Over the past weekend in May, eight Exmouth Harriers ran in some of the toughest running events in the south-west.

Westcountry Flat 50

Lisa Hatchard competed in this 52-mile ultra race from Taunton to Minehead the long way! The first 27 miles were flat, but this didn't make it necessarily any easier.

A quick first 11 miles along the canal path to Bridgwater followed by the next seven miles along the River Parrett with a tough, deeply rutted concrete hard surface made from tractor wheels.

The second hilly half of the race included 2,000 feet of ascent was made all the harder by hot sunshine, pebbled then sandy sections, steep climbs and a feisty bucking donkey to contend with! Lisa finished superbly in 11 hours 55 minutes and she was the 2nd Lady finisher overall. 

Jurassic Coast Challenge, Dorset

Kate Baker ran this trail 28.17-mile ‘marathon’ along the Jurassic Coast, starting at the iconic Corfe Castle and finishing in Weymouth. This is a particularly spectacular part of the World Heritage coastline offering marvellous views at Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door with plenty of ups and downs, including over 4,500 feet of elevation gain. Kate finished in a fantastic time of 7 hours and 31 minutes.

REDs May Challenge

Chris Murrin completed his 114th & 115th Marathons in the REDs (Running Events Devon) May Challenge on the Exmouth to Budleigh Trail over the weekend of May 13 & 14. Chris not only finished the 33-mile event in 5 hours 11 minutes on Saturday but he did the 33-mile event again on Sunday, finishing in 5 hours 17 minutes; an amazing 66 miles in just under 10 hours 30 minutes.

Chris said afterwards: “I think the training I’m putting in for the 100-miler later in the year is paying off.” Chris will be running his 116th marathon in the White Star running event in Wiltshire in two weeks time and, just to add something extra, he’ll be running in their Dark 10km the night before.

Exmouth Journal: Chris Murrin completing the REDs May Challenge in Exmouth

Britain’s Ocean City Festival of Running in Plymouth

Scott Jamieson was 10th overall out of 866 finishers and he was 3rd M40 to finish in the undulating 10km race that started and finished on the Hoe. Scott was also 3rd finisher in the Royal Navy championships held within the event.

Andy Place opted for the longer distance in Plymouth, tackling the 13.1-miles of the 1/2 Marathon. Andy was pleased to finish 430th out of over 2,150 finishers in 1.48.36 after recovering from a recent illness.

Exmouth Journal: Andy Place in the Plymouth 1/2 Marathon

Weston Super 1/2 Marathon

Claire Sorensen was the only Harrier to run in the 1/2 Marathon in Weston-super-Mare. The race started from Marine Parade at the entrance to The Grand Pier. The course took in many areas of Weston-super-Mare, the surrounding picturesque Somerset villages and countryside in a single lap.

The pièce de résistance was a totally unique opportunity to finish a quarter of a mile out to sea on Weston's Grand Pier. Claire said at the finish “I really enjoyed the course although the last 4 miles were a bit bumpy, but I did manage to get a personal best time by a minute or so in 1:57:32, which was a nice surprise.”

Crediton Crunch

Simon Minting and Jimmy Joy raced in this multi-terrain event that was approximately 10km long and is 90% off road with footpaths, mowed grassland, private parkland and some quiet country roads. Most of the first half of the run was on the Devonshire Heartland Way.

Following on from his recent victory in the Exmouth LME 1/2 Marathon Simon, ran a superb race to finish in 2nd place overall and was 1st M40 finisher in 39.28 with Jimmy continuing his recent marvellous form finishing in 45.56 and he was 2nd M60.

Overall, a very impressive weekend of running from the Exmouth Harriers and a great start to the summer season.