THERE was more fun in the sun at the weekend for athletes from Dudley Kingswinford Running Club as a group travelled to Sutton Park in Birmingham on Saturday for the 28th National Masters Road Relays.

Open to athletes over 35 years of age in teams of four or six runners this event attracted clubs from as far north as Scotland and as far south as London with each runner racing around a three-mile lap before handing over to their team mate.

The ladies team kicked things off in the W35 category with some runners having to run down an age group or two to make up a team. The blue hoops finishing in 26th place in a total time of 1.57.07 with Vanessa Morrison running 29.34, Leah Robins 35.33, Liz Comley 27.19 and Sarah Cox 24.41.

There were three men’s teams on show, the M35 team finishing in 26th place out of 38 teams in a time of 1.52.38 with Matt Biggs running 17.18, Darran Bishop 18.40, Simon Blizzard 18.12, Simon Hughes 18.15, James Wright 18.19 and John Andrews 21.54.

There were two teams competing in the M45 age group, the A team finishing in 37th out of 48 with Dave Norman running 19.06, Gary Bonner 19.19, Mark Homer 19.12 and Daren Thompson 19.26 and the B team coming 42nd in 1.22.33 with Pete Hood posting a time of 19.16, Graham Wildgoose 20.06, Andy Litchfield 21.20 and Russell Fox 21.51.

The following day saw three of the Saturday team lined for a double header up at the Cobra Classic 10k, a tough, hilly race with the first three miles of relatively flat, even slightly downhill, tarmac but with the sting in the tail of some biting gradients in the second three miles.

Simon Hughes was first home in 40.44 in seventh place, Mark Homer finished 11th in 43.12 claiming the first MV50 prize, Graham Wildgoose finished in 45.43 to take 20th place, Sam Hemming placed 86th in 1.02.09 and Gina Collins was a place and behind in 87th in 1.02.10.