HUNDREDS of racers took a run on the wild side when they ventured out on the Colchester Stampede.

The half marathon started in the grounds of Colchester Zoo and saw runners set off from a start line close to rhinos, elephants, giraffes and zebras.

Sunday’s challenging route then sprawled out into the surrounding countryside before the runners returned to the zoo for the finish line.

It was the third time the event has been held with money supporting Colchester Zoo’s charity, Action For The Wild.

First man back over the line was Crispian Bloomfield from Billericay Stiders with a time of one hour and 18 minutes. Fastest woman was Natasha Dunnage from Ipswich Jaffa running club in a time of one hour and 27 minutes.

Lucy Harfield, spokeswoman for event organisers Run Through, said: “We had hundreds of runners join us on the roads of Colchester and the event was a great success for the third time running. Run Through will be returning to Colchester Zoo for the 10k on May 15 2022.”

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