‘I suppose they think I’m a bit mad’

AT 69 years old and set to turn 70 this month, Esme Needham was the oldest competitor in the weekend’s event.

Mrs Needham, whose daughter is the former manager of Jamie Oliver’s Leeds restaurant, decided to take part in the Dales marathon after doing two previous Oxfam Trailwalker events.

Her team, Heroic Lurchers, was inspired by her beloved dogs Finbar, 13, and Tara, four, who could not take part in the walk but met her at the start and finishing line in Skipton.

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“I don’t think about my age at all,” said the Windsor mother-of-two, who still works as a software engineer and completed the route at around 2pm yesterday.

“It is not about how old you are it is all about how much you exercise,” she said.

“It is hard to describe why I like doing this but it is a strange sort of fun.

“Last year when we completed Trailwalker, one person who had really bad blisters on her feet raised her glass of champagne and said: ‘Are we going to do this again next year or what?’.

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“Yorkshire is great for walking and has a real rugged beauty.

“When we were training for this in April we were going through bogs and swollen streams, but the hills and rocks are still tough in the Dales.

“I have also done a lot of walking in the North York Moors and that is gorgeous scenery.

“My daughter and my son have both done a lot of walking, but I suppose they probably do think that their mother is a bit mad.”

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