News

A ‘lucky’ 13 Musketeers tackled the Mag 7 – a seven-mile road race round the race on the quiet country roads round Saltash.

Nearly 400 took part and as ever the Muskies acquitted themselves with pride.

Finishing Muskies:

1. Guy B 50.56m, pace162 min per mile.

2. Neil W 56.59, 8.08, 3. Darren D 58.45, 08.23.

4. Mark P 58.58, 8.25. 5. Maggie L 1.06, 9.31.

6. Bryan K 1.07, 9.35. 7.Sarah H 1.07, 9.35.

8. Sharon A1.07, 9.35. 9. Nicole B 1.07.33, 9.38.

10. Annette T 1.14.3, 10.38. 11. Dave M 1.14.3, 10.38

12. Lou K 1.18 11.12. 13. Caroline W 1.18, 11.12

The route is rarely level and predominantly hilly, whether a positive or negative incline following on regularly with little time to rest and regain your breath or maintain a steady pace or heart beat.

Most of us running the Mag Seven had also run the previous evening’s Duckponds 4-mile race and a small number additionally even ran to the start of the Mag 7 – that is more than enough running, even for a running club.

Maybe the two races was too much for a few who went all out in a serious racing bid, while others kept each other company to encourage them to the finish – a nodiv Muskie characteristic.

This is a well organised race, as is usual from the Tamar Trotters and they provided a range of trophies and prizes, good toilet and baggage services and a quality running short, bottled beer and humourous medal as just reward for a reasonably well priced race. The race marshalling, route refreshments and support was also much appreciated. It is certainly a popular race for a relatively short distance and deserves to be.

By Guy

More than 30 keen Muskies conquered the 4-mile Duckponds race at Plymstock..

That is a pretty amazing turn-out for a Saturday evening and was remarked on appreciatively by the organisers as the Musketeers seemed to dominate the club entries of 138, judging by the numbers of turquoise shirts buzzing around.

The route is far from the idyllic village green type of run the name might lead you to believe.

It is one of the trickiest routes on the circuit with hardly any straight stretches and most of it is off-road through woodland or grass and some slippery stony sections.

To add to the difficulty there are off-set fences with gaps which slow runners to a mere walk, a sleeping policeman, sharp bends, adverse camber on wet grass and a near-invisible trench to leap across.

This was the first race for a handful of runners (including Frances) and what a baptism by fire it was. I hope they are not deterred from other races by the experience – it may be relatively short, but does require constant hard work to keep going. There are many easier races coming up.

Special mention goes to our top ten finisher and fastest runner in the club – Barry Dawe. The Muskies made a good showing in more than numbers.

By Guy

An amazing turn-out of Musketeers allowed us to enter a record four teams, four times that of last year.

Two male teams and two female teams did the Musketeers proud in a record field of 91 teams with four runners per team.

Team events and relays are not a common and it is a rewarding way to run in that you do your best, but it is for your team that you are running.

This is a very popular competition as can be seen by the turn-out and that some of the fastest runners in Cornwall and Devon took part.

Last year’s Musketeers team was a mixed boys and girls and age combination which worked out very well, but the categories are single gender and age categories – so ideally we needed single gender and single age categories to make it fair. In the end we did very well to have four teams and mixed ages to make the strongest teams. This means the team is placed in the age category of the youngest in the team.

The run was 2.5 miles per person, so ten miles per team. The run was rather tricky in places with the first third of the distance down wet twisty downhill country lanes and then along a heavily puddle and muddy level trail. The route included at least three up hills of which the first was the longest and led to many walking the second. The third hill took us to the finish.

Although only 2.5 miles, it is a tough race because you go pretty well flat out for most of it. The best pace is to take the second half the faster than the second (if you have not over done the first half), knowing you have not far to go and there are team mates waiting for you. The fastest leg in the whole event was 12.33 minutes. The winning team was Torbay male, first women’s team was Erme Valley Harriers.

From the Musketeers our first team was the male veteran 40s. Despite being relatively aged, except spring cockerel Neil who finished his leg in 17.28 min, his team – Rodney H 19.33, Barry D 15.06 and Guy B 16.11, – came 48th .

The second placed Musketeer team came 66 with Mark P heroically running twice in a team of three with 18.17 and 18.40, Kev W 18.58 and Chris W 18.31. Third Musketeers team was Louise W, 17.53, Jenny K 19.14, Nicole B 20.56 and Caroline W 23.10. Fourth Musketeers team was Emily S 25.54, Sarah A, 23.40, Lorraine D 22.56 and Jane H 19.20.

