10 Sep Scotch and plenty of Rocks!
Racers from South Devon Athletic Club have been stretching their legs over a variety of distances in recent races.
Their efforts varied from the 4.5-mile Dartmouth Regatta race around the hilly streets of the town to the incredible 228 miles of the GB Ultras Race Across Scotland.
Matt Dalton, the master of mileage himself, spent 88 hours and 32 minutes crossing Scotland from Portpatrick on the west coast to Cockburnspath on the east. He was pictured at the finish by Neil Shearer.
The gruelling route took in more than 32,000 feet of elevation, and Matt allowed himself just 90 minutes of sleep along the way. Almost half of the 250 runners failed to finish, but Matt came home in 38th place.
Afterwards he thanked his supporters, reflected on how hard the event had been and started planning his next great adventure.
Image courtesy: Clark Creative
Clubmate Jamie Duffield also ventured off the beaten track for the 50km Dartmoor In A Day event organised by Climb South West.
The route crossed the moor from Okehampton to Ivybridge, and ‘JD’ completed it in 5h 45m 04s to secure sixth place in a high-quality field.
The City to Sea Half-Marathon also attracted interest from South Devon AC, with a route taking racers from Dawlish Warren to Babbacombe. Flat terrain in the first half gives way to hilly coast path in the second.
Kerry Bell was the first female Vet 60 in the race, finishing in 2h 51m 20s, with Paul Williams recording a time of 3h 10m 02s.
James Spalding took on the Ivybridge Three Tops fell race and finished 54th in a time of 1h 16m 25s.
The Dartmouth Regatta race is a perennial favourite with South Devon members, and this year four runners flew the flag for the Paignton-based club. Colin Peters was 27th in 35m 24s, followed home by Vince Langdon, Yvonne Patrick Odell and Roger Webb.
The club’s most recent excursion was to the Haytor Heller, another favourite on the calendar, organised by neighbouring club Teignbridge Trotters.
The six-mile moorland race stood as the club’s off-road championship event for the year, and Colin Peters again led the SDAC contingent home, finishing 67th in 56m 56s. Next across the line for the club was Shaun Kirk, followed by Kate Foley, James Spalding, James Nash and Roger Webb.