The First Buzzards, August 22 2020
One year ago, ten intrepid Buzzard Runners plus the remarkable, ever cheerful Picnic Table Support Team of Julie and Juliet (J&J) met for the first time to scamper across the Shire. Ages, abilities and sartorial elegance varied widely but what united the group was a love of running and the determination to get out and about, whatever Lockdown and the elements threw at us.
From the very start, delicious home-made cakes and Doc Rackham’s essential Saturday morning kit, comprising a vintage Sainsbury’s 2012 Paralympics bag, a clipboard to record the starters and finishers and a large, well-used red and white golf umbrella have been ever present. In that time The Buzzards have consumed enough home baked produce to feed the People’s Liberation Army, participated in two successful Charity Runs in and around the Parish and generally had a splendid time whilst keeping active. Notable guests like Tamsin’s Dad, the legendary Roger the Runner, have joined the flock and enjoyed the cakes, camaraderie and coffee. A newsletter, “The Buzzard”, has faithfully recorded exploits on and off the road, some of them factual. There have been a Santa Run, a Buzzard Barbecue at the White Horse, Buzzard walks, Buzzard path clearances, Buzzard YouTube films and even Buzzard sea shanties to help raise the spirits during the depths of the rainy season. We have run in scheduled Pairs, Sixes and more recently back to larger Groups, keeping going when larger community runs had to stop.
Numbers have ranged from 10 or so to well over 20 each week, with staycationing Buzzards posting their runs remotely to keep everyone up to date. In total around 70 participants (mostly human, some canine) have joined in over the year, with an age range of 67 years.
Whilst the on-roaders have scaled the mighty Little Barrow Peak on their weekly 5K tarmac trundles, off-roaders have negotiated the Doc’s carefully mapped steeplechase course through the Badlands, hopping over stiles and using a variety of rafting techniques through the Broomhill Everglades.
It has been quite a year and we look forward to many more, as village life eases back to normal and we have the chance to welcome more fledglings into the Buzzard fold.
Soar with the Buzzards!