Runners climb 'Cheverest' 48 times for charity

Almost 200 people ran or walked up and down a landmark Yorkshire hill many times over until they matched the equivalent height of Mount Everest - raising £15,000 for a cancer charity.

The challenge - dubbed Cheverest - saw members of Otley Athletic Club tackle The Chevin in Otley, West Yorkshire, up to 48 times in a row in a 24-hour endurance event.

They went off-road from Birdcage Walk to Surprise View, climbing the 8,849m (29,000ft) elevation required to raise money for two local cancer charities, after one of the club's members was diagnosed with acute leukaemia.

Two club members, Oliver Richards and Tom Lynch, completed the challenge of more than 62 miles (100km) on their own, whereas others pitched in to do a few laps each as part of a team.

Richards organised the event with fellow club runner Stephen Boddy, who teaches at a primary school in Burley-in-Wharfedale.

Boddy said the youngest person to take part in the challenge was just three years old, and the eldest was 83-year-old Bob Payne.

The challenge - which began at 19:00 GMT on Friday - was conceived over a pint, as a way of doing something to help their friend who is going through cancer treatment.

The friend, who has asked to remain anonymous, was diagnosed last year, just a week after completing the Chicago Marathon.

His family took part in the Cheverest event, sharing the distance beween them.

Boddy, 45, said: "At first we thought there might be 10 or 15 of us taking part but it just spiralled, so we set up a fundraising page.

"That's just gone nuts, it's now gone past £15,000 when I think we initially thought we might raise a grand."

He said the Otley charity - Hug On A Tray - provide free TV, drinks and snacks to haematology patients and their families in St James's Hospital's Bexley Wing.

Boddy said they were "blown away" as it the money raised surpasses anything they have received before.

"The £15,000 will have a huge impact on them," he said.

"It's quite nice that we did it for quite a small local charity because I think it will have a tangible effect."

The team hope Cheverest could now become an annual event.

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