The sun was shining on hundreds of participants taking on the True Grit Wetwheels Challenge on Sunday at Ronez quarry on the north coast of Jersey. Teams and soloists took on the 4.7km route with or without obstacles and organisers were delighted to see everyone cross the finish line and raise a brilliant £7,000 for Wetwheels Jersey.
The tough but fun challenge saw huge amounts of teamwork across all the different waves of starters and organisers were delighted with feedback from challengers. The obstacle course is designed for people with varying experiences, you don’t have to be an accomplished runner, the emphasis really is on teamwork and having fun.
The Run was the only timed category at the event, with the male winner, Jon Nash, completing the course with an impressive time of 22mins 10 seconds closely followed by our female winner, Emma Gwyther with 24minutes 59 seconds. The obstacle categories were untimed, and challengers were encouraged to support each other around the course in true obstacle race etiquette. Our team of marshals were on the lookout for best teamwork across the waves and organisers will be awarding the teams, ‘Run like the winded (Ian McGhee, Daniel Standen and Robert Cragg), ‘Everybody’s Reddy except me’ (Robert Timoney and Rebecca Reddy) and ‘Polo Leg Ends’ (Matt Gregory, Nat Snook and Daniel de Oliverira) for their teamwork with eachother but also other challengers around the course.
Fundraising has just hit £7,000 for Wetwheels Jersey, and we are delighted to say our top fundraiser, Claire Cornick raised an incredible £620, with the team Charley’s Angels raising £580. The funds raised will go directly to providing maritime experiences for disabled and disadvantaged Islanders and visitors.
Dina Rogan of Wetwheels Jersey said, “I always look forward to this wonderful event because it brings out the best in people, whether they are: encouraging each other round the course with such good spirit, with everybody managing to finish; building the course; acting as volunteers on the day; or making great cakes for the refreshments. A massive thank you from me to all concerned and especially to our sponsors, Ravenscroft, Carey Olsen and Sea power Marine, without whom it would not have been possible. Special thanks must again go to Ronez, who not only allowed exclusive use of the quarry for the event but also provided race volunteers and helped to lay out the course, with some spectacular obstacles.”
The team are busy making plans for the 2023 date, which will be announced very soon.