He should have been given race number one! 

Simeon Bates, of Gossy's Gazelles, was actually sporting bib number 723 when he finished first in 1:11:11 in the Severn Bridge Half Marathon on Sunday (29 August).

The race that is sub-titled on the event website as, "Running between sea and sky", attracted 426 finishers in 2:53:38 and is held entirely on a closed section of the M48 Motorway over the iconic Severn Bridge crossing.

This year's half marathon was run on a modified course that was basically two laps of the 10K route – out and back twice – with a commensurate doubling of the not inconsiderable inclines. Lee Stopford (Stroud & District, 1:13:03) and Ross Matthews (Islwyn RC, 1:14:37) were the podium placers behind the flying Simeon Bates in the men's race.

The women's race was led by W40 Annabel Granger (Bristol & West, 1:22:28) from Great Western Runners Lauren Reid (1:23:41) and Kelly Dicks (1:24:03).

The revised route for the 13.1-mile race was appreciated by many of the runners, including Anne Kelsall who posted: "A superb event, well organised and brilliantly marshalled. Loved every minute. Am I alone in preferring the amended route? Just so beautiful and also easy to pace, although I had forgotten just how mean the sting in the tail is!" 

The supporting 10K was even more popular, with 531 finishers in 1:48:44. More than half the field went through the finish in an hour and the top three men were Jon Like (Torfaen Runners, 34:35), under-20 junior Oliver Price (Cardiff AAC, 34:46) and Arron Kearney (Bideford AAC, 35:19) – who later posted on Facebook: "Today was brilliant. Really well organised and a great atmosphere. First time for me, will be back again for sure". 

W50 Niki Morgan (Chepstow Harriers, 40:45) was the experienced women's winner from Georgie Parnell (Chepstow Harriers, 41:01) and another W50 master Lou Summers (Torfaen Runners, 42:47). 

Full results can be viewed via runABC South's comprehensive race listing here

Image of tail runners ready for the start courtesy Severn Bridge Half Marathon on Facebook