Redditch man completes 100km trek for charity (From Redditch Advertiser)

Redditch man completes 100km trek for charity

11:17am Friday 30th July 2010

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)

A REDDITCH man joined a team to take part in a massive challenge in aid of Oxfam and the Gurkha Welfare Trust.

Richard Hardy was joined by David Reid and Kyle Knott, from Rugby, and James Bush from Manchester for Oxfam Trailwalker 2010, a 100km trek which starts and finishes in Skipton.

Although the route is at times picturesque, taking in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, it pushes participants to their physical limits.

Richard’s team started with jovial spirits in the morning on Saturday, July 17, but with 50km under their belts, the challenge started to get more painful. Then night fell and the team found themselves between checkpoints with no torch between them.

Morale lowered, the pace slowed and blisters seemed to hurt a little bit more, but a sterling effort by the team’s support crew, which had bacon butties waiting, picked members up.

Richard said: “After 70km we thought we had broken the back of the event but little did we know what was in store. At 88km, with all team members agonising offer every step, one of us collapsed.

“He turned ghost white and became semi incoherent but was determined not to give in so, a litre of energy drink later, he was back on his feet and we continued.”

The team had a fantastic finishing result, crossing the line together, with a sprint, in a respectable time of 23hrs 35mins, achieving its goal of breaking 24hrs.

Richard added: “The whole event seems a bit of a haze and only the blisters are remnants of the massive effort we all put in, but a highlight was definitely watching the sun rise over the South Downs at 4.30am on Sunday.”

To sponsor Richard, visit http://www.justgiving.com/Richard-Hardy3.

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)