THREE major trophies were scooped up by a Birchwood company in this year’s Keswick2Barrow running race.

Wood PLC, which has offices on Birchwood Park, entered 48 employees into the annual 40-mile race in Cumbria as part of teams of between four and 12 members.

And as well as securing the accolades, the company has also raised thousands of pounds for four worthwhile charities.

First to cross the finish line for the women was Old Hall resident Mhairi Gass, who completed the race in a time of six hours and 13 minutes.

Working as a principal consultant, this is the seventh time Mhairi has entered the race and her excellent time allowed her to secure back to back titles.

“The race is definitely a challenge and it’s a good event to test yourself in,” she said.

“It’s great to be involved in and it is always very well organised.

“I found it hard going this year, even though the weather was perfect and I’ve competed in this race seven times before.”

Mhairi’s achievement is even more astonishing considering she took part in the race despite suffering from a chest infection.

The Keswick2Barrow race is a sponsored walking and running event held in the Lake District, with teams raising money for their chosen charities.

This year, participants from Wood took on the challenge to raise money for North West Air Ambulance, Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Breast Cancer Now and Combat Stress.

And after raising approximately £8,000 for charity last year, the team is planning to smash this figure this time around once fundraising closes.

“As a team we always step up to the challenge and raise thousands of pounds for charity,” said Mhairi

“We are hoping to raise even more money than we did last year and do our bit to support these great causes.”

Mhairi was not the only Wood runner to claim a trophy, with Jamie Schofield claiming the coveted male top spot in a time of four hours and 47 minutes.

He said: “It feels great to come in first place and have all this support behind me. I couldn’t be happier.”

Wood Waddlers were also rewarded for being the first team to finish and the fastest team outside of the Furness area to complete the race.

Warrington-based chief engineer John Walker, who helped organise the Wood entry, said: “We always have a tale to tell after K2B and perhaps even more than usual this year.

"There were some truly memorable performances from individuals and collectively in the team competition.

“Special thanks must go to the support crew, who were awesome again this year in looking after the walkers and runners and motivating them over such a long and exhausting day.”

In total, almost 1,500 competitors took part in the race as part of 500 teams all raising money for a variety of charities.

Everyone who finished the race received a completion certificate and a commemorative medal.