Princess Challenge
Report by Fiona Hernandez
The Princess Challenge – Short & Sweet – 9.3 miles – raising funds for the Scarborough and Ryedale Mountain Rescue Team.
On Saturday 31 August 8 Ripon Runners and 2 of Fiona Hernandez’s work colleagues took part in the Princess Challenge, sold as an 8 mile run, but was actually 9.3 miles! Other distances runners could choose from were 17.5 or 35 miles.
Once our kit had been inspected, we set off dressed in tutus, fairy wings, tiaras, headdresses and lots of glitter! The run started from Ravenscar Village Hall heading onto the Cinder Track. The sun was shining and the temperature was rising so we were grateful for any shady areas along the track.
Checkpoint 1 was just past Fylingthorpe Village Hall. We greeted Chris, one of the marshalls, with a cheery rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ to help him celebrate while he checked off our race numbers! We had a quick stop enjoying a glass of coke and a selection of ginger biscuits, jaffa cakes and marshmallows – quite a feast!
We then headed into Robin Hood’s Bay and we were grateful to be running down the super steep hill! We encouraged audience participation to cheer on the princesses as we passed through the streets!
We then, with Linda and Anita’s navigation skills, ran towards the Cleveland Way to take the coastal path back to Ravenscar, passing through Boggle Hole. This involved climbing up and down numerous steps, but the sea views and beautiful countryside made this worth it. By this time the temperature had dropped and we were grateful for a few spots of rain and wind coming in off the sea.
We then hit the road and returned up the hill to finish the run at Ravenscar Village Hill.
Finishers received a rather lovely medal, bag of sweets and a pen. For those that had pre-ordered a finishers vest that was available for collection too. Runners were encouraged to bring cakes etc to share with each other so we all participated in an amazing selection of cake.
A fabulous morning run – well worth the journey to Ravenscar. We will most definitely be returning next year and welcome any other Ripon Runner Princesses to join us and enjoy the fun!
Ripon Runner Participants: Linda Cadman, Jessica Caven, Tori Easey, Fiona Hernandez, Sam Hobson, Karen Lennox, Anita Oldham and Nicola Shillam.