Edwards masters rivals in the British Masters 5k

Seen by the selectors as a key race when considering the Home Countries Cross Country International in the autumn, Edwards was keen to make her mark having narrowly missed out on selection in 2018.

With all the age groups and both sexes in the same race, the 2018 British Masters 10k champion produced a committed start but was never 100 per cent sure of her actual position.

Pushing hard to the finish, she crossed the line in a personal best of 17min 43sec to find out that she had won her age group along with the British Masters crown.

She finished 36th overall of the 128 finishers and her time was the fastest by any woman in the race since 2013.

Telford AC’s Claire Martin, who set one of those two fastest times in 2013 as a FV35, finished second to Edwards in 17:54.

After the race, Edwards said: “It was tough today.

“The undulating course and the weather didn’t help and I know that on a flatter course I could go much faster.”

C&AC clubmate Monica Williamson also made the trip to Horwich.

Williamson started off strongly despite a troublesome tendon having restricted her preparations and by the half-way point she was well clear of her nearest rival in the W55 category.

Sadly from then on her tendon seized up and rather than risk long-term injury she sensibly withdrew with less than a mile to go.

Williamson will now focus on recovering for September’s Stratford Big 10k which forms the basis of England Masters selection for their cross-country team, a squad the veteran has been a member of for the past 12 years.