THREE postmen who went into business to organise running events have seen their marathon named the best in the UK.

Andy Palmer, who was race director for Poole Festival of Running for several years, set up White Star Running with friends Ian Woolston and Corin Lane.

Their event the Giant’s Head Marathon – a hilly trail race around the Cerne Giant area of Dorset – has been named the best in the country by Runner’s World magazine in only its second year.

The founders of the Broadstone-based company aimed to put on the kind of run they would have found irresistible themselves.

Andy said: “We created a race with one thing in mind – we wanted to create the best event we could with our budgetary restrictions, attending to the details, creating a personal service and great rapport with our runners.

“The happy result of this is, the race will be a profitable one sooner rather than later.”

He added: “I appealed to friends in the UK-wide running community for ideas and input and was knocked sideways with offers of support, mainly from people I had met through forums, Facebook and Twitter.”

The first Giant’s Head marathon was named the third best in the UK by Runner’s World.

The company went on to create another event, the Ox, on the Rushmore Estate in Wiltshire, including a half-marathon and an ultra-distance run.

Attractions included free race photos. “Top of our pet hates list was the fact you had to pay £10 at races for picture of yourself looking a mess,” said Andy.

The second Giant’s Head Marathon introduced a ‘lovestation’ at 20 miles – a water and aid station with cider, cakes, fruit vodka and melon laid on. There were 600 spectators and 500 runners.

The village of Sydling St Nicholas, where the event starts and finishes, provided home-made food and organisers put on a free barn dance for the village and runners as a thank you.

“The event generates many thousands of pounds for good causes in the local community, the church, village hall and local pre-school all benefitting,” said Andy.

He added: “I have been a postman 25 years. I don't know the first thing about starting a business. Thankfully my accountant is a runner. So is the business consultant at the bank.

“We are the luckiest postmen alive, I feel. We have a fledgling company, a massive circle of friends with a shared interest and love of running, a new set of friends in the rural community.

“The last two years has been hard work but some of the most satisfying of my life.”