The Chevy Chase, and why a Northumberland fell race shares its name with the National Lampoons actor

Hundreds of runners will set off on one of the North East's toughest races this weekend as the 66th Chevy Chase takes place in Northumberland.

The annual fell race, which starts from Wooler on the first Saturday in July, covers a 20-mile loop through the Cheviot Hills, taking in the county's two highest peaks, The Cheviot and Hedgehope, with a total climb of just under 4,000ft.

Runners have six hours to reach a series of checkpoints and get back to Wooler - though the course record is a blistering two hours and 40 minutes - and participants must carry a variety of mandatory kit to ensure they are as safe as possible on the fells.

If you were already wondering why a fell race in Northumberland shares its name with the star of Caddyshack, The Three Amigos and National Lampoons, you wouldn't be the first.

Both the race and the actor take their name from a medieval poem, The Ballad of the Chevy Chase, which it's thought may date back as far as the 13th Century.

The poem tells the story of a hunt led by Lord Percy, the Earl of Northumberland, in the Cheviot Hills, against the wishes of the Scottish Earl Douglas.

A chase was the name of a parcel of hunting ground, and The Chevy Chase Historical Society suggests 'Chevy' may have come from either 'Cheviot Hills' or be derived from the the French word 'chevauchee', used to describe a horse-back raid.

Percy's hunt was taken as an invasion of Scotland by Douglas, and a bloody battle followed with hundreds killed.

The poem is not an accurate historical account and is widely understood to be based on the Battle of Otterburn, but it is an enduring literary favourite. It gets a reference in both Wuthering Heights and Rob Roy, and has given its name to towns in the USA - as well as a section of Eldon Square in Newcastle.

It also lends its name to the actor Chevy Chase, who was born Cornelius Crane Chase in New York.

His grandmother claimed her ancestry from Clan Douglas, so concluded that her grandson's surname and his family heritage made the nickname 'Chevy' fitting.

And it stuck, with the actor keeping it as his stage name as he went on to make it big, appearing in countless Hollywood films as well as being a key cast member on Saturday Night Live.

As to whether or not he'll ever take part in the fell race, that remains to be seen, but we're sure the race organisers would gladly have him along on Saturday, so long as he brings the right kit.