Spectators positioned themselves around the town to cheer on more than 1,700 runners and wheelchair athletes in what has rapidly become one of the biggest races of its kind in the eastern region.

The wheelchair athletes were first off the mark, followed by hundreds of club and fun runners.

The weather, perfect for spectators, provided an additional challenge for the competitors, as the light breeze did little to relieve the warmth of the day.

Undeterred, runners took advantage of the improvements to the course to put in some exceptional times. Wheelchair athlete Brian Alldiss produced a scorching performance to fly across the finish line with a new course record of 26 minutes and 9 seconds.

Winner of the men's race, Andrew Hennessy finished in 31 minutes and 10 seconds, also scooping the Duncan Gooderson Trophy as the first local runner to finish.

Heading up the women's race was City of Norwich athlete Olivia Walwyn, who finished in just 38 minutes and 8 seconds.

For the second year running, a girl from North Wootton has come in the top five in the women's section of the 10km race.

Last year, Emma Rudd came fifth with a time of 39.41. This year, against what is believed to be tougher competition, Emma managed to beat semi-professional athletes into fourth place with a time of 38.50.

Sporting legend, Ron Hill, delighted competitors by posing for photographs and signing autographs.

Commenting after the race, he said: "It's been an excellent race – but don't let anyone tell you it's easy. It's not.

"The course is quite challenging, but the spectators really urge you on.

"It's a real achievement for everyone who has completed it and I'm impressed with some of the performances I've seen here today – particularly from the veteran runners."

Former Olympian, Paul Evans, has been involved in the event from the start. "This event just grows and grows," he said.

"The number of runners is up by about 200 on last year and the trend looks set to continue. It's just brilliant to see so many local runners taking part and getting involved in the sport."

Full results and images from the race are available by visiting www.greateastangliarun.co.uk