Stainland Lions up and running again along the Calderdale Way
ALTHOUGH ALL racing remains on hold for now, Stainland Lions successfully replicated the popular Calderdale Way Relay last weekend.
The race followed the usual format, with pairs of runners tackling some of Calderdale’s toughest off road routes, but with suitable modifications to ensure compliance with the current rules.
In particular, runners had to
It has been so special seeing so many Lions out running after the last few weeks in lockdown
observe social distancing, and rather than passing on a baton to the next pair of runners, there was a window between Friday and Sunday for each pair to register their run time.
Seventy-two Lions took part across six teams, and the winning team recorded a cracking total time of 8 hours 54 minutes. The victorious six pairs were: Tanya Blake and Craig Miller, Mark Pigford and Mak Dhinsa, Tim Walker and Cat Daniel, Martin Wood and Gerry Banham, Alan Gibson and Gillian Jago, and Jonathan Pybus and Ray Mooney.
Club chairman Tim Walker thanked Andrew Laird Boldy for organising the event and for doing the difficult job of selecting the teams. Tim then summed up the weekend, saying: “It has been so special seeing so many Lions out running after the last few weeks in lockdown. What a fantastic weekend.”
Stainland Lions member Genevieve Thompson has some amazing adventures, and this year’s big challenge was scheduled to be the Jungle Ultra Marathon in Peru, until Covid 19 hit.
Genevieve said: “All my running has been training for this event and it is all I have thought about for over 18 months, and then Covid-19 hit with Peru being fast to close all borders and travel.
“The organisers, Beyond the Ultimate, however were quick to postpone all race entries to 2021 and organise a Virtual Jungle Ultra.
“So, on Sunday, June 7 I set off for the first day of exploring the jungles of Calderdale. Over five days I ran 174km through woodland, over moors, across rivers in a range of weather and gave myself a taster of what is to come in June 2021.
“Calderdale may not be the Amazon Rainforest, but it is a great place to explore and enjoy the challenges of mud, hills, woods and water with fantastic views across the valleys. Fingers crossed for BTU Jungle Ultra 2021.”
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