Heat takes heavy toll

When the teams set off at 6am on Saturday from Aireville School in Skipton, the sun was already beating down.

The lack of tree cover across the Dales meant for many walkers there was no shelter throughout the route.

Teams were being constantly urged to re-apply suncream and stay hydrated – with huge containers carrying more than two tonnes of water distributed around the route.

But the heat meant that at least 25 per cent of the competitors did not complete the course, with hundreds of people dropping out.

Those that did finish were several hours later than previous years due to the heat.

As they staggered over the finish line yesterday, many were badly burnt by the sun after two days of exposure.