Okehampton runners are Dartmoor Discovery Hall of Famers

While the running season never truly stops, the summer months are still a key period for those who love a trot, and Okehampton Running Club started June with a flurry.

The Dartmoor Discovery is up there with the most important, and most daunting, events that all Moorland runners will undertake in the annual calendar, and version 2024 was as tough as ever.

The DD is the UK’s longest single-lap road ultramarathon, with a distance of 32 miles and 899 yards and hosted by the Teignbridge Trotters. The route starts and finishes in Princetown, taking in the brutal hills around Postbridge, Ashburton and Widecombe-in-the-Moor.

For an added twist of brutality, the race has cut-off points at the half-marathon, 20-mile and full-marathon distances. If runners do not reach these points in the allocated time, they are asked to withdraw from the race.

Chris Turner was first home for the Okehampton club, completing the ultra in a superb time of 4 hrs 18 mins, and he was followed in by Robert Kelly (5hrs 16secs) and Paul Carter (5hrs 21 mins). Robert and Paul are in the DD Hall of Fame, having completed the Discovery on nine and 14 occasions respectively.

Lucy Gooding from ORC also ran brilliantly to reach all the cut-offs in time and finished the race in 6hrs 49 mins.

Staying on the Moors, the Dartmoor 600s is a unique challenge to reach all five of the 600m hills on Dartmoor, starting at the Dartmoor Inn near Lydford. Robert Richards from ORC led a group of ten on the challenge, enjoying the stunning scenery offered by the hills of Yes Tor, High Willhayes, Hangingstone, Whitehorse and finally Cut Hill, reputedly the most remote hill in Southern England.

Luke Stannus is another ORC member enjoying the hills, as he completed the British Fell Running Inter Counties event. Representing Devon, Luke finished in 12th, a fine achievement for a young runner who has only just moved into the U19s age group.

Jennifer Law took her hilly exploits to the beautiful Dolomites in Italy, as she battled the Dolomiti Extreme Trail 11km. The DXT began in 2013 and has the options for runners to tackle an awesome 103km, 72km, 55km, 22km, 11km and the Mini DXT for young runners.

Jennifer completed the course in 1 hour and 38 minutes and was the first GB runner. Jennifer was also the 35th female out of 129.

Back closer to home, four ORC members enjoyed the six-mile terrain run of the Buckland Bounder, which takes runners from Buckland Monachorum on to Roborough Common at Alston crossing the Maristow Estate. Runners enjoy amazing views before dropping down over the open moor, through the woods to Lower Grenofen.

Crossing the river at Double Waters, runners take a steep climb back up to the top of the open moorland before returning to Buckland Monachorum. Tom Poland was first home for ORC in 43 minutes, closely followed by Joe Lane, Daniel Heggs and Sarah Dean.

The ORC trio of Claudine Benstead, Paul Evison and Andrew Vernon were running in the fields of Exwick for the 5km Summer Series and all three took first place in their respective age categories.

Andrew (M55) finished in a super time of 19 mins 17 secs, Claudine (F60) in 20 mins 12 secs and Paul (M70) in 22 mins 50 secs, which was also a club record time. The success for Claudine followed on from her age category victory in the Bideford Park Run.