Four ORCs headed to Clatworthy Reservoir, West Somerset, on Saturday 17th August for Flying Fox Running’s Woods and Water race series. The course was a 5-mile loop around the edge of the reservoir with a almost entirely a mix of gravel, grass and mud running surfaces. Keeping the water on your left (good advice from the Race Director to avoid getting lost!), the route wound its way through densely shadowed woods and out again into open spaces with fantastic views of the reservoir and surrounding hills. Did I mention hills? Oh yes – them too! After a quick down hill blast from the start and across the dam, there was one of those hills that just keeps on giving – zig-zagging its way to the top of the hill and threatening to leave nothing left in the legs for the steep descent on the other side. After that, lets just say that the course was “undulating”, with another hill at the end to keep the heart rate high on the dash to the finish.
The race series began with the Daytime edition: 10-miles (two loops). Jeremy Tandy was the first ORC home in 69 min 9 sec – 4th place overall and 1st in category. Jo Page finished in 79 min 16 sec to scoop First Lady! Ian Page and Karen Gear completed the course in 91 min 20 sec and 94 min 43 sec respectively. All the ORC runners thoroughly enjoyed the race – definitely one to repeat.
Repeat? Oh yes! 4 ORCs became 2 for the second part of the race series: the Dusk edition, a single loop of the 5-mile course, but this time in the dark! Head torches were mandatory kit but there was just enough light left in the sky for brave runners (like Jo!) to soak up the atmosphere of running in the dark, with bats flitting around in the open spaces above the path and deer rustling in the woods. At mile 4, where the course turned back toward the finish, runners where greeted with the magnificent sight of head torches bobbing along beside the reservoir bank where they’d been running minutes before. Jeremy Tandy came home in first place overall in a time of 34 min 19 sec, and Jo Page was First Lady once more in 40 min 45 sec.
And on top of everything – the medals were fantastic too!
On Saturday morning three Okehampton runners ran the weekly Tavy 5k where Robert Kelly came 3rd in a time of 17.35, while Hayden Bond finished just four seconds behind him to set a new PB of 17.39 with Paul Carter finishing in 19.11.
