Heavy rain turns Morton Feast Fun Run into a mudbath

But the dire conditions failed to deter a healthy-sized field of 39, with the winner of the 5K race being 14-year-old Joshua Cutts, who posted a fine time of 22.50 minutes.

Part of the Morton Feast weekend celebrations, the race was a handicap, so the runners, who ranged from seven years old to more than 60, set off at different times according to their age and ability.

Cutts’s net time was 21.35, but faster than that by more than three minutes was 13-year-old Jasper Humphries, who clocked 18.30, a new record for the revised course. Once his handicap was put in place, his time was adjusted to 23 minutes, giving him second place.

In third spot was 15-year-old Harry Bishop in 23.36, while fourth went to Jackson Lawson-Haywood, who recorded a fantastic time for an eight-year-old of 24.40 to be the first primary school boy to finish.

Thr first veteran, and seventh overall, was 61-year-old Russell Haywood in 27.38, while the first lady finisher was Cathy Hewitt, who was 11th overall in 28.42.

The winner of the primary school girl medal was Amber Taylor, who was 22nd overall in a time of 30.48, while the first lady veteran to cross the line was Tracy Bradbury, who was 34th in 36.56.

There was also a team event, which was won for the second year running by HLC, comprising Harry Bishop, Jacob Flear and Caleb Flear. They were followed by Sweetings, Little Mr and Miss Mortons and The Long Runners.

The event was organised by the Morton Feast Committee and Gainsborough and Morton Striders Athletics Club, most notably veteran runner Cliff Middleton, with valuable help from volunteers.

The course began on the Trent Bank and ran along the bank on to the allotment footpath to Field Lane before turning round at the Walkerith end of the field and returning by the same route but finishing on the Morton Community Field.