ON Sunday, husband and wife Bere Alston Trekkers Martin and Hilary Head took part in St Austell Running Club’s IMERYS Trail Marathon and half marathon.

This unique, multi terrain event is staged on land used by Cornwall’s China Clay Industry, and provides runners with the opportunity to visit operational working sites, and to run on land which has been regenerated from the industrial past, providing a challenging and spectacular course. With only short sections of road, the participants run through a network of paths and a tunnel in Wheal Martyn and out onto the sand roads around the clay pits, returning via private farmland and more picturesque tracks and trails. The clear skies and intense sun highlighted the stunning views but also made for arduous running conditions. Martin and Hilary both ran the half marathon, and both secured course personal bests finishing in times of 2 hours 04 minutes 43 seconds and 2.48.37 respectively.

On the same day in Plymouth, seven members of the BATs joined more than 3,000 other starters at the Plymouth Ocean City Half Marathon. The race route saw competitors heading out through the city’s historic Barbican, and continued to Saltram House via a long gradual ascent before competing an ‘out and back’ along Embankment Road and returning to the Grand Parade on Plymouth Hoe and the cheers of the many spectators.

Running her first race since the Virgin London Marathon last year, BAT Sally Dunn joined forces with fellow BAT Lisa Birch to add some sparkle to the day, running the race in the bright colours which were much loved by Sally’s daughter, and of which she would have approved. A minute’s silence was observed before the race got underway, in memory of lost loved ones. Fellow BATs and friends from other local running clubs were much out in force on the course to cheer the runners on to a grand finish on Plymouth’s iconic Hoe Lisa and Sally ran together, finishing in 2.06.23 and 2.06.24, followed by Ben Saul in 2.13.26 (PB), Alison Greaves 2.18.11, Paul and Debbie Ashton in 2.19.35 and Pam Adams 2.22.0.

Further afield, male solo BAT Andrew Bowden completed his third Ironman 70.3 Triathlon, this time in sunny Barcelona. The course comprised a one loop swim in the Mediterranean Sea of 1.2 mile (1.9 km), a 56 mile (90k) bike ride before returning to the transition area on the beach before heading out for a 13.1 mile (21.1 km) run. The event took place in hot conditions, but nevertheless Andrew managed a personal best in the swim session and a great result overall.

Northern BAT Andy Cowden headed slightly further north to take part in the Liverpool Rock and Roll Half Marathon. Part of the American based Rock and Roll series of races on both sides of the Atlantic, the Liverpool Half took runners from the Albert Dock around the Liver Building, past the Cavern Club and through Liverpool’s Chinatown before heading out to Sefton Park and finishing along the waterfront and back to the Albert Dock. Staged in warm and windless conditions under sunny skies Andy finished 1,832nd out of 9,000 runners in a time of 1.55.34.

The BATs are holding their own BerePen10 on Saturday (May 26).