Intrepid Trailtrekker teams make their final preparations

TEAMS of intrepid walkers from across Yorkshire and beyond are making their final preparations ahead of a truly arduous charity hike this coming weekend.

With less than a week to go before the start of the third annual Trailtrekker, a 100km non-stop walk through the magnificent Yorkshire Dales, there is little left for participants to do now but cross their fingers and pray for sunshine.

“We’ve finished all our training,” said Vera Woodhead, captain of the West Yorkshire-based “Flamin’ Women” team. “It’s just a case of resting now, doing a bit of stretching, making sure you’ve got all your kit together and you’re ready to go. We’re really looking forward to it.”

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Trailtrekker is one of several 100km charity walks organised around the world by the aid charity Oxfam. Since its launch in 2009, the event has quickly become one of Oxfam’s main fund-raising events in the UK, raising more than £650,000 over the past two years for aid projects across the globe. The Yorkshire Post is media partner for the event.

The 2011 hike has seen a record-breaking number of entries, with almost 800 people signing up to take part. The walkers will set off in teams of four at 7am on Saturday from Aireville School in Skipton, the start and finish point for the 62-mile circuit.

It takes teams an average of 27 hours to complete the full course – which includes some of the Yorkshire Dales’ most famous peaks, including Malham Cove and Pen-y-Ghent – and walk through the night to arrive back in Skipton on Sunday morning.

However, for the first time this year Oxfam are also offering teams the opportunity to complete shortened versions of the course – receiving a bronze award for finishing at the 40km mark, or a silver for finishing after 64km.

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Mrs Woodhead’s team will be attempting the 64km silver challenge after several members of the team picked up injuries since starting training some months ago.

“We had wanted to do the full course originally, but it’s not going to be possible this year,” she said.

The 45-year-old business and executive coach said her personal highlight will be the stunning views stretching out across Deepdale from the Trailtrekker route.

“We have walked the whole Trailtrekker route in stages as part of our training, and the views of the Dales really are breathtaking.”

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Joining Mrs Woodhead on the trek will be close friends Alison Green and Katherine Wills, and the latter’s sister Alison Sharp.

Just as driven towards success will be the “Intrepid Four-ish”, a team of young women who so enjoy the occasional spot of hillwalking that they have embarked upon the “European Highpoints” challenge – a bid to walk up to the highest peak of every country in Europe.

“Some of them are really easy – and some of them are really not,” said team captain Jo Gibson, 31, originally from Huddersfield.

By comparison, then, a 100km hike through the Dales should be a walk in the park?

“I’m not sure about that,” she said. “There’s always a danger you won’t make it.”

Ms Gibson will be taking on the challenge with her sister and two friends from Hull.