In pictures: Record numbers run in Market Drayton 10k

Thousands of competitors took part in this year's Market Drayton 10k run, with nearly 3,000 taking part in the annual event – smashing last year's total.

A total of 2,560 runners took part in the main 10k and more than 320 ran the event's smaller fun run, and organisers said it was nearly 400 more than they had ever had before.

Race director Tim Beckett said: "When we started in 2004 we had something like 125, and then 250 a couple of years after.

"To think we have actually multiplied that by 10 is incredible – and we have more runners in our fun run now than we did in the original race.

"It has all gone really well and the feedback we have had has been fantastic.

"We have had so many people saying it was the biggest and best race we have ever held, it has been so busy.

"There has been a lot of organisation and work go into it over the last few months, and a lot of late nights, but it is definitely worth it seeing it all today."

This year's winner was Phil Nicholls from Wolverhampton and Bilston Running Club with a time of 30 minutes and 42 seconds – missing out on the course record by a few seconds.

The female winner was Tessa Clarke, also from Wolverhampton and Bilston Running Club, with a time of 36 minutes and 32 seconds.

The first local runner to cross the finish line was Market Drayton Running Club's Paul Thomas with 36 minutes and 28 seconds.

The event, which began as carnival fun-run, has been named one of the best races of its kind and attracts competitors from across the country.

At the start of the year, the race was named the UK's best 10k race in the county for the fourth year running by Runner's World magazine, beating events in London and Leeds to the top spot.

Spaces for this weekend's race were sold out within just nine weeks of entries opening with about 50 people signing up in the first hour.

Forty exhibitors attended the day and 200 marshals volunteered. Mr Beckett said it was the extra effort volunteers put in that makes it such a popular run.

He said: "We have done about 475 number swaps for people who had entered and couldn't come so others get their place.

"And we always sort out race numbers if people have lost theirs of forget them.

"We have had the park and ride on as well and it is things like this that other races might not do which makes it such a good and popular race."

For more information about the event, visit marketdrayton10k.co.uk.