Rose Cullimore (first lady) and Lesley Nesbitt (3rd age graded lady)
at Babcary Road Race
8th March 2010
Sunday saw Rose Cullimore's hot streak of form continue as she followed up a win at the Babcary road race by romping to victory in the Ladies race at the Combe St Nicholas 10km, taking on the hills to finish in 16th place overall and a time of 45m14. Ahead of Rose, Steve March had led the Yeovil team home with an excellent second place as he finished in 38m23, whilst Simon Rowbottom (48m49) showed that the marathon training is paying off as he held off the dual challenge of Andy Windram and Jack Frost (both 50m00). Nigel Moysey (50m56) and Adam Hawkins (72m11) both completed the course.
There was a longer challenge in store for the Yeovil runners taking part in the Grizzly - a 20 mile jaunt around the coast at Seaton. Fantastic weather meant the bogs were perhaps a little less glutinous that usual, but everything else was superb, which led to strong runs by the Yeovil contingent. Paul Rose took up the latest fashion for bare foot running, albeit not by choice as one of the soles of his trusted fell shoes ripped off with 6 miles still to go, including two stretches of beach, but he held on to finish in the top 30 and a time of 2hr48. Not far behind, Martin and Lin Lascelles both finished in the top 100 runners for the first time, with Martin in 58th and Lin picking up the trophy for third lady in 96th overall. For both Lascelles, the Grizzly came just days after both recorded personal best times at the 3km in Exeter, Martin finishing in 10m45 ahead of Lin's 11m39.
Fred Fox finished in about 3hr19, with the battle between Steve Sparks, Andy Scard and Gary Henshaw raging behind him, whilst Andy Margrett held off the challenge of Richard Dodge and Andrew Merrick. The Club's second claim members both ran well - Rachel Hayton in the colours of Crewkerne RC and Andy Goodman in Dorset Doddlers blue - with Jody Foy, Martin Stacey and Sue Fox all finishing the tough course.
At the Bath Half Marathon Yeovil colours were worn with pride, and Tina Cullen and Mel Dodge overcame training run disasters to finish the 13.1 course. Tina was very pleased as, "I beat Scooby Doo, a teddy, a gorilla, and a pair of giant breasts, and came in about 15 mins under my predicted time based on the pace I've been achieving of late - I was even able to run up the hills!" Mel finished in 02:39:22 ahead of Tina's 02:43:45. Liz Collins survived the scrum on the recreation rugby pitch to finish in a time of 2hr27m 27sec.
At the Southbourne "Fast and Flat" 10k new club member Terry Byrne was the sole Yeovil runner and finished in 92nd position in 47m21, a time hampered by the strong wind on the way back to the finish.
There are still places available for the Sherborne Castles 10km being held this Sunday, with the race starting at 11am. The course takes in a scenic tour of the Sherborne Castle estate, with just a couple of "little" hills - and with luck the daffodils will be out in time! Details can be found on www.yeoviltownrrc.com The organising Yeovil Town Road Running Club are looking at other options for 2011 so this may be your last chance! All proceeds from the race are donated to local charities by the Rotary Club of Sherborne Castles.
The Yeovil Club will be helping out at the Sport Relief Mile that takes place at Yeovil Recreation Field on Sunday 21st March at 11am, and there are 3 mile and 6 mile races in addition to the main event, The Mile. Online registration is now full, but you can enter on the day for a donation to Sport Relief.
If you want to celebrate the coming of Spring, the Yeovil Town Road Running Club's sister venture, the Ham Hill Hash House Harriers (H5) will be organising a joint "Spring Forward Hash Run" with the Taunton Hash. Hash running is good fun - it is like the old "paperchase", with a pack of "hounds" following a trail of flour laid by "hares" and always the possibility of a jelly baby stop on route! This will meet at the Warden's station at the top of Ham Hill at 11am, with a 5 mile course laid out with plenty of false trails, and all are welcome - phone Martin Chaffey on 07929 054576 for details.
Rose Cullimore (first lady) and Lesley Nesbitt (3rd age graded lady)
at Babcary Road Race
2nd March 2010
It has been a busy week for Yeovil Town Road Runners Martin and Lin Lascelles, who have travelled across the country to compete in two very different events. At the Sussex Beacon Half marathon, Martin ran an excellent 1hr25m53, despite appalling weather conditions - including 3 - 4 miles along the coast into the teeth of a gale - and finished as 3rd Male Veteran 50 in a field of over 6000. Fantastic! His wife Lin also ran well for her time of 1hr33m56. Just days later, the two of them were in action again, this time at the Dalwood Three Hills in Devon, and Martin again had a storming run to finish in 12th overall (1hr22m56), despite several river crossings, a lot of mud and of course the infamous 3 (and a half) hills. Lin was a trophy winner, picking up the prize for 1st Female Veteran 40 (1hr29m03). Yeovil Town team mate Richard Dodge also completed the tough course in a time of 1hr36m02.
Sunday saw the latest running of the Babcary Road Race, a 7.5 mile course around the roads of the Somerset village. Sam Harvey ran superbly to lead home the Yeovil Town team, finishing in 50m47, ahead of Paul Price (51m38), but pride of place on the day went to Rose Cullimore, whose time of 53m15 was enough to take the win in the Ladies race - and to beat Tim Hawkins, who was on a "recovery run" but still finished well up the field in a time of 55m00. Gareth Ashmead 955m08) finished just behind Tim, holding off local man and former Yeovil member Roger Marriage (55m14), and there was a decent battle between Simon Rowbottom (57m23) and Andy Tudor ( 57m27). Nigel Moysey enjoyed the race to finish in 58m43, ahead of Brian Mountjoy-Row (1hr00m54), whilst in the battle of the Club's ladies, Jo Waites (1h01m14) and Lesley Nesbitt (1hr01m52) held off Annie Ashmead (1hr03m13). Caroline Watts finished in 1hr13m57 as she kept clear of the tussle between Katie Pearce (1hr22m23) and Adam Hawkins (1hr24m24).
22nd February 2010
Members of the Yeovil Town Road Running Club have been busy again, and there was success for the men's team at the Wessex League Cross-Country fixture at Ham Hill. Dickie Wythe (38m39) headed team mate Steve March (39m04) in the battle for 3rd and 4th place, with Richard Boulter (42m26) just behind in 8th place, and together the three men won the Team prize. Pete Jakeman finished in 12th place and a time of 46m20, ahead of Chris Williams' 16th (49m18) and Graham Watts who crossed the line in 24th place as the Yeovil B team finished in 5th place in the team standings.
Paul Rose continued his build up to London Marathon by taking part in the Bramley 20, organised by the Reading Road Runners. Unfortunately a touch of stomach cramp in the last five miles hampered his performance but he still finished in a time of 2hr14m03.
From the roads of Reading to the hills of Somerset, and the latest running of the Hestercombe Humdinger near Taunton. Derek Comer made the most of local knowledge (and resisted to temptation to stop at home as the course ran past his door!) to lead the Yeovil team home in 1hr10m11, whilst Rose Cullimore (1hr10m56) won trophies for both 5th lady and leading Female Veteran 35 - but the greater accolade was beating 20 year old nephew Sam Harvey, who finished in 1hr13m36! Rose said that, "It was the first time I've done this race and it was really good - the down hills were harder than the up hills!" Rod Appleby was suffering with a bad back which held him back, but completed the 9 mile hilly course in 1hr15m49, ahead of Malcolm Maxted (1hr20m18) and Brian Mountjoy-Row (1hr25m57), and Lynn Dunbar finished in 1hr48.
There was a run out for the Ham Hill Hash House Harriers around Montacute, with St Michael's Tower an ever present target for the runners. The next run of the Ham Hill Hash will be on Sunday 28th March at 11am meeting on the top of Ham Hill - all are welcome. See Club Runs page for details.
14th February 2010
The runners of the Yeovil Town Road Running Club have been busy again, with a strong team heading over to Street for the latest run of the Winter 5km Series on Wednesday evening. Yeovil member Dickie Wythe had a cracking run in the colours of Wells City for second place and a time of 18m12, just ahead of team mate Pete Darton (4th in 18m22) and the first Yeovil vest across the line, that of Martin Lascelles (5th, 18m25). Sam Harvey followed up ninth place in the January race with an improvement to 8th overall, finishing in 19m16, whilst Pete Jakeman recorded a time of 20m00 as he won a sprint to the line with Wells City chairman Paul Chadwick. Steve Sparks (20m14) held off the fast finishing Lin Lascelles, third lady in 20m30, whilst Rose Cullimore enjoyed the 5 lap race as she crossed the line in 21m35 to head off team mates Andy Tudor (22m02) and Simon Rowbottom (22m40). Lesley Nesbitt warmed up for the Inca Trail race as she finished in 24m55, ahead of evergreen Brian Mountjoy-Row (25m40), and Flora Brooke (28m07) kept clear of the tussle between Caroline Watts (28m43) and Adam Hawkins (29m30), with Liz Collins (41m40) completing the course.
Lining up for the start of the "Nightrunner"
Saturday evening saw the temperatures drop - and the runners come out in force, as more than 100 keen souls assembled atop the cliffs at Beer in Devon to take on an eight mile cross country course ... in pitch dark! A motley group of Yeovil runners were included amongst the throng, with Lin Lascelles in Maiden Newton grey, Andy Goodman in Dorset Doddlers blue and Martin Chaffey in shorts and T-shirt despite the cold, and all enjoyed the challenge of a course that included a river crossing, several big hills and nearly a mile across the beach before tackling the fabled "Stairway to Heaven". Lin Lascelles led the team home , avenging her defeat on Wednesday evening as she beat Pete Jakeman. Andy Goodman ran well, whilst Martin Chaffey, Richard Dodge and Debbie Neal completed the event as a team, crossing the line together with Kim and Linda of Crewkerne who were picked up along the way!
A team of three "Dorset boys" from the Yeovil club travelled to Gloucestershire on Sunday morning to take on the Dursley Dozen, a tough event at which the last hill is famously so steep that you need a rope to get up! Mark Hann led the way, finishing in 75th place and time of 1hr36, whilst Jon Rowe paced his protege Tony Watts round to finish together in 2hr02.
James Denne of Exeter Harriers
wins the Inca Trail in 48m15
Happy Valentine's Day, darling - how about running 8 miles in the mud around Ilchester? That was the innocent question asked in many households, and 77 people were given the go ahead by their loved ones and took to the start line. James Denne of the Exeter Harriers ran a storming race to win in 48m15 despite a quick dip in the mud ahead of Yeovil Town's Paul Levick, second in 51m10, and Ian Shelley (51m54) held off the challenge of Noel Murphy (52m19). Paul Newman of Team Bath took a break from film making to finish as the leading Male Veteran in 53m56, ahead of Shaun Callaghan, the Steepholme Pirate, took the male veteran 40 title in 54m48. David James won the Junior Male prize in 1hr01m43, with South West Road Runner Robert Millward top male veteran 60 in 1hr05m26.
Naiomi Webber
wins the Ladies race in 1hr02m59
In the Ladies race, there was double triumph for Naiomi Webber who won the Junior Female title and also victory overall by storming to finish in 1hr02m59, holding off the challenge of Robyn Woodman of Team Bath (1hr03m49) and Donna Elliott of Yeovil Town Road Running Club and the Wessex Wizards triathlon club finished as third lady in 1hr05m13. Ann Shellard of the Wimbledon Windmilers won the Female Veteran 35 prize in a time of 1hr06m54, Jean Grierson-Jackson was sole prize winner amongst a strong South Devon AC contingent, finishing as leading Female Veteran 55 in 1hr09m44, and Sally Webber won the Female Veteran 45 trophy in 1hr20m39.
The Yeovil Town Road Running Club were well represented on the day, with Richard Boulter following team mate Paul Levick's example to have a strong run around the course, finishing in 8th place and time of 54m37, ahead of Matt Driver - appropriately dressed for the Inca inspired race - who crossed the line in 59m44.
Matt Driver dons appropriate
Inca headwear
Steve House (1hr01m32) held off the challenge of first time racer John Crane who had laid the course the previous day and used knowledge of the racing lines through the mud to finish well in 1hr02m02. Steve Elliott missed the chance of the First Couple prize by unromantically beating wife Donna by two minutes, finishing in 1hr03m50, with Andy Tudor (1hr04m54) and Jody Foy (1hr04m59) enjoying a race to the line. Nigel Moysey ran well for his time of 1hr10m03, keeping clear of Andy Goodman (1hr13m00, tired from the night before's exertions on the coast) and Lesley Nesbitt finished in 1hr13m25. Hazel Dodge (1hr21m43) enjoyed her first race in Yeovil green and white and who sprinted up and over the foot bridge at the end. Caroline Watts finished well in 1hr26m25 - husband Graham had done his training by running from Keinton Mandeville to Ilchester earlier in the morning - with Val Hales (1hr30m34) holding off the challenge of Adam Hawkins (1hr31m04) and Emma Dymond finishing strongly to finish in 1hr33m44. New member Lynn Dunbar was another Club debutante, finishing in 1hr34m59 with team mate Jo Whaites.
