Runners hit their stride in the cold at Shrewsbury Half Marathon

They lined up at 9am to do either the 13.1-mile standard marathon distance or the shorter metric half marathon of 13.1 kilometres (eight miles) which was being offered for the first time.

Many were raising money for charities, and a lot of people also brought a tin along to donate to Shrewsbury Food Bank, with a gazebo set up on the site of the start and finish at the West Midlands Showground.

Around 76 running clubs from around the country were represented including the Shrewsbury-based Shropshire Shufflers who turn up every year and were fresh from running the London Marathon last weekend.

They had 30 people represented from young runners up to seniors and Chris Whiteley from the club said they were looking forward to running on home turf.

He said: "We had a good turnout in London last weekend and race internationally as well but this is a good event, we don't have far to go and always enjoy it."

Four ITU nurses from Royal Shrewsbury Hospital set up a running group during lockdown and meet regularly for social and running purposes - they were running the half-marathon together.

Amanda Piper from the group said: "It started during lockdown when you were allowed to meet up with six people and we worked right through the pandemic.

"It was a good way to meet up regularly out of work, de-stress and get some exercise when we weren't really doing much else at the time - one of us is running the half marathon for the first time but we have all been training for quite a long time together so we want to enjoy it."

Inexperienced runner Abori Lestak had come down from Oxfordshire to support a family friend originally from Shrewsbury who was doing the half marathon. She herself was attempting the metric distance - both were running in aid of the children's society.

The most she had run before was six miles but she trained two or three times a week, sometimes doing Canicross runs with her dogs.

She said: "It will be interesting to be on my own because I am normally with my dog and around trails, and this will be mainly on the road so I will have to see how I go because to me the metric distance at the moment will be like a full marathon - but it will be good to build the stamina and experience up."

Race director Joe Williams said the idea of the new metric distance was for people who had done a 10k before and wanted to build up their experience or fitness with a view to doing a marathon in the future.

He has been organising the half marathon since 2016 and is himself a long-standing runner.

Joe said: "We had a good turnout last year which was the first one we had done since Covid and this year decided to add the metric distance to perhaps attract those who are somewhere between running the 10k and the full marathon.

"There is a good mix of runners entered in terms of ages, experience, fun runners and those doing it for charity and we have also encouraged people to bring a tin along to help Shrewsbury Food Bank who are here with us on site."