TRADITIONALLY, Tavistock Athletic Club's annual Tavy 7 race coincides with the clocks going back, so the 324 runners benefited from an extra hour before taking on this always-popular event.

Sponsored this year by Abbey Mead Dental and Implant Clinic, the race takes place on Plasterdown and is run almost entirely on the local roads around Pew Tor and Sampford Spiney, apart from the start and finish in a local field.

It's notorious for being held in wet and windy conditions but this year, runners only had to contend with the wind on the exposed part of the route - the rain thankfully staying away until after the race.

Being part of the Armada series of races and incorporating the Ross Shield, the race always attracts large numbers of runners from local clubs as well as some from further afield. It welcomes runners of all abilities - from elite athletes to recent graduates their Couch to 5k programmes.

The Ross Shield is a prestigious trophy competed for by eligible Devon Clubs (those affiliated to England Athletics) and, in the case of the men's shield, has been contested for over a hundred years. The male shield is awarded to the first eligible team of six runners; the female shield is awarded to the team with the first three completing.

It was a particularly memorable day for TAC's Nikki Bond (née Kelly) - on her birthday and shortly after getting married, she led the TAC women's team to overall victory and to the Ross Shield - breaking the course record in the process with an amazing finishing time of 42min 34s.

The TAC ladies showed a real strength in depth, with the top six female finishers all from the Club. The women's Ross Shield was awarded to TAC, the team consisting of Nikki, Charlotte Walker (43:25) and Hannah Smith (44:16).

Meanwhile, the men's race was much more open.

First male and overall winner of the race was James McKibbin from North Devon AA in 38:19, followed by Josh Blake of City of Plymouth AC (38:27) and TAC's Adam Holland (40:10).

For the second year in a row, the Ross Shield was won by South West Road Runners. Their winning team comprised Joel Heatley (6th in 41:38), Colin Densham (7th 42:07), Ash Voralie (13th 43:09), Justin Cudmore (15th 43:19), Jack Eade (17th 43:42) and Wes Smith (18th 44:07).

As well as the Ross Shield, awards were given to the top three male and female teams from any running club, the top four runners being counted. The men's team prize was awarded to South West Road Runners and the women's award going to Tavistock Athletic Club.

Putting on such an event takes an enormous amount of organisation and individual effort.

Race Director Mark West paid tribute to all who pulled together to make the event successful. He offered specific thanks to sponsors Abbey Mead Dental and Implant Clinic and their practice manager Kay Bullen who awarded the prizes, to race partner Tavistock Lions, who provided many of the marshals and to Dartmoor Search and Rescue for providing emergency cover.

He also thanked all those from inside and outside TAC who helped with marshalling, drinks stations, registration, car parking, bag drop, catering, signage, results management, and those who set up and dismantled the infrastructure on the day.