OLYMPIANS and amateurs hit the streets as record numbers turned out for today’s Oxford Half Marathon.

More than 8,600 people took on the picturesque 13.1 mile route for the eighth edition of the event, with thousands more lining the way to cheer them on.

A sea of people, ranging from a giant chicken to Oxford-born Mara Yamauchi, Britain’s second fastest female marathon runner, set off from Broad Street at 9.30am.

While some were motivated by personal targets, more than 1,000 people ran for almost 500 registered charities, including Cancer Research UK and Oxford hospice Sobell House.

There were several smiling faces at the finish, with some runners holding cardboard medals after learning they would not collect the real thing on the day due to the shipment getting stuck at the border.

Despite other teething problems, including DJ Gary Smith having to cancel his set outside the rugby club on Marston Ferry Road when a generator did not turn up, the mood was positive throughout.

Ms Yamauchi, who studied at Oxford High School and St Anne’s College and is a former member of Headington Road Runners, finished in around 1:24 and said she enjoyed the friendly atmosphere.

She said: “It was terrific to do a half marathon here, there were lots of familiar faces running and spectating.

“I did the Oxford Half about 25 years ago when it was totally different but this is the first time I’ve done it since it’s been revived."

After an enthusiastic mass-warm up session in University Parks, runners made their way to the start before negotiating a route that took them past landmarks such as the Radcliffe Camera and the Clarendon Building.

An estimated 20,000 people converged on the city centre to run or spectate, with a 165-strong group aiming to raise £25,000 for Sobell House, which provides palliative and end of life care across the county, one of the biggest contingents.

The assembled ranks included runners from several walks of life, including Michael Beck from Oxford company Opus Energy, which has picked Sobell as its chosen charity.

He said: “We do a vote every year for which charity we choose and Sobell was an easy choice for me.

“It’s something close to home for a lot of people in the office as they've known people who have needed it, so Sobell Hospice is quite relevant for me."

The first participants crossed the finish line in shortly over an hour, with Gary Cooper first home as he took the wheelchair title for the second successive year in a time of 1:03:48.

Ben Cole triumphed in the men's race in 1:08:39 and Sarah van der Wielen, who competed for the Netherlands in the 10,000m at the Rio 2016 Olympics, defied a less than ideal preparation to win the women's race in 1:12:04.

She said: “It was more of a training run for me - My flight from America only landed 20 hours ago so there was some jetlag.”