New route for ladies 10K as Trotters dominate

The Ladies 10K - Sunday 28th June

The Ipplepen Ladies 10K continues to go from strength to strength at its new home, now based at Ipplepen Village Hall after a long history of 27 years at Dornafield. Following a couple of interim years at the cricket club, the Village Hall has proved an excellent venue, offering plenty of parking and facilities and creating a welcoming atmosphere for runners and supporters alike.

The course remains as challenging and scenic as ever, heading out of the village past Orley Common before winding along quiet country lanes towards Totnes. After the turn at Reeveacre Cross, runners make their way back via Two Bridges and along the lane beside the railway, before heading under the line and back towards Ipplepen. The final stretch past Yarneford Copse and up towards Biltor Cross provides a sting in the tail, though it often encourages a strong finish back into the Village Hall.

A total of 204 runners completed the race on a warm but bright day, with some welcome shade in places along the route. The event retained its relaxed and friendly feel, with plenty of support out on the course and the ever-popular Trotters cakes waiting at the finish contributing to a lovely community atmosphere.

At the sharp end, Lauren Knox of Storm Runners Plymouth produced an outstanding run to take victory in 39:15, successfully defending her title from 2025 on what is never an easy course. Chloe Olford was once again first home for Teignbridge Trotters, finishing second overall in 42:08, repeating last year’s placing, while Rose Harvie of Newquay Road Runners secured third in 45:16. Chloe Weeks made it two Trotters in the top four with a time of 45:30, and Freya Tomlinson of Dawlish Coasters rounded out the prize positions in 46:05.

There were strong Trotter performances across the age categories: Marnie Woodley led the way in the FV45 category with 47:28, Liz Nuttall ran well for a prize in the FV50 category in 49:10, and Lucy Payne claimed the FV70 prize in a close finish, winning by just 13 seconds in 1:05:03. Teignbridge Trotters also took the first team prize, with Chloe Olford, Chloe Weeks, Marnie Woodley and Liz Nuttall forming a strong quartet at the front of the race. In total, 35 Trotters completed the course, reflecting another excellent turnout from the club.

The Teignbridge Trotters results showed an excellent turnout of 35 runners, led by Chloe Olford 42:08, Chloe Weeks 45:30, Marnie Woodley 47:28 and Liz Nuttall 49:10, followed closely by Susanna Pratt 50:10 and Kathryn Steemson 50:11, with Kate Heaton next in 51:37. A strong mid-field group saw Eyvoll Aston 54:36, Jess Hayes 54:39 and Jo Randall 54:44 finishing within seconds of each other, while Charlotte Knight 55:34, Kate Williamson 55:50 and Shelley Rattlidge 55:51 all ran well around the 55‑minute mark. Further through the field were Tracy Elphick 57:04, Claire Gillard 57:18 and Clare Youngman 57:38, with Caroline Clark next in 58:44. Kelly Dean 1:00:08 and Cheryl Dunn 1:00:16 both broke the hour comfortably, followed by Shaz Sharples 1:01:15, Rebecca Beevers 1:01:43 and Char Lee 1:02:01, with Sophie Thomson close behind in 1:02:28 and Deb Skinner 1:02:46. Sam Galvin completed the main pack in 1:04:14, followed by Lucy Payne 1:05:03, Katie Gibbs and Katie Williams both recording 1:05:10, Lisa Sandford 1:06:54, Jayne Birbeck 1:07:58, Amanda Lacey 1:10:41, Tracey Taylor 1:11:58, Pip Shanklin 1:12:57, Sally Woodhouse 1:16:21 and Kay Shillabeer 1:17:35, rounding off a strong club performance across the field.

See all the results including team and age groups here: Ladies' 10K

Erme Valley Relays - Friday 26th June

The Erme Valley Relays returned on Friday 26th June 2026, once again starting and finishing at the Rugby Club in Ivybridge, with 84 teams completing the popular 2.5-mile relay course through the surrounding country lanes. The event was held in ideal conditions and produced some outstanding performances, with both the men’s and women’s fastest leg times broken on the night, along with a new men’s team course record. Congratulations go to Erme Valley Harriers’ men’s team for their record-breaking performance, while Will Battershill set the fastest overall leg in an impressive 11:35 and Annabel Arnold led the women with a superb 13:55.

As always, the relays are a regular and well-supported fixture on the Trotters calendar, and it was fantastic to see such a strong turnout again this year, with 11 teams representing the club. There were some excellent team performances across the categories, with the men’s V50 team of Roger Easterbrook, Steve Weeks, Julian Scanes and Phil Reynolds taking first place in 61:53. The women’s V35 team of Jo Randall, Debbie Elphick, Marnie Woodley and Laura Holland also secured first place in their category in 73:53, while the mixed senior team of Alex Sparkes, Chloe Weeks, Chloe Olford and George Tranckle put in a strong all-round performance to finish first in 56:53.

