In pictures: Market Drayton 10k race day hailed as the best yet

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."

Entrants from across Shropshire and the Midlands – including as far away as Derby – took part in the event, which was fully booked up more than two months in advance.

Tim Becket, the race organiser, said he was delighted with how yesterday's event went.

He said: "The weather was perfect, everything went to plan, there was no congestion and all the marshalling worked really well.

"The fastest woman to finish, Kim Fawke, set a new course record with a time of 34 minutes and 57 seconds.

"James Skelton was the fastest man, completing the course with a time of 31 minutes and 56 seconds.

"It was just one of those days when everything went well and as an organiser you really appreciate days like that – I even got chance to enter the race myself."

The race started at 11am from the Grove School, headed out towards Asda, looped round Rowan Road, past Pork Farms, then turned left into Smithfield Road towards the town centre.

The route then ran out along Shrewsbury Road, down to Farcroft Drive, Bentleys Road and Christ Church Lane before heading back into town and finishing at the Grove School.

Youngsters also got the chance to limber up and take part in their own fun run in the town before the main 10k event got under way.

Mr Becket said places for the event, which in its early years was organised with support from Market Drayton-based dairy giant Muller, had been booked up in record time this year.

He said that the race has steadily grown in size over the years, but he believes it may now have reached its optimum size.

"I think 2,300 is probably the limit for the number of entrants we can manage," he said.

"Add another 500 runners and the extra strain on the infrastructure, the congestion that could bring, might spoil what is a fantastic event. At the moment everyone leaves Market Drayton with a smile on their face, and I want to keep it that way."

He added: "It is an event that benefits the whole town, we estimate that as well as the runners there were several thousand other visitors. A lot of shops opened on race day and that sort of business is great for the town."

One of the unique things about the race is the free transfer system, which allows those who have booked a place but can no longer take part, to swop with someone who is unregistered.

The current course record is 30 minutes 41 seconds which was set by Chris Davies in 2013, and organisers encourage budding runners to beat that record with the chance of winning a £50 prize for those who do.

Entries have already opened for next year's event, and entrants who book a place before the end of May will pay the 2015 entry fee.

For more information on the event visit the website at www.marketdrayton10k.co.uk