Grantham Running Club A Team were thrilled to finish second in their category and fourth overall at Equinox 24, a 24 hour endurance race held on the Belvoir Castle Estate over the weekend of the 20th and 21st September.
Although only its second year, Equinox 24 has already established itself as one of the country’s most popular endurance events. Competitors try to complete as many laps of the approximately 10km multi-terrain course as possible from Midday on the Saturday through to Midday on the Sunday. Entrants could choose whether to compete solo, or as pairs, or small or large teams. Grantham Running Club entered two large mixed sex teams, each comprising eight runners.
Conditions were initially good for the early laps of the race, but those running through the night were hampered initially by rain and then by mist, with only head torches to help navigate through the darkness. Thankfully come dawn the mist cleared and runners enjoyed a sunny conclusion to the race.
Grantham Running Club A Team, comprising: Jeremy Page; Stuart Sinclair; Mark Wilson; Gerry Hyde; Rob Howbrook; Matthew Kingston-Lee; Holly Durham; and Ben Mason, overcame the challenging course and night time conditions, sleep deprivation, numerous injuries, and general fatigue to complete 33 laps (approximately 190 miles), finishing second in the Large Team Category behind overall winners Stilton Striders Team A, who amassed an impressive 35 laps.
Grantham Running Club B Team, comprising: Mark Hillson; Marc Tremain; Gordon Geach; Sarah High; John Bainbridge; Helen Brown; Sam Bainbridge; and Catherine Payne, performed equally admirably to finish eighth in the Large Team Category, completing 29 laps and ending up just 25 seconds behind the seventh placed finishers.
There were 46 large teams taking part in the race; 37 small teams; 12 pairs; 25 solo females and 49 solo males. The winning small team (the all-female Har-Kiss Honeys) completed 34 laps; the best pairs (RAF Lossiemouth A) completed 26 laps; Kate Jayden was the winning solo lady with seventeen laps; and Steve Salter was the winning male with 20 laps (over 115 miles) covered in 24 hours.
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