The Oswestry 10k returned for its fourth year, as organisers of the event said that it “couldn’t have gone any better”.

Thousands of runners crossed the finishing line on Church Street on Sunday, October 15, including some of the best elite runners in the area, the town’s mayor an MP and even a firefighter in their full gear.

The fastest time of the day came from Andrew Parkinson, who finished with a time of 32:47 minutes, while Mackenzie Mccourt was the fastest female runner of the day, crossing the finish line after 38:27 minutes.

Alan Lewis, from Adrenaline Sporting Events who organised the event, said: “It was a super day, and we are very happy with how it went.

Border Counties Advertizer: Thousands of runners took part in the 2023 Oswestry 10k.

“It was wonderful to welcome people from Mid Wales and beyond who all came down to run, including our race winner who was from Birmingham. We had a lovely mix of people and perfect weather. It couldn’t have gone any better.”

The 10k event sold out, meaning there were thousands of runners taking part in the race that started on Church Street and circled the town, going through Morda Road, Nant Lane, Trefonen Road, Oswestry Road and Upper Brook Street before finishing on Church Street.

North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan took part in the race, as did Oswestry town mayor Olly Rose, but perhaps the most unique runner was firefighter Connor Beardmore, who ran all 10km dressed in his full firefighting gear, raising over £1000 for the Firefighter Charity.

Border Counties Advertizer: Firefighter Connor Beardmore ran the Oswestry 10k in full firefighter gear.

Organisers of the event said that making an event that could welcome runners of all abilities was one of their aims in putting the race together.

Mr Lewis added: “In our fourth year of doing this we are pretty dialled in, but it still takes a lot of effort to put it together.

“As always, I have to thank our volunteers, our race officials, our marshals and everyone who helped put this well-oiled machine together.

“It’s always overwhelming for me and the team to see everyone gathered at the start line. It’s a proud moment but our minds are mainly on the responsibility to make sure everyone is safely across the line. Once that happens, the pride really sets in.

Border Counties Advertizer: A runner approaches the finish line in the Oswestry 10k.

“We aim to look after everyone, from the first runner to the last. That matters a lot because we love the idea of building a community with these events, people who meet up and make friends, people who become our loyal base of runners or amateurs who want to try something new. We also love to see people from outside the area visiting, who might not otherwise have come to a town like this.”