A shared love of running helped Okehampton Running Club members in 2021
Okehampton Running Club has more than 180 members who are all passionate about their sport.
Formed in 2009, ORC members are of all ages and abilities who meet on a Tuesday and Thursday.
2021 has been a very different year. With group runs not permitted, head coach Rob Richards re-instigated the lockdown challenges from 2019 to keep members active and motivated.
One of the most memorable was in February in memory of Captain Sir Tom Moore. It was based on the statistics of him walking the 25m round his garden 100 times. Runners were asked to run 2.5k or more along this theme and a target was set of 100 runners to take part.
This seemed like a small ask to people who normally run much greater distances, but the bitter cold and wind on Saturday, which was replaced by a milder but equally strong wind and rain on Sunday meant venturing out at all was quite a challenge.
There were lots of very ingenious interpretations of the theme and great fun was had by all. The original idea for this challenge came from a new member Mike Saywell, and not only did he complete a 2.5k run but went on to ‘write’ the name Tom using what’s known as Strava art. This resulted in him running a total of 12 miles and passing the same man digging in his garden four times!
March saw the last challenge of lockdown which was inspired by Joseph (Joe) Lynch in recognition of World Down Syndrome Day, which is held every year on March 21. The challenge was to feature as many 21’s within a run as possible, whilst wearing odd socks, and as usual the ORC’s came up with some great ideas.
Joe totally embraced it; his own personal challenge was running 7km on 3 days – giving him a total distance of 21km.
By the end of March runners were able to take part in races again and many were excited to be back racing:
Marilyn’s Meldon Madness in June in memory of past club member Marilyn Cooper which is a popular race from Meldon taking you to the highest point in the south of England.
The Cosdon Hill Race in July where runners take their own line on the 3 mile 300m climb run from Belstone Village to the beacon on top of Cosdon Hill, then back to the finish on the green.
Then the Sourton Tors race in September, a traditional fell run of 2.6 miles ascending 300m to Sourton Tors and looping back round the valley.
The club has gone from strength to strength over the past few years, with the inclusion of a Junior Athletics section which started in 2019.
For people new to running or wanting to restart, the popular Couch to 5k takes place in September each year.
New members are welcome at any time, for more information visit www.okehamptonrunningclub.co.uk