RUNNING: A rare gap in the Norfolk road racing calendar provided six North Norfolk Beach Runners with an opportunity to race further afield at the Sleaford Half Marathon.

For some it was a chance to tune up for the greater challenge of the London Marathon in April.

Paul Muffett's return from injury problems has been remarkable and again he turned in a sparkling performance to take the over-50 first prize in a huge field.

Placed 28th out of 563 runners with a tremendous time of 1-23:15 shows that he is now right back to the phenomenal form that won him so many trophies three years ago.

John Christopher also put in an excellent time of 1-27:28 for 63rd place whilst two Beach Runner Ladies, Emma Muffett and Shelley Burton, both ran personal best times. Emma broke her previous best by more than seven minutes to clock 1-55:01.

Two other Beach Runners ran the 13.2-mile rural course around the chilly Lincolnshire lanes. Phil Rowland finished 162nd in 1-39:39 whilst Lindsay Kitchen also ran well to break the two-hour mark with some comfort.