Haslemere Border Athletics Club (HBAC) have held their annual Bowlhead Green Handicap Chase.

Seventeen runners set off from the Punchbowl at staggered start times, tackling the 8.8-mile route via the BOAT road to Bowlhead Green and back through Thursley – finishing with a gruelling three-mile climb.

First across the line and claiming the 2025 trophy was Steve Pendegrass. Hot on his heels was last year’s winner Joe McCarthy-Holland, with Issy Peters finishing in third.

After the race, runners and supporters enjoyed an excellent spread of homemade food courtesy of Patsy Davis and all raised a glass to an evening of sport and camaraderie.

The following day, ten HBAC members took on the Serpent Trail races, which span parts of the 103km long-distance path.

Alice Lees and Sophie Graham-Godet ran the 10km race, finishing in 1:51.33. Celebrating her birthday in style, Amy Arthur ran a superb 20km in 1:45.14, placing as 11th female and fourth in her age group. Emma Moore, Annalisa Alexander and Nicola Pratt completed the 20km together in 3:30.58.

Four members tackled the 50km ultra. Jake Pillans-Payne’s training paid off, completing his first ultra 15th overall in 4:39.10. He was followed by Tom Bampton (6:05.07), Gosia Shukla (7:25.18), and Rachel Deacon, who completed her first ultra in 9:16.34 – despite tough moments on the trail she never gave up.

Meanwhile, in the mountains of Abergavenny, Sarah Hurford took on the Pigum 30-mile ultra. The challenging course featured 5,000 feet of climbing, including the iconic Sugar Loaf mountain. With Hurford liking nothing more than a run over some Welsh hills, she produced an epic performance to finish in an amazing time of 6:44.00. Time to rest those legs now.

By Ann Varnes & Philomel Bennett