Records and Personnal bests tumble at the Hoe...............

This Sunday 19th February saw the running of the “Plymouth Hoe”10 mile road race. Disaster struck last year with many runners encountering a spiral staircase just before the eight mile marker in error but this year the marshalling was better!483 runners completed the undulating course. Thirty Teignbridge trotters, with a few newbie faces to this racing distance didn’t let the cold conditions deter them but with the sun shining it made an enjoyable event. Starting and finishing in the “Brickfields “on the Plymouth Albion’s ground the course made its way around the Hoe Foreshore,Stonehouse and Devonport areas with a stadium finish after one and a half laps of the Brickfields track.Unfortuately just before mile seven Sue Fewings had to pull up due to illness.

First Trotter in was David Tomlin running in with a strong 57.48 and 15th.Next was Daryl “Tarquin”Milford who, after a night drinking wine and a 18 miler the day before managed to bag an entry just an hour and a half before the race. He came in 19th with a four minute pb in 58.42!Adam Caunter appeared next in 39th place smashing the junior club record for ten miles in1.01.51.Ewan Walton was another success on a four minute pb coming in 46th place with a pleasing time of 1.02.30.Chris Cleave did 1.06.08 and 67th being chased by Travis Wood in 70th with another pb in 1.06.52.John Tweedie who has been battling with injury stormed in with a good time of 1.07.37 in 79th and another best time followed by Gary Clark in 81st with a pb of 1.07.47.John Crocker did 1.09.17 in 100th.

The first trottette to arrive was Carrie-Anne Hewings with a strong time of 1.09.28 and 102nd .Simon Boobyer completed an 8 mile run before racing and finished in 1.10.56 and 120th.Mark Hamling was close behind in 123rd and 1.11.09.Emma Sidebotham who had also ran the 8 miles with Simon not only did 1.13.51 but got a pb too and was placed 155th.Gary Caunter did 1.14.44 and 167th,Helen Anthony 1.15.04 and 175th but Jackie Woon chased her down to gain 2nd vet 45 female and broke the vet 45 record for the ladies in the club with a time of 1.15.20 and 177th.Mark Wotton appeared in 188th in 1.16.51,Mark Hutchins did 1.17.19 in 194th while Neil Pallant deep in marathon training got his pb for the distance in 197th and 1.17.40.Sharon Bowman was next trottette in 227th and 1.20.24 with Joanne Haynes in 263rd and a pb of 1.23.44.Caroline Clark ,not to be out done by husband Gary, also did a pb in 1.24.30 and 276th.Tamsin Cook also did a best time of 1.27.37 and 307th , Tina Caunter did 1.29.20 in 336th while Jess Whitehouse new to the distance did 1.31.58 in her first 10 miler race and 366th.Katrina Duignan completed in 1.33.21 and 378th followed by Catherine Barnes also only her 1st 10 miler did a time of 1.36.11 and 399th and Jo Billyard also a newbie at the distance did 1.37.22 and 407th with Sharon Hutchins completing the Trotter line up in 424th and a time of 1.38.55.

Up in the Cotswolds marathon followers Sally Ingledew and Roger Hayes, Phil Perry and Roger Hales took on the “Cotswolds Marathon”.Roger Hayes was 19th in 3.28.49, Phil Perry did 4.00.17 and was 55th, Roger Hales in his second marathon in twenty four hours did 4.12.04 and Sally Ingledew completed the quartet in 103rd place in 4.46.34 out of 129 runners.

Steve Wallace took himself up to Weston-Super-Mare to take part in the "Tough Ten Challenge" It was a 10 miles traffic free race along the beach, up onto the promenade and then two laps along a road and up through woods, with a long climb and two very tricky downhill sections over rough paths and of course mud ! His time was 1-36-41 and 981 runners took part.(thanks Steve for info)

On Saturday 18th February the “South Devon Endurance life” race took place. Garry Smart completed the half marathon in 1.48.08 and was 8th out of 396 runners and Vaughnan Lindsay was close behind in 1.49.04 and 10th.Nick Stevens took on the marathon and completed in 4.09.52 and Roger Hales who obviously fancied a warm up before the Cotswolds marathon the next day did 4.17.18 and was 32nd out of 113 runners. It was a Cracking route starting from Beesands and following the coast path west for the first half, then inland (and even hillier) for the second half. It Was a windy day, with some sunshine first thing and rain showers moving in for the second half of the race.(thanks Nick)

REPORT WRITTEN BY Sharon (Fizz)Bowman
PHOTOS-TOP - Jackie storming to her 2nd vet 45 place and a new 10 mile record in the club MIDDLE-Jo smiling at the end of her 1st 10 mile race(thanks Lance) BOTTOM-The marathon quartet in action at the Cotswolds (thanks Sally)