Hebridean Challenge

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You take the high road and I\'ll take the low road...

Pyro / 30.06.2006

If you take a browse through the racer profile pages on this site, the Hebridean Challenge is a race which keeps cropping up under \'Favourite Race\'.

There\'s something about the format, the atmosphere and the area which keeps bringing people back to \'the Heb\' again and again: The \'stage race/relay\' format makes this one of the most logistically complicated races in Britain; The varied terrain and long distances - often with racers on the hill alone - means a physically and mentally tough race; Yet the set overnight stops and home-cooked meals in community halls also make for one of the friendliest, most civilized atmospheres of any race in the world. The Hebridean Challenge\'s links with the island communities mean that the whole race has a certain \'homespun\' feel, which many racers keep on coming back to.

The road to this year\'s Heb has been difficult, for the teams and for the organisation itself. The race director changed only four weeks before the race, with John Armstrong stepping into the shoes of John Laughlin, who left citing time shortages due to trying to set up his own business. Also for a long while the race was without a title sponsor. While there was no doubt that the race would go on, there were concerns that the admittedly low entry fee (£100 per person for a 5 day race) would have to be hiked up to compensate.

Enter new title sponsor Access Sport, who helped out financially on the proviso that racers raised money for the charity. And, following on from last year they\'ve put their money where their mouth is again and entered a team in the Fours category.
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