Before we look at the photos, here's a brief video of the start of this year's race . .

A dull grey morning greeted us at Cedars Upper School in Leighton Buzzard, home of the Dirt ½ Marathon Challenge for the third year . .

. . where soon before 10 o'clock everyone made their way to the start . . and then came racing past the pylon and round the edge of Tiddenfoot Lake on their way to the Grand Union Canal . .

. . and here in the 4th mile, Greg Spellman is already well ahead of Darren Cornish in second place in the 4th mile, and on his way to winning the Dirt ½ Marathon for the third consecutive year . .

. . where an enthusiastic crowd had gathered to encourage the runners on their way . . and whilst one or two of the locals seemed indifferent to the excitement, this Robin spent the morning singing a happy tune . .

. . as we watched the runners disappear through this bridge . .

From that point, for us, it was a short journey back to the Globe, where in the 10th mile the runners would pass Gary's Most Excellent Water Station Team . . not such a short journey for the runners, of course . .

Meanwhile . . back at the finish . . everyone was pleased to complete the Challenge . .

. . and once the final few runners had crossed the finish line . .

and the signs all collected, we could all go home . .

Finally, with respect to the runners and everyone else present, here's my favourite photo of the morning . .

Many thanks to Andy and Anne from Dirt Running for welcoming me to their event once again . . and to the runners for smiling and waving as they came by . .

Please use the buttons below . . and up on the top left of the page, to find the rest of the photos of the 2012 Dirt ½ Marathon Challenge . .