IT WAS a bonanza Sunday with the spring marathon season kicking off in earnest. Members of Tavistock Athletic Club took part in three significant marathons - one very close, one a long way away.

The club welcomed the return of the Dartmoor Marathon with five runners taking part - the hills and the wind made it a significant challenge, though thankfully the rain and hail only made a brief appearance.

Tom Brogden ran a very strong race to finish 5th overall in 3hrs 4min and 16s amongst the 329 finishers, with Adam Holland, a life member of TAC and a seasoned marathoner, finishing in 3:33:09. Nigel Cowley took first place in his MV65 age category in 3:54:44 with Gary Letheren completing in 4:15:03.

One of the significant achievements in the race was that of Andrew Kelly (pictured right). Andrew completed TAC's C25K programme in October 2023 aged 63, subsequently joining the Club and embracing the thrice-weekly group runs.

His fitness improved dramatically, dropping five stone in weight and taking 10 inches off his waist size! Now 65 and with just a few shorter races under his belt, Sunday's race was his ultimate challenge. He did himself and the club proud, finishing strongly in 5:48:14.

Gary Letheren (left) used the marathon as the climax of his efforts to fundraise for the Mind charity over the last year. He has run at least one significant race each month, including two half marathons or longer, and four 10k races.

Also on Sunday was the Brighton Marathon, second in popularity to the London event with more than 14,000 finishers. Sam Hortopp excelled, finished 23rd overall in 2:42:59 with fellow TAC member Mandy Womack completing in 5:33:12.

Finally, Mike Nithavrianakis travelled to the Milan for their iconic Marathon, finishing in 3:12:32 and beating the Club MV55 age category record.

On Wednesday, The Armada Network held the first of their 5K races in the hilly Saltram Park. This is the first of 11 races comprising the Armada Grand Prix, where competitors gain points over the year to improve their positions in the overall standings.

160 runners took part from clubs affiliated to the Network, with Tavistock AC sending 10 runners to compete. First home was Iain Gillam in a great time of 18:53, taking 6th place overall, with Nicola Noble the first TAC lady home in 22:08.

The remaining TAC places were as follows: Hannah Walker, 26:05; Sarah Holland, 26:58; Tony Shearer, 27:41; Matt Burns, 28:29; Paul Marshall, 29:43; Les Wilkinson, 30:15; Hazel Walker, 32:20 and Paula Smerdon, 36:22.

Tavistock Athletic Club was formed in 1985 and now has over 300 members across the Junior (8 years +) and Senior groups. They have a variety of training groups and committed coaches that can cater for all abilities from raw beginners to the more experienced and ambitious athletes.

They pride themselves on being a friendly club and new members, whatever their ability, are always welcome. Also, they are very fortunate in that they have great local facilities for training: a well-maintained 400-metre track which provides an excellent opportunity for training and hosting track and field events – and of course the surroundings, Dartmoor.

Training sessions take place on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings and also on a Saturday morning. The main session, and probably the best one to introduce you to the club, is on Tuesday evening.