GALLERY: Hundreds of pictures from the annual Tavistock Relays

MORE than 100 teams from around Devon and Cornwall took part in the annual Tavistock Relays on Thursday evening.

The popular event, which has been going for more than 30 years, forms part of the Tavistock Carnival and sees each runner in a four-person team complete a 1.1 mile lap around The Meadows.

The relays, hosted by Tavistock AC, were split into three races – juniors, women’s and men’s/mixed  – while there was also a family fun run beforehand.

Host club Tavistock impressed, taking first and second place in the junior event, winning the women’s race and coming second in the men’s event.

Their top women’s team (TAC Mighty Medley), made up of Emma Ryder, Joely Bytheway, Charlotte Walker and Nikki Kelly, took victory by two minutes. They clocked a pretty quick overall time of 24.17 minutes.

Ryder got them off to a brilliant start with a 5.32 minute run, which was the fastest of the day by a female, while Nikki Kelly brought them home with a 6.03 minute leg. Only Ryder and Newquay’s Katie Knowles ran quicker than Kelly in the women’s race.

RunFitRunFast took second place in 26.18 minutes with their team of Claire Fraser, Claire Brittan, Emma Baker and Jeanette Johnson.

Newquay Ladies were third overall in 26.53 minutes, with Plymouth Harriers Lilley’s finishing as first F35 team, TAC’s Fifty Shades of Awesome were the first F45 quartet and Bodmin Old Birds claimed the F55 prize.

The men’s race was won by South West Road Runners, who clocked 20.32 minutes through Gareth Davies, Jamie Pullinger, Sam Hopton and Ollie Thorogood.

Tavistock AC were not far behind in 20.50 minutes. Their quartet was Ben Neale, Hayden Bond, Sam Larkham and Adam Holland.

Tamar Trotters A side of Richard Ham, Ollie Oldfield, Luke Atwood and Bex Ezra were third overall and first mixed team in 22.12 minutes.

Okehampton and City of Plymouth took the M40 and M50 top prizes respectively, while Mount Kelly were the first corporate team.

South West Road Runners’ Sam Hopton was the quickest man with a 4.48 minute run.

The next three quickest – Newquay’s Tom Luton, Tavistock’s Ben Neale and Plymouth Harriers’ Johnny Gilby – all ran the first leg and all finished within two seconds of each other, clocking 5.00, 5.01 and 5.02 minutes, respectively. Tamar Trotters’ Bex Ezra did run 5.53, which would have put her in the top three in the women’s race.

Tavistock dominated the junior boys’ races, while City of Plymouth dominated the junior girls’ competition.

TAC Lynxes were first overall and first Year 9/10 team in 23.28 minutes. Their side was made up of Fynn Baker, Ruben McAulay, Seb White and Noah Reid.

Just four seconds behind were the TAC Cheetahs team of Harry Shaw, James Berry, Connor Duffin and Caleb Grifford-Grove. They were also first Year 7/8 team. Grifford-Grove produced the quickest time of the day on the last leg with a 5.25 minute run for them to edge City of Plymouth’s Year 11/12 team.

The Plymouth side of Thomas Jones, Jacob Robinson, Douglas Richardson and Finley Squires clocked 23.40 minutes.

Fourth junior team overall and first girls’ side was City of Plymouth Year 11/12 quartet of Verity Tank, Molly Gilbey, Bella May and Holly Reid. They clocked 25.13 minutes.

City of Plymouth’s Year 9/10 girls’ team of Abbie Chapman, Phoebe Timson, Isabella Morris and Madeleine Jones were just one place behind in 26.14 minutes. They did win their age category.

TAC Tigers claimed the Year 7/8 girls’ title, while Whichchurch took the Year 5/6 girls’ award.

TAC Bears were first Year 5/6 boy’s team.

Fynn Baker, who ran the first leg for Tavistock’s winning junior team, was second quickest of the day with a 5.26 run, which was just a second behind Gifford-Grove. City of Plymouth’s Thomas Jones was third fastest junior with 5.46.

City of Plymouth’s Holly Reid and Verity Tank were the top two quickest junior girls with 6.00 and 6.07 minute runs, respectively, while East Cornwall Harriers’ Georgie Gilbert was third quickest in 6.10.

Full results can be found HERE.

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