Hell On The Humber

The Humber Bridge played host to a new running event last weekend.  The gruelling 12-hour Hell on the Humber endurance race started at 7 o’clock on Saturday evening and finished at 7 o’clock on Sunday morning.  Over a hundred competitors started the event but not everyone managed to finish.

The route across the bridge and back was four miles in total and runners had to complete as many of these laps as possible within the 12-hour period.

Three athletes from Beverley Athletic Club took part and all performed well.  Pete Watkinson finished in fifth place, completed 17 laps and covered 68 miles.  Nicholas Riggs followed in eighth place with 16 laps and 64 miles.  Steve Jackson was running well but unfortunately had to drop out after 32 miles due to stomach cramps.

For Pete Watkinson it was the third time that he had raced across the Humber Bridge this year, having competed in the Humber Bridge 10k and the Humber Bridge half-marathon in June.  He acknowledged the support from club mates Mark Dalton, Rob Reid and Roy Steele who preferred to watch rather than take part.

Running across the bridge is not easy as there is no shelter from the weather.  Although conditions were ideal at the start of the race it began to rain heavily around midnight and this continued for several hours.

It was eerily quiet during the night and there was little to see in the dark.  As dawn broke the runners enjoyed a spectacular sunrise in the east and with the daylight came renewed energy.  They had been encouraged throughout the night by officials and supporters and all runners received a rapturous welcome as they finished.

Organisers were delighted that the event was such a success and have confirmed that it will take place again next year.

The winner was Kevin Lally who completed 19 laps and covered 76 miles.

Jennifer Bradley was the first lady.  She finished in third place overall, completed 17.5 laps and covered a distance of 70 miles.

Reported by Kay Farrow