BLACKBURN Road Runners were out in force at the Chester Marathon.

The club had 16 runners competing in the full 26.2-mile marathon and a further 37 runners in the brand new 26.2km metric marathon.

With no other club bringing more members the Road Runners were rewarded with the prime club pitch right next to the finish line.

Michael Clucas crossed it in a personal best time of three hours 27 minutes and 29 seconds while for seven of his colleagues it was their first crack at a full marathon.

Club chairwoman Sue Wolstenholme said: “For a small-town running club, with less than 200 members, to have over a quarter of them competing in the one race was a massive highpoint for what has been a tremendous year for the Blackburn Road Runners.”

Ben Fish, of Blackburn Harriers, finished an impressive third in 2hrs 27mins 47secs. And there was also a top-10 finish for Barlick Fell Runners’ Ian Livesey, who posted a PB of 2hrs 34mins 59secs to claim eighth place.

Darwen Dashers Joanne Nelson finished as the fastest LV40 and the fourth fastest overall as she passed the post in a 2hrs 54mins 32secs PB.