Quakers' Heroes Help the Heroes With less than 3 weeks to go to this year’s Parachute Regiment ‘P’ Company Challenge at Catterick Garrison, a team from Darlington Quakers Running Club are training rigorously, complete with military style boots and 35lb Bergen. The 10 mile multi terrain event is certainly not one for the faint hearted and is a sobering reminder of the expectations placed on today’s soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Quakers members: Ian Scott, Suzanne Todd, Michelle Boshier, Mark and Wendy Colling, Diane Adkins, Annette Clarke and Charlie Bogg will be taking up the challenge in aid of the Help for Heroes service charity. Donations to the charity can be made online at: www.justgiving.com/GnrIAScott.  Darlington Quakers’ endurance crew, always looking to push themselves to the limits, have been engaged in individual events over the past weeks.

Charlie Bogg completed the hard-climb Hanging Stone Leap in a time of 4hrs:34mins. The 24 mile circular route, starting at Guisborough Rugby Club trailing up to Highcliffe Nab before heading towards Baysdale Abbey via Percy Rigg, Hob Hole and returning through Kildale, takes in Captain Cook Monument, Hanging Stone and Roseberry Topping on the way back. In South Yorkshire, Dave Thompson took on the Long Distance Walking Association’s Elsecar Skelter Challenge Event, with Dave electing to run the 27 mile course. Dave completed the race through fields, tracks and woods between Barnsley and Rotherham in a time of 5hrs:39mins and in 10th position.  

Quakers continue to put up a good show at Esk Valley’s Summer Fell Series with 12 Quakers on the start line of the aptly named ‘Guisbrough Grunt’. 6.1 miles and 980 feet of climbing in the North Yorkshire Moors was never going to be a doddle, but a blend of running camaraderie and some gritting of teeth helped the Quakers to make the best of the gruelling terrain. Stuart Hardcastle was the first Quaker home in a very respectable 64:49 followed by Lucy Jefferies in 67:55 and Danny Gordon in 70:28. Mark Colling, continuing his good form this season, finished in 76:22 followed by wife Wendy in 85mins alongside Richard Payne. Sarah Beadle and Diane Adkins put up a plucky performance to finish in 118mins and despite receiving penalty time points for a slight detour, Sandra Park and Michelle Boshier registered 121 mins on the results sheet for what was a very challenging course.

Over in Cumbria, Nick Watson ran the awesome 6.5 miles Lakeland Country Fair Fell Race, setting off from the village of Torver to summit Coniston Old Man and returning the same way  in a time of in 1hr 19mins. 

Back on the roads and looking for points towards the club championship, 19 Quakers made their way to a very warm Billingham to take part in this year’s Ray Harrison Memorial Race. Despite the relatively flat and fast 10k course, personal bests were hard to find as temperatures topped 24 degrees. Still, the Quakers put up a good performance with Nick Mason finishing first for the club in 39:34 followed by Brian Martin in 40:50 and David Todd in 41:13. First woman home for the Quakers was Diane Vaughan in 46:01 followed by Louise Trainor in 46:43 and Michelle Boshier in 53:54. Other Quakers completing the course were: Dave McLachlan 44:22, Scott Green 44:27, Darren Stockdale 44:28, Ian Scott 44:44, Mark Robinson 45:46, Danny Gordon 47:07, Peter Rowley 47:13, Richard Hughes 47:50, Paul Jefferies 48:06, Jeff Marriott 53:04, Derek Clulow 56:18, Alan Prest 60:42 and Janette Croft in 67:16.