Bognor Prom 10k: Pictures from 2013, the year the current course record was set

Ethiopian ace Tadele Geremew had already made 2012 a year to remember, when he not only beat the course record at the age of 26 - he smashed it out of sight. As soon as Tadele put his name forward, organisers tipped him as hot favourite to win the seafront race and said he was a good bet to beat the course record of 31min 06sec set by Matthew Norrington in 2005.

And Geremew proved those predictions emphatically right. He led from the start and was never under threat, even from the group of runners in closest pursuit, and at times made it look like a gentle training run. Sure enough, he crossed the line in 30min 36sec – 18 seconds outside his own personal best for the distance, which he had recorded just two weeks previously at Kings Lynn, but half a minute inside the old record.

It was impressive stuff from the African and the large crowd who had turned out in improving weather to cheer on the 1,500 field gave him a good reception as he crossed the line. And he wasn’t the only athlete celebrating a new Bognor course record that year. First woman home was local athlete Linda Spencer, also an impressive fourth overall, and her time of 33mins 38sec was a new best for the women’s race.

Rotarian Peter Elliott, a past race director, said at the time: "Geremew ran very well to break the course record. It was obvious from the start he was going to win the race and he always looked on course to beat our best time. He was out on his own from the word go. It was lovely to see Linda Spencer break the women’s record too, as was seeing a good selection of local athletes among the front-runners."

Then Tadele returned in 2013 for what turned out to be another record-breaking year. He won for the second year in a row and claimed a new course record of 30min 31sec – and that time is yet to be beaten.

Alex Milne from the Hercules Wimbledon club came close last year. He was a high-class winner in a time of 30min 58sec but he was still just shy of Tadele’s course record.

48 pictures from a great renewal of the Bognor Prom 10k in 2023