I'VE never won a race before, and I've never run in a prison either! So two firsts on one day.

Having told friends and family that I won a race, and have a trophy to prove it, the cynics have come out of the woodwork.

"Okay, how many runners were there?"

"Inside a prison? Surely the rest of the runners had a ball and chain around their ankles."

"Yeah, I bet the warders let you win."

Envy, that's all it is!!

The occasion was a 10km race which is held at the Haslar Immigration Removal Centre near Gosport. It's not a prison as such, but as the title brutally suggests, it's a holding centre for those who have illegally sought sanctuary in the UK and are waiting to either be deported, or on a decision as to whether they can stay in the country on the basis of political asylum.

Huge fences with barbed wire line the Haslar centre which is situated right on the Solent. CCTV cameras monitor every move, and there to move anywhere on the grounds you have to pass through a series of gates.

However, that belies the fact that this is not a prison. The detainees are not kept in cells, but dormitories. Though they are not allowed out of the place, they enjoy a reasonable life with three meals a day, have a gymnasium and education centre, and lights out is a pretty late affair.

The race itself has been organised by the centre's gym department. This was the fifth year and is a race which involves the detainees, warders, their friends and family and some runners from outside. They would like to involve more people to take part in a race where funds go to charity.

Fortunately for me, three of the fastest detainees had been released a week earlier. Surprised they weren't given the option to stay to take part in the race!

Only a few detainees took part in the race which involved little more than a dozen people, with several others taking part in a 10km walk.

The race consisted of seven laps around the centre, starting on the sports field and wending its way around the walls, through gates and past the laundry, the kitchens and greenhouse, before finishing with a wide circuit of the sports field.

I'm not a fast runner, and with a fellow runner from Stubbington Green Runners there I wondered whether he would take on the pace, or if it would be one of the detainees.

No-one did. And I led from the start. Mark, the Stubbington lad, kept close on my tail, but I soon pulled away and was running quite comfortably on the loops.

Other prisoners were there to cheer us on, along with warders. The sun was out and it felt strange to be leading a race. I wasn't bothered about winning, more of getting round without injury in this, my 63rd race of the series.

I even pulled off the grassy paths, and took a longer route on stone paths to ensure I didn't slip up on the wet and dew-ridden grass.

The laps passed by and though the route was tedious, the atmosphere of the race was relaxed and fun.

I crossed the finish line in 46min 28sec, which must be the slowest 10km victory in any adult race in the UK. Mark followed a minute later, and we applauded each of the runners as they came in.

Third was a Ukranian lad who is seeking political asylum and fears he will be killed if he returns back home.

I was presented with a lovely trophy and a medal, and savoured by first and last win in a race!