AFTER six hard months of training Bere Alston Trekkers (Bats) went to Seaton to take part in the gruelling Grizzly - with this years event named 'Grime and Punishment.'

The Grizzly is the hardest event that any of the team have ever done. Twenty miles of hills, thigh deep bogs and slippery for most of the way. As well as the main event, the Grizzly also has a Cub event which is 8.5 miles of very similar terrain, which five of the team took part in.

The Bats ran through the shingle, they climbed the hills, they dragged themselves through the bog, they fell down, they got back up, they scraped the mud off and climbed some more up the side of a cliff in mile 17 to a sprint finish.

First male Bat home and achieving a personal best was Steve Watson and first lady Bat home was Rebecca Mingo who was chased home by Nathan Newton.  Others running for the first time were Michael Chipperfield, Alen Guy, Paul Mingo, Leigh Cossey-Haggar and all Bats running the Cub were running the event for the first time.