PINK-LADEN runners dotted the green landscape overlooking a city centre as the latest Race for Life event gave a further boost to the work of Cancer Research UK.

About 1,300 participants took part in the Durham Race for Life 5km run, staged around the Aykley Heads estate, home to both the county council, Durham Police headquarters and the DLI regimental museum.

The mass of runners both started and finished on the St Leonard’s RC School playing field, adjacent to County Hall, which has become the annual event’s home in recent years.

Lisa Millett, senior press officer for the country’s largest cancer charity, said it attracted many “regular” runners, but a lot of welcome new faces, particular volunteers giving time to help with the smooth-running of the event for the first time.

“It was brilliant. We had a great turn out, with 1,300 runners and a lot more people coming to watch, with even friends, family and dogs dressed for the occasion.

“Among the runners we had a Peppa Pig and an Upsy Daisy, both children’s tv characters, who brought up the rear of the field to great applause from the crowd.”

First finishers were two of the junior runners, eight-year-olds Ethan Connolly and Jake Toase, who “dead-heated” crossing the finishing line in about 25 minutes.

The Durham run coincided with the Middlesbrough Race for Life, the fourth and fifth events in the regional series of events backing Cancer Research UK.

Next up, the spotlight turns on Hartlepool’s Race for Life, on Sunday (July 5), with the regional series of runs ending at Newcastle and Carlisle the following weekend.