The Winchester Half Marathon returned to the ancient city streets this morning and it was all go despite the torrential rain which greeted runners.
Several hundred took part in the annual event which begins and ends outside the Guildhall in the Broadway and local MP Steve Brine was on-hand to officially start the race which was won by London runner Tom Clark. He took part in the Winchester 10k earlier this year but this is his first half marathon.
He said: "The hills were quite tough but the rest of it was OK."
Steve Brine said; "I started last year's race in the sunshine so it was a shame to see such a wet one but it didn't seem to bother the runners one bit. The Mayor and I had great fun meeting some of the competitors and can only apologise that they were sent on their way by, at best, a muted horn at the start line. We had horn failure at the crucial time but it didn't matter!"
The route took runners on a scenic tour of the area, including landmarks such as St Catherine’s Hill, Winchester Cathedral, the King Alfred statue, and the area’s countryside.
Runners set off at 10am from Winchester Guildhall on a 13.3-mile course, before returning back to the Guildhall. The route headed west along Sarum Road, turning south towards Hursley, before then returning north-east to St Cross and then back to the city centre via Bar End.
Pictured; Steve Brine MP and Cllr Frank Pearson, Mayor of Winchester, attempting to sound the starting horn and before the race with Steve's young son William.
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