Torbay athlete masters the Spanish course with a stellar sunshine run

Torbay AAC has been shining on the international stage, as Karen Baddeley competed in the Los Alcazares 5km.

A very well organised race with over 500 runners, running through the town with a lap of the prom finishing in front of the town hall. Karen was happy to finish 1st in the female Masters category in a time of 23:51 (1st fv60).

Anita Merritt was also chasing the sunshine at the Limassol Marathon. The event boasts a wide range of distances. Anita ran the full marathon distance and finished in a time of 4:49:26.

Torbay’s young athletes also excelled at the National Cross Country Championships. After a long, wet and muddy winter of cross country racing, a number of Torbay AAC’s young athletes earned the honour of representing Devon at two major national competitions on consecutive weekends.

Seven athletes travelled to Wollaton Park in Nottingham to compete at the UK CAU Inter Counties Cross Country Championships. Known for its challenging hills and tough terrain, the event brings together some of Great Britain’s fastest young runners.

The standout performance of the day came in the opening race, where Ella Richards competed in the para-athletes race for the second year in a row. She delivered an outstanding run, crossing the line as the first female finisher.

Races continued throughout the day with strong performances from the Torbay athletes. Leon Snell and Charlie Moore finished 77th and 146th respectively in the highly competitive Under-15 Boys race.

Annalise Little placed 80th in the Under-15 Girls race, while Scarlett Muscott finished 138th in the Under-17 Girls category. Neve Blacker had her first experience of a major national competition and ran impressively to finish 227th in the Under-13 Girls race. Theo Glew also competed strongly in the Under-17 Boys race, finishing in 170th place.

With only a week to rest and recover, the team travelled again, this time to Sefton Park in Liverpool, to compete in the English Schools Cross Country Championships. The course was flatter but faster, leading to highly competitive racing and more impressive results from the Torbay athletes.

Leon Snell and Charlie Moore once again raced together, this time competing in the younger half of the Intermediate Boys age group. Both battled hard to finish 157th and 274th respectively. Scarlett Muscott placed 181st in the Intermediate Girls race, while Annalise Little achieved an excellent 83rd place in the Junior Girls category.

Theo Glew finished 232nd in the Senior Boys race, and Henry Gardiner earned his place on the team this week, finishing 155th in the Junior Boys race. Special thanks must go to junior coach Hayley Ratcliff.