AT midday on Friday, Rachel Wood of Bere Alston Trekkers lined up to take on the the Tailwind Nutrition Arc of Attrition. This 100-mile Winter Coastpath Ultra race staged by Mudcrew, is aptly described as the South West’s toughest footrace.

The Arc is a point-to-point extreme coastal race from Coverack to Porthtowan, taking in 100 miles of stunning and dramatic Cornish coastpath, with competitors running in challenging winter conditions. Runners complete an ‘Arc’ around the entire south west foot of Cornwall.

The race had a strict 36 hour cut-off with additional checkpoint cut-offs on route. With checkpoints 20 miles apart, competitors need the ability to be self-sufficient for long periods of time, and had a crew of helpers/supporters to provide nutrition, clothing and support.

All competitors are required to carry a compulsory GPS tracking device which allows race HQ (and friends and family) to track progress online throughout the event. The race is a self-navigation event and only suitable for experienced ultra runners.

There was an entry requirement of at least a 100km finish in another race, and considerable experience of night time running. Experienced ultra runner Rachel made steady progress over the 100-mile course, much to the relief of her crew, comprising fellow BATs Martin and Hilary Head, Jo Bourton, Murray Turner and friend Gilly Champion, not to mention her friends and family nervously ‘watching’ the event on the online GPS live tracker.

Showing true grit and a sense of unshakeable determination to get over the finishing line, Rachel completed this brutal race in a time of 34 hours 21 minutes 36 seconds and was awarded the exclusive and much coveted MudCrew 100-mile buckle and a well earned rest!

Meanwhile, closer to home, lone BAT Heather Lee made the trip to Exeter on Sunday to take part in the Exeter Half Marathon — a three lap, traffic free, flat route, which runs along the footpaths and cycle tracks around the River Exe and Exeter Canal.

Unusually, this 13.1 mile distance event is held over two days: Saturday was intended for competitive runners looking to complete the course in under two hours and Sunday was open for all levels with a three hour time limit.

Hazel ran a great race, achieving a PB of around 10 minutes for this distance.