In the children's Guinea Pig Gallop, there was victory for Jack Miles over Jonah Backhouse and Matthew Crane, whilst Emily Crane was leading girl, ahead of Grace Light and Eleanor Watts.
In the supporting Yak Track 3 mile race, there was only one competitor, but 77 year old Harry Moore made the most of it, storming to a finish and taking both the main trophy - and the prize for most romantic runner at the event, offering Race Director Tina Cullen a Valentine's Day kiss!
All proceeds from the Inca Trail race are donated to the Azul Wazi orphanage at Cusco, Peru - near the real
Inca Trail - and area that is currently affected by terrible flooding.
Azul Wazi Orphanage Website
8th February 2010
The Spring racing season has burst into life for members of the Yeovil Town Road Running Club, with members travelling across the region to compete during the past fortnight. At the Heartbreaker event in the New Forest, icy conditions meant that the course had to be shortened to 10.6 miles but this didn't prevent the Yeovil members enjoying the beautiful scenery and the wildlife that made up the on course spectators. Steve Sparks had a good run for his time of 1hr16m17 and 32nd place, whilst team mates Jody Foy (1hr30m30) and Paul Allen (1hr30m44) raced right to the line.
A different event, in so many ways, was the Blackdown Beast, 15 tough miles around Honiton that included 4 pub stops! The combined Yeovil and Maiden Newton team ran together for the majority of the route with Martin and Lin Lascelles being joined by Richard Dodge and Pete Jakeman. Andy Goodman made up for a navigational issue to join in at the first pub, whilst Pete's navigation also came into question towards the end, where the sprint for home took him past the last turning - and arrived 5 minutes after the main group! Elsewhere Paul Price, Rob Adams and Karen Bentham completed the 40km Stonehenge Stomp in an excellent time of 3hr50, and a team of two Yeovil runners took part in the Southern Counties Cross Country Championships at Parliament Hill in London. Against the cream of the country's runners, Neil Biss finished well in 1hr10m58 to finish in 474th place and Paul Allen was 682nd in 1hr20m46.
Monday evening saw the 3km race on the track at Exeter and success for Lin and Martin Lascelles, where Lin recorded a new personal best time of 11min49 and Martin missed his PB by just one second as he showed the youngsters how it was done. Days later and the Lascelles were at it again, racing the Four Trigs in Sidmouth, which involves navigating around the countryside across mud and hills - and with a pasty and cake at the end to make it all worth it! Lin finished as 3rd Lady, and 14th overall, in 2hr54min45, ahead of husband Martin 2:55:00 after powering up the last big hill - although Martin points out that he was first into the sea!
Hinton St George near Crewkerne hosts the Slay the Dragon 10km, and at least this year the snow held off to allow the full distance. New Yeovil Club member Steve March had a cracking run to finish in second place and a time of 40m25, with team mates Richard Boulter (43m34) and Karen Bentham (1st lady in 46m16) both finishing in the top ten. Richard Dodge made light of a run around the Inca Trail course the previous day as he stormed to a time of 50m25 in holding off the challenge of Brian Mountjoy-Row (57m21), whilst Debbie Neal (60m21) enjoyed her run over the Somerset hills. Val Hales (68m31) kept clear of the battle between Adam Hawkins (75m36) and Katie Pearce (75m42), and Mel Dodge completed the event in 78m39.
At the Longleat 10km, Steve House finished his first race of 2010 in 45m21 despite the steep hills, with team mates Kirsty Norman (50m53) and Flora Brooke (1hr00m21) both rocketing round the course in fear of the Lions!
Across the border in Dorset, there were yet more hills to entertain the runners, with a strong Yeovil team amongst the throng at the start of the Blackmore Vale Half Marathon. Jon Rowe took the advice of mentor Tim Hawkins to concentrate on the shorter 5.8 mile fun run and it paid off, winning the pair's first cup of the year by finishing as leading man - although he still trailed behind the young lady who won the race!
