SATURDAY, March 19 was Tavistock Athletic Club’s (TAC) 21st 5KooL Run and fifteen BATs took part in the event to help TAC celebrate 5KooL Run’s coming of age.

The event is held once a month and is a relatively flat, fast, traffic free course starting and finishing on the track at Tavistock College. The BATs that took part thoroughly enjoyed the course, the opportunity to run with younger family members and the great atmosphere. BATS thanked TAC for making them welcome. Many have vowed to make 5KooL Run part of their monthly training schedules.

There were a number of personal bests set by the BATs, whose finishing times were; Samantha Lake 20.21; Martin Head 23.27; Sally Dunn 23.38; Julie Page 24.59; Jennifer West 26.16; Laura Hogan 26.57; Melanie Greaves 27.08; Alysia Maciejowska 28.13; Becky Rankin 29.32; Hazel Bickley 29.32; Julian Setterington 29.46; Hilary Head 31.45; Alison Greaves 32.30; Matt Luckham 34.38 and Ann Woodhouse 34.53. Ann Woodhouse has been assisting with TAC’s coach to 5K programme and ran with this group.

On Sunday, March 20, the BATs spread their wings far and wide competing in Yeovil, Southampton and Plymouth.

Ben Neale took part in the Yeovil Half Marathon, which had its start and finish in Yeovil town centre for the first time. The route took the athletes on closed roads around the town centre before heading along the entire length of Yeovil Country Park. The route then leaves the town on the western side to Montacute House, before returning on quiet country roads to the town centre finish in the Quedam Shopping Centre.

In a field of over 1,100 Ben ran a tremendous race and finished fifth overall in a time of 1.16.56, just outside of a personal best.

Matthew Head, returning after breaking his collarbone in November last year, took part in the Eastleigh 10K, finishing in a time of 53.59 and 1,290th in a field of over 2,300 runners. This flat, fast course has earned a reputation of being ‘the home of the PB’, and is one of the largest 10K races in the South.

Meanwhile, BATs made the trip to Plympton for Plymouth Round Table’s Mad March Hare, run in aid of local charities with every penny that is raised being used for these good causes.

The Mad March Hare is the sister event to the January Jaunt and is run over the same on the out and back route through Saltram from the start and finish at the Plymouth Speedway track, St. Boniface Arena in Plympton.

A number of the BATs taking part had competed in the January event and all beat their time on this occasion — some with distance PBs — showing training is paying dividends. Official times were not available as the Times was going to print, but first male BAT home was Dan Dooney and, keeping it in the family, the first lady BAT was Emma Dooney.