Axe Valley Runners (AVR) battled the aftermath of Storm Nelson on Easter weekend.

On Easter Monday, six AVRs hopped over to Yeovil for the Easter Bunny 10k which starts and finishes at RNAS Yeovilton.

Fast and flat with eggs-ellent racing conditions, there were some quick times amongst the 200+ finishers.

The winners were Bath’s Michael Towler in 32:48 and Wells City’s Daisy Davies in 36:01.

AVR men, Joel Seward, Matt Hewer and Luke Reed, impressively came away with the first male team prize.

Matt Hewer also scooped first M40 for his 14th overall finish in 36:32, a shiny new personal best too.

He just pipped Luke Reed by one hundredth of a second, who finished in 15th in 36:33 and took second M40.

Joel Seward, 12th overall in 36:05, was the first AVR to finish.

Midweek Herald: Storm Nelson proved no obstacle for the AVRs

Simon McClellan took fourth M50 in 43:34, 45th overall with Aaron Rawlins, 60th in 45:58, and Louise Rawlins, 119th in a personal best of 54:27.

All finishers received a lovey Easter bunny shaped medal.

In Exeter on Good Friday, it was very much the morning after the night before with a swift course rejig to account for the effects of Storm Nelson.

It was therefore a four-lap race with plenty of corners as well as the wind for runners to contend with.

First AVR home in 13th place and third M40 was Terry Emmett in 35:14, just one-hundredth of a second ahead of Ritchie Durrant in 14th in 35:15.

Rich Hardy was 35th in 37:03, eighth M40; Matt Frost, 47th in 37:59; and Angela Kerr, 217th, third F65 in 55:38.

There were 284 finishers in the race organised in challenging circumstances by City Runs.

Midweek Herald: A very successful Easter weekend for the AVRs

Sadly the damage done to the seafront in Seaton affected both AVR’s Good Friday 10k and Saturday’s parkrun with the debris from the storm and dancing beach huts causing the routes to be unsafe.

However, a large group of AVRs ran a re-routed social 10k followed by coffee at The Hideaway on Friday.

Thanks to Eleanor Wood, Haydn Boehm, Cliff Marriott and Lesley Adams who stood in to lead groups.

Midweek Herald: Many AVRs joined with volunteers to support a clean-up of the Esplanade after Storm Nelson

On Saturday, many AVRs joined with parkrun volunteers to support a general clean-up of the Esplanade during the parkrun usual time slot.

It is hoped that the event will be back this Saturday.

Out on the tourist trail, Paul Johns and Jon Day tackled the beautiful but tough Woolacombe Dunes parkrun.

Adrianne and Anthony Mullins enjoyed Lands End parkrun; Adele Girdwood ran Worsley Woods parkrun; Simon Dimmock took part in Portsmouth Lakeside, and Kevin Feeney and Sarah Shepley ran Parke parkrun near Bovey Tracey.

Meanwhile Carolyn Nation nabbed her O for the parkrun alphabet challenge at Oaklands in Birmingham.