VETERANS Tom Moore and Andy White maintained their unbroken presence in the Longrun Meadown parkrun when taking part in the 14th event on Saturday.

Moore’s record is particularly impressive as he runs in the 70-74 age category while White competes in the 45-49 age group.

Despite the counter-attraction of the following day’s Stoke Stampede there was still a healthy field of 113 runners, including 32 first-timers.

Ruth Holmes was again the first lady to cross the finish line in 20m 15s and was one of the few people to set a personal best despite damp conditions underfoot.

Hannah Taunton, completing her seventh parkrun, crossed the line second in 20m 42s. Katie Gormley was third in 22m 27s.

For the men Terence Fawden was first in 18m 19s with Danny Doyle of Taunton AC second in 19m 9s. Jon Gilling was third in 19m 27s.

The sole Hydro Harrier taking part was Andy White who blew away the Christmas cobwebs by finishing tenth in 21m 28s.

n The flood waters on Longrun Meadow had receded enough for the Christmas Day event to take place, with 75 runners splashing, wading and trudging through the mud and puddles on their 5km run. The flooding had damaged some of the paths, washing away some of the hardcore.

The finish area in the oak barn was very soggy and there were a few deep puddles and a little detour as one part of the course was still flooded, but it failed to dampen the spirit of the runners and volunteers.

With many dressed in festive attire, the finishers had extra reason to feel pleased with themselves having burnt off plenty of calories before their festive lunch.

Rob Smyth was first over the line in 18m exactly with Julian Paul Ridgley of Taunton AC second in 18m 32s. Third came Jamie Coles, also of Taunton AC, in 18m 47s.

Ruth Holmes of Maidenhead AC was the first female runner over the line in 20m 17s.

One of the Longrun Meadow parkrun’s core team volunteers, Lyndsey Hollands of Taunton AC, came second in 23m 37s. Beverley Collins of Running Forever Running Club was third in 24m 21s.

Since Longrun Meadow parkrun started on October 5 nearly 800 different runners have taken part. n Follow the event on Facebook or on Twitter @longrunparkrun where any updates on the state of the course or event cancellations will be posted.