DURSLEY Running Club had its largest entry into the iconic Bourton 10K event for a number of years.

The race is held on a super flat course in February, the combination of good weather conditions and a flat track make it hugely attractive for runners in search of a personal best as well as a very supportive crowd.

The 2018 race saw ‘wonderful but cold weather’, according to Dursley RC athlete Nicki Cowle.

Four DRC athletes were duly rewarded with personal bests for their efforts.

They were Mark Sprigings, Jadie Cotterell, Caz Harper-Easthope, and Jackie Pennington.

Sprigings led the DRC home in 39:44mins with Cotterell first DRC woman home and an excellent 18th senior woman, one of four top 20 DRC category finishers that included Steve Barnes, Jackie Pennington and Diana Gore.

Results: Mark Sprigings, 89th, 39:44 (37th SenM); Jadie Cotterell, 226th, 45:26 (18th Sen); Steve Barnes,417th ,56:17, (14th V60); Jackie Pennington, 463rd, 59:32 (20th V50); Nicola Cowle, 490th ,01:01:10 (38th V40); Diana Gore 499th, 01:02:18 (14th V55); Caroline Harper-Easthope 500th 01:02:42 (34th V45); Lisa Gillooly, 531st 01:08:23 (41st V45) Other competitors on the Sunday were Damian Lai running the Accelerator 10K in London finishing with a six-minute personal best of 45:42mins.

At Hillingdon, James Price was the Dursley RC representative in the half marathon, the gloss of an excellent time of 84 minutes was tarnished by the course apparently being short by around half a mile.

New member Price has been showing a lot of promise so it will only be a matter of time before he goes under 85 minutes in over 13.1 miles.

Saturday saw the National Cross Country Championships, held this year at Parliament Hill Fields on Hampstead Heath.

Dave Durden was Dursley RC’s representative, running in a field of 2,328 men.

He described it as ‘more of an experience than a race’ as the first lap saw two major bottle necks reducing swaths of the field to a walk, which was frustrating.

The course was challenging, one befitting the National Championships with a number of hills, thick mud as well as extremely wet and slippery sections.

There was also a bitingly cold wind.

Durden finished in a place of 1587th in a time of one hour dead over the 12 kilometres.

Meanwhile, the parkrun scene saw the Dursley RC big guns out at Chipping Sodbury with Mike Crompton becoming Dursley’s fastest athlete of the weekend by completing the five kilometre course in just 17:35mins.

Not far behind him were Matthew Read, 19:12mins; Tony Wooldridge 20:29mins and Andy Probert 20:42mins.

Alice Lewis was fastest woman for the club again on the same course in 22:41mins topping the age gradings at 83.17 per cent ahead of Tony Wooldridge on 81.86 per cent.

Achieving personal or course bests were Nicki Squire (Kingsway) and, at Wotton Tania Honey, Rachel Brown and Damien Davis.

Matt Rogers as ever flew around the off-road Wotton course in 21:07mins, with Shona Darley first DRC woman in 23:44mins.