A GROUP of athletes from Dudley Kingswinford Running Club took on a gruelling 24 hour relay race last weekend.

Runners travelled to Catton Park in Derbyshire for the Thunder Run on Saturday.

The race started at midday and continued through the night finishing at midday on Sunday, with DK’s three teams of eight runners covering as many six mile laps as they could during the time period.

Each lap consisted of muddy paths and trails with some sections across fields and through woods with some nasty little inclines thrown in just to make it interesting. And with laps to be completed during the night hours with the assistance of a head torch it was a test for all involved.

With 24 runners spread across three teams competing there were always plenty of club members out on the course going round and round in circles, whilst others were recovering from their own lap or preparing for the next one.

By noon on Sunday the A team of Matt Biggs, Simon Hughes, Dave Norman, Graham Wildgoose, James Wright, Lorna Hulme, Mark Judge and Richard Tonks had covered 32 laps and a total mileage of 192 miles to finish in eighth place.

The B team of Helen Tromans, Rebecca Warren, Andy Morrison, Kathryn Sneyd, Steve Wood, Sarah Cox, Sarah Krivosic and Lauz Hope had completed 25 laps, a total of 150 miles and finished 69th and the C team of Pete Krivosic, Nessa Morrison, Sam Hemming, John Gould, Gemma Wright, Helen Williamson, Suzi Geraghty and Lisa Newell had placed 207th out of 229 teams covering a distance of 120 miles from their 20 laps, giving a total mileage for the club of 462 miles covered by DK athletes over the 24 hour period.

Elsewhere, Jacqui Elson Whitaker competed in the North Wales Half Marathon, the course squeezed in between the Snowdonia mountain range and the sea near Conwy, finishing in 2.01.16 in 193rd place and taking fourth in her age group. And competing in her own endurance event Sally McConville took part in the Snowdon Trail Marathon, a race that measured far longer than the usual 26.2 mile distance, finishing in 7.29.30.