The bigger challenge is the Half Marathon, renowned for its hills, Paul Rose led the Yeovil team home as he finished in 8th place and a time of 1hr19m07 to win the 2nd Male Vet 40 prize, whilst team mate Paul Levick (1hr22m47) and Martin Smith (1hr25m22) battled it out. Martin won the prize for 2nd Male Veteran 50 plus, and third in the same category was Yeovil colleague Dickie Wythe, resplendent in green and white and a time of 1hr26m45. Paul Price enjoyed his traditional race strategy of chatting to team mates in the first half of the race before taking things seriously, motoring on to finish in 1hr28m44, ahead of Jan den Hartog (1hr33m58) and Rob Adams (1hr37m39), whilst Rose Cullimore (1hr37m52) was the Club's leading lady.
Paul Allen ran well for his time of 1hr38m57, holding off the challenge of Paul Rogers (1hr39m00), and Malcolm Maxted (1hr46m51) led home a succession of Yeovil green & white vests, with Gary Henshaw (1hr47m38) finishing just ahead of Andy Windram and Jack Frost (both 1hr51m00), Simon Rowbottom (1hr51m28) staying ahead of Matt Baker (1hr52m58) and Jane Anderson (1hr52m42). Julie Green made a strong Club debut as she finished in 2hr01m08 as she tussled with Jody Foy (2hr01m53) and Caroline Watts crossed the line in 2hr20m09.
2nd February 2010
After a postponement at the start of January due to snow, the rescheduled Street 5km was a nice mixture between up and coming athletes and the veteran classes, with youngster Keiran Young of Bristol & West taking an excellent win in 17m43 ahead of Male Veteran 50 Dickie Wythe of Wells City Harriers (and Yeovil Town), who finished second in 17m47. Cameron Rafferty ran well to finish third but only second Junior as he crossed the line in 18m33 in the colours of Wells City Harriers.
The age category prizes were dominated by runners from the Yeovil Town Road Running Club, with Martin Lascelles rewarded for his fourth place finish (18m33) with the Male Veteran award, and unusually, Sam Harvey was actually first Senior Male - back in ninth place - due to the veterans, juniors and ladies ahead of him! Sam's time of 20m11 kept him ahead of his fast-finishing team mate Jon Grover (20m18), whilst Pete Jakeman (20m28) took the male Veteran 60 title as he held off Steve Sparks (20m29) and second placed lady Lin Lascelles (20m30). Rose Cullimore (22m39) and Simon Rowbottom (22m44) both ran well, with Andy Tudor (23m18) just behind, whilst Brian Mountjoy-Row made a return to running the right way up - after a sojourn Down Under - as he finished in 25m23. Graham Watts (25m44) and Lesley Nesbitt (25m59) enjoyed a race long tussle, keeping clear of the battle between Flora Brooke (28m52) and Caroline Watts (28m55) that went right to line, and Liz Collins finished the five lap course in 30m56. The next race in the Street 5km Winter Series takes place on its traditional date, the second Wednesday of February (10th).
24th January 2010
The Yeovil Town Road Running Club are gearing up for a busy schedule of races, with the Inca Trail in Ilchester taking place on Sunday 14th February - what better way to spend Valentine's Day than a gentle run in the fields?! Given the date of the race, all runners completing the race will receive a special heart shaped medal - and there will be a special prize for the first Inca Trail (genuine!) couple to cross the finish line hand-in-hand! This might mean that one of the couple may have to sacrifice a good running time to wait for the other, or the other may have to really push themselves to keep up, but love is all about compromise and sacrifice, isn't it? So, no need to use the "I can't come, it's Valentine's Day" excuse, bring your loved one with you!
Further dates for the diary include the Sherborne Castles 10km on Sunday 14th March and the Easter Bunny 10km that takes place at Yeovilton on Easter Monday, 5th April, where there is an Easter Egg on offer for all runners! Details, including photos of the race courses, can be found on www.yeoviltownrrc.com
Members of the Yeovil Town RRC club have been busy in races, helping their colleagues at the Maiden Newton Running Club to complete the East Devon Way Relay. There was a cracking performance from the "Cheese" team, with Martin and Lin Lascelles and Phil England amongst their ranks, finishing in an excellent 4 place overall and a time of 5hr24, whilst the "Chalk" team including Yeovil's Martin Chaffey completed the 50 mile event in 7hr06.
Martin and Lin Lascelles were in competition again the following week as they took on the Brighton & Hove Park Run 5km. Martin ran well as he finished in 19min00 and an excellent 11th place overall, whilst Lin finished in 20m26.
