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Hundreds take part in 'Big Cheese' charity run

Dawn LimbuWest of England
News imageBBC Hundreds of people dressed in running gear lined up at the start line of The Big Cheese race. There are two yellow flags at the start point with the Cheddar Running Club logo.BBC
Runners line up for the 15 mile (24.1km) charity trail run

Hundreds of runners took part in a 15 mile (24.1km) trail run across Somerset to raise money for charity.

The Big Cheese event, which started and finished in Cheddar Gorge earlier, was organised by Cheddar Running Club.

Organisers said all profits would go to local organisations and charities, including Somerset and Dorset Air Ambulance, Mendip Hills foundation, Somerset Wildlife Trust and Prickles Hedgehog rescue in Cheddar.

Race director Lee Woodland said: "We do this as a way of saying thank you to the people who monitor, maintain and look after [the Mendips], but also the people who are there for our safeguarding such as the air ambulance."

News imageSam Rodda smiles at the camera as he holds a hamper of cheese in his hands. He is wearing a beige running top with a yellow medal around his neck. He has short curly brown hair.
Sam Rodda came first in the race and won a hamper of cheese

All 270 runners who took part in the race received a block of cheese for their efforts, while the winners received a hamper of selected cheese provided by Barber's Cheese.

Sam Rodda from Bristol came first in the race. He said he took part as an early celebration for his 26th birthday on Monday.

"It was nice having a break on the downhills, but the hills were really tough," he said.

The route took runners on a 15 mile off-road trail up and over the Mendips, with a 2,000ft (609m) elevation.

"It is really tough, but people love it," said woodland.

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News imageA female runner smiles at the camera at the finish line of the race. She is wearing a blue baseball cap, a blue t-shirt and a red running vest. She has a yellow "The Big Cheese" medal around her neck and holds a cup in one hand
Julie Emmerson, the first woman to cross the finish line, said the route was varied

Julie Emmerson from Coventry was the first woman to cross the finish line.

"It's a really fun route," she said. "I've run in the Mendips a few times before and it's lovely, really varied. Some really technical sections and some steep sections."

News imageChris Taylor smiles at the camera at the start line of the race. He is dressed in a yellow cheese costume and is wearing a black baseball cap. He is holding a red MND Association vest in both hands.
Chris Taylor ran dressed as a piece of cheese to raise money for MND

Chris Taylor from Midsomer Norton ran the race dressed as a piece of cheese. He took part i to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MND) in memory of a colleague who died from the disease.

"She was such a tough woman to get through all that," he said. "It just gives me that motivation to carry on and just push for her."

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