The expected reports from Scotland from Sidmouth Running club members have been conspicuous by their absence.

The expected reports from Scotland have been conspicuous by their absence, but some news of the Edinburgh Marathon has filtered down through the border. It was held last Sunday which as we know was very warm but reports of 80 degrees in Edinburgh must have made it very uncomfortable. The course is reputed to be a fast one in that the first section is largely downhill with the rest being more or less flat. On the other hand, there is no easy marathon and, in that heat, many of the runners struggled. David Palmer, for example, has been hampered by injury for several months now but ,having entered was determined to see it through to the end. His half way time of 1.44 was, under the circumstances very impressive, but the conditions and lack of training brought him back to earth and a finish time of 4.02.05 was way off his best. In total contrast, his wife, Helen, ably supported by the Friday Group, has been clocking up the miles religiously and ran a very steady 4.15.00. I imagine that she felt considerably better at the end than her shattered husband. Another interesting run was produced by one of our most recent new members but a familiar face in local distance running. Jo Earlam, despite the long downhill at the start, ran negative splits. In other words, she ran the second half two minutes faster than the first. A lot of top runners do that but it is unusual amongst your average club members who traditionally fade quite badly towards the end of a long race. We are suitably impressed. Her time was 4.28.55.l It was also warm on Tuesday evening, but more pleasantly so, for the Michelmores' Charity 5k through Exeter City centre from the start in front of the cathedral and finishing in the grounds of the Imperial Hotel. It is a surprisingly difficult run with sharp turns and little undulations all the way but very different from your average road race and more welcome because of that. The emphasis is on having a good time and the 1,200 or so runners certainly had that as soon as they finished. Food and drink flowed freely, whilst a Jazz band kept everyone entertained on the lawn until the late hours. Adrian Organ led the Sidmouth runners home with John Perratt, Roger Trivett and Bill Valentine in hot pursuit. The girls, Jill Trivett, Sarah Watkins and Di Collett took a more relaxed approach on the run, leaving more energy for the party afterwards. Our thanks go to Michelmores for their charity work and support of the running community.