OVER 10,000 runners assembled on the start line on Sunday morning for the Great Bristol Half Marathon.

Thornbury Running Club were well represented with 15 entrants, with a range of abilities and ages looking to break personal bests, raise money for charity, mark important milestones and enjoy a day in the sun.

Nick Williams has made huge strides this year and improved his previous best by 6 minutes. He finished amongst the fleet footed club runners in 87th place in 1 hour 20:45 mins. Steve Allen was next in 1 hour 38:54 mins, an encouraging result after a season blighted by injury.

Sean Underwood has been on a mission to change his lifestyle after tipping the scales at almost 23 stones last year.

Since changing his diet and catching the running bug, his times have been tumbling in proportion to his slimming physique.

In 2016 he ran the same course in 2 hours and this year, after a hectic racing schedule, shattered this time by 21 minutes in 1 hour 39:28 mins.

Colette Jackson was the first female runner in 1461st position in 1 hour 42:36 mins, pursued by Emma Barnes in 1 hour 47:37 mins and Steve Dimond in 1 hour 49:35 mins. Rachael Underwood was the final Thornbury runner to make it under the 2 hour barrier, which she did in 1 hour 59:34 mins.

Alice Porter ( 2 hours 10:28 mins ), Patricia Ashley ( 2 hours 16:55 mins ) and Cathy Watkins ( 2 hours 19:33 mins ) were the next runners over the line.

Rachel Murphy is running 6 half marathons in 2017 and raising money for Scotty’s Little Soldiers. Rachel and her family have first-hand knowledge of the great work done by Scotty’s, which provides support for almost 280 bereaved British Forces children.

Bristol was the half way point in her 6-race challenge and she recorded a time of 2 hours 19:30 mins.

The local TV channel, Made In Bristol, has been featuring Elly Pyne’s half marathon training diary and her running renaissance since going through treatment for a brain tumour.

Elly’s determination and tenacity was on view for all to see again as she completed the course in 2 hours 19:30 mins, followed by Magda Johnson in 2 hours 29:14 mins.

Thornbury’s walking group members Viv Heyes, Susanna Pascoe and Val James all crossed the line together in 3 hours 16:22 mins.

Lizzie Williams took part in Wentwood Woodlark in Monmouthshire on Sunday, a predictably hilly 8-mile race through the Welsh countryside. Lizzie had a strong race, finishing in 1 hour 20:27 mins.

There were 3 Thornbury parkrunners out on Saturday . Malcolm Carr ran close to his personal best in 24:54 mins and Anne Palmer finished in 31:58 mins. Paul Thomas was further afield in Wilmslow and finished 13thin 22:02 mins.

The Ironman juggernaut rolled into Weymouth at the weekend for ‘Ironman 70.3 Weymouth’.

Paul Clark was one of the 2,600 plus athletes who took on the challenge and swam the 1.9k sea course in 40:40 mins, before moving through the field on the 90k bike segment in 2 hours 46:56 mins. Paul ran the remaining half marathon course in 1 hour 43:29 mins to finish in 301st place and 40th in 45-49 age category.