WHILE the weather at home was blustery and wet, some of Tavistock Athletic Club's finest athletes were once again basking in wonderfully warm Mediterranean sunshine. For the second consecutive year a team represented the town in the prestigious Torremolinos half- marathon. The field draws many talented runners, attracted in part to the surprisingly picturesque buildings and streets that form part of the route. After the initial few kilometres through the old town the course descends to run alongside the beachfront. This part of the course is completely flat and takes the runner to the 10 kilometre halfway mark before beginning to rise into the surrounding foothills. Although a tough section, the runner is rewarded by the scenery and wide boulevards that have been closed to traffic for the occasion. A series of undulating rural roads is navigated before the final fast downhill descent to the finish. As organisers the town council provide a complete service including bar-coded results with prizes for local and regional competitors as well as the traditional age category winners. The first prize of 3,000 Euros was once again collected by a Kenyan athlete. For Tavistock Athletic Club it was Steve Groombidge who, after a break of 15 months from competitive running due to injury, made a fantastic return to form. Steve (pictured above with the sizeable trophy for second in his age category) collected from the winners' podium where all the prizes are awarded. There was mixed success for the other club athletes. Martin Exley, still recovering from injury, gave an arresting performance but was substantially slower than last year. Dr Charles Lloyd suffered in the heat and having suffered a debilitating bilious attack it meant that it was always going to be difficult for him to perform to his best. Chris Eastaugh made a significant improvement on his time from the previous year despite having some calf problems. The only disappointment was Tony Symons who was not running at his usual pace and finished behind his time for last year. His poor performance Tony blamed on not enough running in the previous few months. Once again the whole weekend was a great success with the team returning relaxed, ready to recommence training and with the added benefit of a suntan.
