Purple Gecko Event Reports
Read all about our latest adventures on the trails...
CARDINHAM 2.5K/5K/10K
SATURDAY 13TH APRIL
As anyone close to me knows, Butch Cassidy’s birthday is an immensely important day in my calendar, primarily due to it being one of the very few occasions where am I allowed to dress up as a cowboy now I am almost an adult. Unfortunately, as this clashed with a jogging get together at Cardinham. the six guns, spurs & chaps apparently would be in deemed inappropriate and not in keeping with the day’s festivities, another example of health & Safety gone mad.
Truth be told, the build up to the event had been full of sinister signs, ominous omens and something bad beginning with P portents. Parts of the world had been plunged into darkness ushering in an brief epoch of hysteria, George from EastEnders received more devastating news about Glorias death & Harmony Hairspray cancelled my sponsorship after last weekend’s Helman Tor catastrophe. Then there was the weather….
Here at PGE we pride ourselves on two things - biscuits and inclement weather. The former we normally have under some degree of control, the latter we leave to the likes of Boinayel & Bunzi. The distinct lack of Agua, wind, hail, ball lightning or lava quite frankly is a considerable disappointment and rest assured, we will not rest (terms & conditions apply) until we get to the bottom of this.
Meteorological and cowpoke fancy dress let downs aside, the day was a resounding success. Yes someone might have inadvertently slipped a few extra yards into the course, yes some of the 10k runners might have mistakenly felt that it was a steep hill at the turn around point*, but all in all the vast majority who set out were ultimately accounted for at some point or other. The fun runners will never have any idea how close they came to completing a 5k circuit… the 5k & 10k Trail runners completed stage 4 of the 2024 championship in blistering fashion and the 2023 – 2024 5k & 10k Championship came to an epic conclusion after 8 awesome stages over the last 8 months!! What a turn out!
*The steep hill for the 10k turnaround was in fact a deep fake and didn’t actually exist.
Special mentions for:
2.5k Trail Run
Jack Dixon – 1st Male, 1st Junior Male in a time of 12min 21secs!
Amelia Pallot – 1st Female, 1st Junior Female in a time of 13nins 50secs!
Joseph Venning – 2nd Male.
Kensa Ball – 2nd Female.
Jack Parsons – 3rd Male.
Victoria Ball – 3rd female, 1st Open Female.
Wayne Parsons – 1st vet40m.
5k Trail Run
Ryan Marks of St Austell Running Club – 1st Male, 1st open Male in a time of 20mins 48secs!
Phoebe Timson of COPAC – 1st Female, 1st Junior female in a time of 23mins 58secs!
Stefan Penney – 2nd Male.
Gina Jennings – 2nd Female, 1st vet40f.
Joshua Mills of Cornwall Athletics Club – 3rd Male, 1st Junior Male.
Daisy Hassll of PentaShot – 3rd Female.
Charlotte Tonks of St Austell Athletes Running Club – 1st Open Female.
Michael MacDonald – 1st vet40m.
Spencer Ham – 1st vet50m.
Karen Mcclay of Cornwall Athletics Club – 1st vet50f.
Linda Godfrey – 1st vet60f.
Dave Headdon – 1st vet60m
10k Trail Run
Charles Buscombe of Newquay Road Runners – 1st Male, 1st Open Male in a time of 42mins 3secs!
Skylar Collins – 1st Female, 1st Open Female in a time of 51mins 18secs!
Archie Phillips of GGAC – 2nd Male.
Ellie Wagstaff – 2nd Female.
Philip Watts – 3rd Male.
Donna Haslam – 3rd Female.
Noah Day – 1st Junior Male.
Layla-Rose day- 1st Junior Female.
Jody Smith – 1st vet40m.
Jade Boggs of Cornwall Athletics Club – 1st vet40f.
Gary Ricards of Truro Running Club – 1st vet50m.
Catherine Hawken – 1st vet50f.
Malcolm Lee – 1st vet60m.
Janet White of Okehampton Running Club (ORC) – 1st vet70f.
5k Canicross
Dan Martin plus chief of One And All Canicross & Dog Fitness – 1st Male, 1st Open Male in a time of 16mins 38secs!
