100s test mettle in big race

Body tense and heart pounding he waits for the countdown, then the blast of a horn and he's off.

"There is a lot of adrenaline and nerves before the race," said the 29-year-old from Penn, who won last night's 10km race in Wall Heath, Dudley.

"I recently won the Stafford Half Marathon but I'm a triathlete so I use these runs as training. My girlfriend Helen Cottle was also racing. I was racing with the Mammoth Racing Team based in Stafford but my next race is in Germany with a team that pay me to compete.

"Runners also get paid in France but it doesn't happen in England because it is not taken as seriously and we usually have to endure a lot of playful abuse," he said.

Michael, who works at New Cross Hospital as a clinical biochemist, and finished the race in 32 minutes and 19 seconds added: "I'm looking forward to taking part in the UK Half Ironman Championships in June at Exmoor – that is my main goal now."

But his success is only half the story of last night's race.

A total of 1,320 runners took part in the New Balance Dudley Kingswinford 10K, which is one of the largest mid-week evening road races in the country.

The vast majority simply have a love for running and many take part in several races across the region throughout the year, not racing to win but to keep fit and to improve their own personal time.

It is also a social event, and the Dudley Kingswinford Rugby Club in Wall Heath was packed out with supporters and families of those taking part. The two best times, which were recorded in 1987, have been unbeaten since. Twenty years ago the 10km course was run in 29 minutes 40 seconds by Mark Dalloway of Stourbridge Athletic Club and in 29 minutes 52 seconds by Bob Westwood of the Tipton Harriers.

Race secretary Brian Smith said: "The race is becoming bigger each year and we have 200 more than last time.

"The route, which is from the Rugby Club along the Mile Flat to the Navigation pub and back again, has been the same since the race started in 1986.

"It is a popular route even though it is quite tough as there is a big hill after the Navigation pub. There is always a great atmosphere and the rugby club has eight pitches so there is plenty of open green space for families to have a good time.

"It is incredible that we attract runners from across the UK, with several coming from Scotland to do the race.

"There were several runners with interesting stories to tell last night. There is a blind runner, David Heeley from the West Bromwich Harriers, who was helped around the course by Malcolm Carr.

"There was local man Mike Curry, who pushes his disabled son Phil around the course in his wheelchair.

"Mike and Phil entered three years ago and have been back every year since.

"We also had a man from Hampshire who is trying to set a record for running the highest number of races in a year.

"It always takes 12 months to arrange the next race so as soon as one ends we start planning the next one." Awards presented last night included an engraved glass goblet, shoes and £100 cash prizes for the first male and female. There were also shoe vouchers and cash prizes for category winners.

Among the runners were Helen Lacey, aged 41, and her husband Nigel, 46, from Pedmore who were running with Sue Courtney Donovan, 50. Helen said: "We were running to raise money for Acorns hospice in Worcester. The hospice were fantastic, looking after a two-year-old girl called Courtney who actually died on the morning of the race from cancer. It is Courtney that we thought about as we ran around."

Amanda Thompson, aged 29, from Cannock, is a legal secretary who was running with Sneyd Striders of Willenhall. "This was my first race for the club and I get on well with people at the Striders so it makes it fun," she said. Nicky Davies, aged 30, and Ingrid Cain, 50, from Hagley were running with Stourbridge Running Club. Ingrid said: "We do the runs to keep fit and have a giggle as we go along. This was our league event and there were 50 runners from the club taking part."

In third place in the race was Ian Mansell, aged 25, from Wall Heath. "I started running when I was 13 at school because I was keen to run the 800 metres," he said. "During the day I'm a maths teacher at Menzies High School – I can promise you, maths is a lot easier than running."

By Cathy Spencer