Plymouth half marathon draws record entry of 6,000

An estimated 6,000 people have taken part in Plymouth's annual half marathon - a new record for the event.

Runners young and old, many in costume, took part in the half marathon, which set off from Plymouth Hoe, Devon, at 0900 BST.

First across the finish line in 66 minutes and 32 seconds was athlete Jean Ndayisenga, who was born in Burundi.

School teacher Kairn Stone, the first local person to finish, completed the course in 68 minutes and 53 seconds.

Many of the competitors were running to raise thousands of pounds for local and national charities.

The official charity this year is CHICKS (Country Holidays for Inner City Kids).

CHICKS provides free respite breaks for disadvantaged children.

The number of entrants has increased steadily over the past few years and the Plymouth run has been ranked in the top 10 in the UK since 2000.

The course record is shared by athletes Simon Arusei and Tewodros Shiferaw, with a time of 63 minutes and 34 seconds, while the fastest woman is Aselefech Mergia who ran the course in 74 minutes and 50 seconds.

A number of city roads, which were closed for the runners, were due to reopen just after midday.