Swapping the hills and trails of Purbeck for the banks of the Thames, Stu Nicholas took on the somewhat unique Beat the Boat 10k at Windsor and Eton.

There aren’t many races where you have to worry about being beaten by a boat, but that is exactly what makes the event different. Runners set off on an out-and-back course beneath the impressive backdrop of Windsor Castle, following the Thames path while five pace boats – targeting 40, 50, 55, 60 and 70 minutes – head off down the river with supporters on board cheering their runners on.

The idea is simple enough. Pick your boat, run as fast as you can and try to get back before it does.

For Stu, it was another race squeezed into what has already been a busy and successful season.

He had recently begun the defence of his Purbeck Trail Series title with fourth place at the Coombe Keynes 10k. His 38:30 there was actually half a minute quicker than the time he ran when he won the race two years ago, but the standard was strong and he had to settle for fourth.

That came after an already busy weekend. Stu had run the Purbeck 10k on the Friday evening, finishing ninth in 35:36, before getting another run in at parkrun the following day.

Stu is never particularly concerned about racing back-to-back though and has been having an excellent season. He has already taken his 10k PB down to 33:22 and recorded a parkrun best of just over 16 minutes. He has also picked up wins at the Norfolk Marathon and finished runner-up at the North Dorset Village Marathon.

So there was little reason to expect him to take things easy at Windsor.

The race started at a frantic pace, with Stu wasting no time getting after it. He went through the first mile in 5:26, putting himself right into contention as the runners raced alongside the Thames.

The pace inevitably eased slightly after that blistering opening mile, but Stu continued to push, clocking 5:42 for the second mile and 5:53 for the third.

He then posted another 5:50 for mile four before recording 5:52 for the fifth. There was still plenty of work to do, with the sixth mile coming in at 5:58 as the race headed towards its conclusion.

By then the result was becoming clear. Stu crossed the line in 36:15 to take second place, with only Joe Bartlett managing to get the better of him.

Bartlett secured the victory in 35:47, while Katie Knowles of Cornwall AC finished third overall in 37:49 to take the prize for first female.

Steven Ramek of Chessington Unity Running Club was fourth in 38:06 and also picked up the first MV60 prize.

For Stu, it was another impressive performance and another podium finish to add to an already packed season. More importantly, he managed to make it back to the finish before all of the boats – which, given the name of the race, is probably the main thing.

Stu’s wife Anna was also on the start line for the 10k as well.

She crossed the line in 59:43, finishing 220th out of the 484 runners.

With the Thames, Windsor Castle and a fleet of boats full of supporters providing the backdrop, Beat the Boat certainly offered something a little different. And with Stu once again finding his way onto the podium, it proved another successful outing for the Bournemouth AC runner.