A former long-distance world record holder is set to join 250 runners for the upcoming Bourton Mile.

Dave Moorcroft, who one held the record for the 5,000 metres, will participate in the race next Friday (May 10) to mark 70 years since Roger Bannister famously ran the mile in under four minutes.

Throughout his illustrious career, Moorcroft, a three-time Olympian and previous chief executive of UK Athletics, showed remarkable prowess in long-distance running.

He became the Commonwealth 5000 metre champion in 1982 and broke the world record for the same distance with his impressive 13.41 run at the Bislett Games in Oslo.

His participation in the Mile pits him among the quickest middle-distance runners in the region.

The race, which takes place on an accurately measured, flat course, starts at Rissington Road and concludes in the centre of the village by the River Windrush.

Cash bonuses are available for runners who can improve upon the current fastest times on the course — four minutes and 14 seconds for men and four minutes 37 seconds for women.

Among those vying for the record are last year’s champions, Ben Robinson of Bristol & West and Kate Telford from CLC Striders.

Race director, Gill Carrick spoke of her delight at welcoming Moorcroft and his wife, Linda, to this year’s event, which also doubles as the county championship.

She said: "This has always been a popular event and we're looking forward to seeing some fast times, a good crowd and lots of runners having fun, however long it takes them to complete the course."

The race begins at 7.30pm.

In the week following the London Marathon, Bourton Roadrunners members nonetheless got their running shoes on.

Notably, Danny Hannig achieved his second-fastest 26.2 miler at the Newport Marathon in South Wales.

The race also featured Bourton's Steph Holton, Claire Carroll and Allie Quinn at the Bluebell Challenge, attempting to finish as many five kilometre laps as they could within six hours.

The group completed 11 (32.5 miles) and six laps (17.7 miles), respectively, contending with mud and what the organisers said was their toughest course.

Tom and Coral Hill headed to Europe for a 7.5 kilometre race in Santa del Cedro, Italy.

The couple took part in the run, which celebrates the country's independence day, with Tom clocking in at 39 minutes and 17 seconds, while Coral achieved 54:59, with both of them topping their respective age categories.