It's CaniX time again (From Swindon Advertiser)

It's CaniX time again

3:08pm Tuesday 18th November 2008 in

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MORE than 160 people and rather more dogs will be heading for Lydiard Park on Sunday, November 30.

The people range from brisk walkers to experienced runners, and the dogs range from terriers to towering Great Danes.

All are devotees of CaniX (spoken as ‘Cani-Cross’), a sport that has burgeoned in popularity since being invented by a former Swindon couple five years ago.

In CaniX, competitors and their dogs race over distances of 2km and 5km, and for the real distance enthusiasts, there is a half marathon event each season.

The sport’s inventors are Richard and Eileen Cook, formerly of Blunsdon but now living in Cheltenham. Both are in their 40s.

Eileen said: “We started doing this in 2003, and put on our first series of events in 2005, so we are now in our third full season of events.

“Each season runs from September to May because it’s too hot to run in the summer.

“We’ve always enjoyed running with our dogs, just as people have for centuries, but we were never allowed to take them with us on running events.

“We thought that wasn’t fair to us or our dogs.”

The two decided to do something to redress the balance, and CaniX was born.

It has grown in popularity ever since, and the current season includes or will include events in locations as diverse as Kent and Carmarthenshire. Eileen and Richard run with their seven-year-old Siberian huskies, Alexei and Pasha.

The first event in the Swindon area was at Nightingale Wood, two years ago, while the first at Lydiard Park came last year.

With more than 160 people expected to attend on November 30, the next Lydiard Park event is set to be the most popular yet.

Entries must be received by Monday, November 24, and further information can be found at www.cani-cross.co.uk