Snowdonia marathon success for charity couple

North Wales Road Runners husband and wife team Ben Hudson and Sarah Ferguson Hudson completed their Snowdonia virtual marathon last Wednesday and helped to raise hundreds of pounds for Motor Neurone Disease.

Ben also celebrated his birthday on the same day, and although the couple ran their own challenges separately, they both utilised some of the magnificent scenery and rural routes close to their home at Betws-y-Coed.

The pair decided to run the full 26.2-mile virtual route after hearing that the original race was being postponed due to current Coronavirus restrictions.

Entrants were given the option of running the marathon in one attempt, or spread over several days.

Ben explained: “Covid-19 has affected so many charities this year so we were hoping to make a very small difference by raising money from our love of running.

“Our initial plans of running both Windermere and Snowdonia marathons this year didn’t quite go to plan, with both cancelled, so we decided to do a virtual Snowdonia run, and planned our routes around the beautiful place that we are lucky enough to live.

“We both ran a full marathon although on different routes, and the weather wasn’t too bad with only a couple of showers, but it was quite gusty.”

Ben said he was pleased to just sneak under 4 hours, recording 3 hrs 58 mins 27 secs over a hilly course that included 615 metres of elevation, and when he finally returned home confirmed: “The rest of the day was spent moving as little as possible.”

His wife Sarah later admitted: “I have never run a marathon outside a race before but today I ran 26.2 miles all on my tod to complete the Snowdonia Virtual Marathon. My run included 887 metres of climbing, but I definitely did the race justice – although I’m going to feel that in the morning.”

Sarah finished her challenge in a highly credible 4 hrs 31 mins 32 secs.

Ben and Sarah have included a JustGiving page to help with their fundraising efforts: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sarah-ferguson2020?

Rachel’s windswept marathon attempt with her family

NWRRC member Rachel Morris was another highly successful Snowdon marathoner last week and completed her own full challenge over several difficult, windswept and wet days.

She explained that to help her cope with the conditions, and for both motivation and support, she managed to recruit some family members during the half-term and Welsh lockdown, combining physical exercise with a shared and magnificent achievement.

“I did it over six days,” Rachel explained. “I walked the Great Orme three times with my children, and completed the runs too. They included 2 x 3 miles, and 1 x 6 miles.“

Rachel, who has now completed over 30 virtual races and club time trials, including many as fundraisers for local charities, added: “Last Monday and Tuesday, I walked the Orme with my daughter Mia and son Jack straight after work.

“The wind was awful at the Halfway Café, but then seeing the sun setting over Anglesey was well worth it.

“I then ran 3 miles in the rain staying close to home, as I knew the weather wasn’t going to improve.”