Simon and Rebecca Sheffield can claim to have three of the best when it comes to rising sports stars.

That’s because their children - Archie, 12, Henry, 10, and Eleanor, 7 - are making great strides on the running fields up and down Gloucestershire and beyond.

They dominated last year’s Cirencester 3K – the event which precedes Cirencester AC’s high-profile 10K summer sizzler - with all three winning their age group races.

It’s a success story that almost certainly has many more chapters to be written with Rebecca admitting: “It’s amazing really, I don’t know where it’s all come from.”

Henry, in particular, has had a remarkable couple of years and if you think Mo Farah has done well in recent times then Henry surely isn’t far behind him when it comes to achievement.

The Bussage Primary School pupil won the Gloucestershire Schools cross-country a year early and went on to finished third in the National Primary Schools cross-country in Loughborough. For the past two years, he has also won both the British schools’ modern biathlon and the British Modern biathlon.

“It’s a 50m swim and an 800m run,” said his proud mum. “The national schools’ event is at Crystal Palace and is a huge event with children competing from both private and state schools.

“The British Modern biathlon takes place at Solihull and is the more difficult event to qualify for out of the two.”

Both boys also tried their first aquathon in the past year at the Cheltenham Aquathon and both won their respective age groups.

Archie, a pupil at Marling School, has also competed at Loughborough and in both Modern Biathlon events and, like Henry, also represents Gloucestershire at cross-country.

It’s not just running that the boys, who have been members of Cirencester AC for just over a year, excel at.

Henry plays football for Eastcombe and rugby for Minchinhampton, while Archie plays football for Golden Valley Rangers and also plays cricket, handball, basketball and football for his school.

As if that is not enough both boys also swim at South West regional level for Cirencester Swimming Club. Henry is county swimming champion at six events in the under-11 category and has also been selected for the Gloucestershire swimming team.

Eleanor does at least like art although her mum adds: “She likes gymnastics, swimming and running too!”

So, where does all this talent come from?

“I don’t know,” laughed Rebecca. “Simon and I don’t really do any sport anymore. I used to go running for fun but I’m injured at the moment. I also used to swim but I wasn’t great.

“Simon used to run for enjoyment as well - he was in the RAF so did a lot of sport and was very fit but he never ran competitively.”