The Belvoir Challenge will return to Harby this month
After not taking place last year due to Covid, a popular event will be returning with more than 1,000 participants.
On Saturday, February 26, at 9am The Belvoir Challenge will be returning to Harby, near Grantham.
The event has been running for more than 30 years and attracts participants from all over the world.
In 2019, The Belvoir Challenge was listed by Red Bull as the seventh best marathon in the UK, with The London Marathon being ranked first.
The event is also a valuable fundraiser for Harby Primary School, and participants will start and finish near to the Harby Village Hall, whether they are completing the 15 mile or the 26 mile route.
Preparations for the event were started back in September 2021 by the Friends of Harby School, as the event is a huge logistical challenge for a small village primary school.
Runners and walkers can look forward to home-made cakes, sandwiches, sweets and even local Stilton at checkpoints along the route.
Then when participants pass the finish line they will be treated to hot soup and a bread roll, followed by home-made puddings, such as apple crumble with hot custard.
This event is a big ask for the parents of the school, as it requires 2,400 portions of cake, 1,500 sandwiches and 800 portions of pudding and custard.
Louisa Buck, chair of The Friends of the School, said: "It’s brilliant that we’re able to put on the Challenge in 2022 after a two-year break. We’re all really looking forward to another great day."
The challenge route will pass along footpaths, byways, tracks and minor roads throughout the Vale of Belvoir, and through land on the Belvoir Estate, where permission to do so has been granted by the Duke of Rutland.
Marquees have been hired this year to help with social distancing both before and after the event, and everyone will be asked to take a lateral flow test before they go.
There will also be a complimentary park and ride service just outside of the village.
This challenge raises much needed funds for Harby Primary School, and pays for educational resources, outdoor play equipment and subsidises school trips.
Sarah Jackson, secretary of The Friends of Harby School, said: "The cakes should be even better this year, as the lockdowns have given parents the opportunity to perfect their banana bread recipes.
"We’re hoping for plenty of mud this year, It’s what the challengers seem to talk about the most."