Dylan Gillett is looking forward to Sunday’s Bourton Half Marathon and the 25-year-old is hoping to make a big impression.

It will be the first time that the Western Tempo runner, who won last year’s Stroud Half Marathon, has taken part in the race and he’s going there to win.

“You’ve got to be competitive, you’ve got to think you can win it,” said Gillett, who lives in Cheltenham.

“Training has been going well. It’s a hilly course but it’s the right time of year to go and test myself. The time doesn’t matter, it’s about the challenge of the hills.”

The 13.1-mile race starts at Greystones Nature Reserve and the route takes the runners through Bourton-on-the-Water and across the river before taking on The Steeps, the first of three major hills.

It then follows country lanes out to the picturesque village of Farmington where the runners will meet the second hill before following along more country lanes to the village of Sherborne.

The runners will then loop back up the third climb to the village of Clapton-on-the-Hill before a long well-earned downhill back into Bourton and the finish at Greystones Nature Reserve.

Gillett has enjoyed a good year and in February clocked a PB for the half-marathon of 65 minutes, 33 seconds in Barcelona, a race in which he beat serial Cheltenham Half Marathon winner, and Western Tempo team-mate, Dom James.

That was a much flatter route than Bourton, of course, and Gillett admitted ahead of Sunday’s race: “When you see the hills, it’s always a bit of a worry. But I’ve cycled around Bourton so I know what to expect.

“It would be nice to go round around the 70 minutes mark.”

Bristol and West runner Ben Robinson set the course record of 70 minutes, 59 seconds in 2023 while clubmate Chelsea Baker holds the female record of 85 minutes, 10 seconds, a time she set last year.

The Bourton Half has an interesting history. It was introduced in 2004 to replace the Bourton Classic 15-mile race, which had been running for more than 20 years. 

Despite its earlier popularity, runner numbers for the 15-mile race dwindled, partly due to the distance not being widely recognised in racing circles, even though it still attracted quality runners such as Steve Brace and Richard Nerurkar.

The Bourton Half Marathon was initially titled the Bourton Hilly Half by the first race directors, Steve Humphries and Edward Rozier.

The original course followed one of Bourton Roadrunners’ favourite Sunday training routes from Bourton-on-the-Water through Clapton-on-the-Hill, Sherborne, Windrush and the Barringtons, before returning to Bourton-on-the-Water.

Following the death of Steve Humphries in 2007 the race was renamed the Humph’s Hilly Half in memory of one of the club’s longest serving officers, only changing its name to the Bourton Half Marathon in 2023.

Last year’s race was won by Stratford-upon-Avon’s Ben Kruze in 72 minutes, 17 seconds.