Hundreds of runners rise to the challenge for annual road race
Hundreds of runners and spectators gathered at a beauty spot for an annual running challenge.
This Saturday saw the fourth annual Wrekin Relay Challenge, held by Wrekin Road Runners.
Teams of three, made up predominantly of local club runners competed against each other to win prizes in the categories of male, female and mixed teams.
The athletes set off at 2pm on the 3.8 mile loop of the Wrekin, taking on technical decent and two significant lung busting climbs, one half way through the route and the other killer climb up to the handover point.
Competitors tagged their teammates before gathering their breath to receive a bespoke medal, a memento of the race.
Eventual winners in each category were Scott Hall, Carl Aveyard, Dom Jones representing Mercia Fell Runners and Shrewsbury Athletic Club in the male category, in a time of 1 hour, 13 minutes and 10 seconds.
The ladies winners were taken by Julie Jones, Amy Aldridge and Lauren Poole from Lawley Running Club in 1:41:03.
Finally the mixed team again was from Lawley, winning in 1:24:21; a team made up of Craig Jones, Louise Morgan and Dan Turner.
The race has been popular since it’s inception in 2014 and this year was no different.
Race Director Phil Goodwin of Wrekin Road Runners thanked the volunteers who gave up their time to make sure the race went smoothly.
He said: "This is a tough race with competitors who really don’t want to let their team mates down.
"The support on the course and at race HQ is critical to making this an enjoyable event and more importantly a safe one. Thank you to everyone who contributed.”
The race also raises money for the Midlands Air Ambulance.
