Sell-out event as Leighton Buzzard Fun Runners' 10k returns from pandemic

The event, returning after a two-year break owing to Covid, started and finished at Long Marston Cricket Club, taking in a circular route through Cheddington, along the canal and past the Queens Head pub in the village.

All race finishers were rewarded with a bright salmon pink technical t-shirt, with the sounds of local ukulele band, Ukie Tunes playing up beat motivational tunes.

The Fun Runners has a long history of being a sociable club and its members baked a vast selection of cakes which was an added reward for a hard race run!

The race is the main event on the Leighton Fun Runners’ calendar and any profits are donated towards the club charity, which this year is the disability sports fund of the Rotary Club of Leighton-Linslade.

Fun Runners club chairman, Andrew Heale said: “We are really pleased to have been able to host the event again, and have had plenty of positive feedback from participants.

"I’m extremely grateful for all the volunteers that made this possible.

“We had over 60 club members helping out and around 40 running, which takes a lot of organisation, and we are already looking forward to next year’s event.”

The first runner home was Stuart Read who represented Leighton Buzzard Athletics Club ( LBAC) in a time of 35:26. He was followed by Chris Littlejohn 36:20 (Ampthill & Flitwick Flyers RC), Leigh Schvartzms 37:14 (Oxford Tri), Tom Ellerton 37:21 ( LBAC) and John Decesare 37:27 (Ampthill and Flitwick Flyers RC). The first female home was Monica Petrosio, an ex-Great Britain ice hockey player, in 40:30. Leighton Buzzard Athletics Club also won the team event.

The event was sponsored by a number of locally-based businesses, to whom the Fun Runners are extremely grateful tom namely Freed Veneers, Studio 7, Peli Biothermal, and Energie Fitness.

Full results are available from here.