The start of the 2022/23 saw Charles Stanley Westward Cross Country League, with seven senior ORCs heading off to Newnham Park in Plymouth, a new venue for this year.

The cross country league is a series of six races which take runners to different venues around the South West. All of them are off road and no doubt bring back memories of school days running around fields.

The weather was very mild and dry for this first 5.3-mile race, a welcome change as it is very unusual for these events to be in the dry.

Paul Crease led the men home in 39th position in a time of 33:24 followed by Andrew Vallance in 71st place, Robert Kelly 75th, Tom Poland 89th, Joe Lane 106th, Daniel Heggs 136th and Stuart Page 148th.

Stan Wood ran in the U15 race and was the 11th home in his group. He ran a strong race and was pleased with his time after nearly six months off from competition due to injury.

The next race in the series is on Sunday, November 13 at Newquay.

l On Sunday Kate Wilson joined 11,000 other runners to take part in the Manchester half marathon. This is a fast, flat course and it was ideal conditions being cool and dry.

The runners were cheered round by, amongst others, a rock choir, a drumming group, an ear-splitting sound system, a Brownie pack and an 80’s crooner.

Kate had a good race and was pleased with her time of 1:57:33.

l Also on Sunday, Katy Graves took part in Mission:Unbreakable, a 10-kilometre commando course filled with tough challenges and obstacles at North Molton in aid of North Devon Hospice.

The event takes place on a specially designed course through fields, rivers and forests.The terrain is rugged with plenty of hills and mud to make it even tougher. 

Katy and her team completed the 10k challenge tackling the obstacles along the way - scaling heights, taking a leap of faith, tackling mud, fire, water and ice bath, a sheep dip, monkey bars and a slip ‘n’ slide.

A challenge not for the feint hearted, but it looks like they all enjoyed it!