Runners jostle for position at the start of the Tunbridge Wells Half-Marathon. Picture: Matthew Walker

There were 1,969 finishers - including an Olympian and Commonwealth bronze medal winner - in the 2011 Lifestyle Renault Tunbridge Wells Half- Marathon on Sunday.

The race was won in a personal-best time by Andy Greenleaf of Winchester, but all eyes were on the seventh-placed athlete Liz Yelling of Bedford & County, who has represented Great Britain with distinction on the road, track and country for a dozen years and who hopes to make her third Olympics in the marathon at London 2012.

Greenleaf (1hr09min24sec) finished 40 seconds clear of Hugh Torry (1:10.04) of Serpentine with James Mason (1:12.12) of Herne Hill Harriers in third place.

The other men who stayed ahead of the women’s winner were Chris Minns (1:13.26) of Beckenham, Dominic Elsby (1:13.37) of Victoria Park Harriers and local hero Dan Bradley (1:13.41) of Tonbridge AC.

The 2006 Commonwealth marathon bronze medallist, Yelling (W35, 1:13.56), who was wearing the appropriate race bib number one, cruised to victory in the women’s race by 95 seconds from defending champion Helen Decker (1:15.31) of Ipswich Jaffa. The podium was completed in a personal-best time by Debbie Marsden (1:20.15) of Westbury Harriers.

Local men in form on the undulating course around Bidborough, Penshurst, Fordcombe and Langton Green included Andrew Green (M40, 1:15.48) of Dartford Road Runners, David Ives (1:16.20) of Sevenoaks, Will Mitham (1:17.02) of Tonbridge, Chris Wolton (1:19.55) of Tunbridge Wells, Steve Chalklen (1:20.01) of Paddock Wood, John Dickinson (1:20.17) of Tonbridge and M50 Des O’Donnell (1:21.20) of Tunbridge Wells Harriers.

In the women’s race the remarkably consistent W40 Tina Oldershaw (Paddock Wood), who won this race in 2000, 2003, 2004, 2008 and 2009, finished fourth (1:22.22) behind the new course record set by Yelling.

Local women in prominent positions were Maria Heslop (W40, 1:26.02) of Paddock Wood, Sarah Anne Mooney (1:29.38) of Larkfield, leading W55 master Sally Musson (1:29.51) of Tonbridge, Heather Fitzmaurice (W40, 1:31.33) of Sevenoaks, Sharon Hawkins (W45, 1:32.14) of Maidstone Harriers, Tara Taylor (W45) of Tunbridge Wells, Penny Holden (1:35.19) of Maidstone Harriers and Caroline Terburgh (W35, 1:35.29) of Larkfield AC.