WITH the sounding of the bells, Chard Road Runners’ Chard Flyer 10k Race pre-entries closed with a full house.

Chard Flyer is a 10k road and footpath race and this year it sold out ahead of the race date, with 200 pre-booked runners heading to Chard for an 11am start.

Travelling from as far as Romsey, it was a feast for the eyes seeing the runners heading down through the town for the start line at Stringfellow Park.

With a blast of the air horn it was Go! Go! Go! as runners headed out of Chard along the cycle path heading towards Ilminster.

At Knowle St Giles, it was time for the long haul off the cycle path and up the quiet country lanes and the everlasting uphill and the much-needed water station where runners could do a quick refill.

Then came the long downhill to enter the Chard Reservoir area and along Furnham Road, before the final push up through Glynswood, turning off to go up past Holyrood School before the sprint to the finish at Chard Cricket Club, who hosted the event.

Race winners

1st Male - Christian Green, Wells City Harriers, 34m 54s; 2nd Male - James Green, Axe Valley Runners, 35m 17s; 3rd Male - Wayne Loveridge, Chard Road Runners, 35m 58s.

1st Female - Hannah Moore, 40m 49s; 2nd Female - Francesca Rawlings, Clevedon AC, 41m 5s; 3rd Female - Becky Toovy, Romsey Road Runners, 43m 18s.

Category winners

Female 35+ - Lisa Mather, 44m 40s; Female 45+ - Frances Malin, Yeovil Town RRC, 44m 27s; Female 55+ - Mary Butcher, Minehead Running Club, 50m 52s.

Male 40+ Robert Collier, Axe Valley Runners, 38m 35s; Male 50+ Carl Ward, Taunton AC, 44m 2s; Male 60+ Nick Brooke, Dorset Doddlers RC, 42m 23s.

Other Chard Road Runners who took part in the race were James Ashby (42m 56s), Liam Whyte (44m 33s), Neil Adams (49m 14s), Lizzie Smith (1h 00m 15s, PB).

Road Runners’ next event was on Saturday, January 5 with an evening race.

The Nine-springs 10k was an off-road race around Nine-springs Park in Yeovil, and representing CRR’s was Phil Goodridge-Reynolds.

Despite slipping and damaging his ankle, he crossed the line in 1h 2m.

Three Road Runners headed off to Stoke St Gregory for the ever-popular Stoke Stampede.

Steve Barnes, Stevie Potter and Helen Baxter negotiated the hilly course in style, with Barnes crossing the line in 14th out of 389 in a time of 38m 11s; Potter came home in a personal best of 44m 55s; and Baxter recorded 56m 45s.

CRRs also took part in the five- and nine-mile Axmouth Challenge races.

Taking in some serious hills, Matt Baker and Gary Wheaton ran the five-miler and Simon Hall and Claire Pomeroy the nine-miler.

Baker finished in 48m 24s to take sixth place, while Wheaton finished seventh in 54m 28s.

In the nine-miler, Hall crossed the line in 1h 36m 49s, while Pomeroy finished in a fine 1h 38m 10s.