The forecast was not great but conditions were good for the Colyton Fiver last weekend - nippy enough to get the runners moving quickly but the icy rain kept off and the wind, although gusting strongly, was manageable.

The forecast was not great but conditions were good for the Colyton Fiver last weekend - nippy enough to get the runners moving quickly but the icy rain kept off and the wind, although gusting strongly, was manageable. The race is well established as a fundraiser for the BBC Children in Need appeal and was originally a two and a half lap 10k that required a long trek across the fields to the start. Now shortened to five miles, it has two laps with the start and finish right outside the sports pavilion and much improved for both runners and spectators as a result. An unusual hazard presented itself though, in the shape of the Seaton Tram. Making its way to Colyton it held young Jess Watkins up for a short while whilst the one going the other way enabled Colin Flood to take a quick breather. Undeterred Jess added another club record to her collection and it took a sprint finish from top vet Bob Minting to beat her by a few seconds. She is improving rapidly and was second lady overall. Roger Trivett also set off as if he meant serious business and was just behind Jess until an old injury kicked in about halfway through the first lap. He hobbled round for a bit and intended to pull out but, finding himself more comfortable at a gentle pace, carried on. He pulled back many of the places he had lost, finishing within sight of Mick Allen who had a very good race, just creeping in under the 40 minutes. Roger reckoned that the atmosphere was much more congenial at the back with the likes of Chris Long, Andy Concannon, Brian Gosling and Sarah (Jess's mum) Watkins. Included in that happy group were Jane and David Skinner together all the way. Shaun Tipton on the other hand ran a shrewd race, never losing sight of Bill Valentine, then coming round the last corner put in a tremendous sprint that Bill couldn't match. In fact it is likely that his time over the last 400m was close to the quickest of the day.With the two races starting together, Ellie Stone and Georgie Hanson held their own in the melee as the gun went off and took the first two places in their fun run category and were delighted to finish their race before a lot of the five milers had completed their first lap. Full results for the Sidmouth runners with times and positions in brackets were:Bob Minting 32.49 (20); Jess Watkins 32.55 (21); John Perratt 36.09 (43); Colin Flood 37.32 (49); Shaun Tipton 39.10 (58); Bill Valentine 39.15 (59); Mick Allen 39.55 (66); Roger Trivett 41.10 (76); Chris Long 41.13 (77); Andy Concannon 41.37 (79); Brian Gosling 41.39 (80); Sarah Watkins 41.50 (82); Jane and David Skinner 51.29 (137, 138).Congratulations must also go to Richard Hedger for completing the Nice-Cannes Marathon and Jane Hemsworth the Cornish Marathon. Richard has now set his sights on another marathon - in Rome - whilst Jane, together with Bev Tarry, is getting really carried away and has signed up for the 50-mile Oxford to Henley Ultra Marathon. No one can argue that running doesn't broaden your horizons!