RUNNERS from across Huntingdonshire were once again out in force on Sunday morning to compete in the annual St Neots half marathon.

RUNNERS from across Huntingdonshire were once again out in force on Sunday morning to compete in the annual St Neots half marathon.

There were 855 finishers, with 48 of those coming host club Riverside Runners.

The pick of the home performances saw Simon Boothby finish in 53rd place in 1hr 26.04mins, winning the award for first local male over 45.

Maurice Hemingway, meanwhile, was first local man over 50 to cross the line, which he managed in a personal best time of 1hr 29.24mins, securing 81st place overall.

For Huntingdonshire AC, Dave Connell led the way, finishing 12th out of 855 finishers in a time of 1hr 20.16mins, an exceptional run given that injury had blighted much of his pre-race training.

In the women’s section, Julia McIntosh excelled with an eighth-place finish in the W45 section and was awarded the prize for the top local finisher in her age category.

Meanwhile first over the line for the Huntingdon-based BRJ Road Running Club was Dave Preston, who finished overall 15th in a time of 1hr 20mins.

Lorna Higgins was the first lady home for the club and set a new club personal best after clocking 1hr 34.29mins to finish in 151st overall.

Race director Helen Liddle, who is also secretary of Riverside Runners, said: “As always the event was a huge success and the weather was perfect for running.

“We had 860 starters and, from 1200 entrants, you always expect a 20 per cent drop. Everything went smoothly and the feedback we’ve had from runners, marshals and the like really has been really positive so we’re very pleased.”

Full club results - Page 69.