Talk of all-night 24-hour running at “Equinox” and the now-defunct “Thunder Run” had always conjured up images for me of a rather cold, wet, dark and altogether miserable experience. Definitely not for me, though of course each to their own.
How wrong – and ignorant! – I was.
Having just returned from Equinox 2026 (https://equinox24.beezer.com/), where I was chief tea-maker & cheerleader to an illustrious seven-person Bats relay team, I can safely say that it was an absolutely brilliant experience & one of the best club events I’ve ever been to. Our team, named “The Bat Pack”, had gone more in search of fun than prizes, but to our surprise and delight, we actually ended up fifth out of 56 teams with 29 x 10 km laps completed over the allotted 24-hour period from midday on the Saturday to midday on the Sunday in the picturesque hills of Belvoir Castle estate in Leicestershire.
The team lineup was: Martin Cross, Paul Phillips, Karen Seiles, Fiona Bradley, Mark Neeld, Tim Hulse & Arran Hulse. Plus supporters-in-chief me & Alex (Martin’s very lively and affable son who kept us entertained with jokes, chat and doughnuts).
Each person in turn valiantly set off in the shadow of the historic hilltop Belvoir Castle, crossing a lake, heading up into a wood, and then emerging onto hilltops with spectacular views before a descent to base camp where they handed off to the next bat. They then chilled for a few hours, before doing it all again! This started in lovely midday sun with lots of cheering people – but was a tad tougher at 3am in headtorches with tiredness creeping in. Or at least, so I’m reliably told, as in fact, this supporter was, ahem, asleep at that time, on spurious “doctor’s orders”. While one person was out running, the rest ate, drank tea & made merry! Special thanks to Martin for convening the team & to Tim for providing both a portable hot shower & a nourishing Cordon Bleu spag bol for everyone.
Here’s hoping we can get 2-3 Stone club teams out for this event, or another like it, next year. I shall certainly be there – to run, not sleep this time!