Sunday saw the last in this year’s Westward League X-country series at Stover, where Okehampton’s male vet team needed a good performance to secure 2nd place overall. In extremely muddy conditions all ran well, the juniors all improving on their individual placings. When the final scores were added up Okehampton’s Vet team did come 2nd with individual places for Ian Page 2nd and Paul Crease 3rd in their age categories. Although this year the ladies teams didn’t get placed there were individual successes for Claudine Benstead, 1st in the FV60’s with Mags Jarvis 3rd FV60. On top of these awards, Okehampton was voted the Best Club of the Year by the Westward League, being awarded a Challenge Shield. This was an award for the club and all its runners from juniors to vets.
The previous weekend Geoff Hill travelled to the Lee Valley Stadium in London to compete in the South of England Masters Championships. Running in the 800m he paced his run to perfection, coming from behind to overtake the two runners ahead of him in the last 100m and winning by 2 tenths of a second in 2min 15.54secs, also setting a new SW Vets record. He now goes on to run in the British Masters Championships at the same venue next week.
Saturday night saw ORCs Jeremy Tandy and Tom Andrew cross the border to run the Night’s Watch Twilight Trail Run in Cardinham Woods. Both runners chose the 10k option on a typically steep and hilly course that was two laps of the 5k route. Jeremy had a great run here, coming home in first place in 42.59, while Tom was 16th in 57.48.
The second day of the Exeter Half Marathon took place on Sunday having been postponed due to Storm Ciara, and runners enjoyed sunny but breezy conditions. Jackie Dawes was ORC’s only competitor, using it as part of her London Marathon training, coming home in 1.53.31. Okehampton’s Roger Voaden was also running but acting as a pacer for a 1.30.00 time, a job he completed to perfection.
After being thwarted the previous weekend by Storm Dennis with the cancellation of the Bournemouth 10 miler, Steve Sincock travelled to Redruth in Cornwall to confront Storm Jorge at the Duchy 20.
From the start at the Penventon Hotel, runners headed out west straight into the worst of the headwind along the coast road, before turning back at mile 8 toward a shorter second lap.
With the Penventon Hotel almost in sight, runners were then turned up a final one mile loop running past the 19 mile mark, then down to turn and run back up a tough final climb that included a short section at a gradient of 11%.
Total race distance was ominous as you passed the 20 mile marker before a further quarter of a mile run into the finish where a warm pasty was waiting for all finishers.
Finishing in a time of 2:21:45, was good enough for 18th Overall, a bottle of wine for being the first MV60 and setting an Okehampton RC Age Category time.
