover, the course had to be altered slightly. This meant the actual distance was a tad under the usual 10 miles.

Alex Sparks, running for the host club, Teignbridge Trotters, won the race in a fantastic time of 56:36. Second was Henry Saddler-Irvine representing Dawlish Coasters in 57:43. Oli Reynolds, also from Teignbridge Trotters was third in 58:25.

First Lady home was Elizabeth Dyson from Haldon Trail Runners in 1:05:28. Liz Nuttall from Teignbridge Trotters was second in 1:12:47 and third was Karen Eyre from Axe Valley Runners in 1:13:17.

Race Director, Roger Hayes said: ‘I was really pleased with how the day went, despite the weather. Entries were up on last year and it was fantastic for the Trotters that Alex won the race’.

Th team events are always hotly contested, with the first four runners counting for the team. Axe Valley Runners won the men’s team, whilst Haldon Trail Runners won the ladies.

Other Trotters finishing times were; Roger Easterbrook 1:02:56 (1st MV50), Phil Reynolds 1:05:55, Andy Gilson 1:11:22, Steve Weeks 1:13:35, Chloe Weeks 1:15:09, Jason Trevenen 1:18:27, Simon Watts 1:22:45, Andrew Fox 1:26:21, Roger Moss 1:30:10 (2nd MV70), Jo Jacobs 1:34:01, Matthew Stout 1:36:21, Sue Tremlett 1:38:50, Gary Corken 1:40:28, Becky George 1:42:04, Nicky Swann 1:49:22, Yasemin Jeffrey 1:51:32.

With ever increasing overheads the race wouldn’t take place without the generous support of its sponsors; Sibelco, Moorview Vets, Foxy Golf and Classic Windows.

As a result of the race, the Trotters are delighted to be able to present Homeless in Teignbridge Support (HITS) food bank, with a cheque for £500, maintaining their proud reputation of donating a large part of the proceeds from all five of their races to charity.

Thanks to our official race photographers; Rod Payne, Lucy Payne and Chris Mcintosh.

A quartet of Trotters travelled to Wales to take part in the Cardiff Half Marathon. A race that has grown in size from the 1500 that took part in 2003 when it was first held, to the 22,264 that finished this year. Its fast, flat course passes the city’s iconic landmarks including Cardiff Castle, the Principality Stadium, Civic Centre and stunning Cardiff Bay.

The course certainly suited Helen, who led the Trotters home in a time of 1:31:17. She was closely followed by Freya Morrisey in 1:35:23. Laura Law was next home in 2:02:20, and Lucy Evans made up the quartet by finishing in 2:21:59.

Helen described the weather conditions as near perfect. She said: 'It was cool and cloudy, thankfully the predicted heavy rain held off till the end of the race'.

The race is a member of ‘SuperHalfs’, a global series of the world’s most prestigious half marathons including races in Lisbon, Prague, Berlin, Copenhagen, Cardiff and Valencia. Helen now has her eye on completing the series, with Valencia her next stop at the end of this month.

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Trotter marathon machine, Derek Skinner, notched up yet another one when he completed the Clarendon Marathon on Sunday. The route takes runners from Salisbury to Winchester along the ancient Clarendon Way with a few extra turns here and there to make up a full 26.2 miles. More than 90% is off road, with the trail following country tracks and paths - many of which have not changed since being travelled by the ancient Kings and Queens of England. The race is superbly organised by the rotary clubs of Winchester and Salisbury.

Derek, or Del, as he is known within the club, ran a steady race to finish in a time of 5:11:12. This was Del’s 92nd marathon. He’s nicely on target to reach that magical total of 100, when he hopes to complete the Dartmoor Discovery Ultra Marathon next June.