Meeting an old friend brings an unexplainable rejuvenation to your soul. Or so they say.

Or to be entirely accurate, so Google says when you search for quotes on meeting up with old friends.

Which is all a very long-winded way of saying that everyone gathered at Brixworth Country Park on Saturday morning for our Rose of the Shires Ultra was shocked, but happy, to see the return of our ‘old friend,’ the sun.

Of course, that didn’t mean there had been enough time for our 54-mile romp through the Northamptonshire countryside, taking in numerous picturesque villages across roads, fields and canal paths, to become nice and dry for our competitors.

But at least they would have been warm as they battled their way through the wet and mud.

This year, our Rose of the Shires racers were joined by those taking on our first ever Rosebud Marathon, an event designed to allow runners who might enjoy the glorious sights of Northamptonshire but haven’t quite worked their way up to the ultra distance yet.

It was that race which, perhaps, brought us the most exciting result of the day as David Maxen fought off challenges from Daniel Stewart and Michael Stadler – who joined us all the way from Seattle – to win in just over four hours.

What was really remarkable was that he did so in what was his first ever marathon.

PICTURES BELOW BY ADRIAN HOWES www.adrianhowesphotography.co.uk