RUNNERS braved the heavy rain and winds for the Clarendon Marathon between Salisbury and Winchester on Sunday(October 4).

Mud and puddles made the 26.2-mile cross-country route between the cathedral cities more challenging.

“These were the most challenging conditions we have ever faced,” said JJ Heath-Caldwell, chairman of the organising committee, who ran in the half-marathon.

“It didn’t just rain continuously on the day but on the Friday and Saturday before. There was mud and puddles everywhere. On top of Storm Alex, we needed to manage the race responsibly to ensure social distancing because of Covid-19.”

Volunteer organisers from Salisbury, Winchester and Sarum Rotary Clubs made number of changes to enable the socially distanced outdoor sports event to go ahead during the coronavirus pandemic. Runners had staggered starts and were instructed to stay socially distant from other participants.

Bookings were closed early to limit the number of runners to 1,000. People signed up to the full marathon, half marathon, five-mile run or a four-person relay race, while raising cash for charity.

Mr Heath-Caldwell paid tribute to the “teamwork” of the organising committee and 200 volunteer marshals along the route who endured the wet and windy conditions.

Romsey Road Runners collected three pieces of silverware: Matthew Hammerton, 42, was the overall marathon winner with a time of 3:01:26; Becky Tovey, 37, was the fastest female (3:32:23) and Tom Bray, 34, won the half-marathon (1:20:20).

Meanwhile “Molly’s Boys” picked up the trophy for the relay marathon and Rhiannon Paton, 17, from Westbury Harriers, won the five-mile race.