Phillip Howells reports on what looks set to become a club tradition. Last year a handful of club members accompanied him on a 22 mile around the Malverns. This year he decided to repeat the challenge....
"Eleven runners participated, 6 from Tewkesbury and 5 friends who are mainly fellow 'mad' ultra runners (what we call, well I do anyway?, the COCO fraternity - people who have run long distance for the Comrades of Childen Overseas (COCO) charity formed by Steve Cram). From the club we had Roger, Angie, Brad, Sandie, Martyn and myself (several others had to apologise for illness or work,etc). For 'COCO' (not all directly so, but makes it easier to group together) we had Don, Colin, Dave, Debbie and Edward. It was a mix of talent, huge experience and relative novices, and I counted up the events we had done between us - 11 Comrades marathons (56 mile race in South Africa), 3 London-Brightons, 40 other ultra-marathons and at least 125 marathons! Quite an impressive tally.
"We were also welcoming any less experienced or not quite so fit runners wanting to participate, proposing to get them through to the 8 mile point at British Camp and then taking an easier lane-route back to Ledbury to make a 13 mile-ish (roughly half marathon) run. Sandie and Martyn took up that challenge and did it to their great satisfaction (accompanied by Edward). It was Sandie's longest ever run (previous 8 miles I think) and since she is aiming to run the Tewkesbury half, a great psychological boost. so a particularly well done to her and also to Brad, who did the whole distance although I think it was also his longest ever run. Jon Mansfield will know how Brad felt towards the end!! - but he showed great determination to finish strongly. It all showed the club off to its best; Roger, Angie, Brad, Edward and myself all ran with Sandie and Martyn to the British Camp cafe spot (the other guys were quicker so carried on - a bit too cold to hang around too much) before upping the pace after the 8 miles; club spirit personified I think and why we have such a friendly and rewarding club atmosphere.