Women's record broken on Telford 10k return

A total of 1,061 runners finished the race, which was divided into three waves of racing.

The race, which has a national reputation for fast times, incorporated the English Championships, an inter area match and was a selection race for the England Masters teams, with runners coming from all parts of the UK to take part.

Sam Harrison, from Nottingham, won the women's race in a new course record time of 32 minutes seven seconds – 24 seconds faster than when she also set a course record the last time the race was run in 2019.

Her time, a new personal best, puts her up to sixth in the UK this year.

Kate Holt – from Stoke, representing the Midland Counties – came second with a new 40-second personal best as she ran 32.39 to put her seventh in this year's UK rankings, while Hannah Irwin from Cambridge was third in 32.49.

Phillipa Bowden (Aldershot) was fourth in 32.55 and Naomi Mitchell (Reading) fifth in 33.20, while the top six was completed by Mhairi Maclennan (Preston) in 33.46 – another really high quality race with four women under 33 minutes and 14 under 35 minutes from the 336 women who finished.

The first Shropshire runner home was Shrewsbury's Lauren Cooper in 35.22 (26th), while team-mate Sara Willhoit – winner of last week's Cardington Cracker – finished 33rd in 35.55. Telford AC's Claire Martin was the team manager for the Midland Team.

The race was very well supported by runners from almost all Shropshire clubs and their leading finishers were: Jan Cook from Shropshire Shufflers in 39.19 and the second over-45 master; Rachel Coupe from Telford Athletic Club in 40.28 and the fifth over-50; Liyan Williams from Lawley Running Club in 42.35; Seren Roberts from Oswestry Olympians in 45.07; Lucy Moloney of Telford Harriers in 45.18; Amy Hughes from Newport in 49.45; Claire Webb of Ludlow in 50.04; Louise Clayworth for Bridgnorth Running Club in 58.39; Louise Simpson from Shawbury in 59.40; and Julie Kaur of Wrekin Road Runners in 64.17.

All three waves use the same course, which starts at the Southwater Town Park entrance, goes around Randlay Pool then down the Silkin Way to Aqueduct and then back to the amphitheatre before doing another lap of the same then into the finish at the amphitheatre.

The majority of the course follows the Silkin Way through the Town Park, and Telford & Wrekin Council and Town Park staff had done a great job in clearing the path from leaves, branches and soil.

Alfie Manthorpe, from Sheffield, won a very close men's race.

Manthorpe was a last-minute entry after he just missed out on selection for the GB team at the European Cross Country Championships held in Dublin on the same day.

There was a large group of leading runners who went through together at the end of the first lap, but it was Manthorpe who had the strongest finish as the group came down to four with just one kilometre to go, slicing 15 seconds off his personal best time to finish in 29.06 and putting himself up to eighth in the UK rankings this year.

Lucian Allison, from Lincoln, was given the same time but made a massive improvement – knocking 22 seconds off his previous best and moving himself from 120th to equal eighth on this year's UK ranking lists.

Cardiff's Matt Clowes, ranked seventh in the UK, was just outside his previous best as he finished third in 29.08.

Paulos Surafel from Thames Valley Harriers was fourth in a new personal best of 29.11, while Abdel Tewelderhan from Newport, Wales, was fifth in 29.16 – the same time as sixth-placed Frank Baddick from Newham. The depth of quality of the race was shown as 27 men ran under 30 minutes.

Dan Connolly (Telford Athletic Club) was the first Shropshire runner home, finishing 48th and just outside his personal best in 30.37.

Matthew Collins from Oswestry was the next Shropshire man home in 30.54, while Matt Costello was the first Shrewsbury AC runner home in 31.44.

Paul Jones, another Shrewsbury AC athlete, had the honour of not only being the first over-50 runner to finish in 33.15, but also seal selection for the England Masters Team.

Leading runners from other Shropshire clubs were Paul Ashton (Shropshire Shufflers) in 34.48; Ian Higgins (Telford Harriers) in 36.43; Stephen Snead (Cleobury Mortimer) in 37.44; Darren Owen-Jones (Lawley Runners) in 39.14; Dan Spear (Ludlow) in 39.53; Gary Simpson (Shawbury Joggers) in 40.29; Matt Bailey (Bridgnorth Running Club) in 42.06; Marcus Waters (Shrewsbury Renegade Runners) in 42.34; Nick Smith (Shrewsbury Tri) in 45.16; Philip Dolding (Newport) in 45.19; Josh Evans (Hartshill Runners) in 45.43; and Damian Whitehead (Wrekin Road Runners) with 46.25.