The annual Cotswold Way Relay involves teams of ten running stages of the 103 miles of the national trail and is a firm favourite among running clubs. It always shows our great club at its very best and brings out many fine individual performances.

This year was no exception. It was again a test of endurance with scorching temperatures from dawn to dusk (peaking at 34 degrees when the leg 10 runners started) making this year brutal and dangerous. Cirencester’s thirty runners – in three mixed teams – performed really well despite the heat and sterling efforts led to some great individual results. Many finished in the top 10 on each leg and, more importantly, helped out other runners on the course (CAC and otherwise) to ensure everyone finished safely. The heat took its toll on scores of runners including our own Charles Woodd, who unfortunately had to be taken to Bath Hospital to be put on a drip when suffering from extreme heat stroke.

Captain and endlessly patient organiser James Thomas (only a minor one near the start luckily taking the other front runners with him and allowing him to hang on to take 3rd place) and Oliver Pritchard, who strayed 3k off course, dropping from 3rd to 17th, before valiantly pulling back a number of places to finish 10th. Despite all these mishaps Racing Hares finished as 3rd mixed team and 10th overall.

Second team, Corinium Hares, were 48th with Boxing Hares coming in 82nd and 30 runners with scores of supporters all had a great day.

Cotswold Way Relay, Chipping Campden to Bath,

10 stages, 103 miles trail

Team results: 1 Bristol & West AC 12.55.21,10 Cirencester AC Racing Hares 14.52.44 - 3rd mixed team (inc three ladies), 48 Cirencester AC Corinium Hares 17.54.26, 82 Cirencester AC Boxing Hares 19.56.18

103 teams closed in.

There were also some fine individual runs in a weekend dominated by team efforts but we await official results for the Lakeland Trails 100k and the Buscot 10k.

Lavaredo Ultra Trail, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, 120km trail

Richard Hurdle went to Italy to run a mere 120 km albeit with more than 5,800m of climb. Ignoring the fast 11 pm start and anticipating very hot conditions (22c rising to 33c) and the climbs involved, he settled in to a gentle rhythm to weave his way around and over the mountains. Dawn revealed the amazing views which have earned the LUT the description ‘Hell in Heaven’ including as it does ‘a 14km traverse, countless glacial melt river crossings, and a 1200m climb-up a furnace-like gorge’. In the intense heat, runners sought every scant bit of shade and sat in rivers to cool down. Despite drinking ‘gallons of delicious river water’ Richard, like many others, suffered from severe muscle cramps forcing periods of ‘death march shuffle’. A 71% finishing rate tells of a very tough race with Richard finishing well up the field in just under twenty one hours.

1 Tim Tollefson (USA) 12.18.47, 296 Richard Hurdle (Cirencester AC) 20.50.47 1297 finished.

Bowood House Sprint Triathlon, 750m swim, 21km bike, 5km run

Leigh Gilbert tackled the Bowood House sprint Triathlon to finish 68th.

1 Matthew Cox (Mendip Triathlon Club) (12.11; 36.23; 17.05) 1.09.33

68 Leigh Guilbert (Cirencester AC) (16.05; 46.04; 22.55) 1.31.57 193 finished.

parkruns, 5km trail.

The juniors dominated the parkrun results with Ryan Outram winning at Cirencester. He was followed in by Daniel Winfield who was third and (senior) Mark Sysum who was fifth. Ross Swain was 23rd at Cheltenham, Brendan McCarthy ran in Ripon, Richard Edwards took another 3 seconds from his PB in Seaton and Thomas McNally celebrated his return from New Zealand by running at Newbury.

Cirencester AC finishers: Cirencester: 1 Ryan Outram (J) 18.30, 3 Daniel Winfield (J) 19.02, 5 Mark Sysum 19.32, 59 Paul Timms 25.58, 76 Joe Cook (J) 27.28, 77 Sam Cook (J) 27.29, 111 Samantha Timms 30.51, 193 Pam Wheeler (sweeper) 51.37, 193 finished.

Swindon: 153 Rachel McAdam 26.51, 183 Alan McAdam 28.26, 447 finished

Cheltenham: 23 Ross Swain 20.29, 451 finished.

Moreton-in-Marsh: 104 Ruth Fulford 30.29, 185 finished.

Newbury: 233 Thomas McNally 29.38, 429 finished.

Seaton, Devon: 71 Richard Edwards 26.01, 229 finished.

Fountains Abbey, Ripon: 104 Brendan McCarthy 26.03, 296 finished.