MEMBERS of Tavistock Athletic Club have done the town proud with a selection of impressive times at the London Marathon.

Whitchurch’s Andy Houghton proved age is no barrier to athletic success after finishing fifth in the male 70-74 age category. He completed the race in 3.36.47, beating his previous personal best by nine and a half minutes. It was his fourth time running the London Marathon, and sixth marathon overall.

Despite his excellent time, Andy had mixed feelings about his time: ‘I had an 18 week training plan. After 12 weeks I was absolutely on the button and part of that plan was a run at marathon pace each week. I ran the Bath Half after an easy week and after that I came down with a bug.

‘It gave me sweats, it made my muscles tighten, and it really disrupted my plan. The last six weeks I struggled. The best run I did in that six weeks was on the day! If it had gone to plan I’d have had a fair chance at winning my category!’

Andy only started running at the age of 64. Throughout his younger days he would jog but found he needed a winter time activity to help relieve stress from his job and turned to running. He joined the Hash House Harriers in a non-competitive sense and he says this helped to improve his running before he joined Tavistock Athletic Club. Andy trained running on grass which he says helped to strengthen more muscles than running purely on the road.

So does Andy plan to run the marathon next year?

‘The annoying thing is that if I’d completed my schedule I definitely feel I could have run a faster time. I’m 70 now, and if I’d completed the programme I probably feel I wouldn’t be able to do much better, what with getting older. But maybe I’ll go for it and do the London next year and try to beat that time.’

Tavistock Athletic Club members Adrian and Claire Pitcher both ran personal bests on the day, both knocking over 20 minutes off of their previous times.

Claire was lucky enough to win the club’s place in a raffle, so husband Adrian decided to get a charity place. The couple decided to support VICTA, a charity that supports blind and partially sighted children. They provide visual aids, respite breaks and more to help young people and their families.

Adrian said: ‘The day is a rollercoaster of emotions. Waiting in the pen to start can feel very lonely despite being surrounded by 40,000 people and then you get going. It is an amazing feeling when you finish.

‘After we finished, Claire and I went to a reception for runners for VICTA. We had the family of a young girl ask if she could feel Claire’s medal. It made us feel very humble and was a very poignant moment.’

Adrian knocked 25 minutes off his previous best in a time of 3.58.05 while Claire knocked 22 minutes off her personal best with a time of 4.11.02.

Tavistock Athletic Club sent a contingent of runners to the event. Two other runners set personal bests; Andrew Alcock ran in 4.14.03 and Sam Lake ran in 3.09.06. It was Andrew’s tenth and final marathon, and he raised £4,500 for St John Ambulance running in his third London Marathon.

Others who completed the marathon were: Anita Cawley, 5.37, Graham De Val 4.06.30, Allan Herdman, 3.03.03, Carmel Nye, 5.37.30, and Elizabeth Watmore, 4.36.00.