Abingdon Amblers’ Paul Fernandez battled the soaring temperatures to finish an impressive third in the English 50K Championships at Boddington near Cheltenham.

Fernandez clocked 3hrs 35mins 28secs.

He said: “It was the hottest race I’ve ever run in.

“The race started at 11.15am and temperature peaked at 33 degrees.

“The drinks at the drink stations were hotter than I was!”

DUNCAN Talbot, of Abingdon Amblers, won the gold medal in the vet 55 age group at the UK Masters Track & Field Championship in Birmingham.

It secured a hat-trick of golds in this event for Talbot, who was representing Southern Counties Veterans.

Talbot cleared 1.50m for his 15th high jump title since becoming a veteran athlete.

At the same event, Bicester multi-event expert David Kuester won two medals.

Competing in the vet 65 age group, Kuester claimed silver in the javelin with a throw of 33.16m.

He followed this up with bronze in the heavy hammer (14.18m).

Kuester also finished fifth in the hammer (33.05m), sixth in the shot (9.39m) and sixth in the discus (29.54m).

WHITE Horse Harriers’ Paul Jegou finished in second place at the North Devon Coastal Marathon.

The race, which is held under Fell Running rules, included climbs of 3,300 feet and was made all the tougher with Sunday’s extreme temperatures.

But Jegou kept his cool to cross the line in second in 3hrs 32mins 09secs.