TRAIL specialists Ceri Rees and Jo Meek took the honours at the annual Burrator Horseshoe Run on Saturday.
The race is one of the toughest off-road events in the region. The approximately seven mile run takes athletes from Meavy village out to Burrator Reservoir and up to the summit of Sheepstor and then Gutter Tor before returning to the start. It also involves water crossings and wall climbs.
The race is part of the Meavy Oak Fair and attracts runners of all standards and from all around the region and even further afield.
Rees took victory by 30 seconds. He clocked 40.52 minutes, with Cornwall AC’s Ryan Hanley second in 41.22. Third athlete home was Scotland runner John Yells 41.55. Plymstock Road Runners’ Graham Bale was eighth overall and first male over-50, while Tavistock Will Dax was 10th and first under-21.
Meek, who had represented Great Britain the week before at the IAU/ITRA Trail World Championship in Portugal, where she had run a tough 44k race, was first women at Burrator in 47.39 minutes. Despite still recovering from her five-hour run in Portugal seven days earlier, Meek was just less than two minutes off her own course record set in 2011.
In a strong women’s race, Maddie Horton took second in 49.38 minutes, with Plymstock Road Runners’ Carla Haines third in 51.02. Tamar Trails’ Jenny Nash was first female over-50.
Some 166 runners complete the race. One of those was Tavistock’s Adam Holland, who came sixth having earlier in the day won June’s Tavy 5k race in 16.31 minutes before going on to take part in the Hope24.
Holland edged out Plymouth Harriers’ Steve Fletcher by six seconds for victory in the Tavy 5. Third place went to Tavistock AC youngster Joe Beaton, who clocked 17.00.
Tavistock’s Jodi Fisk was first women in 19.28 minutes, with Mudcrew’s Emily Warren second in 20.05 and Tavistock youngster Elyse Kedzior-MacDonough third in 20.07.
Results of the Burrator Horseshoe Run can be found HERE.
Results of June’s Tavy 5k can be found HERE.