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Fit for a King

Louise Rawlins, Jeremy Slade and Vicki Wraight completed a leg of the King Charles III Challenge and it was certainly a tough leg – 50k from Abbotsbury to Branscombe with more than 5000 feet elevation gain! It was a hot day on Sunday but the trio were rewarded with stunning views of the Jurassic coastline.

Organised by Albion Running to raise funds for RNLI, runners were able to choose a 50k segment from around the English coast.  The three AVRs chose to stay local and not only completed their challenge but also rescued a dog that had fallen over the cliff.

 

Haselbury trail 10k

The Haselbury trail race is a very scenic 2 lap cross country evening run which was held last Wednesday. The event has been run since 1989 starting and finishing at the North Perrott Cricket Club Pavilion in Somerset.  Runners are rewarded with a whisky glass as a memento!

Karen Eyre was fifth woman, first F45, in 48:54 with Eleanor Wood, 64th overall in 52:28 and an impressive first F55.

Kerry Board finished in 49:33, 45th overall followed by Ian Kinnersley in 59th, 51:51; Richard Matthews, 83rd in 54:06; and Dawn Carrah in 116th in 59:34.  There were 176 finishers.

Run Exe 5k

Matt Frost took part in the flat, fast 5k along Exmouth seafront on Tuesday evening coming away with a shiny new PB of 17:39.

Seaton parkrun and beyond

It was a windy morning in Seaton on Saturday for parkrun where Emilie Brock finishing third female in 22:06.  Mike Wadsworth was second on age-grade in 77% for his 21:51. There were PBs for Mark Parsons in 25:16; Helen Boehm continued her impressive streak of PBs with 31:22; and Shirley Goy, also on a roll, with 33:09.

Out on the road, John Whitaker continued his north east tour with Durham parkrun; Andy West was back home to complete Aylesbury parkrun; Debbie Whiston did Penrhyn parkrun in Bangor; Carolyn Nation took part in Lands End parkrun while Alan Sealey tackled Netley Abbey parkrun in Southampton and Sidney Heaslip ran Crewe parkrun.

Down on the Farm!

On Saturday evening the 75th running of the Shaves Cross mini marathon saw a great turnout for AVR.  It is part of a whole weekend of celebrations down on the farm at Shaves Cross in Dorset.  The 5-mile run goes up and down the hills using tracks and paths in the heart of Marshwood Vale.   It a low-key, friendly event with ‘old-school’ timing meaning no official times, just positions! The event raises money for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance as well as some local charities.

In the race AVR’s Debbie Whiston was first female, 11th overall and Matt Clist was third and first M40.  Karen Eyre was first F50.  A total of 76 runners completed the race which was followed by a barbecue.

Wessex 10k

In hot and sticky conditions on Friday evening Fiona Seward ran the Wessex 10k at Somerton in Somerset.  It was a flat, multi-terrain event running through the stunning Somerset Levels countryside.  She finished 177th in 1:02:42. More than 260 completed the race.

Seaton parkrun and beyond

On a lovely sunny morning conditions were excellent so there was another big turnout in Seaton with 333 finishers.  First to finish was Ritchie Durrant in 17:20 and with an excellent PB and fourth on age-grade was Mike Wadsworth in 21:51. There were also PBs for Hayley Potter in 31:31 and Shirley Goy in 34:05.

It was pacer week with many AVRs on pacing duty including Keith Agland who also celebrated reaching his 250 parkrun milestone; a tremendous achievement.

Out on the road, John Whitaker completed Darlington South Park parkrun; Liz Curley ran Brandon Country Park parkrun in Suffolk while Jon Day and Paul Johns took part in Marine Parade in Weston-Super-Mare and Adrianne and Anthony Mullins enjoyed Sharpham Estate parkrun.  Up in Hull, Andy Goy completed his best time this year at Peter Pan parkrun.

Lapping up the Lakeland Fells

Patrick Devine-Wright and Pat Kinsella both completed ultras in the Lake District this weekend. The Montane Lakeland 50 and 100 are described as the UK’s premier trail races.  The two events certainly take place over some of most challenging but most spectacular scenery in the country. The circular 100-mile route encompasses the whole of the Lakeland fells, and includes in the region of 6300m of ascent using public bridleways and footpaths. The route starts in Coniston and heads south before completing a clockwise loop which takes in the Dunnerdale fells, Eskdale, Wasdale and Buttermere before arriving in Keswick. From here the route heads to Matterdale and continues over to Haweswater before returning via Kentmere, Ambleside and Elterwater to the finish at Coniston.

The Lakeland 50 is run over the second half of the Lakeland 100 Ultra Tour of the Lake District, completing the final 50 miles of the 100-mile course so is still an incredibly tough ask.

Patrick Devine-Wright went large and tackled the 100-mile option. The distance is actually 105 miles and he finished in 26 hours, 6 minutes which placed him 32nd and second M50 of some 750 who started out on the Friday evening.

Pat Kinsella went for the 50-mile option, which starts on the Saturday morning near Penrith.  It may be ‘half of the course’ but it’s still almost double the distance of a marathon and on rough terrain with approximately 3100m of ascent and Pat finished in just over 14 hours.

Four run five at the Flyer

On Saturday evening four AVRs ran the Haldon Forest Flyer. A five-mile run on the trails through Haldon Forest offering spectacular views across to Dartmoor and back to the city of Exeter, it is organised by Haldon Trail Runners.  There is a sting in the tail with just under a mile of steep climb to the finish line.

First AVR home was Kerry Board, 26th in 37:35, followed by Cory Schultz in 63rd in 44:02; Sarah Coates, 67th in 44:15 and Jess Board, 80th in 46:45.  A total of 140 completed the race.

Seaton parkrun and beyond

There was a huge turnout on a warm and sunny morning in Seaton with 341 finishers.  First to finish was Matt Clist in 17:01with Debbie Whiston second female in 20:54. Eleanor Wood was first on age-grade with a tremendous 89.7% for her 23:38.

Rupert Pady continues his fine streak of results with a PB of 20:16 and there were also PBs for David Long, 20:45 and Shirley Goy in 34:34.  Simon Freathy celebrated his 100th milestone event while Liz Slade volunteered for the 150th time.

Out on the road, Haydn Boehm and Louise Rawlins tackled the hill at Ashton Court parkrun; Susi and David Sadler enjoyed Nant y Pandy parkrun on Anglesey while Helen Boehm completed Poole parkrun and Jon Day and Paul Johns continued their tour of Devon parkrun events with Tamar Lakes.