Hundreds of runners laced up their trainers for Abingdon Marathon this year and new leadership could bring a more communal focus in the following years.

The endurance event took 776 runners on a figure of eight course beginning at Tilsley Park athletics stadium, meandering down through the town centre before passing through Drayton, Milton and Sutton Courtenay and returning back through town and up to the athletics stadium for the finish.

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The initial two miles of the course along Dunmore Road and Twelve Acre Drive towards Radley saw road closures, as in previous years, with the rest of the course being on roads that are open to the public.

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Finishing in first place with a time of 2:19:22 was Alex Teuten, and the first female finisher was Charlie Metcalfe, who crossed the finish line in 2:56:06.

Terry Francis, who took over as chair of the marathon’s organising committee this year, praised this year’s volunteers and supporters.

He said: “It takes 400 volunteers to run the marathon, most of whom are from running clubs around Oxfordshire.

“We have marshals, aid stations, car park organisers, and we have a reputation for being one of the best marshalled marathons in the UK. We always get fantastic comment about it.”

Mr Francis also spoke about how the marathon may become more community focused in future.

He added: “We want to get more involved with the community in Abingdon. Runners go through the market square, and a lot of spectators stand there, so perhaps we could make the square a focal point, with music and stalls.”

 

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This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.

Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1