There was no championship at stake, and not much competitiveness. There were no records to break, in fact there weren’t even any timekeepers. But if you wanted all that you’d missed the point, as 270 Sidmouth folk of all shapes, sizes and ages joined in the Sport Relief Mile in the Byes on Sunday, writes Colin Flood.

There was an option to do one, three or six laps, each lap being a mile, but it was the ‘extra mile’ that drew the most. Sidmouth coach Aaron Smith soon had everyone joining in a warm-up session before the start, surely the biggest warm-up session we’ve ever seen.

And then off they went, in fancy dress, with push-chairs, baby carriers and even on stilts. The space hopper may have been bending the rules a bit, but nobody cared. After all, it’s probably more difficult to bounce a mile than run it.

Nancy Good ran with daughter Louise, granddaughter Lucy and great granddaughter Izzy (5). Theo Lewis (three months) claimed to be the youngest, but he hitched a lift with mum Clare.

There was a three-year-old who completed three laps, that’s three miles, and there were many who had never even run for a bus.

But it was Sam Marriott who romped home first in the three-lap event, do we have a budding Olympian here?

The sun shone from a clear blue sky and the Byes were in full Spring bloom, which took minds off the distance. “Was that really a mile, it didn’t seem like it?”

They may not have swum the Thames, or rowed across the Channel, but everyone went home happy with a smile on their face, a bottle of water and a medal to prove they’d done it – and maybe a few thinking about Sidmouth Running Club’s Beginners’ Course starting on May 2.

A big thank you to all the club members who helped out. For the Beginners’ Course information, please phone 01395 578436.