Southwell Running Club
Mud, mud glorious mud on the Belvoir Challenge
Back in December, signing up for the renowned Belvoir Challenge seemed like a good idea. However, following the recent weeks of wind, rain and inclement weather, the Southwell Running Club members who had registered for the event began to wonder what might be in store for them.
The Challenge, which is organised by Harby Primary School, has '26' and '15' mile routes - both of which start and finish at Harby Village Hall and follow footpaths, byways, tracks and minor roads through the beautiful Vale of Belvoir and the Belvoir Castle Estate.
The event is definitely not for the faint-hearted and not a PB route; it is exactly what it says - a challenge! Luckily, the day dawned bright and sunny with hardly a cloud in the sky. Alongside the very generous helpings of mud and hills, there were glorious views along the way which made up for the strong headwinds which seemed to somehow accompany the 750 entrants along the majority of both circular routes.
Besides the mud and hills, this event is famous for its refreshments and this year was no exception. The checkpoints, manned by parents and school children, offered an array of savoury and sweet snacks to help the runners on their way.
SRC members Penny Durance, Brendan Parkinson, Julie Stafford, Tracy Polak, Barbara Garrett, Kat Hall and Carol Hayward all completed the '26' mile route, which in reality was very close to 27 miles, whilst congratulations go to Katy Simpson for finishing first female on the 15 mile route which was also completed by Bill Lee and Pam Dutton.
In other equally muddy conditions, Ben Parker, Adam Carney, Steve Hargrave, Adam Smith, Paul Grogan, Ian Haigh, Kayne Rukas, James Stubbs, Bill Lee, Di Hopper and Pam Dutton participated in the East Midlands Cross Country League helping the club to gain a commendable sixth place out of twelve clubs.
Our Tuesday Evening Development group continues to thrve - please come along and join in if you are interested in progressing your running.
Ruby Runner