Five members of the Swindon Advertiser’s news team swapped deadlines for finishing lines by taking part in the town’s half-marathon.

Editor Mark Waldron, sub-editor Ben Fitzgerald, news editor Tom Morton, deputy news editor Tamsin Davis and reporter Matt Jackson all completed the 13.1-mile course.

First past the post was Matt, with a respectable 1h 44m, with Mark six minutes later, Ben in 1h 54, Tom in 1h 57, and Tamsin in 2h 11.

Mark

It followed a three month series of articles in the paper, which each week reported on people taking part, training tips, and a column from first-time runner Mark, outlining his progress.

He said he’d had visions of triumphantly crossing the finishing line, punching the air with a massive smile and soaking up the cheers from the crowd.