THORNBURY Running Club entered two teams into the 23rd staging of the Cotswold Way Relay in which teams of ten runners complete the distance from Chipping Canden to Bath Abbey in stages of between 7.25 and 12.75 miles.
Thornbury’s teams were an all-male veteran (over 40) side and a mixed gender team, the latter forced to accept that slow members would eliminate all chances of success.
As the first runners of a hundred teams gathered at Chipping Camden church for a 7am start, amongst them were Jim Godden and Moray Sloan.
Both had good times, Godden finishing at Stanway House in 15th  place in one hour 29.55mins and Sloan in 43rd in one hour 42.12mins.
By this time, leg two runners were already on their way from Stanway to Cleeve Common, Roger Denton putting in a great performance to finish seventh in one hour 31.18mins, while Judy Mills plodded on at the back, enjoying the scenery if not the hills for 93rd in two hours 12mins.
Cleeve Hill to Severn Springs was also a warm leg, where Rob Cowlard had the best finish position for the club in third with a time of 57.47mins, while Clare Watt was 43rd in one hour 15.07mins.
From Severn Springs, stage four saw a race between Rob Watkins (one hour 31.30mns) and Adrian Savery (one hour 31.34mins) to the Royal William finish.
Stage five has been known to lose runners in Standish Wood but Martyn Green and Angela Bushell enjoyed the shade from the trees to reach Ebley Mill ninth in one hour 24.07mins and 84th in two hours 02.55mins respectively.
Much of the sixth stage to Dursley is also under trees and Mike Willis made it to the Old Spot in 23rd in one hour 16.16mins, followed at a respectable distance by Arthur Renshaw, 77th in one hour 41.33mins.
The leg to Wotton-under-Edge is the shortest of the day and saw the only other sub-hour time for Rob Hopkins who was 13th in 57.33mins, with Dave Beard 26th in one hour 04.05mins.
Now the sun was back out, as well-matched Paul Thomas and Kevin Arnold followed the trail to Old Sodbury for 52nd  and one hour 50.32mins and 57th in one hour 53.28mins respectively.
Ros Rowland and Mark Curtis have been running the legs in order, year on year, and for them 2016 will see the completion of the Trail.
But for now their route was Old Sodbury to Cold Ashton. Both scored well for their teams, Curtis was sixth in one hour 07.36mins and Rowland 39th in one hour 24.20mins.
The final leg to Bath was raced by husband and wife team, Garry amd Selina Slater. Garry was ninth in  one hour 12.16mins and Selina having a great race for 76th in one hour 34.13mins.
And so the times for all hundred teams were added-together and the competition for winning the Vets trophy was close with Thornbury almost 15 minutes ahead of the next team – but less than three minutes behind a team from Chippenham. A great result, second place and also sixth team overall.
The mixed team were 55th overall and 23rd of 59 in their section.