Having watched his son Sam take part in the Devon Schools XC Championships, and having not raced for nine months due to niggling injuries, Justin Ashby felt inspired to hit the tracks once again, writes Hamish Spence.

An appropriate choice was taken for an event, The First Chance 10km Exeter, organised by the South West Road Runners.

Justin was not the only Mighty Green taking part, for Sam was also there.

The course is fairly flat and includes a double loop along the Exeter Riverside. Justin’s run was given a boost by a big shout of support from Sam as he headed one way and Justin the other!

The position of 12th was acquired by Justin (a bit of a family theme going on here); 12th seems to be the number of the weekend in the Ashby house.

His time was a speedy 36:17 and he collected the award for first MV45.

Sam Ingram, who is in training for this year’s London Marathon, finished well up the field in a time of 47:40, which saw him taking the 164th slot.