Tamara Beach plus chief of Canicross UK– 1st Female, 1st Open Female in a time of 17mins 40secs!
Jason Pascoe plus chief of Non-stop dogwear – 2nd Male, 1st vet50m.
Emily Gelipter plus chief - 2nd Female.
Barry Osborne plus chief of Canicross Cornwall– 3rd Male.
Jackie Haskins plus chief of Caradon Cani-Crossers– 3rd Female, 1st vet40f.
Jane Garside plus chief of Newquay Road Runners – 1st vet50f.
Jacky Tyler of Caradon Cani-Crossers – 1st vet60f.
10k Canicross
Ian Littlewood plus chief of Caradon Cani-Crossers – 1st Male, 1st vet40m in a time of 44mins 26mins!
Bethany Wilshaw plus chief of Devon Howlers, Newnham Bark – 1st Female, 1st vet40f.
Jed Ardren plus chief – 2nd Male, 1st Open Male.
Maria Ward plus chief – 2nd Female.
Paul Grayston plus chief – 3rd Male, 1st vet60m.
Elizabeth Ferris plus chief – 3rd Female.
Joanna Teixeria plus chief of Tri Logic – 1st Open Female.
Peter graham plus chief – 1st vet50m.
Full Cardinham Results here: https://www.resultsbase.net/event/6860/results
Trail Running Championship – today was Stage 4 of the PGE 2024 Trail Running Championship Series, the top 10 Male & Female finishers all gained Championship Series points, resulting in the leader boards looking like this:
5k Female Trail Championship
1st – Charlotte Tonks – 30 pts.
2nd – Kay Middleditch of Truro Running Club – 14 pts.
3rd – Victoria Ham – 13 pts.
5k Male Trail Championship
1st – Spencer Ham – 26 pts.
2nd – Jake Stone of St Austell Running Club – 24 pts.
3rd – Ryan Marks of St. Austell Running Club – 20 pts.
10k Female Trail Championship
1st – Viviane Bunn – 13 pts.
2nd – Megan Ellis – 12 pts.
3rd – Sarah Green – 11 pts.
10k Male Trail Championship
1st – Gary Richards of Truro Running Club – 18 pts.
2nd – Troy Taylor / Liam Jonas of Tamar Trotters Running Club Saltash – 14 pts.
3rd – Angus Mentor of Haldon Trail Runners / James Powell of Newlyn East Runners / Mathew Pasternakiewicz / Charles Buscombe of Newquay Road Runners – 10 pts.
Stage 5 is at Siblyback Lake on Saturday 22nd June: https://www.resultsbase.net/backend/event/6854
2023 – 2024 Canicross Championship – Today was the 8th & final round of the PGE 2023-2024 5k & 10k Canicross Championship!! Following today’s event, we had a presentation for the top finishers with prizes kindly donated by Jason at Non-stop dogwear.com!! The top 10 Male & Female finishers in both distances earned championship points, final placings:
5k Female Canicross Championship Final Results
1st – Tamara Beach of Canicross UK - 70 pts.
2nd – Jackie Haskins of Caradon Cani-Crossers – 50 pts.
3rd – Danielle Stevens of Canicross UK and Canicross Cornwall – 35 pts.
5k Male Canicross Championship Final Results
1st – Barry Osborne of Canicross Cornwall – 65 pts.
2nd – Dan Martin of One And All Canicross & Dog Fitness – 58 pts.
3rd – Jason Pascoe of Non-stop dogwear – 27 pts.
10k Female Canicross Championship Final Results
1st – Louise Littlewood of Caradon Cani-Crossers– 66 pts.
2nd – Bethany Wilshaw of Devon Howlers, Newnham Bark– 34 pts.
3rd – Maria Ward of Let's Go Canicross – 29 pts.
10k Male Canicross Championship Results
1st – Ian Littlewood of Caradon Cani-Crossers – 70 Pts.
2nd – Paul Grayston – 53 pts.
3rd – Jed Ardren – 45 pts.
Full Canicross championship table on our website tomorrow
Congratulations all!
