THE HILLS south of Petersfield were alive with the sound of puffing on Sunday as athletes took part in a challenging run.

Around 450 runners are taking a breather after being put through their paces by the Butser Hill Challenge.

The event, founded in 1978, consisted of ten races for varying age groups, with James Baker crossing the finishing line first in the five-mile fell run category.

And, while there was some teething issues with the new chip timing, race director Alan Shons said the annual event went well.

He said: “It’s a great run. There wasn’t a single injury although one or two of the children struggled a bit.

“Perhaps they don’t understand pace because they started off at 100mph, but they all got around and seemed to really enjoy it.”

The event will also benefit FitzRoy as it will receive the proceeds from this year’s event and the 2017 and 2019 races in one lump sum.