A HEARTY contingent of Running Forever athletes crossed the border into Dorset and headed for the home of the hill-dwelling chalk giant at Cerne Abbas.

This Giant’s Head Marathon was the first White Star Race back in 2013, and this year was their 100th event, which meant a very special golden medal which the magpie-like athletes were keen to collect.

Nine took part in the full marathon, which came with about three bonus miles for many, courtesy of a signage glitch.

First to make it home was Matt Blee in 4:58; Chris Baker was next in 5:16 with the pocket dynamo that is Bev Collins taking first place in the F55 age group with her 5:23 time.

Andy Higham crossed the line in 5:32, followed by Rob Murr in 6:03 and Trevor Stowe in 6:23.

After a battle with the extra miles, Peter Hall made it home in 6:32 with Mary Rousseau and Claire Allison the club’s final finishers in 7:46.

Claire also managed to find the energy to team up with top supporter Yvonne Loat for the Chaos Bell Race on Sunday morning.

The sister event, the Sydling Hill race, is billed as 10k-ish, the ish being an added 1.5k.

This didn’t prevent a storming performance by Carl Moppet with a 1:08 race to the ice cream queue.

Cheryl Doherty and Mark Gerrard ran together for a 1:19 time with Duncan Gordon and Jamie Hill also sticking together with their 1:24 finish.

Kirst Nelson collected her medal in 1:42 with the final Club finisher Linda Forsyth taking a leisurely stroll over the line in 2:01.

Three hardy souls braved the heat for the North Devon AONB marathon at Woolacombe on Sunday. Adrian Edwards, Andy Burgess and Dan Carrington stuck together all through the race and finished in 5:18, on a very hot day and, with a course with over 1,000 metres of climb, that’s a top effort.

Georgina Brice went to the seaside and clocked up 2:18 for the Torbay Half.

It was off to Pen Llyn for Chris Gunn and Jonathon Newby for the 50-mile event.

Again, nobody got left behind and the boys both finished in 13:57.

This weekend’s parkrun tourists went to Minehead, Exmouth, Yeovil, Burnham and Killerton.

Twenty-nine took part in the local Longrun Meadow event.

Somerset County Gazette:

SYDLING HILL: Cheryl Doherty, Mark Gerrard, Jamie Hill, Carl Moppett, Kirsti Nelson, Duncan Gordon, Linda Forsyth.

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CHRIS Jones has won Hydro Harriers’ bragging rights, pipping Ian Salter at Longrun Meadow Parkrun last Saturday.

Over the line in a year’s-best and first-in-age category 19min 36sec, he finished 16 seconds ahead of Salter.

Rowland Lyons was comfortably under a pacing 24:30 target at Barking, coming home in 24:11.

Meanwhile, further north, Andy White managed 20:06 at Concord (Sheffield) - in an event won by his son, Sam.

Andy Phelps recorded 27:31 at Burnham.

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SUMMER has definitely arrived, and don’t the running community know it!

With temperatures hitting the high 20s, members of Just Run braved the elements competing in events from the usual Saturday morning parkrun to the more challenging ordeal of 13.1 miles.

The Martock 10km saw Ross Brayley finishing in 31st overall in a time of 43:17.

A little distance behind him, running his first ever 10km and ably supported by James Pither, was Nick Hawkins, who both finished in a time of 1:20.

Meanwhile, in the very hot temperatures at Swansea, Jane Hardacre took on the Swansea half marathon.

With everything going to plan for the first eight miles, the heat finally took its toll, seeing Hardacre finish in a very creditable time of 1:49:36.

The group’s parkrun tourists have seen recent visits to Weymouth and to Worcester where there were 699 runners taking part.

Just Run meet every Tuesday, gathering at Castle Street Car Park at 6.30pm.