Last Sunday, four members of Sidmouth Running Club turned out for the Fulfords Five, a five-mile race at Exmouth.

It was an unusual event for the Mighty Greens as it involved no mud and running shoes remaining dry from start to finish.

The race has been run since the mid 1980s and is hosted by Exmouth Harriers. It is billed as one of the first road races of the year for the serious runner to get out their racing shoes, but at five miles long, it also is an event first-time runners can take part in.

The race starts and finishes in the market square and involves two laps of the esplanade and the town centre. Although mainly flat, each lap consists of a climb up from the seafront, which is as nothing in Devon terms, but seems particularly hard in such a short race with a bit of pace.

This year saw 326 runners lining up and amongst them there was the welcome sight of Colin Flood making his return after not having raced for over a year and, as ever, finishing looking as fresh as a daisy.

Graham ‘Rocker’ Sheppard was also out, taking a break from his Four Trigs training to break in his new running shoes in readiness for next weekend’s big event.

One of the Sidmouth four, Rob Edwards said: “It was a great event, superbly organised by Exmouth Harriers.

“If you like running, but are not too keen on mud, this is a perfect way to spend an hour or so on a Sunday morning in February.”

The times for the four Sidmouth runners were: Rob Edwards 39:35; Graham ‘Rocker’ Sheppard 40:00; Jo Earlam 46:07 and Colin Flood 47:09.