PAUL Massey crossed the finish line first as Bolton parkrun again attracted a 300-plus turnout.

He clocked 18mins 23secs, narrowly ahead of Richard Byers in 18:27 with Horwich RMI Harrier Lewis Wilkes third in 19:00.

Tenth over the line, and first of the ladies, was Laura Lombard in 20:20, while Suzanne Budgett (22:01) and Katy Thompson of Burnden Road Runners was third lady in 24:31.

Parkrun uses an age graded scoring system to work out how each runner’s time compares to another – based on a percentage of the world record 5km time for each age group.

This week the parkrun's top scorers were all among the first to finish, with Byers (80.58 per cent), Suzanne Budgett (78.05 per cent) and Paul Massey (77.70 per cent) posting the highest age grading.

This week there were 302 runners, of whom 27 were first timers and 32 recorded new personal bests. Representatives of 19 different athletics clubs took part.

Bolton parkrun is a free, weekly, timed 5km run held every Saturday at 9am in Leverhulme Park, Bolton. For more information and to register for free, visit parkrun.org.uk