AS this year’s races get into full swing Okehampton Running Club had members racing at various points in the country.

Furthest to travel were husband and wife Phil and Jo Turner who took part in the Chichester 10k in Sussex.

The course starts at Goodwood Motor Circuit and ends with a lap of the circuit. While Jo is an experienced runner currently training for her second ultra marathon, Phil is new to the sport of running, having only joined the club’s beginners group last autumn. With Christmas, followed by a heavy cold restricting Phil’s running recently, he had not had the best preparation, but he was determined to finish his first race, which he did in 1hour 04 minutes accompanied by Jo all the way round.

The great marathon running duo of Roger Voaden and his training partner Paul Carter travelled up the M5 to run the Gloucester marathon. This resurrected road race comprises a figure of eight loop and despite being in a hilly county the course is flat with just a few inclines in the main loop.

As ever, both runners ran good times, and despite some slack marshalling which resulted in them being sent the wrong way near the start, adding an extra 400 metres, Roger finished in 3.03.17 to be placed seventh overall and Paul in in 3.08.10. to come tenth.

Nearer home, three ORC’s opted for a shorter race, the Fulford’s Five, which is a two lap race around the streets of Exmouth. This race has grown in popularity, as it not only provides serious runners with a chance to dust off their race shoes and compete over a fast, flat course, but also gives first time runners a race over a distance they feel is manageable.

In the first category was Okehampton’s Pete Devenport who finished in 13th place overall in a great time of 28.21. It certainly was not a first race, but a first over this distance for ORC’s ever improving Jackie Dawes, who completed in 40.09 to set a new club age group record for five miles. Sarah Bell also enjoyed her run, finishing in 55.45.