The Conti Thunder Run is a 24-hour endurance event that runs over, around and through Catton Park in Derbyshire on trails ranging from grass tracks to winding woodland paths, with a fair amount of elevation along the way.
Runners can enter as a solo runner, in pairs, or in teams of up to 8 runners, with the aim of completing as many 10km laps as possible in the 24-hour time limit.
This year's event took place from 12 noon on Saturday 23rd July to 12 noon on Sunday 24th, thankfully without the heatwave from the beginning of the week. However it was still warm and very humid, with rain overnight.
Newport & District Running Club member Ellen Deighton chose to take a slightly more relaxed approach to this event - rather than going for the full 24 hours, she opted to make full use of the campsite and get some rest overnight!
She began the race with the other runners at noon, and completed 5 laps before coming off for some food, a shower and a change of kit. She then went back out to complete a night lap - a rite of passage for Thunder Run participants, finding your way along the route by torchlight and enjoying the music and lights at the marshal points.
Ellen then left the course again for a sleep, before waking up and having breakfast then heading out to run out the clock.
In total Ellen completed 8 laps for a distance of 80km (about 50 miles), which earned her 36th position out of 77 runners in the Solo Female division.
All photos courtesy of Mick Hall Photos.