I am very pleased and grateful to all those who turned out on a damp Friday night when there must have been better things to do.

By Guy

Some great speed running again by Musketeers in the June version of the monthly summer Amada 5km series in Saltram Park.

A large field of 106 tried their best to beat their previous times on the testing course.

The course involves a down-hill start, a stony uneven and gently undulating riverside stretch followed by a steep short Tarmac uphill, a tight turn and a long uneven hill before a very slight uphill and then twisting downhill through woods and then the same down-hill finish as at the start.

June’s results are compared with May and April below:

Richard and Chris are an example to us all with three runs to date and consecutive improved times to show for it.

Louise and Richie have bounded into an impressive fast times after only one run. Richie and Bryan deserve special mention for taking part only days after the 32-mile Dartmoor Discovery race.

As can be seen, it is not too late to benefit from taking part in the two remaining runs at Saltram on Wednesday 11th July and Wednesday 15th August. You enter on the day, turn up at about 6.30pm to start and 7pm and pay £2 to take part. This is no race, merely a speed trial for you alone and is claimed to benefit your running longer distances.

By Guy

In a mad, mad moment and after weeks of being nagged by certain Musketeers into doing the longest race of my life – I signed up for it.

And have now done the 32-miles of unrelenting hills on the Dartmoor Discovery. Unbelievably other Musketeers, who should all be proud of themselves, also signed up for one of the toughest long-distance races in the SW and completed it magnificently.

Newcomers to the race, a marathon and six more miles, were Guy B, Dave M, Richie M, Neil W and Sharon A.

In finishing order were Guy, Dave, Richie, Neil, Bryan K, Darren D and Sharon – with Darren and DD veteran Bryan shepherding Sharon home.

Richie looked strong when he finished as did Dave with his past Army training having given him great foundation fitness. Neil finished with a wide grin on his face as ever, but did struggle. Sharon seemed fresher than her esteemed escorts of Bryan and Darren. She seemed most impressed at the number of calories the run had burned off, other than that Sharon did not seem to be making much sense and I suspect the exercise had done strange things to her brain.

The exercise certainly did horrible things to two of my toes which did not take kindly to being rammed against the end of my shoes for hours on end. I was surprisingly energetic at the end and I put that down to top advice from a veteran of ten DDs.

The best advice was to walk up a lot of the long hill up and out of Ashburton, which I did and was very grateful to the runner for helping me to ignore my instinct which is to run up every hill. He said that to pace yourself was the secret to finishing the last six miles or so fresh enough to run past numerous others who were having difficulty finishing and it worked a treat.

The other advice was to drink and eat regularly. I am used to getting away with not drinking much on shorter races and not having those horrible gels on longer runs, but that is impossible to get away with on marathons and longer.

My other secret weapon was Penny H-B’s meals-on-wheels, including fruit and nut choc and nutty bars and a Mars Bar and encouraging whoops and shrieks from her and Louise K as they followed us round. It was also great to see Kev W on his bike, he not only cycled to and from Princetown but rode the route with us.

On the way there was also much support and banter with running chums from the Tamar and Teignbridge Trotters and Bere Alston and Tavistock clubs vente de viagra en tunisie.

The race started in Princetown, and followed a route passing through Dartmeet, Poundsgate, Newbridge, Ashburton, Buckland in the Moor, Widecombe in the Moor, and Postbridge, before making its way back to finish in Princetown. To view a map of the route click here.

We experienced everything Dartmoor could offer, from stunning views, beautiful scenery, wild ponies, unpredicdiv weather and of course those infamous hills! The course was not easy and was a great way to test you both mentally and physically!

This is a very well organised race with 10 feeding stations on the course, 9 of which allow you to deposit your own personal drinks prior to the start of the race. Rewards include a race shirt and medal, and self-satisfaction and free cake and drinks.

The race has a cut off time of 6 1/2 hours, this equates to an average of 12 minute miling pace. There will be 3 check points on the course, each carrying it’s own cut off time, they are as follows; 13 miles (Ashburton) 2 hrs 40 minutes, 20 miles (Ruddlestone Inn) 4 hrs, 26.2 miles (Marathon) 5 hrs 15 minutes.

I am happy to say all the Musketeers were well within 6.5 hours after which they ask you to stop running. Another milestone for a club gaining in experience, which can only be good for all. I am sure there are some other Musketeers with mad moments coming on!

By Guy

As everyone seemed to be feeling patriotic I thought I’d join in the Peter Tavy Village Jubilee celebrations which included a five-mile-ish race.

