Sidmouth Running Club members Kirsteen Welch, Kate Marriott and Toby Garrick competed in the South West Cross Country Championships near Yeovil on the first Sunday of January, writes Hamish Spence.

Sidmouth Herald: Toby Garrick and Kate Marriott after the had run their races at the South West Cross Country Championships. Picture SIDMOUTH RUNNING CLUBToby Garrick and Kate Marriott after the had run their races at the South West Cross Country Championships. Picture SIDMOUTH RUNNING CLUB (Image: Archant)

Kirsteen Welch had a fantastic race, running at an average pace of 6.05 minute miles.

She took this championship by the scruff and went for it, gaining a podium finish on two accounts.

She was the third (bronze) senior woman and first Devon lady (gold for the county). Watch this space, as she will be heading for the nationals very soon.

Wearing his Mighty Green (MG) shirt and running with the Devon team was Toby Garrick.

The conditions were good underfoot for the 5.6-mile route; however, there were some deceptively steep hills.

Toby did very well, coming 21st out of 165 (which included senior men) and in sixth position in the U20. Toby has been training very hard, so he was happy with his performance (averaging a 5.38 min/mile).

Also, he was thrilled to be on the podium with the Devon team, which came second overall. He is now looking forward to taking part in the nationals again.

Kate Marriott, who took part with the Devon team, came in 49th overall and will also be taking part in the nationals.