Marathon winner gifted entry as Christmas surprise
Hundreds of runners take part in the 26-mile marathon, which has returned after more than 30 years.
Richard Gould said he was "over the moon" to win the marathon [BBC] The winner of a marathon said he had not planned to take part in the challenge but was gifted his entry as a surprise Christmas present from his wife. More than 500 runners set off on the 26-mile Dartmoor Marathon from Tavistock on Sunday, which returned after a break of more than 30 years. Richard Gould from Bicester, Oxfordshire, won the race, completing the challenge in two hours and 56 minutes.
"Up until Christmas Day, I did not know I was coming," he said. "That was a big surprise. " Race organiser Dave Chanter said competitors "seemed to have enjoyed the course and enjoyed the day", adding "most runners are going to appreciate the beauty" of Dartmoor.
The race organiser said the setting was "stunning" [BBC] The marathon started and finished in Tavistock and wound its way across Dartmoor National Park. Winner Gould said he was "over the moon" with his success. "I was hoping for sub three hours," he added.
"Those hills are challenging, that last few hills, 20 miles, oh yeah, that's really quite hard. " The runner said the scenery was "absolutely beautiful", adding it was "a little bit windy on the return pass, Princetown, but after that it was amazing, absolutely amazing weather". More news stories for Devon Listen to the latest news for Devon Joanne Page, from Okehampton, was the first woman to finish the race.