IT was a busy week for Thornbury Running Club with some members racing on several occasions and over total distances of over 50 miles.

At the local Hogweed Trot 10k race last Monday week, Nick Langridge led the club home and was third in his category and 62nd overall in 43.13 minutes.

He was followed by Jo Plumbley in her first race of the week, 70th place, fourth lady and first in her category in 43.51 minutes.

Liam Jones was out for his third race over the distance in just a few weeks, improving his time to 46.09 minutes, while Clare Watt recorded a second category placing, 105th in 46.28 minutes.

David Flemington was 221nd in 55.36 minutes.

For Plumbley, the Hogweed race was barely a warm-up for the 50-mile West Country Hilly Ultra which took competitors on a glorious course over and around Exmoor and parts of the South West Coast Path.

Again, with Ultra running buddy Ros Rowland alongside her, they took it all in their stride to finish in sixth and seventh place overall and first two ladies home, in a time of twelve-and-a-half hours.

At the Cape Wrath Challenge in Scotland, the weather was damp and blowy for most of the week, with runs or races organised for five days, culminating in a marathon on Saturday.

Following the Loch Eriboll Half marathon, which both Judy Mills and Pete Mainstone had completed, came Tuesday’s Two Lochs five-mile off-road race.

Mainstone had recovered well from the previous day to finish in 47.24 minutes while Mills struggled to get tired legs in motion for the first mile and ended in 52.21 minutes.

By Wednesday and after a leg massage, she started the 10-mile off-road Round Durness Run feeling stronger and although still five minutes behind Mainstone, at over twice the distance this represented a closer margin.

Mainstone crossed the line in one hour 45.30 minutes and Mills in one hour 50.24 minutes.

Thursday’s beach run was sadly the wettest of the week as eighty or so children from local schools joined regular runners for a three-mile out-and-back along the sand of beautiful Balnakeil Bay, many wearing fancy dress.

A true fun-run, as such, no times were recorded.

After a rest day came the Cape Wrath marathon, a race which is interrupted at 22 miles by a 10-minute boat trip across the Kyle of Durness.

The start times are staggered as only 20 runners can be ferried at any one time, and generally slower runners start earlier in the day, so being caught by speedier legs during the out-and-back course to the Cape Wrath lighthouse.

Running as part of a two-person team, Mainstone completed his allotted 15 miles in two hours 20 minutes, while Mills gave up any thoughts of racing, instead pausing to chat to the marshals and even stopping for a few minutes to replenish an unmanned water station. As a result she felt happy with a finish time of five hours and 34 minutes.