Man v Horse race for Thame earthquake victims

AN ultra marathon runner was so moved by the plight of the people affected by the Nepal earthquake, that he is racing against a horse, and will be donating funds raised through his Justgiving page, to the ‘Thame to Thame’ group, who are raising money to help the villagers of Thame (pronounced Tham-ay) in the Solukhumbu region of Nepal badly hit by the earthquake on April 25.

Image for illustrative purposes only

The Man v Horse marathon in Wales was started in 1980, as a result of a pub bet, and has been an annual fixture ever since. On Saturday, June 13, John Dickin from Princes Risborough, will be outside the Neuadd Arms in Llanwrtyd Wells ready to join a record field of more than 600 runners and 50 horses and riders, for the 36th race of the species.

The course was changed in 1982 to provide a more even match between the man and the horse resulting year on year in very close finishes – sometimes with the horse winning by only a few seconds. It took 25 years before a man finally beat a horse; Huw Lobb won in 2hrs and 5mins beating the fastest horse by two minutes. His feat was repeated three years later by Florien Holtinger, but the horse has remained unbeaten for the seven years since.

To support John’s epic race against the horse, and help the people of Thame in Nepal rebuild their school, houses and their lives, visit his Justgiving page: LINK. The funds will be used by The Himalayan Trust UK who have people on the ground in Thame and the rest of the region, and the know-how to spend the money appropriately on Thame-to_Thame’s behalf.

To find out more about ‘Thame to Thame’ and keep up to date with fund-raising events, visit the facebook page. LINK