The Horse & Hound team have dusted off their running gear to go head-to-head with a stellar field of top riders in the #10forTim charity run at Hickstead this month.
The 10-lap relay race around the International Arena is expected to be fast and furious and is being held in memory of showjumper Tim Stockdale, who died last year at the age of 54 from stomach cancer.
Trying to emulate Usain Bolt for sprinting glory, Team H&H will be lining up against leading riders who have swapped their riding boots for trainers, including Olympic gold medallists Laura Kraut and Nick Skelton, showjumping brothers Shane and Trevor Breen and Guy Williams.
GB performance manager Di Lampard is leading a team, while a squad of equestrian commentators, showjumping officials and Hickstead’s security specialists WH Security will also be galloping to the finish line.
“Always committed to the job, H&H’s runners will no doubt be trying to grab a quote from the riders on their dash towards home,” said H&H showjumping editor Jennifer Donald, one of the 10 staff members representing Team Horse & Hound.
“But we couldn’t think of a better reason to dig out our running shoes and start training — and of course to try to raise as much money as possible for this fantastic cause. There is also the added incentive of a trip to the Hickstead bar as soon as we’re all over the finish line.”
Hickstead director Lizzie Bunn, who is also fielding a team of runners from the show office, said: “It’s a measure of how popular Tim was that we’ve attracted such a stellar field of would-be runners for this race.
“It’s also apt that the race is taking part at the Longines Royal International Horse Show. Tim was a regular member of the British team in the Hickstead leg of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup series, plus one of his proudest moments was winning the Longines King George V Gold Cup here in 2010.”
Continues below…
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“Showjumpers are known for their competitiveness – plus as a relay race it’s going to be more of a sprint than a marathon pace!” added Lizzie.
The #10forTim race takes place on Saturday, 27 July, at the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup of Great Britain meeting. A target of £50,000 has been set — all of which will be go to the Tim Stockdale Foundation — and if you’d like to donate, please head to the Horse & Hound team’s JustGiving page where you will find out more about the charity.
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