The first Sunday (January 6) of the new year will see the staging of the Axmouth Challenge races, writes Dave Mutter.

The race headquarters is at the village hall and the race gets underway at 10am.

The main event is a 9-mile race and there are also 5-mile, 3-mile and 1-mile races on offer. For more information on the event, visit www.axevalleyrunners.org.uk/races

Meanwhile, an incredible 229 runners completed the Christmas Day Seaton Parkrun, with most people wearing festive attire.

AVR certainly enjoyed plenty of Christmas cheer at the Parkrun with Jake Smith having a great run, taking first place in what was a superb time of 14:48.

Second was Chard RRC’s Wayne Loveridge in a time of 17:17 and third was Mark Spiller of Bishops Stortford RC, with his time being 17:53.

AVR’s Emma Kiernan was the first female in 19:22 with Honiton RC’s Jo Davey the second female in 21:37 and Emilie Padmore, also of Honiton, was third female over the line in a time of 22:03.

This was followed on Saturday by the highest ever turnout for Seaton Parkrun of 284 finishers.

It was won by Simon Dimmock, of Liss RC, in 17:59, with Colin Davies taking second place with his time being 18:32 and Adam Hennessey, of Honiton RC, took third spot in a time of 18:38.

Anita Mellodew of Avon Valley Runners was the first female home in a time of 21:00. The second female home was Victoria Plummers in a time of 21:09 and AVR’s Eleanor Wood was third female in 21:31.

Tim Lenton and Patrick Devine-Wright ran a winter Dartmoor Crossing in four hours and fifty minutes, leaving from Ivybridge and running to Okehampton into a cool north easterly wind.

The weather was mixed, with some sunshine in the southern half and a thick mist in the northern half.

The going underfoot was mostly pretty wet and sodden, with stepping stones very greasy, but there were also some were very runnable stretches that helped the pair progress at a steady pace all the way for an enjoyable day out.