Full results are available here: Erme Valley Relays - Erme Valley Harriers

Martock 10K - Sunday 28th June

The Martock 10K took place on Sunday 28th June, showcasing a new predominantly flat route starting and finishing on the Recreation Ground in the Somerset village of Martock, North West of Yeovil. Conditions were bright but humid, making for a slightly challenging morning despite the promise of a quick course. The updated route proved popular, taking runners through the centre of Martock before passing the old start and finish at the Fire Station, then looping around quiet country roads and picturesque hamstone villages before returning to the Recreation Ground for the finish.

Three Teignbridge Trotters made the trip and all produced strong performances. Mike Jones continued his excellent form, clocking 44:14 and knocking an impressive 57 seconds off his previous best set at the 2024 Twilight 10K, finishing in 112th place. James Saunders led the Trotters home with a superb run of 41:33, finishing 65th overall and taking first place in the MV60 category. Mark Norgate, building towards the Manchester Marathon in October, ran a solid 59:29 to finish 477th, maintaining his steady progress in training.

More information available here: Martock 10k 2026 - A fast, flat 10k run in the heart of the South West

Rame Head Marathon & Bostcastle Scramble

A couple of weeks ago, Sue travelled down to Cornwall for the Rame Head Marathon, organised by Sportiva Events. The course consisted of four laps of just over 10 kilometres, taking runners along the stunning but unforgiving coastline from Cremyll to Cawsand before heading inland across the headland and back again. With the temperature rising and a relentless profile totalling around 4,000 feet of elevation, it proved to be a serious test of endurance. Sue described it as one of the toughest marathons she has completed to date, with the mix of heat, hills and repeated laps taking their toll, but the beautiful coastal scenery providing some reward for the effort.

Just two weeks later, Sue was back in action at the Purple Gecko “Boscastle Scramble,” a race that more than lived up to its fearsome reputation. Described by the race director as “extremely unforgiving” and set on a brutal stretch of coastal path, the event saw only 56 of the 72 starters make it to the finish. Conditions were once again challenging, with heat adding to the already punishing terrain, and a staggering 7,221 feet of elevation over the marathon distance. The course featured relentless steep climbs and descents, with countless steps and narrow, uneven paths making forward progress both physically and mentally demanding. At one point, Sue admits she came close to calling it a day at the halfway checkpoint, but showed tremendous resilience to push on. The second half offered little relief, with dry, overgrown trails concealing trip hazards and resulting in several stumbles along the way, although thankfully only one minor fall.

Despite completing the race in her slowest marathon time to date, this was undoubtedly one of Sue’s most hard-earned achievements. Her determination paid off in style as she was rewarded with first place in the FV60 category, a fantastic result on such a notoriously difficult course.

The Wales Marathon, Half, 10K & 5K - Sunday 28th June

The Wales Marathon Weekend once again delivered a fantastic festival of running, set against the stunning backdrop of Pembrokeshire with all events finishing in Tenby and its famous red-carpet run-in, creating a brilliant atmosphere for runners and spectators alike. With distances ranging from 5K through to the full marathon, the event continues to attract a strong field across all abilities, combining beautiful coastal scenery with a memorable race-day experience.

Don Brooks took on the full marathon as part of the Wales Long Course Weekend and produced an outstanding performance, finishing an impressive 5th overall and taking 1st place in the MV45-49 category in a superb time of 2:45:47. This result is believed to be a new Teignbridge Trotters age category course record and reflects a top-quality run against strong competition on a challenging course.

There was also success in the 5K, where Mel Brooks ran alongside her sons and delivered a strong performance to finish 6th female overall and 1st in the FV50 category in a time of 21:12. It was a great family occasion as well as another excellent result for the club.

You can find the various results on this link https://www.lcwwales.com/athletes/results/

And in other news....

Wednesday 17th June - Summer Solstice 2026

Roger Easterbrook took part in the latest round of the South West fell series near Princetown in misty murky weather. The nearly 10k course started uphill before crossing open moorland and the occasional tor.

The well supported low cost events attract club runners from across Devon and Cornwall, with hills, soft ground, and trip hazards guaranteed. 

Roger finished with a flourish, taking a few places in the latter stages, for 5th 1st MV50 (43mins).

Full results here: https://www.webscorer.com/racealldetails?raceid=436603

A huge thank‑you to everyone who contributed to this week’s race report.

To help keep things running smoothly, please send the contributions by 7pm each Sunday to Jo at press@teignbridgetrotters.co.uk.