LAST Saturday evening three West Devon runners took part in the first Wild Night Run, a gruelling 10-mile very-off-road race.

Dave Adams and Murray Turner, both members of Bere Alston Trekkers ran together — Dave using the challenge as part of his training for the Virgin London Marathon in April.

Tavistock Athletic Club member and Stannary Hasher, Andy Houghton, is also building up his mileage with a view to running a spring marathon.

From the start in South Brent, the route took competitors over rough and muddy tracks to Shipley Bridge and onto the open moor before returning by way of moorland tracks and 'serious bog' to the finish.

The route was marked in sawdust but the damp conditions underfoot made for some tricky route-finding in the dark and the uneven terrain gave some runners a problem.

All three found this to be a challenging experience but were elated to finish in good time and without injuries.