Cambridgeshire Army Cadet Force has many inspirational members, these include Captain Liz Hyslop who has set a superb example for physical fitness, run hundreds of miles and fundraised for many different charities over the last few years.
Liz joined the ACF in 2001 to help support her daughter Sarah (now SSI McConnell), who was a cadet at Walton Detachment. She received her commission two years later, went on to be an instructor at Sawston for eleven years, also serving briefly at Haddenham, before becoming 2IC for 1 Coy in 2012. In 2016 she left to take up her present position as Cadet Administration Officer, as well as being CVQO/BTEC Officer. She recently retired, but has been able to re-join the ACF due to a change in the rules.
Thetford 5K Trails, 2019
She started running August Bank Holiday 2018 at Milton (Cambridge Parkrun) when her daughter and granddaughter took her along and she found she enjoyed it. She joined the Littleport Parkrun group and later the Ely Runners to learn how to run properly and efficiently. She gradually extended her range and distance, taking part in various runs around the county, including an exceedingly hot 10k in June at Histon; ventured out of the County for a very soggy 5k in Thetford Forest, which she celebrated afterwards with a birthday picnic on the ground, and a 10k run round Wimbish Airfield on Remembrance weekend 2019. Her other notable runs in 2020 included one to highlight the plight of butterflies needing certain plants in order to survive.
Liz on the Littleport Parkrun, including dressed for 'Save The Bees' (left) Pictures John McGivern
She also took part in the London Winter 10k Run in February 2020. This had to be done virtually due to gale-force winds, so she completed the distance using the Littleport parkrun route with her daughter and one of her friends. During lockdown she has completed multiple runs by herself, all for charities ranging from the NHS, Royal British Legion, Cancer Research and the Arthur Rank Hospice, attracting sponsorship through her Facebook page.
Last year she has completed the Ely Runners New Year’s Eve 10k (normally a circuit round Little Downham/Pymoor), but this year had to be run individually and more locally. In December, she joined around 40 other Ely Runners taking part in #RED January 2021, (supporting mental health through exercise). Her group raised over £1500. On top of joining this challenge, she completed and exceeded a 100k minimum run in January, managing a total distance of 106k throughout the month.
With SSI Sarah McConnell, London Winter 10K (run locally)
Her latest running challenges are two-fold – the “56mile Challenge for February” (in aid of Cancer Research) and “5km Padre Challenge”. The Padre Challenge has come about as one of the Ely Runners, Natalie Andrews, is a local CofE minister who took up a Sporting Mentor role with the church in 2020. Reverend Andrews has raised a team, of which Captain Hyslop is a member, to take on other minister’s teams, racing each other and seeing who can cover the greatest distance throughout February.
Captain Hyslop is also earning points for her ACF county, by using the internet exercise tracking service Strava, which is linked to the ACF Eastern Region Sport where ACF counties are competing to see how far their members can run.
She said: “I find running clears my head and helps with my sanity. It gets me out of the house and exploring, finding roads I didn’t know existed before lockdown and I get to see how the seasons are progressing as well as how places are affected by the weather. I come back with my energy boosted, and there is a great sense of camaraderie with the other runners- even during lockdown, who provide me with encouragement and support online.’
Text by PI Doug Stuart and Captain Hyslop.
You can donate to her latest effort for Cancer Research at https://www.facebook.com/donat...
