Belvoir Challenge 2024 – Muddy Hell 🦫🦫🦫🦫🦫
On Saturday 2nd March five MACs travelled south to Leicestershire to take part in what is advertised as a ‘26 or 15 mile run or walk through the footpaths, byways, tracks and minor roads through the beautiful Vale of Belvoir’. Unfortunately, this seems to be false marketing as it was more like a tough mudder than a tranquil run through beautiful countryside.
On the plus side, this is a brilliantly organised event which raises money for Harby Primary School. The feed stations are amazing and the volunteers are fabulous – they couldn’t have been any friendlier or encouraging.
Christine Howard and Pete Bush were the sensible ones and chose the 15 mile option. Christine finished in 63rd place in 2:40:08, with Pete coming in at 3:21:16 in 145th place. There were 531 finishers.
Atessa Kolanowska , Nancy Butler and Sarah Witham went hardcore and settled for the 26 miler. Sarah had originally chosen the 15 miler but was ‘encouraged’ into ‘upgrading’, which surprised the volunteers at registration as ‘nobody ever transfers up, it’s normally the other way round’. Despite all the mud (muddiest year ever according to reliable sources) we managed to stay upright and finish the full 26 miles, albeit looking and smelling less than our usual glamorous selves. Atessa led the threesome home in 61st place, finishing in 5:41:00, followed by Nancy in 64th place in 5:42:09 and Sarah in 65th place in 5:42:42. There were 171 finishers.
These events are like childbirth – painful at the time and you never want to do it again, but give it a day or so and you’re saving the date for next year. In the meantime, we’re off to take up bog snorkelling.
