The evolution of an idea….Or the very, very first annual headtorch runs marathon.
Let’s start at the very beginning. I’ve loved running for a lot of my adult life, and for the last 17 years, I’ve run a marathon in the “gap.” That non-specific time between Christmas and New Year, where every day merges into one and other, and you generally sit around eating and drinking. Setting aside a day to run gave me a bit of focus and took me around some of the amazing trails that Surrey offers.
I was running plenty of other events during the year and met some great friends along the way. Ten years ago, one of my friends, Mark Thornberry, asked what I was doing at Christmas, and I told him that we were having my in-laws down for the festive period, but I would be taking myself off for my usual marathon run on one of the days. He said it sounded fun and asked if he could join me, the more the merrier I said. So in 2015, just three of us, Mark, Natasha Gayle and myself, ran 26 miles from Reigate Hill over the North Downs & had terrific fun. It was so much fun, and we did it again the following year. We had so much fun the following year that we asked if anyone else wanted to join us in running a marathon in “The Gap” in 2017.
Mark and Allan running the Grand Union Canal.
That was when the first 1st Annual Headtorchruns Marathon was born—a low-key affair from Wray Lane Carpark on the 27th of December in 2017. Just as a bit of fun and as we were members of the Wednesday Night Headtorch runs group, we thought we’d run it at night and asked everybody who wanted to run along with us to bring a Canary with them. This is just a hat-tip to the miners who used head-torches in daily life. The caveat was anyone who didn’t bring one paid a “fine” to charity. It was earlier that year that Mark had found out that he had terminal liver cancer, so anyone who didn’t carry a Canary was asked to donate their fine towards a cancer charity. The weather was amazing at the start of the run, and we had visions of a great party in the car park afterwards; this was not to be, as the conditions quickly deteriorated when a big storm came in, and everybody made their way back home as soon as the marathon was finished.
We realised that we’d need an indoor base if we were going to do this again, and with an email to Mary And Deanna, we began our fantastic partnership with Mickleham Village Hall. The 2nd 1st Annual Headtorchruns Marathon in 2018 was a slightly larger affair with more runners, more Canary’s and an actual Party for the runners returning to the hall after 7.5 hours running over the Surrey Hills at night. We were actively raising money for Liver Cancer Research at Kings College Hospital by then as that was where Mark was having continuous treatment for his cancer. We personally financed that event as the run was free to the runners but we actually spent more than we raised that night, so we had a rethink and in 2019 Canary Trail Events was established.
We have gone from strength to strength, and each year, we put on several races and navigation courses based at the Village Hall. At the Copthorne Races 2023, we held the first British-Polish Trail running Championship, and we even had a documentary team film two of our runners, Eros and Sarah, a blind runner and his guide, as they tackled the 50km race, aiming for a finish on their third attempt.
We’re hoping for a private screening and a Q&A with the runners and the director at the hall as soon as possible. This would provide an opportunity for the runners and the local community to come together, enjoy the film, and discuss it with everyone over a cuppa.
This year sees the running of the 8th 1st Annual Headtorchruns Marathon, but in reality, it is our 10th running of the event. Come along and join us on the night. For the Princely sum of £35, you get a guided tour of some of the best trails Surrey has to offer, followed by a post-run shin-dig in the hall. Our guides are extremely well-experienced runners with multiple marathons and Ultra marathons between them.
Hope to see you there!
Entry details here: https://www.canarytrailevents.com/headtorchrunsmarathon
Mark Thornberry sadly passed away in June 2020, but we continue to focus on our fundraising efforts. Along with others, we have helped to steadily increase the amount raised for Liver Cancer Research to over £160,000 so far.
Comments