Ingleton youngster Luca Dodgson has completed Yorkshire's classic Three Peaks challenge aged just seven. There's some speculation that he may be the youngest ever to walk the 24-mile time trial over Ingleborough, Whernside and Pen-y-ghent. More impressive still, he came in under the 12-hour time limit.
© Dodgson family
'What a fantastic achievement' said the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority's Three Peaks Manager Steve Hastie.
'It’s hard enough for a fit adult and I’ve certainly not heard of anybody younger completing the Yorkshire Three Peaks.'
'To think he actually did it in 11 hours and 50 minutes – beating the 12-hour time limit of the challenge – is also pretty awesome, especially when he ran the last bit back to Horton to make sure he was in time.'
'His Mum and Dad told me he walked Ingleborough the previous Saturday and really enjoyed it – in fact he found it so easy they thought he might like to try all three together' Steve said.
'And they admitted he would have been much quicker if he hadn’t had to wait for them.'
Another group on the route were inspired to keep going thanks to Luca's example, and apparently dubbed him the Mo Farrah of walking. One of them gave him £5 to put in his money box. He has also been awarded a commemorative T-shirt and medal by the National Park, and made an honorary member of the Friends of the Three Peaks group, which was set up to help support the Authority’s work in the area.
Dad Kevin said: 'It was great to see Luca in the distance picking his way to the top. He was really confident and he found it a lot of fun.'
Mum Julie said: 'Never again.'
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