BERE Alston Trekkers (BATs) had another busy weekend, representing the club in two events, both at half marathon distance.

On Sunday nine BATs travelled to West to The Eden Project at St Austell to take part in the Eden Half Marathon. Eden also offers a marathon – but none of the BATs had decided to take on that particular challenge. Both events offer hilly multi-terrain courses around the famous site, following a challenging route through areas of spectacular mining heritage and beautiful countryside landscapes, which, due to Storm Callum, included some reasonably large patches of standing water!

The route through Cornwall’s dramatic Clay Country offered a unique sporting experience for runners.

First of the BATs to finish was Martin Head in 1 hour 53 minutes 18 seconds, followed by Gary Fielder 1.59.22, Debbie and Paul Ashton 2.19.08, Mel Greaves 2.20.40, Laura Hogan 2.27.50, Hilary Head 2.47.56, Dominika Nawalany 2.48.59, Sarah Bartlett 2.56.00. This was Dominika’s first half marathon and, despite the nature of the course, Mel ran a personal best for the half marathon distance.

Also on Sunday the second event of the weekend for the BATs saw two head to Exeter for The Great West Run. The route takes runners through the heart of Exeter — a journey through the city centre, followed by pretty country lanes and stunning views across Exeter and a fantastic stadium finish. Pam and Dave Adams ran with their son Phil and all three finished in 2.23.36.