Entries being taken for annual muddy challenge through Vale of Belvoir

Around 1,000 runners and walkers taking part in the Belvoir Challenge have the option of covering either a 15 or 26-mile course, with part of the fun being wading through thick mud en route.

This year’s event is on Saturday March 4, starting and finishing from the village hall at Harby.

It will be the 31st edition of the challenge with funds once again being raised for the Harby Church of England Primary School.

The route changes every year and includes parts of the disused Grantham to Nottingham canal and involved some tough climbs on footpaths, byways,

tracks and bridleways through the picturesque Belvoir Castle Estate and surrounding villages.

The event brings together the whole school as it’s managed and run solely by parents, grandparents, former pupils and the Friends of Harby School.

This year, the children redesigned the look of the t-shirts.

A winner was chosen by the school council and the winning concept will be transformed onto a new t-shirt as well as other new branded merchandise for 2023.

Bridget Bye, headteacher of Harby Primary School said: “It’s a really big community event and the children are very passionate about it.

"The schoolchildren play their part and create posters to cheer everyone on and design certificates for the finishers.”

The course is waymarked and marshalled with regular water and food stops along the way included with entry.

Participants and supporters get to taste a wide selection of home-made cakes, local Stilton, fruit, sandwiches, jelly babies and chocolate on the day.

Finishers are also welcomed with more food, including soup, rolls and hearty puddings with lashings of hot custard.

Feedback from previous participants included this comment: “I’ve done a lot of events and this is up there.

"I made sure to stop, eat and fill up.

"I ran, I walked the hills, I walked the mud baths of fields, I laughed with strangers when they were knee deep in mud.

"The Belvoir Challenge was both brutal and beautiful.”

Adult entry prices start from £35 for the 15-mile route.

Click HERE to get your entry ticket.