HOOK’S Charlotte Purdue was crowned the fastest British and European female runner at last weekend’s Great North Run.

The Aldershot Farnham and District Athletics Club member came sixth in the elite women’s’ race, losing out to Kenyans Vivian Cheruiyot, Priscah Jeptoo, Tirunesh Dibaba and Joyce Chepkirui, and Australian Eloise Wllings, who came 10th in the Rio Olympics 10,000m race.

Purdue’s sixth-place finish meant she was the highest-placed British woman, beating fellow Aldershot Farnham club member Lily Partridge by around 90 seconds.

Her time of one hour 12 minutes 13 seconds also meant that she was the British half-marathon winner.

As the fastest-placed European runner, Purdue (pictured on the podium) had the perfect warm-up for her second career marathon at the end of September, when she will head to the German capital for the Berlin marathon.

Purdue, now based in London for training and nicknamed the Pocket Rocket, will go into the race looking to better her time of two hours 32 minutes 54 seconds from her inaugural marathon in London this year.