Three lines on a hill, overturned and steaming!

29 runners ran 5km to help turn over soil to create compost for Meanwood Farm

After the absolute explosion of activity that was our first task last week, it was hard to know what to expect this week. You guys completely smashed it though, and it was amazing! We welcomed 10 new runners to the gang this week, and it is awesome to already see some returning faces.

After a brief warm up, we ran down Woodhouse ridge in the fading late, a final reminder to everyone if they needed it that we're definitely in head torch season now. We carried on up to the farm, where Luke had all the tools out waiting for us.

After everyone had grabbed a tool, we headed further up the path to find out what was in store. Our task was to move three separate lines of compost at varying stages of decay to aerate them and help to create better soil. This would then be used for growing vegetables as part of the farm's gardening project for people with learning disabilities. Each line needed moving around a metre up or down the hill, and then compacting into a neat triangular shape.

We split up into three teams and found that each line of compost had its own challenges. The oldest compost was already pretty well broken down, and was therefore much heavier work, while the 'freshest' compost had quite a fragrant aroma. There was also steam coming off the piles, which apparently meant we knew it was working!

"It's like a poo sauna!"

As everyone got stuck in and found their rhythm, we really started to see some progress. Some of the lines started out a bit wiggly, but with a bit of direction we were back on track. Luke definitely seemed happy with the progress we were making.

"You lot are superheroes!", Luke, Task owner

He went on to explain that this task would normally take months to complete, so to get it all done in one evening (in the dark!) was huge for them. Great job everyone!

After tidying up the lines as neatly as we could, we handed back the tools and headed for home. We just had time to sneak in some cheeky hill reps focusing on form, before jogging back to base for a quick stretch.

Make sure you give each other a cheer, and see you all next week!