A MAMMOTH lockdown challenge, sponsored by Make UK, has seen hundreds of junior members of Camp Hill Rugby Club in Solihull travel the equivalent distance of their clubhouse to New Zealand – and beyond.
Having reached their target in half the projected time, the youngsters are now bidding to virtually walk, run and cycle their way back to Solihull via the Pacific, USA and the Atlantic Ocean.
The globetrotting Lockdown 3 Challenge saw them travel to Eden Park stadium in Auckland, New Zealand – a total of 11,374 miles – by walking, running, cycling or swimming.
It saw 11 teams and 242 players from the club’s Mini and Juniors sections take part, smashing the six-week target by half and logging a final mileage of 11,940 miles.
The team award went to the Under 9s, who recorded an astonishing 1,631 miles between them.
A special online diary and map tracked the teams’ virtual progress across the globe.
The challenge has proved so popular that it has become a circumnavigation of the globe, taking in Fiji and Samoa before crossing the oceans via the USA adding a further 14,435 miles.
Russell Beale-Burchell, Minis lead at Camp Hill RFC, said: “The idea behind the Lockdown Challenge was simply to get members active; we had a disastrous season last year due to flooding, and lockdown has badly affected this season.
“We also wanted to keep everyone engaged – it’s been brilliant to see how competitive the young players have been.”
Fiona McGarry, engagement manager at Make UK, added: “Make UK were thrilled to sponsor an initiative to get young people out and about and improve their mental wellbeing through a challenging period.
“We have actually been inspired by Camp Hill to set a lockdown challenge for our apprentices.”
For more information on the club, visit www.chrfc.co.uk/
