Portsmouth '˜was at its best' for run spectacle

Tens of thousands of people packed the streets to cheer on the 25,000 runners.

David Hart is one of the organisers of the annual spectacle and said all the spectators helped to make the race one of the most atmospheric yet.

‘The city of Portsmouth has just been brilliant host,’ Mr Hart told The News.

‘The eyes of the athletics world were on the city and Portsmouth did not disappoint. It has done itself proud.’

Top athletes have also praised the city for its support.

Long-distance runner Jess Andrews, of the Isle of Wight, was suffering with an injury to her calf which made for a tough race.

The 24-year-old, who competed at the Rio Olympics in the summer, placed ninth in the elite women’s race and said: ‘I could feel the injury almost instantly in the first mile and I got to the fifth mile and thought, “wow, this is really painful”.

‘But the crowd was amazing. I think that is one of the main things that kept me going the whole way round.

‘I was never on my own, I had people cheering me on the whole way. So even when you have a doubt in your mind that you want to stop all the cheering just keeps you going – it kept me going until the end.’

Portsmouth’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Dave Fuller was delighted with the weekend.

He said: ‘This is putting Portsmouth on the map and showing what we can do at our best. Portsmouth is really great at putting on big, prestigious events like this. I hope we can put on the Tour de France.’