Deena Kastor demonstrated her return to top form by setting a world masters record in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon.

The 2004 Olympic marathon medallist placed third in 1:09:37, less than a minute behind Aberu Kebede of Ethiopia and Caroline Rotich of Kenya. Kastor’s time beat the previous Over-40 best by 19 seconds.

Kastor, 41, said: "I was certainly aiming to beat the record, but it wasn’t as comfortable as I had hoped.

"I got a stitch after six miles, and so slowed down a bit to try to breathe it out.

"I pushed through the pain and tried to stay on world record pace. The final kilometres were a real struggle. I kept doing the sums: Am I on for the record, or not? Do I give up, or do I dig deep? But you don't get many chances at this age. I dug down and was able to get inside the time."