SIDMOUTH RUNNING CLUB members the Grierson family had a busy weekend, writes John Perratt.

Kit and Grey went on Saturday to the British Schools Orienteering Score Championships at Kingsbury Water Park, West Midlands with their team from The King’s School, Ottery St Mary.

Orienteering is a bit like cross country running except that it requires a bit more skill as competitors are handed maps with various checkpoints marked. They then have to find these on the ground and are awarded points for each checkpoint visited with penalties for taking too long to find them - or running too slowly.

Grey won the Individual prize for the first Under 17 boy whilst Kit was second in the Under 19s. These results were then put into the Upper Secondary Team category along with the other members of the Kings’ team which included Zak Francis who came 16th in his age category. With six runners to count it was a real team effort and the school was well rewarded with a brilliant third place.

The next day, Kit had to go to work and Zak stayed in bed but Grey went along to the Cotleigh Canter and ran a sub 40 minute 10k finishing in fourth place. The younger Griersons, not to be outdone, took part in, and dominated, the 3k Fun Run with young Flurry, not yet 10, winning the race and big sister, Dulcie, being the first girl and third overall.

Bill Valentine, struggling to get back to form, competed in the 3k, his first race for some time, and so it was good to see him again.

The rest of us followed Grey Grierson home in the 10k with Shaun Tipton easing his way comfortably past John Perratt, both of them knocking around 90 seconds off their Woodbury 10k times, more a reflection of the two courses rather than any increase in effort.

John Doherty in contrast improved his time in last year’s race by nearly two minutes so he was pleased with that. Trudy Lestor hung in with him for most of the race and now has a 10k time of 55.02 to beat. She is improving rapidly so that shouldn’t take long.