EARLIER in the month a whopping 23 Bats made the long drive to Honiton to take part in the Honiton Hippo event which forms part of the club's Grand Prix. 

It was described by the BATs as the 'best team event ever.'

The Hippo was billed as a tough multi-terrain race with roughly seven miles of mud, sweat and tears with the odd hill and river crossings thrown in for good measure. It certainly lived up to its billing.

From the start runners headed down a tarmac hill, turned off into the woods onto a path which was undulating, muddy and littered with logs to jump over. Back onto the highway, heading down a steep descent, they then encountered more woods, the path consisted of a near vertical 4×4 track with ruts filled with stones. The Bats then made their first river crossing, getting on their hands and knees to crawl under netting and through the water.

Runners were then wet and muddy but just around the corner was a huge, waist deep puddle. The route continued through the woods and fields, an equestrian centre, a farmyard and then some tarmac.

At mile seven came the final river crossing which had a rope to drag runners across and make sure they did not get washed away as the tide was strong!

Once up onto the muddy bank it was through the field and back up the hill to the school to the finish line.

Cold, wet and muddy and running as one group from start to finish the BATs team finished in a time of 2 hours 11 minutes 57 seconds.