The ominous dark rain clouds did nothing to dampen people's moods as they gathered in Rochester yesterday for this year's Medway Mile.

More than 3,000 people had signed up to take part in the annual fun run and registration was full days before.

Medway Mayor Cllr Barry Kemp started them off on their run, jog or walk around Rochester Castle Gardens at 7.30pm.

Less than five and half minutes later, the first participants crossed the finish line in front of the Castle.

Jacques Cunningham-Marsh took first place with a massive personal best time of 5mins 24 secs.

The evening started with children's races at 5.30pm followed by a mascot race at 6.30pm. British Military Fitness were on hand to warm everyone up before the Mile.

This year's event was themed around the Commonwealth Games so there were 17 sports to try out in the castle grounds, and action from the games in Glasgow was shown on a big screen.

The competitive race for club athletes and experienced runners was, as always, a highly contested race.

Dani Chattenton, 18, won the women's race for the third year in a row and Ben Tyler gained his second first in the men's race. The winning team was Medway and Maidstone Athletic Club.

The Medway Mile began in 2007 to mark the countdown to the London Olympics but has continued since 2012 due to public demand.

Did you run in the mile? Pick up a copy of the Medway Messenger on Monday to see if our photographer snapped you taking part.