The multi-terrain race on the lower slopes of Dartmoor was perhaps not the perfect recovery from the Plymouth Half the day before.

Certainly coaches would not have recommended it. However, it was an antidote in the form of a beautiful off-road course, which Plymouth is not. As such it was relaxing in terms of no pressure to achieve a PB or and none of the stress that accompanies big city races.

So Neil W, Caroline W, Sarah A, Guy B and Maggie L and husband Mike all took it in the celebratory spirit intended and enjoyed the one-off event.

The first half was all up-hill to a tor and a standing stone, mostly on grass and loose stones and a small bit of boggy terrain. The weather smiled on us and the corresponding view under the clear sunny skies was invigorating and inspiring.

Out of 43 finishers Guy was 13th, Neil 16th, Mike 33rd, Maggie 34th, Sarah 37th, and Caroline 41. Honorary Musketeers/photographer Penny H-B (Plymouth Harrier) was 42nd.

If only Her Majesty had been there to hand out especially designed engraved beer glasses to all the finishers at the pub!

By Guy

The toughest runners in the Musketeers plunged into darkest deepest Cornwall to take part in the first ever Imerys Marathon and half Marathon.

While others were running with the Olympic Torch the real hard core Dave M, Neil W, Caroline E, Guy B and Louise W tackled the clay pits and ‘Cornish Alps’ and survived, but only just.

Louise was encouraged round the half marathon by Neil, leaving Caroline behind. Louise was under her target of two hours and that on a very undulating course strewn with sinking sand and stones and despite her falling! Looks like she could be setting the pace soon for the women and beating most of the men.

Caroline succeeded very well, despite having run almost non-stop for past two or three weeks on runs like the Black Death (where she felt as she had faced death in the face). Both Caroline and Neil are in bonny Scotland for the Edinburgh Half in a few days, so it was a brave decision to take part at all. I have a lot to learn from Neil and Caroline’s determination to push to their limits.

Dave thundered round the marathon brining down avalanches and causing rift valleys where ever he ran and it was all worth while, not just to train for the Dartmoor Discovery, but also for topping his age category and winning a prize.

As is common with St Austell Running Club events, this is was very well organised and fully marshalled with everything you needed to run a race. I perhaps should have taken my own gels and had to rely on jelly babies and jelly beans to get me through. It compares in difficulty with the Eden Project Marathon (run over similar terrain) and I would say it was harder.

This may be a regular run for those who like tackling the hard stuff.

by Guy

What could go wrong? – a race called Black Death, enough to strike fear into your heart before you event reach the start line.

However, the name of the race relates to the location – a village wiped out by the plague between Minehead and Taunton.

But it might as well describe the race which is ten miles of many daunting inclines of largely stony forest tracks. More than most races it certainly feels longer than ten miles.

The race is more of an event than most with its own metal arched and named start, hog roast, samba band and bar etc. To add to the atmosphere the race marshals dress as the Grim Reaper and the finishers’ non-technical t-shirt features a reaper while trophies were skull-shaped.

Despite this morbid theme (or perhaps because of it) the ten-mile race attracted 261 runners including intrepid Musketeers: Sharon A, Sarah A, Darren D, Bryan K, Louise K, Caroline E, Neil W, Maggie L and Guy B.

Not content with completing the Tavistock 10km the night before some of these Musketeers volunteered to do it all again, but harder. Hard core or what? Do they know when to stop?!

All but Guy completed the race in one group which Louise reckons is harder than the infamous Castle Drogo off-road race.

The first two miles are a steep and winding climb. Two thirds of the way through is a shorter but steeper climb which really is cruel as you are getting very tired. This last major hill is also out in the open and under the sun this time. Most of the route is cool under the trees and some is muddy and never dries out. One short muddy bank takes a sliding racer either into the runners in front or directly into a stream.

There are as many descents as climbs and some are worse than ascents because you have less control and they put more stress on the knees. I think Caroline would agree on that. This was Guy’s second Black Death which he managed in eight minutes faster than last year. I am not sure if the others would all do it again, hopefully some will.

The organisers do a very good job with plenty of water stops, numbers issued by post before hand and good directions to a remote spot and top entertainment and refreshments and prompt results service. A major complaint however, was poor route signage prix viagra en pharmacie france. Guy was lost twice and a fellow runner was also lost once, due to poor signs and some marshals not directing at crucial points.

Lots of thanks must go to honorary Musketeer Penny who supported vociferously and took photos as well as finishing the 3-mile fun run.

By Guy