SEVEN Chard Road Runners headed off to take part in the London Marathon this weekend and a further runner took on the Head to Head Coastal Challenge.

Heading off out for clear targets, first was Dan Cahill who took off at pace to gain early places and avoid some of the crowded sections of the first three miles.

Bernie Genge and Jeremy Taylor were heading off from the Green Start and had the same idea, but with the merging of the Blue and Red starts just a few miles in, this proved quite a challenge.

Nina Wagstaff, running with a championship place, picked her battles with a steady start and pushed the pace when the way opened up a bit more.

Paul Masters was also in the Green Start and allowed the crowds to move on a little before pushing to his current marathon pace, making good steady progress in such a massive field of runners.

Addie Douglass was off from the Red Start with Simon Hall and Matt Baker.

A long train delay to the start, and the large crowds, made for some sharp thinking to achieve their goals.

Douglass had the better of the start and was soon moving comfortably through other runners, with Baker not far behind, while Hall set his mark to kept to schedule and was picking his way though the field.

Chard & Ilminster News:

GOOD SHOWING: Paul Masters, Bernie Genge and Jeremy Taylor.

With some very tight targets it was Dan Cahill who set the marker in wanting to race in under three hours, which he achieved – crossing the line in 2:58:34.

Bernie Genge and Jeremy Taylor were next, having teamed up, crossing in 3:13:25.

Nina Wagstaff pushed hard and crossed in an amazing 3:21:14, and next was Paul Masters, keeping almost to plan for 3:37:42.

Addie Douglass had kept strong, crossing in a time of 4:19:37, Matt Baker kept good pace for 4:37:42, and Simon Hall’s game plan worked well for 4:52:07.

It was a strong performance from CRRs, with a support crew second to none.

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CHARD Road Runners’ Gavin Wyatt made his way down to Devon for The Trail Events Co’s Bolt Head 2 Head Challenge on Saturday.

As a coastal race this was more about keeping on the move, not necessarily running, so after several back-to-back races recently, it was a day for Wyatt to give the legs a rest and just enjoy the 22k route with fellow runners from Honiton Running Club.

After enjoying superb views of Hope Cove and Devon countryside, Wyatt finished in 02:05:34, midway among the 93 runners.