If you’ve never heard of Endure24, they say its like Glastonbury for runners, it’s a mad 24-hour running event that is quite unique in the running calendar. This years event saw over 2700 runners take part with free camping and 24 hour catering; it’s a real running party in the woods! Three friends from Romsey Road Runners Becky Tovey, Alice Lane and Julie Shanker set about this challenge last weekend as a relay team. The race consists of a five-mile lap through charming woodland and trail and our devoted runners completed 10 laps each, not leaving much time for sleep! The girls came 7th overall in the ladies small teams category in an amazing time of 24:24:40. But if that wasn’t enough these crazy ladies were at it again this following weekend completing the South Downs trail marathon. The day was seriously hot and the race, which crosses some spectacular scenery, was exposed to full sun in the most part. The girls ran together, linking hands as they crossed the finishing line in a remarkable time of 5:48:27.
Meanwhile, Romsey’s Mark Stileman also took on the extreme heat running the Hampshire Hoppit half marathon. This trail race is a single-lap courses that starts and ends at Kingsclere on the Hampshire-Berkshire border reaching some of the highest points in Hampshire with views across the county. Despite the challenging weather and a hilly course, Mark finished in a very respectable 7th place overall with a time of 1:37.
