Helen Anthony puts the 'awe' into awesome with another club record...

Running can be all things to all people. Whether it's seeing your mates, keeping the weight at bay or chasing a personal goal, it keeping many of us going.

For this club, the breadth of coaching options, the chance to dip your competitive toe into the Championship and sharing each others individual glories (and sometimes disappointments) can also keep us going.

Sometimes all these elements come together to show that the training through the dark nights and cold mornings, the determination through the 'I can't be bothered' moments and the dedication to the cause – whether the cause is Royal Blue or personal or a bit of both – produces weekends that slightly change the history of the club.

Teignbridge Trotters ladies captain Helen Anthony has now, again, secured her place among the record books after a phenomenal performance at Bideford Half Marathon on Sunday.

Helen added the half marathon club record to her 26.2mile accolade after clocking 1hour 24mins and 21secs in the race that often attracts PB chasers. She snatched a new personal best too for fifth female, second FV35 and 52nd overall.

Her result sets a new benchmark for female runners over that distance, beating the previous record set by Steph Ross in 1999.

It was, as we say, a good day, for many more too. Trotters travelled far and wide to take part in races over a variety of distances. Prizes and PBs galore were collected with many happily brandishing a new 13.1 and 20-mile time achievement along with the obligatory t-shirt.

A large group of Trotters were among the 800 runners competing in Bideford. Mandy Wheeler was third FV40 in 1:31.46 and 128th, Jacki Woon was second FV50 in 1:39.44 and 234th overall and Jamie Barnett was fifth male under-20 posting 1:37.36 and 198th in the standings.

Making a welcome return to the racing scene was Ewan Walton who put in a strong performance to led the club home clocking 1:22.28 and 35th place overall. Chairman Roger Hayes' campaign to dominate the Championship continues. And he finished in 1:25.10 and 57th. Mark Hutchins, a runner of great strength, clocked 1:30.41 for 115th overall putting him on course for a great Virgin London Marathon time all being well.

Full results are: Roger Hales 1:36.07 167th, Gary Clark 1:37.15 193rd, Bruce Campbell 1:36.55 199th, Peter Blakesley 1:37.32 203rd (new personal best), Dermot Smyth 1:37.26, 208th, Julian Scanes 1:38.34 215th, Derek Skinner 1:39.05 225th, Adrian Handley 1:38.45 228th, Jacki Woon 1:39.44 234th, Emma Boobyer 1:40.25 254th, Paul Johns 1:42.09 286th, Robert Mann 1:42.51 290th, Ryan Anthony 1:45.43 341st, Kevin Besford 1:51.42 424th, Kirsty Bowman 1:53.26 455th (new personal best), Julia Skinner 1:55.13 488th, Nigel Barnett 1:55.42 495th, Caroline Hayes 1:55.09 509th, Stephen Wallace 1:58.25 564th, Kat Zaple 1:59.00 575th, Sharon Bowman 2:00.45 595th, Graham Penn 2:42.43 837th.

*A posse travelled up at the M5 for Gloucester 20, a great marathon preparatory race around undulating countryside. In a field of 512 runners, the Royal Blues put in some great individual results.

The Elphick household was no doubt a happy place to be afterwards. Tracy's 2:26.14 and 75th in the overall standings gave her a new PB at that distance and third FV40, a fantastic PB for a consistently strong runner. Husband Nathan clocked 2:46.08 for a PB and 212th overall - a measure of his focused commitment to training this season. Notable performances were also put in by Geoff Davidson who ran a super 2:49.40 for 238th overall and Dave Dunn shaved seven minutes off last year's time registering 3:00.15 for 320th.

Gloucester 20 runners were: Daryl Milford 2:07.30 24th, Mike Mooney 2:25.25 69th, Martin Randall 2:32.41 116th, Hannah Walsh 2:34.33 133rd, Travis Wood 2:44.33 202nd, James Ayling 2:47.14 226th, Peter Kirby 2:50.14 247th, Jo Randall 3:00.36 322nd, Guy Roberts 3:19.42 431st.

*Rod and Lucy Payne took the club name eastwards and took part in the Surrey Half Marathon. The race started and finished at Woking Leisure Centre and the course took them through picturesque countryside. Weather conditions were perfect, mild and sunny. Lucy and Rod were accompanied by her eldest son running his first half marathon. In a field of 3,415 finishers, Lucy was 2,124th in a time of 1:59.22 and Rod was 2,185th in a time of 2:00.49.

*Further afield still and Mark Wotton continued his 100 marathon club claim. On Saturday he completed the 9Bar Groundhog Marathon in Telford, a whopping 105.5 laps around, funnily enough, a track. Pending email confirmation he thinks he clocked 4.42. On Sunday he went to Wrexham for the annual marathon around country lanes and finished 19th overall in 5:08.32.

Report by Emma Pearcy

Images kindly taken by Lance Mason and Sally Ingledew

Pictures show Helen Anthony, Adrian Handley and Caroline Hayes getting in amongst it at Bideford.