FOUR runners from the Tavistock Run Project have made the most of the weekend sunshine by competing in events at Taunton, Overton and Bicester on Sunday.

Jim Cole, representing Tavistock Athletics Club, took to the streets of Taunton to compete in the Taunton Half Marathon, his third half marathon in five weeks.

The race started from Bridgwater and Taunton College, taking nearly 1,000 runners through the town centre before heading into rural Somerset and through Norton Fitzwarren, Bradford on Tone and back to the college. Jim won the race in a time of 1 hour 11 minutes 37 seconds, clear of his next competitor by nearly two minutes.

Meanwhile, Ben Neale from TAC and Matt Head from Bere Alston Trekkers participated in the 43rd occurrence of the Combe Gibbet to Overton 16-mile race, a challenging point-to-point cross-country event that traverses the Berkshire and Hampshire countryside.

The race is routed along several ridges, that allow for breathtaking views across the valleys —which was aided by the stunning weather. This popular event often attracts runners participating in the April marathon season, with nearly 300 entrants.

Ben Neale ran a strong race, progressing through the ranks of a strong field, to finish in 3rd place with a time of 1.39.00, whereas Matt Head finished 21st in a time of 1.55.15.

Emma Dooney, representing the Tavistock Triathlon Club, took part in her first triathlon of the season, a sprint-distance in Bicester, composed of a 400m pool swim. 20km cycle and 5km run. The cycle leg is a two-lap circuit of Bicester and surrounding villages, and the run being enclosed within the Community College sports ground. Despite travelling to the event at the crack of dawn, Emma completed the event in a personal best time of 1.27.43, placing her eighth within her age category.