RHODES RUNNER

Joining the holiday fitness trend, MILO BOYD has a run in the sun as he tackles a half-marathon in Greece

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THE going was getting tough.

Twelve miles into my first half-marathon, a hill I had skipped up six miles earlier now loomed large as the final straight neared, the sweat darkening my TUI-branded running shirt.

All the training plodding around the park near my house while listening to Eurovision bangers had brought me to this point. By my side was my brother Louis, a teacher who had flown to Rhodes on the first available flight to spend part of the Easter holidays taking part in the island’s 10th annual running race.

His veteran marathon runner status would prove crucial for pacesetting as the crest of the hill neared. I squeezed a caffeinated gel snatched from a volunteer into my mouth and pounded on up the Tarmac, a roadside Afrobeat ensemble providing the perfect tempo to power us on.

Over the top and down the other side we went, the early morning Greek sun shining as we turned into the final straight. We crossed the line together, lifting our hands up like the Brownlee brothers, soaking up the cheers.

Right now the world, and the UK in particular, is in the grip of a running boom. Runs logged on Strava rose 9% last year, and the numbers taking part in UK races rocketed 39%.