Before we talk about the photos from the weekend I must first stop to remember those impacted by the sudden and tragic event at the Shoreham Airshow on Saturday. Our thoughts and condolences are with all those affected. Some of us who were at the show have friends and family who know people directly involved in the terrible incident and we are doing what we can to help.
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After covering Oxfam's TrailWalker event on the South Downs in July, this weekend saw us travel a little further afield than usual to the scenic Yorkshire Dales for the Oxfam TrailTrekker event. An endurance challenge raising money for a great cause, teams of 4 take on either 40, 65 or 100km in 30hours or less across the rugged and dramatic terrain.
As usual we'd had a keen eye on the weather forecast in the run up to the event with some heavy rain forecast but things on Saturday morning turned out dry and bright - almost perfect conditions for the teams who made great progress through the day. The evening however was a different story. Through the afternoon the wind had been getting stronger then when darkness fell, the storm broke with spectacular thunder and lightening across the skies and torrential rainfall. Conditions in fact became so extreme with the heavy rainfall and lightening that the organisers took the safety precaution of holding teams at checkpoints whilst the worst of the weather passed through. Thankfully it did pass through and conditions on Sunday couldn't have been more different with the sun shining on the teams as they pushed on to complete their challenge with everyone finishing with about 5 minutes to spare before the next thunderstorm arrived making things slightly difficult for the organising teams packing the event away.
Both Trailwalker and TrailTrekker are challenging and rewarding events, raising vital funds for a good cause whilst providing a fantastic experience for the teams. Well worth checking out and considering for your 2016 event calendar as a change from your normal running / triathlon / obstacle racing events! You can find the details here:
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/get-involved/fundraising/fundraising-events/walking-events
Here's the link to the gallery and also future events for the next three weeks. You can click on the gallery links to get to the event websites and still enter - some have not yet closed their entries.
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| Dawn on Saturday. |
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| First things first - fuel up for the challenge ahead |
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| Ready for the off |
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| 8am and the final start wave gets underway |
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| Breaking them in gently along the canal path |
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| Support crews await at CP1 with the essentials |
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| Checking in at CP1 |
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| Flying over the pavement at Malham |
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| That climb up to Malham Cove |
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| Through the Cove |
