On a sun-kissed Sunday, Cheltenham runner Dylan Gillett banked his first-ever Stroud Half Marathon victory, storming home at the 42nd staging of the popular event.
Running for Western Tempo, Gillett hit the tape ahead of club mate Tom Evetts, clocking a winning chip time of 1:08:11.3, with Evetts finishing second in 1:10:22.8.
Third place went to Team Bath AC runner Lester James, who posted a time of 1:10:50.8. In a race dominated by Western Tempo, Jack Bancroft finished fourth in a chip time of 1:11:35.3.
Stroud AC weren’t far off the chasing pack with Matt Hudd just outside the top five, coming home in sixth in 1:11:44.6. Fellow club runner Nicholas Pegg finished seventh in 1:13:14.5 and Alister Liscott completed the Stroud trio in eighth with a creditable 1:13:53.5.
Daisy Irving-Hyman was first female runner home in 1:19:20.2, finishing 24th overall. Emily Chandler from Stroud AC was the second woman across the line in a time of 1:25:40.2.
Race numbers were significantly up this year with 1,256 starters.
Meanwhile, Keiran Wright, 28, tackled the course with 120-pound (55kg) rucksack on his back. The plucky runner was raising funds for Clarity, a Barnstaple-based charity dedicated to providing affordable counselling services. Wright completed the course in an impressive 2:56.05.7
Familiar faces on the testing 13.1-mile course featured Stroud runner Jeff Waters and Dursley AC veteran Kevin Jackson, who have taken part in every Stroud Half since the race was launched in 1982.
As ever, the race raised important funds for various charity organisations, including The Door, Longfield Hospice and the Stroud District Foodbank.
Full race results click HERE
Pictures by Matt Bigwood – swipe through the gallery below
