Isn’t it infuriating when you set out for a civilised Sunday morning run and find that hundreds of other people have had exactly the same idea?

A field of nearly 1,300 runners pounded their way around the route of the annual Standalone 10km, with athletes representing host club North Herts Road Runners taking top honours – Andrew Leach crossed the line first in 33mins 43secs with clubmate Mark Vaughan not far behind in second. Runners representing clubs from Stevenage, Hitchin and further afield as well as individual entrants, groups from local companies and oddly-named outfits like the Shy Teds, Forrest Gump and Dazzer’s Dashers made up the capacity field, with the last runner crossing the line 1hr 40mins after the starter’s gun sounded on Wilbury Road.