The Arc of Attrition
Starting at Midday on Friday, ORC Claire Grubb put in a super human performance to finish The Arc 100 mile race in a time of 32:53:56, finishing in 186th place overall and as 15th lady. Out of a total 650 runners who started the race only 261 managed to complete it, emphasising how tough this race really is.
The Arc of attrition is a unique point to point race along some of the most exposed sections of the South West Coastal Path, from Coverack to Porthtowan. With an elevation gain of over 4250m, it is definitely not for the faint hearted. It has a strict 36 hour time limit which Claire was well within (even with the additional wind resistance of some fairy wings).
When asked to comment on the experience Claire said “I’m not sure I can say much, other than it was only possible due to my family support crew, the Arc Angels and all my friends and wider family sending messages of support at all hours of the day!” Several of her ORC team mates used the live tracker to keep tabs on Claire’s progress, keeping everyone up to date on her every step closer to this amazing achievement.

Endurance Life South Devon Marathon
On Saturday, Claire Watkins put in an impressive performance to finish as second female in Endurance Life’s South Devon Marathon, with a time of 4 hours 59 minutes.
The challenging race consisted of 27.6 miles with a mere 1397m of ascent! Claire described the race as “A mix of coast path and inland Devon hills with a slightly soul destroying long flat sandy track section on the way to the finish”. Although it was below freezing to start, the sun (and hills) soon helped the runners warm up and the lack of wind meant the beautiful views could be enjoyed by all.

Pagan Trails Marathon and Half Marathon
Seven ORCs enjoyed a break in the bad weather on Saturday 25th January to take part in the OuterEdge Pagan Trails long-half (approximately 14.3 miles) and long Marathon (over 28 miles).
Starting and finishing at Chagford Cricket and Football Club, Angus Farrelly, Molly and Sarah Marvin and Lucy Gooding prepared themselves for the challenging half marathon ahead. Bitterly cold but grateful for the sunshine and lack of rain! Molly and Sarah were recovering from colds and not feeling particularly well but were still their happy and enthusiastic selves.
Pagan Trails is based in Chagford, in the north-eastern corner of the Moor where mythical, mystical Dartmoor meets the valleys of the Upper Teign and Bovey Rivers. Named Pagan Trails because the two distances (marathon and half-marathon) visit many of the stone circles and pagan sites of this part of north Dartmoor, steeped in ancient history and legends. Described by OuterEdge as “no walk in the park”, the half marathon has almost 700m of ascent and the full marathon has over 1500m, combined with the winter conditions, it can prove a real challenge to runners.
The beginning of the event sends runners up the calve-burning Meldon Hill before heading over to Lettaford, Fernworthy Reservoir, Thornworthy Tor, Kestor Rocks, Teignworthy before returning to Chagford. Whilst weather conditions were ideal for running, the recent rain meant that it was rather soggy underfoot.
Angus had a strong run and was first ORC back in 3 hours and 17 minutes, having really enjoyed the route although said that he’d experienced some back problems during the first few miles.
The Marvin ladies reported that they’d felt that they weren’t at the best of health after all and found the event difficult because of this. Despite feeling unwell, these wonder women still managed a fantastic finish of 3 hours and 25 minutes.
Lucy was last ORC home in 4 hours and 14 minutes, having had a great time and thoroughly enjoying the event.
In the marathon event, Mike Humphreys, Lara Couch and Simon Partridge completed the grueling race in 7 hours and 6 minutes (Mike and Lara coming across the line together) and 7 hours and 27 minutes, respectfully.
Simon described it as “a fabulous day and route. Highly recommended”. Overall a brilliantly organised event, a stunning route and a good day’s running all round.

Braunton 10
On Sunday morning, ORC Jo Paige took part in the Brauton 10 mile race. Braunton 10 is one of NDRR’s oldest and most popular races, with 2 infamous climbs, designed to test the legs and spirit!
It’s perfectly placed in the calendar to fit in with a spring marathon training plan. The weather was awful with heavy rain and strong sideways gusting wind. Jo said “I was much slower than last year due to a recent virus but very pleased to cross the line 4th female and 1st in my age category.”
