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2017 run report review

What a year it has been for our running club. The diversity of club membership is awesome. We have elite runners capable of running Marathons within the elite time, we have Ultra Distance marathon runners, trail runners, park runners, road runners and people who just like to run along enjoying the opportunity to get out and about.
It’s been a fantastic year for our club with many events attended, many PBs broken, new members joining and a some wonderful memories as well.
This report will try and relive those memorises as best it can.
Here are some facts; there have been ORC attendance at 112 race events ranging from the West Country league cross country, 5k park runs, lots of 10km and 10mile races, half marathons, marathons as some ultra marathons, one over 100 miles. Attending these we had 119 club members race during the year. What a turnout and how well you all did. We had 73 PBs set across all races, some by a few seconds and others by many minutes.
The Bideford Half-Marathon in March was the most attended event in the calendar this year.
We had a record entry of 37 runners taking part in the Bideford Half Marathon! The forecast of heavy downpours and gale force winds dampened the hopes of those aiming for a new PB, but the weather gods were kind and despite early rain, the skies cleared and the wind was not such an issue, only giving the runners a tough time in the last couple of miles. Over 1,400 runners took part, the highest number ever in this increasingly popular race with its fast, flat and nearly traffic free course. The timing of it also provides an opportunity for those training for a spring marathon to test how their training is going over half the distance.
The furthest away race attended is a tie between Jackie Dawes and Caroline Wilson.
Caroline Wilson travelled to the USA to take on an incredible endurance challenge. Taking place in Disney World, Florida, the Dopey Challenge is a four day event at the end of which the participants will have run a total of 48.6 miles. Caroline eased in with a 5k race, which is followed on the next day with a 10k, a half marathon the next day and finishes with a full marathon on the Sunday. Caroline completed the Challenge and so raise money for Crohns and Colitis UK. Caroline collected a total of six huge medals, which may cause her some excess baggage charge on her return trip!
Jackie Dawes was dedicated enough to take her running gear with her when she and her family went on holiday to Malaysia and Singapore. Jackie is raising money for Alzheimers Research UK, and is constantly updating her mileage to her fundraising page, aiming to raise £400. She ran the West Coast Parkrun in Singapore, taking ORC colours to a new part of the world. In 30 degrees heat, despite the race starting at 7.30am, she finished in 27.32. Jackie was also named Runner of the Week for the Running Down Dementia Campaign.
The final mention on fund raising must go to Mags. She took part in a sponsored Great Escape half marathon in August on behalf of Parkinson’s UK and raised £3017.50. Mags said, Well done Mags for completing the event and raising such a huge amount of money for such a worthy cause.
The longest race and perhaps the toughest races, the Cotswold Century that Rob Hicks took on. This extremely challenging race, with over 12,500ft of ascent follows the Cotswold Way from north to south, starting in Chipping Camden and finishing at Bath Abbey, 102 miles later. With a midday start Rob had to run a greater portion of the race in the dark than in the light. Thankfully the conditions were good with the ground firm and dry and Rob ran a brilliant race, moving gradually up the field to finish in fifth place in a very impressive but mind-boggling time of 22hrs 28mins, well inside the thirty hour completion limit.
There are so many events to relive but will leave the reviews to yourselves and to reflect on your years challenges whatever they have been.
Please remember in 2018 to share on our Facebook page the details of your events so that we can share your achievements to others within the club.
Many thanks to Jane Jackson for gathering all the run reports and preparing the report for the news paper most weeks, to Chris Turner for the editing who also handed that role over to Robert Richards. Without your input we would really struggle to have such inspiring reports.
Have a fabulous New Year and look forward to the races, events challenges and the exciting club nights and training session prepared so professionally by Geoff and managed so well by all the coaches.