11 Aug High-speed Harriers race to relay success
Plymouth Harriers stormed to victory as a record entry lined up in the sunshine for the biggest-ever South Devon 3k relays event.
Organised and hosted by South Devon Athletic Club at the Torbay Velopark in Paignton, the event attracted a record 71 teams of four to tackle laps of the smooth, flat velopark.
Cheering supporters lined the start and finish area as the race unfolded and the 284 runners made their way around the course.
Sam Husband of Exeter’s Greenbow Running Club stormed away at the start of the first leg and finished his 3k stint with a lead of almost 30 seconds over a chasing pack made up of a junior team from City of Plymouth and senior men from Plymouth Harriers, Torbay Tri Club and Teignbridge Trotters.
But Greenbow’s lead was whittled away during a rapid second leg, and Plymouth Harriers took control. The Harriers senior men’s team’s final leg, run in 8m 33s by Jack Dee (not THAT Jack Dee), was the fastest individual effort of the night.
Harriers stopped the clocks in a total time of 37m 23s, just one second shy of being a full two minutes ahead of Teignbridge Trotters senior men, who took second place in 39m 22s. City of Plymouth’s juniors were third in 40m 11s thanks to William Luscombe just holding off Torbay Tri’s Matt Edmondson by one second at the line.
City of Plymouth provided the top senior female team while Plymouth Harriers had the top male Vet 40 line-up. Torbay Tri took the prizes for the best female Vet 40 and male Vet 50 teams, while Teignbridge Trotters provided the best female Vet 50s and female Vet 60s.
The male Vet 60 prize went to the Mile High team while the top mixed team was local outfit Chafing The Dream.