OFFSIDE
OFFSIDE
us side o i r e s o s The not industry of the
UK golf club to install a toboggan run A Nottinghamshire golf club has been granted permission to build a 120-metre toboggan run on its grounds. Leen Valley Golf Club will also build an 18hole adventure golf course, with information
boards and landscaping installed to celebrate a local mining heritage. The toboggan run, constructed on a natural slope near the 137-space car park and existing clubhouse, will follow a zig-zag route, descending downwards using artificial liners before dismounting at the bottom of the slope. It will be accompanied by a pathway to provide access back to the start of the run. Both facilities have been put forward as the club looks to make its grounds “more attractive to customers” of all ages.
Dopey groundsman
The trouble is, some runners can keep going for quite a long time. The current record held by a Belgian dentist - is 75 hours, or 312 miles.
As the rain-battered down at Sandown Park, the horses charged down the straight at 35mph and the groundsman was shown ambling through the centre of the track. The dangers are clear though and it is a minor miracle no one; horse, jockey or groundsman were injured.
A slippery pitch invader in Russia There was an unexpected visitor to a Russian Premier League match recently, as a snake in the grass entered the home
box, tried to evade stadium staff and forced a referee to temporarily stop the action at Chechnya’s Akhmat Arena. Little more than six minutes of the topflight league match had been played when the ophidian intruder was spotted lurking deep inside the penalty area. A man wearing an accreditation lanyard around his neck ventured onto the turf in an attempt to deal with the slippery situation - to no avail. In a flourish of skill and control, that the most adroit of playmakers would be proud of, a member of the grounds team entered the fray and scooped the snake up on a pitchfork. VAR confirmed the snake was clearly offside.
160 136
PC August/September 2021
Think you can run 4.16666 miles in an hour? Probably. Could you do it again the following hour? Quite possibly. How about the hour after that? The legs might be feeling it by now. It’s hard to say exactly how long you’ll be running for - because this race only finishes when there’s one person left standing.
There were recent reports labelling a groundsman ‘dopey’ as he failed to see thirteen horses charging at him mid-race.
Quite how he had no idea a race had started is a mystery. But, fortunately, he saw them just in the nick of time, jumping into action and sprinting out of harm’s way.
The toughest, weirdest race you’ve never heard of
Welcome to Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra, held in Tennessee, the toughest race you’ve never heard of. I think I will pass on this!
