Thousands of runners and spectators descended on Durham over the weekend for the biggest Durham City Run Festival to date. Over 3,000 participants had signed up for the schedule of races and other running events, and they were cheered on by big crowds, despite some wet weather.

The festival kicked off on the evening of Thursday 13 July with teams of two taking on the XO Urban Orienteering challenge around the city centre – among them were athletics legends Steve Cram and Paula Radcliffe.

The morning of Friday 14 July saw the first of a series of free themed runs, when Durham Mums on the Run led a ‘Buggy Warm Up’. Friday evening saw the ever popular Durham City 5K and 10K races return to their original start and finish locations. Big fields of runners followed undulating routes around the historic city centre, starting on Saddler Street and finishing at the World Heritage Site on Palace Green, with the backdrop of Durham Cathedral and Castle.

The winner of the Durham City 10K was Dougie Musson in 32:29. Stephen Jackson of Sunderland Harriers was second in 32:51, with clubmate Liam Taylor third in 33:18. The women’s race was won by Charlotte Dillon of Houghton Harriers in 36:17, followed by Sarah Mcnutt (39:42) and Imogen Bungay of Elswick Harriers (39:55).

The Durham City 5K was won by Chris Perkins of Blackley North Manchester AC in 16:21, with Duncan Hughes of Blackhill Bounders in second (16:42) and Kieran Reay of Morpeth Harriers in third (16:44). Nicole Burlinson won the women’s race in 18:12, ahead of Katie Francis of Blackley North Manchester AC (18:41) and Poppie Phillipson of Birtley AC (19:15).

On the morning of Saturday 15 July, 65 teams of between three and five runners took part in Paula Radcliffe’s Families on Track at Durham Racecourse. This 10K relay event had made its global debut in Durham in 2019 and is designed to encourage families to get active together, with an emphasis on fun. Paula returned to Durham to supervise this year’s Families on Track, which once again delivered an entertaining morning for all involved.

Throughout the Saturday, runners took on the iconic mile distance in the Run Like A Legend Mile challenge, on a fast, flat route along the river. Horrible Histories creator Terry Deary brought the festival to a close by leading a ‘Deadly Durham’ run through the historic streets of the city, with stops along the way to hear terrible tales where they happened.

Event founder Steve Cram commented: “This was the biggest Durham City Run Festival to date and it really delivered. We were excited about bringing the 5K and 10K back to Palace Green and our runners clearly loved finishing there, once they’d got the hill out of the way! 

"It was brilliant to welcome Paula back to Durham for another great Families on Track event, which was as lively and entertaining as ever. The themed runs encouraged even more people to get active and Terry’s Deadly Durham run was a lovely way to round off three fantastic days. It’s been another brilliant festival and we’re already looking forward to 2024.”

If you'd like to know more, visit the Durham City Run website.

Image: Events of The North