Something a bit different for you today, will it leave you wanting to give it a go for yourself or more than happy to stick to the roads?

Amelia Monaghan and Pat Horn stepped up to the challenge of The Farmyard Jam staged by Overload Run last month. The aim of the game? Starting every hour from midday for 24 hours, they would begin a 4.2 mile circuit; a whopping 100 miles if they made it to the end.

But of course there’s a twist; you can choose to run a mile less each lap. Wait for it… in return for a whole host of obstacles, including crawling under chicken wire, sliding or diving down tubes, hurtling yourself over walls and grappling with monkey bars. This event is a real test of endurance, strength, and determination.

Pat was up first, opting to run the full distance and got round in 35:13. Handing the baton to Amelia come 1pm, being a former personal trainer she went for the obstacle route, and our hearts went out to her when she dislocated her shoulder creating a whole load of pain, despite which she still completed her lap in 30:21.

Pat continued to run the full distance every time, keeping up incredible momentum through the heat of the day and the dark of the night. Amelia switched up her tactics to protect her shoulder, also choosing to run the 4 miles, all the way through until lap 10. At lap 11, she switched to obstacles, incurring penalties for not being able to hoist herself over certain challenges, landing her with sit ups and star jumps.

Three teams were still standing as the time for the decider dawned, Amelia bearing the pressure of the last lap. She had a huge lead coming in to the obstacles, endured the penalties once more, doing her best to protect her shoulder as she went. She breezed through, her fellow competitors no where in sight with team mate Pat at the finish line to celebrate their fabulous victory together. Not only that, but they won as a pair, whilst the two other teams had 3 & 4 members. Very impressive.

There was sleep deprivation, S Club karaoke, egg sandwiches, and a whole load of support from their Ivanhoe family. An amazing experience and a huge achievement. Well done Team 12 – IVANHOES!

Written by Emily Partridge - last updated on 01/08/2023