A team of five brave souls (three seasoned Equinox veterans and two fresh-faced newcomers) took on this year’s small team category: Cameron Hoggan, Ross Warden, Emma Fletcher, Simon Allsopp, and Jessica Guest. Together, they formed The Equinots — a name that suggests both astronomical majesty and mild organisational chaos.
Friday Night: Beer, Costumes, and Questionable Decisions
For the two Equinox newbies, nerves didn’t stand a chance. The Friday night beer mile and GRC campsite social worked their magic, offering the perfect blend of fancy dress, questionable hydration choices, and the kind of bonding that only happens when adults voluntarily sprint while holding lager.
By Saturday midday, the team was ready. Or at least awake.
Cameron “Cold & Flu Rocket” Hoggan
Equinox veteran Cam kicked things off with a solid 56 minute lap. Unhappy with that (because of course he was), he downed some cold and flu meds and promptly blasted out a 48 minute lap, presumably powered by pseudoephedrine and spite. He completed 4 laps in total — a heroic effort for someone running on pharmacy fumes.
Ross “Where’s Wally? Oh, There He Is” Warden
Still recovering from his LLCR 130 adventure (because apparently Ross doesn’t believe in rest days), he went out and casually delivered 6 laps. His final two were back to back, exploiting the “cross the line before midday, go again” rule like a man who has forgotten how to stop. The question “Where’s Wally?” no longer applies. He’s on the course. Always.
Emma “Just One More” Fletcher
New to Equinox but clearly not new to determination, Emma knocked out 3 strong laps, then decided she wasn’t quite finished and headed out for a fourth. A brilliant debut — and a warning to future years that she may be unstoppable.
Simon “Achilles? Never Heard of Her” Allsopp
Returning to team life after last year’s solo event, Simon dug deep despite an Achilles injury that would have benched a sensible person. He completed 4 laps, proving once again that logic and endurance runners rarely mix.
Jess “Not That Hill” Guest
Our second newcomer, Jess, settled into Equinox life quickly. A nighttime tumble down not that hill on lap 3 didn’t stop her — she got patched up, rested, and answered the call of the Equinox bug with a heroic fourth lap. A superb first outing and a masterclass in grit (some of which was removed from hands and knees in the early hours).
The Equinots completed 22 laps, finishing 23rd out of 89 in the small teams category.
Not bad at all for a team whose official race plan was: “Just have fun.”
Mission accomplished!
