MORE than 3,000 runners took part in the heat of the Blenheim Half Marathon and 10km race to raise money for charity.

Liz Moir was one of them. A year ago she was recovering from a serious heart attack.

But yesterday she was one of the thousands pounding the grounds of Blenheim Palace in the blazing sunshine.

The mother-of-two suffered a heart attack while in training for last year’s London Marathon.

The nurse, who works at the neuroscience ward at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital, said she had no idea what was happening.

She said: “I did not know I was having a heart attack. I thought it was an ulcer. Thankfully, I am fine now.

“I was running again eight weeks after it happened. They say it is good to have gentle exercise.”

The British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) first Blen-heim Half Marathon took place yesterday in the grounds of the historic palace, in Woodstock.

More than 3,000 runners took part in the sweltering heat and could compete in four routes: the 13-mile, the 10km, a family fun run and a corporate relay.

Liz was joined on the 10km course by her colleagues from the hospital, Karen Dawson, Beth Forrow, and Nicky Raymond, who completed the course together in 62 minutes.

She said: “It has been great. We have got six kids between us and they have been here cheering us on.

“It was my stupid idea to do this, but thankfully we are all still alive and have raised more than £1,000 for charity.”

Tracie Nicholls, from Suffolk, donned a red wig to take part in the 10km run in memory of her mother Valerie Stopher who passed away from a heart-related condition in June.

She said: “I decided to come to Oxfordshire so I could take part and raise some money in memory of my mother.

“My partner is also doing the Chicago Marathon in aid of the British Heart Foundation. Hopefully we will be able to raise a lot.”

The half marathon was started by celebrities Liz Locke, last year’s finalist in the BBC1 show The Apprentice, and Clare Nasir, the TV weather presenter.

Ms Nasir, a former GMTV weathergirl, said: “I do a lot of work for the British Heart Foundation, they have become like an extended family to me.

“Their biggest concern is looking after all our hearts.

“This is a great opportunity to get all of our hearts racing while we raise as much money as we can.”