Thirteen members of Farnham Runners travelled to Seaton, Devon, to take part in The Grizzly and The Cub multi-terrain races organised by Axe Valley Runners.

Some members chose to make a whole weekend of it, travelling to Devon on the Friday and doing Seaton parkrun on the Saturday morning followed by The Grizzly on the Sunday morning.

The races start on the seafront at Seaton and take runners up along the cliffs through the village of Beer then on to Branscombe beach. 

Here the route splits, the Cub runners turning back along the shingle beach towards Seaton and on to the cliff tops via the infamous ‘Stairway to Heaven’ path. 

The Grizzly runners follow an undulating inland loop before returning to Branscombe beach and following the same route as the Cub to complete 20 miles in total.

Weather conditions were unusually kind this year.

The sea was flat calm and there was no wind even on the cliff tops. Because of the lack of rain, signs warned of ‘sharp stones’ rather than mud. However, the famous bog had been kept topped up with water so Grizzly runners still had the pleasure of wading through knee-deep mud followed by a steep, slippery ascent where they had to pull themselves up on a chain.

Runners were encouraged along the way by drummers, bagpipes, pirates and numerous cheerful marshals with enthusiastic crowd support from the villages of Beer and Branscombe as well as in Seaton itself. 

The local fire service was ready at the finish to provide a welcome hose down of muddy shoes and legs!

First home for Farnham Runners in The Grizzly was Nick Grist in 3:06.48, followed by John Hill Venning in 3:09.58. Next came Ivan Chunnett in 3:45.41, just ahead of Andy Brown in 3:49.44, Lindsay Bamford in 4:16.15, and James Goodwin in 4:22.22. Clair and Steve Bailey, Collette Grist and Kate Townsend enjoyed a sociable run together, recording a time of 4:47.

In the Cub race Farnham Runners were led home by Kay Copeland in 1:51.33, followed by Howard Inns in 2:03.34 and Jacquie Brown in 2:33.52.

This excellent race, which is well supported, is becoming a strong favourite in the running club’s calendar. They will be back next year!

The flooding on the roads on the way down to Salisbury on Sunday, March 26 did not bode well for having dry feet at the end of the Hampshire Road Race League race. However, by 10am better conditions and good drainage prevailed and the roads were mostly clear for the 828 runners who took part.

The race is the eighth in the road race league, with four remaining. The next one  is closer to home in Alton, next month.

There were plenty of other races to choose from on the same day so the club numbers were a bit lower than usual. 

With the upcoming London Marathon, some runners chose Cranleigh 21 or Fleet Half to use as a training run. Eleven members of Farnham Runners took part in Salisbury 10.

The race features quiet roads, a few undulating hills and lovely views of the cathedral on the return route.

The first mile wound through the outskirts of the city, before opening up on to small country roads. The route essentially followed the River Avon for five miles before returning on the north side of the river.

There were various supporters on the route, ringing cattle bells as the runners passed. Three water stations were provided and there were numerous St John Ambulance points.

First back for the club was a fairly new member, Rob Baker, in a personal best 1:06.33. He came 108th overall. Next up was Emma Pearson with another personal best, in an excellent 1:08.41 – she was sixth in her age bracket.

Tony Jones ran with Emma and finished 11th in his age group in 1:08.43. Sam Angell put in a superb performance, finishing in 1:10.05. Richard Denby cruised along the course, chatting happily to other runners. He finished in a superb 1:13.42. 

Next was Louise Granell in 1:16.45, practising her pacing for London. 

Ivan Chunnett used this race as his final training run before the Brighton marathon. He kept a steady pace throughout, finishing in 1:18.49.

Back from injury and improving every time, John Phillips completed the course in 1:20.02. Andy Brown and Chris Raby, who were also running the Brighton marathon, took a ‘relaxed’ approach to the race, finishing in 1:27.24 and 1:27.25 respectively. Chris Gill finished in an excellent 1:32.22.

The ladies’ team are in equal sixth place with Denmead Striders in the league standings. The men’s team are ninth.

Since the first event in 1982, thousands of runners have completed the Fleet half marathon, which has become the highlight of the year’s sporting calendar in the town and the surrounding area. 

The course is gently undulating with personal-best potential and it is always well organised by Fleet and Crookham AC.

Despite being the start of spring, the morning of this Sunday, March 26 race was a very wet one. However, the rain eased off for the race itself, and with only a gentle breeze conditions were generally good for the 1,758 runners, following a new course for this year.

There were six members of Farnham Runners representing the club. First to finish was Stuart Taylor in 1:26.26. 

James Goodwin followed the 1:40 pacers to get a personal best time of 1:40.14. Next came Linda Tyler in 1:41.35 for the F60 third place. 

Paul Mackie followed in 1:47.06, Howard Inns in 2:03.13 and Amanda Muir in 2:09.26. Former Farnham Runners member Ali Hardaway travelled from Wales for the race, completing it in 1:44.14.

Linda Tyler has recently returned from Japan where she completed the Tokyo Marathon in 3:46.45 and finally earned the coveted Six Stars Medal for completing all six of the World Major Marathons.

Other members of Farnham Runners took part in Cranleigh 21, which is a mixture of rural roads, Down Link trail and a disused railroad. It is billed as a good long-run training option in the build up to the London marathon.

The 21 miles consisted of three seven-mile laps. Chris Matthews was first home for the club and placed second overall, in an excellent 2:17.29. He also completed the fastest lap in his age category on his third time round. 

Next back was men’s captain Justin Clarke in 3:03.50. 

Colette Grist used the race as part of her ultra-marathon training – she completed the 21 miles in 3:44.01. 

Craig Tate-Grimes finished in 3:47.37. Frances Letherbridge finished the 14-mile loop in first place in her age category in 2:21.46.

Louise Granell