Tempo Winter Series glory once again for Stratford AC's Matt Burdus-Cook

MATT Burdus-Cook was crowned overall male winner of the Tempo Winter 10k Series for the second year running.

Burdus-Cook was one of 27 Stratford AC athletes that were out in dominant force for the final race of the series, which takes in the streets and hills around Ilmington.

The course is the same for each race, but is run counter-clockwise and then clockwise on each alternate date.

Traditionally the races are run monthly from October to February, but this time round lockdown put paid to that.

This year the final race took place on 23rd May.

The first October race was squeezed in to the ever-diminishing gap between the summer restriction lift and the start of the tiered system, and then one by one each race was pushed forward.

Finally, come 12th April when athletes were allowed to exercise in groups of six, UK Athletics issued a race licence to allow the races to go ahead.

The format of the races were radically adapted into a series of strung out time trials, with the fastest runners going off first and no-one quite certain who had won until they got home.

But a race is a race and the enthusiasm of all the athletes was overwhelming.

The remaining four races took place fast and frequent – one each fortnight, in sunshine rather than snow and wind.

And for the consistent Burdus-Cook, he took home the crown of overall male winner, winning three out of the five races, plus a second and third place as well as recording several personal bests.

Other Stratford members that excelled were Adrian Mason, winner of the M35 series category, and Andy Cox, who took the M45 category by winning three out of the four categories he raced in.

John Butler won all the M75 races and justifiably took the series title too

For the ladies, Lara Bakewell came through the series getting stronger all the time and took the F35 series category with three wins in the final three races.