Hastings athletes get from John O'Groats to Land's End and back - virtually

Members of newly formed running club HY Runners completed a virtual 48-hour walk/run relay over the weekend - and raised more than £4,500 for a great local cause.
Runners of all ages got involved in the HY Runners' eventRunners of all ages got involved in the HY Runners' event
Runners of all ages got involved in the HY Runners' event

The Hastings-based club started at 8pm Friday with the aim of raising funds for the Oliver Curd Trust; a charity set up by Oliver’s parents in memory of their son who died of cancer in 2007, aged nine.

The trust offers holiday accommodation for families affected by childhood cancer. This year the charity missed out on major fundraising because of the cancellation of the Hastings Half Marathon.

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Picture special on HY Runners and their virtual relayA total of 128 people joined in the challenge and every single one put in maximum effort. Many are beginners who had not even completed a 5k until recently.

Sarah Curd. mum of Oliver, in whose memory the event was held, was among runnersSarah Curd. mum of Oliver, in whose memory the event was held, was among runners
Sarah Curd. mum of Oliver, in whose memory the event was held, was among runners

Other more experienced athletes put in ultra-marathon, marathon and half-marathon miles, some even running several times per day.

Families and junior athletes got involved, there were relays within the relay, and walking for those that wanted it. There were even had virtual miles from Spain and Australia. The icing on the cake was to see Oliver’s mum Sarah Curd taking part and completing a 2.4-mile run.

The plan was to run the equivalent of John O’Groats to Land’s End, which was achieved after 36 hours. It was then decided to run back again and, with a Herculean effort this was reached by 7.30pm on Sunday.

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The shortest road route to John O’Groats and back is 1,628 miles. HY Runners ran and walked a combined total of 1,764 miles and have raised more than £4,500 to date,

If you are interested in finding out more about the new club, please contact Terry Skelton on 07711 777363.

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