LAST week saw the end of Okehampton Running Club’s Couch to 5k beginners course and it was finished off on Sunday with an opportunity for these new runners to put themselves to the test and complete a 5k timed run on the Granite Way.

It was not a race, just a chance for them to prove to themselves that they had come a long way from when they started ten weeks ago.

A 5k course was measured out, starting near Prewley with the runners heading towards Okehampton and turning at Meldon Viaduct for the return half. On a cold and grey morning it was good to see 12 of the beginners turn out to give themselves the chance to run a continuous 5k and be awarded with a certificate upon completion of their run. Every one of them completed in under 38 minutes with Jim Fitton finishing in under 30 and all were delighted with their efforts.

After these runners had completed their time trial another one was held for other ORC members to run for their club awards.

Twelve runners also took part in this with several of them running new personal bests. These were Hayden Bond: 19 minutes 35 seconds, Tom Andrews; 21.24, John Binns; 21.26, Katherine Murray; 24.11, and Paul Evison who not only set a new personal best but also a new club record for the male veteran 65 category with a time of 23.16, while one of the new junior members, Mathew Richards, ran his first 5k time trial, completing in a respectable 20.54.

Okehampton runner Merv Rice enjoyed a great run when he took part in the Adidas Terrex 10k, held in conjunction with the Kendal Mountain Festival in Cumbria.

Merv attends the festival most years and this year was blessed with beautiful weather to get out for a run on the surrounding fells. The race was started by Olympic triathlete Jonathan Brownlee and the route takes the runners out of town from the centre of Kendal, taking in the Tour of Britain finish climb, before heading off road to Scout Scar. Here they turn right along the escarpment where there are magnificent views across the Lyth Valley, before returning back to Kendal and down steep cobbled streets to the centre. Merv thoroughly enjoyed the chance to run in this beautiful area once again, finishing in 1 hour 01 minute 13 seconds.

One lucky ORC found blue skies and sunshine to run in on Sunday. Jane Richardson took part in her third ten mile race in three weeks when she ran the Bicton Blister in East Budleigh. The race starts and finishes at Bicton College with short road sections, but is mostly on forestry tracks and on the sandy and stony heathland paths of Woodbury Common. On a beautiful day Jane enjoyed a very good run here to finish in 1.52.58.