Sidmouth Running Club (SRC) club ambassador Jo Pavey MBE started the Four Trigs 2019 running event from Port Royal on Sunday morning, writes Hamish Spence.
One hundred and seventeen runners, 31 of which were clean looking ‘Mighty Green’ members, all set off on a quest to stay firmly upright and on two feet!
I wonder how many achieved that after the deluge of rainfall from the night?
This event is organised by Marion and Robert Hayman. The event raises funds for the charity CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young).
For a small donation when the runners returned to the clubhouse, they were able to take advantage of a free 20-minute leg massage provided by Kate Truman and Michaela Miller.
So with donations and entry fees, the event made £1,870.50, which will go to CRY. Marion and Robert Hayman first heard of this charity after losing their son Jon, aged 27, six years ago.
They have been raising funds since then to provide screening in the local community. Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) was founded just over 20 years ago in 1995 and has become a leading national charity, striving to prevent young sudden cardiac death (yscd) through awareness, screening and research. CRY also provides a “bespoke” bereavement support programme for families and partners who have been tragically affected by the sudden death of a young person.
Marion and Robert would like to thank all the competitors for the spirit in which they ran the race.
They would also like to thank Hayman’s Butchers and Ian Winchester and Sons for sponsoring the race by providing the much-needed and appreciated pasties and bananas. They would also like to thank the marshals, and the ladies in the kitchen, for all their hard work and dedication. This event can only take place due to the goodwill of the volunteers.
Jo Pavey MBE gave the orders to start the 19th version of the Four Trigs at 09:30 on a windy Sunday in front of the Sailing Club on the seafront.
The competitors set off in an eastern route via Weston, and Buckton Beacon and then trek over to the High Peak Trigs, as well as that, there are all the hills in between. This year, due to the outbreak of equine flu, there was one area that was out of bounds, which meant a detour around Donkey Sanctuary land near Harcombe woods. This did cause some confusion with some runners.
Successfully avoiding problems with routes around the donkeys were Charlotte Forrer and a small group of friends Jess Trim and her sisters Nicky and Sophie Trim. Cathy Keast ran the whole route with a stinking cold, but kept going thanks to her home-baked Delia cookies. John Keast retained his title of the only runner to complete all 19 Four Trig races, keeping a smile on his face all the way around and back to the bar of Port Royal for a well-earned beverage.
Debbie Marriott had considered starting an hour earlier so she could complete the course. However, on the day her determination showed through and she started with the rest of the Mighty Greens and kept with them. Naomi Garrick spent her time chatting her way around the route to as many competitors as possible. Karen and Christine Farnham kept each other’s spirits high, choosing to slip, slide, wade and swim their way around.
Apparently they did also enjoy some of the running (the downhill bits). Don Cawthera’s training programme of running four miles to work and back again each day really paid off.
He must have covered over 20 miles on the day, going back and forth along the group of Mighty Greens, shepherding and encouraging them all the way around. Richard Summerhayes paid the price of starting off too quickly and by the time he got to the Donkey Sanctuary his legs had seized up; luckily Nick Read was on check point duty and gave him a lift back to the clubhouse.
Els Laureys was very pleased with her first Four Trigs run and was glad she took part in all the Sunday training sessions. Terry Bewes had set a five-hour time limit for himself to complete the course. It all was going so very well, until he and his running buddy, Helen Palmer, got to Harpford woods.
They decided to be a bit more adventurous and not to take a track that they had run many times before! Instead they took a path that they had not been on for years. This path ran out, was overgrown and they found themselves stuck and surrounded by gorse bushes, brambles and pine trees! It took them over 10 minutes to fight their way out to a path.
Quote of the day? That came from Marion Hayman, who said: “The first is last and the last is first.”
Terry Bewes was the first one to enter and the last to finish.
As for the results - congratulations must go to James Green, first man home in an amazing time of 2:15:00.
The first lady home was Elizabeth Kendon, who finished in a time of 2:52:00 and to the youngest runners Samuel Kelly, (U23), who came in third and Floyd Ratcliffe (U21), who came in fifth.
The first Sidmouth runner back was Mark Soutar, finishing 12th in a time of 2:43:04.
The other Sidmouth runners to complete the run, with their finish spots were: Tim Mitchell (27), John Keast (34), Jim Forrer (37), David Chipping (39), Ross Walton (47), Catherine Hilton (50), Martin Truman (55), Charlotte Forrer (57), Jess Trim (58), Sophie Trim (60), Simon Stokes (63), Simon Hollyer (64), Claire Ashby (65), Rocker Shepard (82), Naomi Garrick (91), Sue Collman (97), Dave Palmer (99), Els Laureys (101), Christine Farnham (101), Karen Farnham (102), Sarah Watkins (103), Cathy Keast (104), Monica Read (105), Debbie Marriot (106), Don Cawthera (107), Richard King (108), Kaylee Hawkins (113), Helen Palmer (114), Terry Bewes 114).
Retired - Richard Summerhouse.
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