We would like to thank Cardinham Rangers, Forestry England, Woods Cafe, Cardinham woods, Nr Bodmin, Cornwall, Brand88 Print & Design Non-stop dogwear, Your Event Supplier, The Events Depot, Scimitar Sportswear Paul from peninsula medical, John Barnes for photography, Chris for car park and finish, Rich for car park and sweeping, Cassi for reg & timing, Sammy for finish and sweeping, Lara, Stuart, Jackie, Dave, Jane, Sue & Jen for marshalling and of course you, constant runner, for joining us on an unnervingly pleasant morning in Cardinham
TRILATERAL 40
SATURDAY 6TH APRIL
'Dear Diary
97 days into a 365 day stretch.
Some gifted individual at HQ thought it would be a good idea for me to stand on top of a hill today.
Not sure how much longer my hair products will hold out.
Tell my stylist that I did everything I coouulldddd…….
Cough’.
Entry discovered in a purple ‘My Kitty’ diary found near Helman Tor.
Early yesterday morning, during a brief, conspicuous lull in atmospheric aquatic activity*, they began to assemble. 50 battle hardened trail running gladiators, armed to the teeth with whistles and jelly babies gathered waterside at the Fowey Royal British Legion as the sun began to rise. Initially there was understandable degree of moderate apoplexy when it became apparent that the bar was not in fact actually open, which did eventually ease to a combination of disappointment and sulking. (Certainly helped by quick thinking staff who put cartoons on the telly).
As mega miffed Storm Kathleen was stomping up and down the peninsula slamming doors and generally ensuring everyone was aware of her presence, the contenders were escorted onto the dais beside The Rook. Blessings were given, a sacrifice was made to Jupiter, the Roman equivalent of Zeus, in the form of a Chelsea Bun from Lidl. Cow pat hurdlers were given one final opportunity to bid farewell to family & friends before being given an adrenaline fuelled lacklustre countdown from 5 and manumitted into the narrow lanes of Fowey.
Yesterday was the UN International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, as well as the 128th anniversary of the 1st modern Olympics, so what better way to celebrate than with
40km (more for some) of running / climbing / sliding & paddling during a Met Office weather warning. Despite this, everyone who started finished, some elected for extra bolt on excursions, some began to leak Claret, others choose to roll around in the mud for no apparent reason what so ever, yet more still took a closer look at the quality of the tarmac in Fowey, but they all came home.
We pay hummus & homage to you all.
*Total solar eclipses are now officially more frequent than dry interludes.
Special mentions for:
Jed Ardren of Canicross Cornwall – 1st Male, 1st Open Male in a time of 3hrs 39mins!
Lucy Milling – 1st Female, 1st Open Female in a time of 4hrs 50mins!
Andrew Senior of Truro Running Club – 2nd Male.
Louise Turvey of Perran Trail Runners – 2nd Female, 1st vet50f.
Tom Carter of St Austell Athletes Running Club – 3rd Male, 1st vet40m.
Emma Pemberton of TACH - Town and Country Harriers – 3rd Female, 1st vet40f.
Martin Greenslade of HG CARS – 1st vet50m.
Patrick Munn of East Cornwall Harriers – 1st vet60m.
Jane Pennington – 1st vet60f.
Full results here: https://www.resultsbase.net/event/6689/results
Congratulations all!
We would like to thank - Fowey Royal British Legion (Sarah, Vicky & Ethan) for being so friendly & accommodating, Fowey Town Council, Luxulyan Parish Council The Ship Inn Par for use of their beautiful back garden & facilities, Geo Tracks, Brand88 Print & Design, Your Event Supplier, Will HP Photography for the epic pics, The Fab Cam from Omega Medical, St Austell Athletes Running Club superstars Lee & Richard for kit check & sweeping, Ranger Dave the Cow Whisperer for managing the CP’s, Cyan, Lucie, Jen, Jackie, Eirin, Caitlin, Gary & doggies for manning the CP’s and being so friendly & supportive, Melanie, Celia & Chris for being friendly, welcoming faces at the finish and of course you, constant runner, for tweaking Storm Kathleen's nose as you skipped your way around the county.
Race & staff photos up on our main Facebook page