Today for the fifth year running, the team provided standby rescue cover for this years Rivington Trail Half Marathon event.

Organised by 2:09 Events, the race enjoyed its fifth year in Rivington, with the route starting at Rivington & Blackrod School, and heading north to the White Coppice area, and then returning to Rivington via the Rivington Reservoir system.

This year the team concentrated as last year, only on providing standby rescue cover, rather than also undertaking some marshal duties as in the first three years of our involvement with this event.
Warm weather and clear blue skies greeted the field of 326x competitors, who set off at the mass 10.00hrs start.

Twenty one team Call Out list members attended to provide standby rescue cover, with members all around the course in our four Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulance vehicles, and our Minibus crewbus / Ambulance.

In liaison with the event organisers, our presence today was co-ordinated from our Incident Control Vehicle, callsign ‘Bolton Mobile 6.’

During the course of this years event, the team dealt with a small number of minor injuries and retirements, including competitors suffering from exhaustion and cuts, and one from a suspected foot injury.

All were treated and some were advised to seek further medical advice.

The event concluded early mid afternoon, with all members present kindly receiving from the organisers, as with all the competitors, and others helping with this very well organised event, a ‘Goodie Bag’ and a thermal shirt emblazoned with the Event name.

The team is pleased to be invited every year to help assist with this successful local event by 2:09 Events, with thanks to their Managing Director Mike Gratton of 2:09 Events Limited, of Farnborough, and we look forward to the possibility of a sixth event in October 2014 and the continuation of our involvement.

During today at this event, our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE met up with a long standing friend and supporter of the team, former GMP Missing Person Search Manager, Sergeant Tony Darbyshire, now with the North West Police Underwater Search and Marine Unit, who passed on his best wishes to the Bolton MRT.