On rare good form, the British weather ensured nothing but sunshine and blue skies for runners at the inaugural Great Newham London Run.
In all, more than 17,000 people took on the 10km course that snaked around London’s newest landmarks at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on Sunday.
If you were in the multitude making it round in the summer heat, check the gallery above to see if you were caught on camera by our photographer.
Distance running legends Brendan Foster and Paula Radcliffe turned out to start off the waves of runners, that included the Newham Recorder’s very own team and Newham Mayor Sir Robin Wales.
For some, the simple fact of making it round was an incredible achievement in itself, while others raced to put in the best time they could muster.
First back to the stadium, greeted by a heady mixture of Vangelis and ecstatic London 2012 commentary before emerging on to the fabled red track, was John Beattie, running for Newham and Essex Beagles Athletics Club.
He made it round in an astonishing 31mins 44secs, followed in second place by Peter Hawkings, from Stratford, with a time of 33mins 18secs.
John Beattie said: “I wanted to win today. It’s a fantastic event in an incredible stadium so I’ll remember it for a very long time. I really enjoyed the chance to run in the Olympic Stadium.
“I could have run faster but wanted to really enjoy the experience. It’s been an incredible and amazing day.”
Sir Robin, who put in a very respectable sub one hour performance, said the course was “electric” and that “nothing can beat running through the Olympic Stadium and seeing the crowds cheering you across the finish line – it is such a euphoric moment.”
The event is set to become a regular fixture on the capital’s sporting calendar and has unabashed ambitions of becoming the biggest mass participation running event in Britain with 60,000 people taking part in five years.
Great Run Chairman, Brendan Foster said: “Having 17,000 people running in the former Olympic Stadium today has been wonderful and from the look on everyone’s face today, it looks like they’ve had a fantastic time.
“We’ve got some exciting ambitions for the Great Run series and if today is anything to go by, we’re very confident that this event will grow over the coming years.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here