Market Drayton 10K hailed a success after 1,600 runners turn out

Tim Beckett, race director of the Market Drayton 10K, held yesterday, said that more than 1,600 people took part. Shropshire-based runner Chris Davies smashed the course record by a minute in recording a time of 30 minutes and 34 seconds.

Mr Beckett claimed the event is now the biggest of its kind in the Midlands after another huge turnout - including participants from across the UK.

He said: "A grand total of 1,664 people took part in the race, with every age from 15 to 75 apart from 74 represented in it, which just goes to show that this is an event for everyone. We had teenagers and pensioners and they all enjoyed it exactly the same.

"We are now officially the biggest 10K race in the Midlands. The nearest, in Dudley, has about 1,200 competitors," he added.

"This year there were runners from Scotland, Northern Ireland, North and South Wales, London, Isle of Wight and even as far away as Cornwall."

But Mr Beckett said two race marshals said they would not take part next year after they were verbally abused by a motorist angry at a temporary road closure as the race passed through the town centre.

He said: "The only slight downside was an unsavoury incident with a motorist who got angry with a couple of our marshals who had closed a road while the runners passed. A police officer came over and he was even rude to him."

Mr Beckett said that while the incident was over in a matter of seconds, the two marshals involved have said they won't be helping next year.

"It puts a slight dampener on things, but I have to say that taken as a whole it was by far the best Market Drayton 10K we have ever held," he added.

Last year the race was so successful that it was voted the number one 10K in the UK by Runners World magazine out of 2,500 races.