Last held in 2019, Alton Runners were happy to see the return of the much-loved Solent Half Marathon.

One of the 12 Hampshire Road Race League races, the undulating route starts near Fawley power station and takes a winding path through the New Forest, Exbury and bordering Lepe Country Park before completion of its 13.1-mile loop.

Club chairman Jim Armitage said: ‘The Solent looked stunning as we ran along the seafront, glistening in the sunshine, though there was a lack of ponies this year.”

Philip Scrase added: “The weather was perfect and I was pleased to see this race was back after a few years’ absence.

“The route through the New Forest was great and I was pleased with my time of 1hr 50min which is the fastest I have run that distance for quite some time.”

Fourteen club members participated, with some pushing themselves for new personal bests.

Among them, Rachel Walsh, a coach at the club, was thrilled to beat her previous PB by a huge amount.

She said: “I absolutely loved this race! It was so beautiful running through the New Forest and by the coast. I hadn’t done a half since March 2020, and I’ve taken nearly 20 minutes off my time since then.”

Fellow club member Jane Law said: “It’s good to see lots of running clubs supporting this HRRL league race.

“It was also lovely to bump into a couple of non-Alton Runners friends at the start line, located in Gang Warily Leisure Centre, Southampton.

“Setting off with a loop around the leisure centre field, we headed out on to the village roads and then into the beautiful New Forest, which is stunning at this time of the year.

“The first four to five miles were steady and I dropped in behind another Alton Runner and kept a regular pace.

“After mile five, though, my legs started to feel very heavy, not surprising because I had completed the New Forest Marathon only two weeks previously.

“I soon lost sight of my team member as my pace slowed.  The beautiful views across the water near Exbury and around Lepe Country Park were a good enough distraction that I was able to push on through the remaining miles.

“The last couple of miles were the toughest, running along a busy main road towards the finish line. I was grateful to see the entrance to the leisure centre with the welcome of the crowds and announcement of the finishers as we crossed the line; exhausted!

“It was a lovely race with perfect weather conditions, great organisation and fabulous support from the marshals.

“However, note to self – a little more recovery time following a marathon is advisable before attempting another race!”

Another runner facing an extra challenge was Andrew Tarrant, who completed the race after breaking his arm a few weeks ago.

He said: “This was a brilliant half marathon course but tough to carry an 8lb arm cast for 13 miles – that’s called giving one for the team!”

There were also several awards given for last year’s HRRL.

Abbie Hook and Alistair Smith got the honour of accepting awards for the ladies’ A team and men’s B team winning division two.

Alistair said: “We had an exceptional display of strength last season with the men’s and ladies’ teams gaining promotion by quite a long way.”

Joanne Scawn