There are some races where the result is almost secondary to the experience, and the Sunflower Stride proved to be just such an occasion for a newly formed band of Bournemouth AC chums.

With the race taking place in the evening, Clint Taylor, Tom Casson, Kitty Cook, David Crowther and Helen Beddoe were at least spared the hottest part of the day as they headed just outside Dorchester for an event organised by Tri-Counties Trail Running.

And what an evening it turned out to be.

The 7.3-mile course was anything but flat, with around 800 feet of elevation packed into the route. The runners first had to weave their way through the mighty sunflower plants before heading towards Maiden Castle, Europe’s largest Iron Age hillfort. From the higher sections there were breathtaking views stretching south towards Weymouth, while Hardy’s Monument could be seen away to the west.

It was certainly a scenic course, but the hills made sure that nobody was going to be getting an easy ride.

The Bournemouth contingent had already developed some impressive camaraderie during the summer. They had been travelling to races together and training together, including a 20-mile run which had been arranged to help Kitty Cook with her preparations for the New Forest Marathon.

The Sunflower Stride was the latest chapter in their increasingly busy racing schedule.

The newly formed faction had all lined up at the Lordshill 10K, where Tom, Kitty and Helen all recorded 10K personal bests. They also all took part in the Purbeck 10K, with David the only one of the five to miss that particular outing.

Clint, David and Helen had gone one better by also competing in the SOBO 5 on the same weekend as Purbeck, while Tom, Kitty, Helen and Clint had all tackled the Blackmore Vale Half Marathon.

There had been plenty more racing since then, with Tom, Kitty and Helen also competing in the Upton Summer Series. Kitty had put herself firmly into contention for the overall women’s title, battling it out with Helen O’Neile of Poole Runners, while Helen Beddoe was looking set for victory in the women’s 40–44 category. Tom, meanwhile, had climbed quite high in the overall standings.

And if one hot and hilly half marathon wasn’t enough, Tom and Kitty subsequently headed to the Stur Half Marathon, where both improved on their Blackmore Vale times.

Earlier in the same week as the Stur Half, Tom and Kitty had also recorded their fastest ever 5K times at the Bournemouth AC Tuesday evening track event.

With the fifth Upton Summer Series race on that week as well, there was certainly no shortage of miles in the legs by the time they arrived among the sunflowers.

Tom produced another impressive performance, despite the course seemingly doing everything possible to slow him down.

The opening mile was virtually all uphill, yet he still managed an excellent 6:29. The second mile contained both descent and ascent and came out at 7:13, before another sustained climb on the third mile saw him record 8:35.

That might have suggested the hills were beginning to take their toll, but Tom wasn’t finished yet. He cranked the pace back up for a 6:52 fourth mile, followed by 7:05 for the fifth.

Then came another testing incline during mile six, which he negotiated in 8:46, before finding enough in reserve to finish with a 7:31 final mile.

All of that was enough to bring Tom home in an excellent fourth place overall in exactly 53 minutes.

Kitty was not far behind, producing another strong run to finish 11th overall in 57:54. That was good enough for second female, with Sally Hall taking the women’s victory after finishing sixth overall in 54:44.

David Crowther crossed the line in 14th place in 58:54, while Clint was the next Bournemouth AC runner home, completing the challenging course in 1:01:41 for 18th place.

Helen Beddoe was next, recording 1:07:12 to finish 33rd overall and sixth female.

Clint’s regular running partner Zoe Meaton was also taking on the hills and she completed the course in 1:12:12, placing 53rd overall and 14th female.

At the sharp end, Leuan Baker took the victory in 49:47, with Adam Woollard second in 51:25 and Jamie Ings third in 51:56.

For the Bournemouth AC crew, though, the real success was the shared experience.

The five had packed an awful lot of racing and training into a relatively short period, and the Sunflower Stride provided another opportunity to race together, support one another and enjoy the sort of camaraderie that makes running clubs so much more than a collection of people chasing times.

It was also a particularly memorable occasion for David, as this was his final race before moving to Brighton to take up a new role in physiotherapy.

After all those races, training runs and shared miles, there could hardly have been a better send-off.

The sunflowers, the hills, the views, the racing and, most importantly, the company combined to make the Sunflower Stride a memorable evening for the Bournemouth AC crew – and one that David will hopefully remember fondly when he starts his new chapter in Brighton.