The Wray Trail, Parkruns and an epic bike ride

Torbay AAC had three runners lining up at the start of the inaugural Wray trail half marathon on a very hot Sunday morning.  

The race started in the park at Bovey Tracey and wound its way through beautiful Parke out to the lovely villages of Lustleigh and on to Moretonhampstead for the turnaround back down to the finish at Bovey Tracey. 

The “Wray Trail” in South Devon is an old railway line that connects Bovey Tracey to Moretonhampstead. Thanks to Winding Paths for another well organised event with excellent marshals. 

First home for the club and 7th female was Anita Merritt with a time of 2.05:57. Full results as follows: 31 Anita Merritt 2:05:57; 37 Janine Callard 2:10:59; 56 Kirsten Mundy 2:21:58.

Torbay Velopark Parkrun was the destination for many Torbay AAC members this Saturday with the club staging a ‘takeover’. The free 5k event is run entirely by volunteers and the club provided volunteers for all the roles, from marshals and timekeepers to barcode scanners. 

It was a bright sunny morning with barely a whisper of a breeze, perfect for the two-lap course with a lap of the field. After two circuits of the Velopark, runners then took on the field, still a little soggy after endless months of rain, the grass high and soft underfoot with the dampness of the morning dew evaporating in the sunshine but wet enough to soak trainers. 

It was the perfect day to unite two key Torbay communities, Parkrun and Torbay AAC through the act of volunteering and post-event breakfast. We look forward to seeing new and familiar faces both at the club and at Parkrun.

The Webber family have been representing Torbay AAC for many years. As part of our community, we have been following Ray Webber’s exploits on his epic solo bike ride from John O’Groats to Lands End.

After 20 gruelling days, Ray wheeled into Lands End to a warm welcome from his family. Throughout his journey he faced unforeseen challenges, quad busting hills and met with boundless kindness of strangers.  

What he left out there on the route he more than replaced with a new understanding of his limits of endurance and quads of steel. Ray is raising money for Brain Tumour Research.