THEY ran through the rain and battled through the pain - well over a thousand runners took part in 1998 Southampton Half Marathon.

The competitors gritted their teeth and aimed for gold on May 1.

Both competitive and personal bests were smashed as the pack pounded 13.2 miles of pavement.

The Mayor, Ivy White, waved the competitors off at the start of the race.

As they neared the final stretch across the Common, the 13 miles run had etched their difficulty on the faces of each of runner..

Winner John Stephens, a physiotherapist in the Royal Navy at Haslar, confessed how he had almost missed the start, but luckily things were running a minute behind schedule.

There was strenuous work from the first lady home, Sue Dilmot, who won despite being knocked down by a car the previous day.

“Not only that but it’s my first race for six months, I’ve been nursing an injury all this time,” said Sue.

The first-aid tent became a place of refuge and comfort as exhausted runners had their cramps rubbed, blisters bathed and fevered brows wiped.