It was Muddy Mayhem in the grounds of Knebworth House on Saturday as an army of 800 took on an obstacle race in aid of Garden House Hospice Care.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6RN71_5iN0&feature=youtu.be

Chaos Canyon, Battered Bridge and Fearsome Fell were just some of the challenges facing competitors on the gruelling 5k course, but it didn’t stop them smiling.

The event – a first for the Letchworth-based hospice which supports people with terminal or life-limiting illnesses in Stevenage and North Herts – was sold out, and hailed as a ‘huge success’ by organiser Cathy White.

The hospice’s event manager said: “We are thrilled that Muddy Mayhem has been such a huge success. We hope everyone who took part had a mudtastic time – there were lot of smiles and a lot of mud at the finish line!

“The atmosphere was fantastic, there was a lot of team spirit – it was great seeing participants helping each other complete the course.”

“We couldn’t have organised this event without the support of Knebworth House and Gardens and our many sponsors and volunteers who made this event possible. A special thanks to the army cadets aged between 14-18 who marshalled and encouraged our muddy runners around the course.

“Please help us smash our target of £25,000 towards essential hospice care – we need to raise over £3 million each year to continue providing hospice care for the community of North Herts, Stevenage and surrounding villages. We ask participants to ask their supporters to dig deep and to return their sponsorship monies as soon as possible.”

Emma Ward, Sian Stuart and Ben Fox took part in memory of their dear friend Sue, who they all met as fellow dog walkers. Sue, who bravely battled breast cancer, received palliative care from the hospice at the end of 2016 and sadly died on New Year’s Day.

“I decided I wanted to take part to raise some money for the hospice for the fantastic care they offered Sue, along with her family, and even to myself when I visited,” said Emma.

“I mentioned it to Sian and Ben who also wanted to take part as they felt the same about raising some money, as they too had been touched by the care and support they had seen and received when they had visited Sue.

“We had lots of fun completing the course and getting muddy and are pleased to add almost £500 to the money raised on the day.”

The first person to complete the course was Joe Timpson from Stevenage, while Alex Efford was the first to cross the line in the youth category. Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue took home team honours – with other crew members playing their part by spraying competitors with a hose.

Sniffer, the Comet newshound, also got involved by posing for pictures before the race and tackling the hay bales. Other obstacles included crawling through a skip full of mud, a wall climb, scramble net and pipe crawl.

If you’re interested in taking part in an event for the hospice visit the events pages on www.ghhospicecare.org.uk.

• YouTube video courtesy of Paul Waby.