GREAT BRITAIN international Alyson Dixon was in record-breaking form on her return to racing yesterday after the disappointment of failing to win Olympic Games selection in last month's London Marathon.

The 33-year-old Chester-le-Street AC athlete finished 14th overall in the annual 7.5-mile Pier to Pier race between South Shields and Sunderland, winning the women's race in 40 mins 28 secs - 1 min 45 secs faster than the previous course record set by Sunderland Harrier Sheila Allen in 2001.

Now Dixon aims to return to shorter distance running after the rigours of exhausting marathon training under the direction of Scottish distance-running legend Liz McColgan.

"I had no idea I was running quick enough to set a new course record - really I was just using the race as a training run," she said.

"I just want to do a lot more local races - the ones I couldn't do because of my marathon training.

"Now I can relax because the pressure is off and I can enjoy my racing again."

Men's winner Luke Adams was only 17 seconds off the course record in a time of 37 mins 1 sec on his debut and the South Shields Harrier admitted: "If I'd realised I was that close I think I could have run faster."

He added: "Now I know the course I think I could have a try at beating the record next year."

Adams, winner of his club's Sand Dancer 10K and the North-East Harrier League senior men's champion, led from the start on the beach at South Shields, finishing ahead of runner up at Roker, Andy Burn (Jarrow and Hebburn), by an emphatic 1 min 14 secs.

Rob Sloan, the former Sunderland Harrier banned for six months by UK Athletics for allegedly hitching a bus ride during last year's Kielder Marathon, finished 23rd on his return to competition as an unattached runner.

Results - Men: 1 L Adams (South Shields) 37 mins 1 sec; 2 A Burn (Jarrow & Hebburn) 38.15; 3 F Brodie (Gosforth) 38.19; 4 P Duffy (Crook) 38.22; 5 L Bennett (Elswick M40) 38.38; 6 N Reed (Sunderland)38.52; 7 P Sanderson (Elswick M40) 39.02; 8 B McMillan (Claremont) 39.03; 9 S Morley (Tyne Bridge) 39.04; 10 C Isherwood (Sunderland) 39.23. M45 J Dobson (Sunderland) 40.07; M50 J Stephens (Low Fell) 43.36; M55 D Johnson (North Shields Poly) 47.11; M60 P Richardson (Sunderland) 47.09.

Womens: 1 A Dixon (Chester-le-Street) 40.28 (course record); 2 M Holt (Sunderland) 44.20; 3 S Young (Low Fell) 44.47; 4 C Bray (Elvet W35) 44.56; 5 E Leslie (Jarrow & Hebburn W40) 46.15. W45 C Cervenak (Gateshead) 49.24; W 55 L Valentine (Sunderland Strollers) 52.19; W60 C Lee (Elswick) 61.05.

Gateshead Harrier Ross Murray shot to the top of the UK under-23 rankings when he ran a personal-best 3 mins 36.69 secs in the British Milers' Club Nike Grand Prix at Sport City, Manchester, beating Morpeth's former AAA champion Nick McCormick (3:41.62) to win the 1500m A race. New Marske's Ricky Stevenson was 13th in 3:46.88.

Morpeth Harrier Laura Weightman won the the women's 1500m A event in 4 mins 9.42 secs to go to the top of the UK senior rankings.

Shildon's newly-crowned North-East 1500m champion and new record holder,ran a personal-best 15 mins 43.78 secs running second to Exeter's Jo Pavey (15:14.19) in the women's 5,000m A race in which Chester-le-Street's Scottish cross country champion Freya Murray was eighth (16:22.03).