ABOUT 3,500 runners raced through the streets of Oxford to raise an estimated £100,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.

Race goers taking part in the 10k Town and Gown Fun Run were bathed in sunshine - unlike those who got drenched in a torrential downpour two years ago.

The run, which is in its 27th year and has raised more than £600,000 for the charity since 1981.

The road race starts and finishes in the university parks and takes in a spectacular route, passing Queen's, University Brasenose, Balliol, Trinity, Wadham, Keble and Mansfield colleges.

Roads were coned off for the duration of the race and there was also a 3k run for juniors.

Muscular dystrophy patient James Lewis, 20, who has wheeled his way around the course eight times, sounded the horn to officially start the race for the first time.

He said: "I've been coming here for a few years and I really enjoyed starting the race for the first time and seeing all the runners come past me."

Since raising £53 from his first Town and Gown race in 1999, Mr Lewis has since collected thousands of pounds for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.

He has won the Daniel Cleaver Cup for being the best junior fundraiser four times and the Oxford Mail Challenge Cup for the highest adult fundraiser three times.

Click here to download senior results

Click here to download junior results

Click here to see a gallery of pictures

Sally Cornish, director of fundraising for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, said: "The weather has been fantastic and there are about 3,500 runners, so we are hoping to raise more than £100,000.

"We are delighted that James has been able to come along with his mum Lynn and start the race for us.

"Muscular dystrophy affects about 60,000 people in the UK - that includes about 300,000 families.

"It's a muscle-wasting disease, so people go from being quite hale and hearty to being seriously disabled."

Orlando Edwards, 32, from Camberwell, London, who runs for Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers, finished in first place.

He said: "I think my time was 31m 55s, which I am quite pleased with because it's a personal best for a 10k.

"I have done the Town and Gown before and finished fourth and second, but this is the first time I have finished first, so I am delighted with that. It's a great cause."

Alaster Stewart, 35, from Wimbledon, came second with an estimated time of 32m 02s, and said: "It's a fast and flat course with plenty of tight corners along the way."

Stephen Kimber, 29, from Florence Park, in Cowley, came third with an estimated time of 32m 09s.

The winner of the Oxford Mail Cross Country League for the past three years said: "I have run this race every year for about the past 15 years and although this is not a personal best for a 10k race, this is my best ever placing for the Town and Gown, so I am very pleased."

Some runners know muscular dystrophy sufferers or had experienced a form of the disease themselves.

Ian Cooper, 65, from Cheltenham, said: "I suffered a form of muscle weakness about 30 years ago and was treated at the Radcliffe Infirmary, so this is a charity I always try to support."

Kate Bell, 58, from Abingdon, was running with her daughter Alison, 27.

She said: "This is my first 10k. So far, Alison has raised about £150 - it's a very good cause."

Tom Lindley, 40, was one of a team of runners from Savills in Oxford. He said: "The office matches the sponsorship we raise. We're hoping to raise thousands of pounds."

WHAT IS MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY?

  • There are about 60 different types of muscular dystrophy and related conditions.
  • These conditions are characterised by a loss of muscle strength, a progressive muscle wasting, or nerve deterioration.
  • They are mainly inherited, can cause shortened life expectancy, and there are currently no cures.
  • The neuromuscular condition affect boys, girls, men and women of all ages, occurs across all ethnic groups, and often more than once in one family.