The race director of the Whitchurch 10k, in its third year, has admitted its popularity has taken her by surprise.

More than 900 runners took part in this popular run on Sunday, with the course confined to roads within the boundaries of the historic market town with landmarks such as St Alkmund’s Church forming part of the route, where residents of the town and visitors alike congregated to shout, cheer and encourage all runners.

Hayley Alldridge said: “I never thought that the Whitchurch 10k would become so popular with not only runners but the local community, who were out supporting this event.

“I was overwhelmed to see so many runners taking part this year and look forward to seeing this race grow year on year and become a firm favourite on the events calendar for the town.

The school field had an amazing atmosphere where we saw the children’s fun run with nearly 200 youngsters taking part and earning their medal and goodie bag. Thank you to each and every one that supported this event including Agro Merchants, our sponsors.”

The 2020 Whitchurch 10k is already booked for April 5: whitchurch10k.niftyentries.com