Well lads, here it is – the last week of the challenge is on us!! We’ve successfully made it through 8 weeks of exercise covering an average 480miles a week. We ended week 8 at 3,838miles - 93% complete on distance – and only 285miles to go this week to the finish line. Its been a massive effort from all 38 athletes involved, and we just need one final push – get to it boys!

It’ll be no surprise that Dan “The Machine” Darin is back on top of the runners – 38miles last week – with Andrew Scorer (RUAlive) still in his rear-view with 32miles. These two have been fighting it out for ‘top runner’ for weeks now – and with both of them on a total of 226miles (yep, its neck and neck now boys) it’ll be interesting to see how this week pans out for them. Toby O’Rourke (87), Arfer Daly (85) and Des Brown (79) are all in a fight for third behind the two pace-setters – nice work everyone!

The riders top 5 has been more fluid with people popping in and out with some huge rides over the weeks. Fair to say that after an initial burst of energy in the first few weeks, I’ve been well and truly put in my place (5th apparently) propping up the leader board. Andrew Joynson has shown some true fitness clocking in 363miles in total (both running and riding) – 287 on the bike which is good enough for 1st of the riders. Darren Woodger sits in second and has really ramped up the mileage in the last few weeks – think he might be considering a return to the glorious game?? Tim Hawes has effectively won the battle of the brothers, leaving Richard with a mammoth task to catch him in the final week (currently 172miles behind).

So where are we? At 3,838miles we have just crossed into Manitoba and fast approaching its capital, Winnipeg. Manitoba is a province at the longitudinal centre of Canada. It is often considered one of the three prairie provinces (with Alberta and Saskatchewan) and is Canada's fifth-most populous province. Modern-day Manitoba was inhabited by the First Nations people shortly after the last ice age glaciers retreated in the southwest about 10,000 years ago; the first exposed land was the Turtle Mountain area. In 1611, Henry Hudson was one of the first Europeans to sail into what is now known as Hudson Bay, where he was abandoned by his crew. Winnipeg is named after the nearby Lake Winnipeg; the name comes from the Western Cree words for muddy water. The region was a trading centre for Indigenous peoples long before the arrival of Europeans. Evidence provided by archaeology, petroglyphs, rock art and oral history indicates that native peoples used the area in prehistoric times for camping, harvesting, hunting, tool making, fishing, trading and, farther north, for agriculture.

Fundraising for CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) continues; the link to The Calmzone is here and the link to the HCRC JustGiving fundraising page is here. Any donations are very welcome, and I’d encourage you all to share this across your own social media profiles.

The club remains committed to surfacing support available for all members, and providing you with some of the stories that have been shared with us. Check out the below links for more information, and don’t be afraid to reach out to the clubs Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs) for more information and support.
Links:
- HCRC Mental Health Initiative
- MHFA’s contact details

If you’ve not already read it – this account of the early years of Haslemere RFC by David Dodd is a cracking read!!

And that’s it - Stay Safe, Stay Sane, wash your hands, control the virus and keep a socially responsible distance from the world at large. Keep up the good work, and show me the miles!!

Up the Mere