Thousands of people took part in the 10th annual Herts 10K on Sunday to raise money for Rennie Grove Hospice Care.

Once again Rothamsted Research in Harpenden played host to the popular run, which was started by St Albans Mayor Cllr Salih Gaygusuz.

Elite athletes, enthusiasts, novices runners and walkers alike took advantage of perfect running conditions and were spurred on their way by fantastic support from fellow participants, spectators and course marshals. The winner of the men’s race was Peter Mackrell, who completed the 10K mixed terrain course in 34 minutes 37 seconds. Jo Hurley was the first woman home finishing in 41 minutes 17 seconds.

The winners’ trophies were presented by the Mayor of St Albans, the chief executive of main sponsors Levy Associates, Matt Murphy, Paul Brayley from Brayley Motors and Adam Buckland from JAW construction.

The Herts 10K team continued the tradition of rewarding the last walkers home. Susan Nickolds and Samantha Crawley were presented with flowers from Paul Marsden of Harpenden Building Society.

Some of the youngest runners came from Harpenden-based Shackleton Explorer Scout Group who made the challenge even harder by completing the 10K run with rucksacks on their backs.

The first Explorer home was 17 year old Calum Liles, who finished in just over one hour.

Group leader, Ian Rodger, explained: “We were using the run as a training exercise for a competition next weekend.

“The Herts 10K proved a perfect training ground; the looks we received from other runners when they realised we were carrying a heavy load was priceless.

“The support we received from everyone along the route including runners, marshals and spectators was brilliant.”

Over the course of the last 10 years, the Herts 10K has grown into a hugely popular event, attracting up to 3,000 runners every year. It has now raised more than £1 million to support patients and families facing cancer and other life-limiting illnesses in St Albans, Harpenden and the surrounding areas.