Aren’t some people just remarkable. Inspirational. The sort of people that make you stop, think and realise what is possible.

Our first mention is the head of our club’s flagship event (of which he credits his marvellous team an incredible amount) and the physical challenges he sets himself often leave us in awe. This autumn he added to his race calendar two challenging marathons. Whilst sadly Snowdonia was not to be, having had to make a very sensible and admirable decision to pull out only the day before due to a freak injury, Richard Bebbington conquered Eden Marathon, Cornwall’s biggest running event.

The multi-terrain route taking in scenic countryside (codeword for ‘hard’) rewards you with a pint and a pasty at the end, although surely not a patch on the Ashby 20 cheese cob? Rich described the event as having ‘very, very steep inclines’, and ‘tough is an understatement’. He’d recommend it though, especially for those post-race goodies. Stopping the clock at 4:44:48 is an incredible feat and we hope you’re now recovering well.

Beachy Head is another to really show runners a hard time, encountering much mud and much hills on the 26.2. Only 8 months ago, Andy Hough suffered a heart attack, and now here he is another to continuously inspire, grabbing life by the scruff of the neck and giving these amazing experiences a whirl. He didn’t half show this marathon he’s made of tough stuff. Despite a fall at 4 miles resulting in a battered knee and elbow which swelled spectacularly, he wasn’t deterred, carrying on like a trooper for the remaining 22. 5:25:03 was Andy’s time, a phenomenal achievement overcoming so many barriers.

Sadly, without Rich for blue team company, Paul Woods headed to Snowdonia as our solo in the Ivanhoe vest. His third marathon in the month of October, and most would agree leaving the worst til last. 700ft of elevation hits you just between miles 22 and 23 followed up oh so ‘pleasantly’ with a downhill in the shape of a muddy trail, royally destroying the legs. Paul showed the ‘best UK marathon’ who was boss though, nabbing the club course record on the route that delivered on every expectation in a superb time of 3:34:49.

Written by Emily Partridge - last updated on 10/11/2022