There were home comforts for many runners at the weekend - although some did choose to go further afield.
The Hitchin 5k, organised by Hitchin Running Club and based in the town centre around Market Place, attracted 251 finishers.
And it turned out to be a good day for Fairlands Valley Spartans as they took the win in both the male and female race through Andrew Patterson and Ashley Johnson.
Patterson clocked 16 minutes 23 seconds while Johnson came home in 20:17.
Monica Smithson also ran with a finishing time of 32:17.
The best of the home club was Richard Passey in fifth with the first female was Melanie Asbrook in 13th.
Stevenage Striders had three involved.
Tina Buckeridge was first home in 25:56, Rebecca Burkoff ran a PB in 28:37 and Stacie Whitelaw clocked 35:38.
North Herts Road Runners took a baker's dozen and there was a post-baby PB for Kat Hinnitt with 26:53 and age group wins for Oliver Babik (M20) and Linda Aird (FV60).
Emma Mead was the sole Stevenage Phoenix representative with a new PB of 25:09.
Elsewhere Jim Brown of FVS ran the Bedford Autodrome 20 mile race in 3:13:51 while Strider Abdullah Athar clocked 2:11:06 for a new club record.
Phoenix coach Chris Leigh also managed a club category record as he finished in 3:11:13.
The Windsor Half Marathon saw Wendy Tharani of FVS (2:14:15) and Phoenix duo Ian Harvey (2:00:30) and Jodie Kantas (2:00:32) start and finish on the Long Walk with Windsor Castle as the backdrop.
Spartans' Jonthan Parr was fifth in the Westminster Mile while six Striders ran the London 10,000, starting and finishing outside Buckingham Palace.
Among them there was a PB for Martin Scales while Robert Smith was first home.
Peter Moye, Helen Moye, Peter Monk and Alun Watkins were the others.
Jess Ives-Keeler of NHRR completed her first marathon on Saturday, the Norfolk Coast Trail Marathon.
The trail was rough and some sections on the beach, but it didn't stop her finishing in a brilliant time of 4:38:01 and third in her age category.
The big foreign travel this week was to the Berlin Marathon.
North Herts Road Runners' Mike Roberts, Tash Pitman and Nicola Withington were all in Germany for the world-famous event and they conquered it in style.
Roberts ran a PB of 2:31:26, setting a new men’s open category club record, while Pitman set the second club record of the day in the women’s vet 45 category with a time of 3:11:23.
Withington also beat her previous best marathon time by over an hour, running in 4:36:44.
Eleanor Williams of Stevenage Phoenix was adding to her previous participations in London and Chicago, also part of the big six world events.
Achilles tendinitis issues through training meant it was always going to be a big challenge but she beat the six hours 15 minute cut-off by 45 seconds.
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