Wet & Windy Racing

A hardy contingent of Trotters visited Looe in super damp and windy conditions for the Hilly & Hellish 10 miler. The infamous grueling race by Looe Pioneers was made tougher by the heavy rain, and strong winds with torrents of water everywhere. The vicious conditions left many runners dismayed and some quitting before the start. Whilst the intrepid Derek Skinner was on the Dorset coast.

The horizontal rain meant pre race routines were cut short and the kids race canceled. Dominique Harcourt and Ian Langler raced together, looking forward to the usual fine weather but contending with the elements and the hills, so many hills! “Luckily the rain did ease during the race which I’m sure made all the runners frowns turn upside down. The course was commanding, the marshals were marvellous and the spectators spectacular. A very well organized and supported race and no doubt we will be back!”

Results were 463 starters, race won by Jacob Landers in 1.00.47 of Tamar Trotters. Roger Easterbrook, 17th 1st Male 50-54 in 1.10.01, Duncan Knight 56th in 1.18.00, Steve Weeks 60th in 1.18.51, Chloe Weeks 68th 3rd Female under 35 in 1.20.24, Ian Langler 103rd in 1.25.42, Alan Kember 127th 2nd Male 65-69 in 1.28.43, 156th Steven Major in 1.32.17, 160th Neil Rutley 1.32.33, 218th Joanna Randall in 1.38.25, 241st Tim Synge in 1.42.27, 265th David Barrett 1.44.43, 266th Shaz Sharples 1.45.11, 283rd Dominique Harcourt 1.46.54, 310th Paul Sharples 1.50.29, 334th Chris Andrews in 1.54.53, 335th Sue Tremlett in 1.54.53, 342nd Cheryl Dunn in 1.55.15, 427th Sarah Blanchard in 2.14.47, 428th Frances Bowler in 2.14.56, great efforts all round with welly boots preferred in some sections of the race.

Elizabeth Nuttall with her son took part in the Exeter 10K in Sunday's challenging weather in a respectable 42.22. Samantha Galvin was on Dartmoor in the hard hitting Hameldown Hammer, "The weather was horrendous on the ridge, wet, windy and poor visibility. More like a wade than a run I finished 144 out of 155 finishers in 3 hours 26 mins, I was just happy to have finished".

In better weather by Trail Events, Lulworth Cove, Dorset provided the perfect starting point for this scenic challenge, situated on the South West Coast Path near the iconic Durdle Door. With the beauty of the coastline, and the climbs which are formidable traversing the upper stretch of coastline, continuing toward Osmington Mills, exploring both upper and lower coast paths. For Ultra Marathon runners, the journey extends beyond Lulworth Cove, leading to the stretch towards St Alban’s Head and Poole.

A tough but stunning section through M.O.D land before looping back to the finish line at Lulworth Cove. Derek Skinner quoted. “This is up there with one of the toughest trail marathons/ultra i have done. The hills up and down were relentless throughout the course, straining every muscle in my legs due to the recent rain. Very hard to keep your feet on most of the course and just under 29 miles with an elevation of 6078 Feet. It was a war of attrition to get round in one piece, slipping on my arse once.. job done. The views along the Jurassic coast were stunning in full sun having started off in the cold and rain, was a blessing. Medal collected at the finish in about 8 hrs and remembering a quote "The bad news is time flies, the good news is you're the pilot".