THREE Bere Alston Trekkers, Murray, Kate and Jim, took on The Crossing, a race that traverses Dartmoor from Belstone Village in the north of Dartmoor to Ivybridge in the south.

Ahead of the trio lay 34 miles and the wilderness of the High Moor, visiting the villages of Postbridge and Believer along the way. With 1,119 metres of ascent and 1,516 metres of descent, this somewhat downhill route crosses the head of the Erme Valley and takes on the Erme canyons with some interesting moorland vistas along Abbot's Way, before the descent into the finish at Ivybridge.

The Trekker's journey was frequently shrouded in mist with occasional drizzle and muddy and boggy underfoot in places. This underlined the reason behind each runner having to carry a mandatory basic survival kit with them as conditions can rapidly deteriorate.

Despite the 'summer' Dartmoor weather, the trio thoroughly enjoyed the day and for Kate it was her first ultra race.

All three finished comfortably inside the 10-hour cut-off time for the event with Murray Turner crossing the line in 7:51:05 and Kate Medhurst and Jim Medhurst finishing in 8:04:12.

Some 250 miles further north, fellow Trekker Andy Cowden was volunteering as Tail Runner for the Sandbach 10k.

Starting and finishing at Sandbach Rugby Club, the route followed undulating country lanes through the Cheshire countryside.

The weather was hot and sunny in a cloudless sky and Andy offered moral support to the ever-changing runners who found themselves at the back of the field, with the last one crossing the line in 1:28:51.