Podium spot for McKeown, while Kenilworth take category prizes

However, it was Spa Striders, who had 19 runners competing as part of their winter series, who gained local bragging rights with Chris McKeown third overall in 39min 42sec.

Clubmates Adam Notley (5th in 41:13) and Neil Smith (6th in 41:37) joined McKeown in the top six.

The winter series was aptly named as conditions for the race were difficult with snow blizzards and temperatures close to zero.

The hardest part was the descent of Larkstoke Hill with runners having to navigate the slush and ice underfoot.

Wayne Briggs was first home for Kenilworth in 11th position in 43:54, followed by Chris Lyons (41st in 48:37).

Dave Pettifer (50:21) was 60th overall and first MV65, while Gail Audhali (53:35) was 86th and first LV55.

Tom Dable (69:05) was pleased to finish 192nd after a chest infection lasting several weeks which curtailed his running, while Frank Walsh clocked 70:09 and Pauline Dable (75:00) was 210th overall and first LV65.

Striders’ Mel Venables was third lady in 47:11.

There were 232 finishers and the race was won by Dean Clarke of Massey Ferguson in 39:10.

Kenilworth Runners’ Ian Baynes continued his preparations for the Manchester Marathon with victory in the Blitz the Coastline Marathon in Long Beach, California.

The quiet, unassuming race started in the dark at 5.30am and took in an unmarshalled scenic beach path which offered beautiful views.

The route, which saw runners head out for 3.275 miles on the beach path before returning back to the start four times, attracted regular marathoners and ultra-marathoners, some of whom ran ten miles to the start and in some cases barefoot.

Benefiting from training shoes, a small field and weather conditions the locals claimed were too cold, Baynes ran a time of 3:46:28 to take first prize, claiming the highlight of the race was “jumping in the freezing cold sea afterwards”.