ATHLETICS: MEMBERS of Avon Valley Runners are celebrating a string of personal best performances in the Flora London Marathon.

Rachel Bown bettered her own club record for the distance and recorded 3:15:01 to finish in 2,367th position overall. First of the men to finish was Paul Mumford, who became the first Avon Valley Runner to break the three hour barrier for four years, setting a new personal best time of 2:58:45 and finishing in 1,092nd position.

Other Avon Valley Runners members enjoying personal best times were: 2,950th Llewelyn Jones in 3:17:47, 3,220th Chris Atkinson in 3:19:53; 6,420th Jo Mumford, who debuted at the distance in 3:39:10, and Ali Atkinson, who knocked an amazing 25 minutes off her time to finish 10,221st in 3:55:15.

Other Avon Valley Runners' times: 3,339th Jacqueline Rockliffe 3:20:43; 6,783rd Ted Rockliffe 3:41:08; 6,987th Gary Thwaites 3:42:04; 7,213th Christina Vivian 3:43:07; 11,794th Brian Skivington 4:00:19; 14,576th Denise Ellis 4:12:29; 15,838th Victoria Mchale 4:17:28; 24,501st Dennis. Mellor 4:54:06; 25,702nd Peter Hunt 5:00:05; 26,661st Susan Cook 5:07:01.