06 April 2012

Sport Relief 2012

It was Sport Relief weekend on the 23-25 March, and somehow I got roped in, literally, to doing the Sport Relief Mile in Bedford. Although I wouldn't just be running the mile, I'd be part of a team from Beds, Herts & Cambs Land Rover Club pulling a Land Rover Defender 90 along the one mile course.


Being the same weekend the clocks went forward an hour, it was a cool and cloudy morning when I set off to meet the rest of the team in Bedford Park. The longer distance 'miles' were already in progress, and for safety we would be at the back of the last run - just in case we ran anyone over.

The start and finish lines were about a hundred metres apart on the perimeter path, and we started wondering why we couldn't just go the short way... But that would be cheating!

As 13.00 approached, we made ready, the sun came out, and it was time for the warm-up laid on by the organisers.
 
Once warmed up, and hitched to the ropes, we followed the other runners under the start gantry and off on the 'run'. Having been asked to take photos and video, I pulled for a bit before running ahead to film, and then rejoined the pull - especially for the surprisingly steep hills.


25 minutes later the finishing line was in sight and, with a final effort, we managed a sprint... well... jog finish. We were greeted with water and Sport Relief medals all-round, including one for the gallant Defender.

We raised £1147 for Sport Relief, putting us in the top fifty fund-raising teams across the UK - thank you to everyone who sponsored us.

And this is how we did it: