MORE than 300 athletes completed the popular HARP 24 event at Westcliff Rugby Club last weekend.

Runners were placed in teams of up to eight and took it in turns to complete the 4.4-mile course during the 24-hour event, which raised more than £10,000 for HARP.

BENFLEET RUNNING CLUB

Echo:

Andrew Low with his trophy

The Harp 24 was won by Benfleet Running Club’s sole runner Andrew Low.

Running through the night, Low completed 25 laps of the rural course, running 110 miles in 24 hours to finish six laps ahead of the second place male.

LEIGH ON SEA STRIDERS

Leigh Striders had 10 teams entered in various categories, making up a chunk of the 330 runners that took part.

LoSS came away with two trophies including first place in male pairs for Quads of Fury - Matibini Matibini and Darren Summers, who completed 32 laps between them and more than 142 miles.

They also won the best fancy dress trophy which went to A LoSS Cause which consisted of Jo Hall, Tim Ketterer, Mark Armitage, Matt Barrett, David Hallett, Ian Hamilton, Theresa Phillips, Phil Boyd - plus baby Johnny Boyd as team mascot who ran in full Where’s Wally gear, where they also came fifth in their category.

The other LoSS teams all put in impressive performances. Gary Jackets was Leigh’s only solo entry and was fifth male, completing 17 laps and more than 75 miles.

Colin Barnes and Dean Ovel (Captain Colin’s Mandalorian) came second in the male pairs.

Echo:

The awesome foursome - finished in second 

Leigh had two second places in the three to five category with the Awesome Foursome - Helen Kidgell, Gail Alexander, Jackie Camm and Fiona Walker - and Five Get LoSS’d - Elliott Cone, Sam Luton, Aaron Paterson, John Hannan and Al Burridge running well.

There were also two second places in the six to eight category for Sweaty Girls Rock - Katie Spicer, Andrea Hughes, Steph Simpson, Nikki Baynes, Jennie Duprey, Michelle Payne, Alison Hall, Beci Callow and Fix Up, Look Sharp - Chris McClay, Neal Marlow, Neal Marlow, Niki Reed, Martin Hitchcock, James Burns, Danny Flint, Matt Letley, Ronan Quinn.

Their other teams also finished a very respectable fourth and fifth in the same category: Run Now, Wine Later included Elisha Letley, Ellie Kimber, Laura McHugh, Lorraine Mitchell, Pippa Reeve, Catherine Patterson, Kerry Slesser, Loren Murrell, and Michelle’s Belles saw Michelle Roberts, Sian Ovel, Dee Meech, Georgina McMasters, Denise Smoothy, Sally McKeown, Jemma Lee, Rachel Keenan, Vicky Parsons all running well.

CASTLE POINT JOGGERS

CASTLE Point Joggers had 15 members in action.

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Ran well - Castle Point Joggers

Debbie Dunn, Martin England, Jo Fitsall, Simon Fitsall, Jo Hamilton, Ian Hart, Kairen Hart and Mike Hopkins ran as a team of eight and finished in fourth running a total of 155.4 miles.

Team of five Colin Dunn, Daniel Hobbs, John Sweeney, Nigel Thorne and Rick Wade were third in their category running 159.84 miles Mother and daughter Sarah and Liz finished first in the duo competition, running 44.40 miles between them.

SOUTHEND

Several Southend teams took the honours at the end of their 24-hour stint of continuous 5k relay legs Coach and the club’s social secretary Natasha Lagden, Annabel Matthews-Smith, Holly Gillard, Collette Frampton, Claire Cornwell, Kerry Holland, Karen LeFevre and Tracy English made up the victorious women’s squad, while the mixed squad of Kasia, Anne, Charlie, Ian and Mike were also successful.

Echo:

Southend's winning team

Samantha Coombes ran in the duo category with her dad - and they also finished first.