In pictures: Market Drayton 10k race day hailed as the best yet
[gallery] It has already earned a reputation as one of the best races in the country and this year's Market Drayton 10k proved to be another success as more than 2,000 people took part.
In fact, the race is now so popular that within an hour of the website accepting entries for 2016 event yesterday, 50 people had already signed up, organisers said.
Two thousand three hundred people took on the challenge yesterday, many chasing personal-best times, but a few hoping to claim the added bonus of a £50 prize on offer to anyone who could break the course record time. Eleven years ago when the event was first staged, there were just 125 entrants.
The men's race was won by James Skelton and the women's race by Kim Fawke, who achieved her first ever sub-35 minute time for 10k.
The first local man home was Chris Perry, with a time of 36 minutes and 10 seconds.
The race has its origins as a carnival fun-run, but was established as a serious 10k race in 2004.
Since then the event has grown in popularity and stature, and has now earned a national reputation, being voted the best race in the UK by Runners World Magazine, trumping the London Marathon and the Great North Run to take the award.
Tim Beckett, who launched the race back in 2004, explained why the event was seen as the best in the UK. He said: "The award was based on how our race did in several categories, and we scored highly in beginner friendliness, organisation and value for money."
