Alex Lee overcame Stewart Merry in a thriller to win the Linda Franks 5 Mile yesterday.

The Western Tempo runner won by just two seconds to reclaim the title he won back in 2018, going round in 25 minutes, 32 seconds.

“It was a good race, a good battle, I just managed to hold on,” said the 43-year-old.

And the victory was just that bit more sweeter because Lee admitted he thought Merry was going to beat him.

“I thought he’d done me,” he said. “He came past me with 400 metres to go. He was a metre or two ahead but I found some inner strength to get past him with 300 to go and held on to win.”

Cheltenham Harriers runner Merry was about five metres adrift at the finishing line and Lee continued: “I sat in for the first 1K and then took it on.

“I tried to shake off the guys behind me but they were sticking, I knew Stewart would try to come past me with about 400 to go.”

Rob Barnett, of CLC Striders, wasn’t far behind in third place – he finished in 25.42 – which meant that race director Peter Mitchener, who was taking on the role for the first time, got exactly the type of race he wanted.

“It was very exciting,” he said. “Three of them were in it until the last quarter of a mile, Rob fell away on the downhill finish but he still smashed his best time.

“And Andy Raynor wasn’t far behind in fourth.”

Forest of Dean AC runner Raynor completed in 26.23 and was one of several runners name-checked by Mitchener when he spoke to The Local Answer last week ahead of the race.

Merry and Barnett were two of the others along with Joe Willgoss (CLC Striders) and David Johnson  (Western Tempo), who finished sixth and 10^th respectively in 26.42 and 27.31.

Mitchener, who is running the Boddington 10 on Sunday, also said that he thought Isabel Brinsden could be the first female home and he was spot on as the CLC Striders runner clocked 27.33.

“I also said she could finish in the top 10 and she came 11^th,” added Mitchener. “She ran so well, she smashed the women's record by 21 seconds.”

Lee, meanwhile, will run in Sunday’s Boddington 10 before competing in the Barcelona Half Marathon on Sunday 15^th February.