Sidmouth Running Club member David Skinner competed in the 5-mile Prusty Plod run at Stoke Gabriel, writes Hamish Spence.

With the heat dial set very high it was a relief to head away from the football club.

The first section was downhill and then along the cooler shoreline of the River Dart. However, on damp, sea-weedy rocks, great care had to be taken as it was slippery.

David managed to get past this area without any dramas.

However, the downside of the first half of the race being downhill, was that it was up and up again, onto fields and into tracks and lanes to the finish line and this was the problem.

David was now flagging in the heat and as he ran along a narrow track, he caught his foot on a tree root and fell.

Fortunately and uncharacteristically for David, this fall resulted in mostly hurt pride, with a few small scratches.

Undeterred, he got up, dusted himself down and continued to the end. He crossed the finish-line back at the Stoke Gabriel Football ground in a time of 66 minutes and four seconds before receiving a very refreshing cup of cider, a medal and a hearty bacon bap.