ATHLETES who turned out for in numbers for Thornbury Running Club’s race, the Oldbury Power 10-miler on Sunday, were promised VIPs, and the club did not disappoint them!

Initially blending in with the waiting athletes until donning robe and chain the ‘triathlete in a tri-corn’, Thornbury mayor Helen Harrison, was welcomed as the official starter for the race which left Oldbury Power Station in warm sunshine.

Helen’s civic duties are giving her a break from competition, but no doubt she will be back at her high standard when time allows.

Focusing on the race, eventual winner Weston’s Chris McMillan (56.03minutes) took an early lead, followed by Bristol and West pair Mark Edwards and previous winner Ciaran McQuade, along with Kieron Summers, also from Weston.

As one Bristol and West runner (Edwards) dropped off the pace, so another, Andrew Cooke, took-up the running but being unable to catch McMillan.

Cooke finished the course in second place, clocking a time of 56.39minutes.

McQuade held on to cross the line in third place in 56.43minutes while Summers improved upon his 2016 time, taking fourth place in 56.53minutes. He was also the first MV40 home.

The ladies too settled into their finish positions early on, with Bedford and County AC’s Alice Burgin well up amongst the men and holding her place unchallenged throughout to finish 18th overall.

She was the first female across the finish line in one hour 2.43minutes and was presented with her prize by Thornbury’s Rio Olympic Games judo bronze medallist Sally Conway.

Second lady was Liza Barry of CLC Striders who came 29th as well as being first in the FV45 age group in one hour 6.11minutes.

It was another veteran, Sally Gray of Stafford and Cannock, who took third place for the ladies in one hour 7.37minutes; 33rd overall.

The race also incorporates a team competition, for which teams must be declared in advance.

This allows groups of friends or colleagues to enter at a discount, but perhaps the 10-mile distance was too far as all declared teams were from running clubs – but not all running clubs declared teams.

The Weston AC team (Macmillan, Summers, Darren Stacey and Stephen Kibblewhite) won the men’s competition and Great Western Runners Ladies (Kelly Dicks; Sophie Walton and Clare Meraz) took the women’s team title.

The day continued to warm up with runners thankful for any short stretches of shade and making full use of the three water stations along the course.

Meanwhile, there were awards to be won in the Avon Championship, open to those born or resident in the former county of Avon.

It was no real surprise that the winners, from Bristol and Weston-super-Mare, were again McMillan, Cooke, McQuade and Summers.

However, for the ladies, Gray came first with Kelly Dicks and Sophie Walton (both Great Western Runners) were second and third respectively.

And it was after completing the race, that the second celebrity was put to work.

Everyone was delighted that local girl Conway had agreed to present the awards – even the bottles of beer and jars of honey or pickles that comprised the age group prizes.

Like a true champion, she was more than happy to allow the young and not-so young spectators and runners to hold or even wear her precious medal, and to have her photograph taken over and over again.

With most Thornbury members helping to ensure that the event ran smoothly, only three of the ladies were able to run.

All of them were attempting the distance for the first time. Cathy Watkins was pleased with her time of one hour 52.24minutes ahead of competing in the Cheltenham half marathon in a couple of weeks time.

Suzanne Cundy was just a few seconds behind in one hour 52.30minutes and Magda Johnson finished in two hours 1.20minutes.

The next Thornbury open race will be the popular nineish-mile, multi-terrain Riverbank Rollick scheduled for Sunday 15 January. Entries for this will open in November.