DURSLEY Running Club’s Mark Brasier travelled to America and took on the dizzy heights of the in the Pikes Peak Marathon recently.

The race begins at the base of Pikes Peak, Colorado, climbing over 7,815 feet to the top of the 14,115 foot summit.

The initial three miles are very steep, while the central seven miles start as rolling terrain, but become progressively steeper toward the end.

Oxygen levels drop progressively as altitude rises, further compounding the uphill ordeal.

With entry limited to eight hundred this year, 696 runners completed the event.

The difficulty of the terrain saw Brasier complete his first mile in just over nine minute pace.

He reached the summit, which is around the half way mark, in just under five hours, but the descent was considerable faster with Braiser completing the remainder of the race in around one hour fifty minutes, recording an overall time of seven hours 40:03mins to place 390th overall.

At the other end of the racing spectrum, Joe and Tony Ball completed the Meteor Mile at Staverton airport on Saturday.

The father-son combination were pleased with the outcome, with Ball junior placing 16th in a time of five minutes 27.7seconds with senior placed 72nd in a time of seven mins one second.

At parkrun, Thomas Smith continued to improve albeit by smaller margins, knocking a further three seconds off his PB at Kingsway, with Paul Lewington, Mike Hanman, Nicki Cowle and Tracey Strickland also achieving PBs the latter at Chipping Sodbury.

Results. Kingsway : Thomas Smith, 4th , 18:27, (1st JM15-17), PB; Paul Lewington, 60th , 24:13, (1st VM60-64), PB: Dave Halford, 64th , 24:33; Mike Hanman, 89th, 25:46, (2nd VM60-64), PB; Julie Froggatt, 99th, 26:24, (2nd VW50-54); Nicki Cowle, 106th, 27:06, (1st VW40-44), PB; Steve Barnes, 130th, 28:24, (3rd VM60-64); Sally Williams, 170th, 30:40, (8th VW40-44); Shona Darley, 272nd, 48:53; Charlotte Palmer, 274th, 49:18 Chipping Sodbury; Garry Strickland, 25th, 20:51, (4th VM50-54); Tracey Strickland, 122nd, 26:47, PB.

Stonehouse: Emma Denton, 94th, 32:58. Plymm Valley; John Hookway, 185th, 31:25 In the afternoon at the Malmesbury Carnival 10K, Kris Rymer ran 48:51mins, Rach Goatman-Thomas one hour 02:19mins, Damian Lai one hour 02:20mins and Faith Victoria Minchella one hour 03:48mins.

Richard Pitts and Joanne Robinson were up early to compete in the Tri-Ferris Cotswold Sprint Tri.

Both finished strongly on the run, with Robinson recording a PB, overall she placed 14th in her category with Pitts fifth in his.

A slightly later start saw 14 Dursley RC athletes on the start line for Stroud AC’s Woodchester Park multi-terrain race.

An extremely undulating course is challenging with two severe hills to test the runners on the final mile and a half.

Mike Crompton disappeared off into the distance leaving Braddan Johnson, Kevin Jackson and Dave Wood in the initial battle for second Dursley runner.

Crompton ran a strong race ahead of the chasing DRC pack, averaging just over seven minute miles and was third overall.