A COUNTRY park provided a stunning backdrop to one of the region’s most popular relay races.

Hundreds of runners of all ages headed to Hardwick Park in Sedgefield, County Durham, for the annual Neptune Relays on Wednesday night (April 22)

The race, organised by Sedgefield Harriers, sees teams of runners complete a 1.7m stretch each, with teams competing in a range of age categories.

In the men’s event, Crook and District Athletic Club retained their title, with Darlington Harriers triumphing in the women’s event and Sedgefield Harriers securing first place in the under 17s girls race.

Durham Harriers won the under 17s boys race, while Aycliffe Running Club won the men’s veteran 50 race and Darlington Harriers won the women’s veteran 45 race. Darlo Old Boys finished first the non-club category.

Ean Parsons, chair of Sedgefield Harriers, said the event had attracted a record field of entries this year.

He added: “At the sharp end, the race is really competitive, with fantastic performances by some of the region’s leading clubs, but this relay is a race for everyone and we were delighted to welcome more junior teams than ever and loads of community running groups."

Mr Parsons also thanked Hardwick Park staff and the volunteers who helped out.