RUNAWAY success Doug Richards has won a prestigious award for his very first book.

The 67-year-old had a successful night at the O2 in London last Friday when his book Running Hot & Cold won the Silver trophy in the Best Book category at the prestigious 2016 Running Awards.

The Awards, which celebrate the best in running culture, were decided by public vote with more than 90,000 votes recorded.

Mr Richards, a veteran runner, describes in the book his running adventures and how they have enriched his life and helped him through tough times.

“I was delighted to have made the shortlist of 12 with my first book,” admitted Doug,

“So to have come away with a trophy was just a fantastic surprise. The overall winner was parkrun’s own book and they are a national phenomenon who have changed the lives of thousands for the better, including my own, and it is a privilege to be ranked alongside them."

Running Hot & Cold is the story of Doug’s running adventures around the world, and not only tracks his many races in places as extreme as the Sahara and Gobi Deserts, Siberia and the ice-cap of the Arctic Circle, but also how running has helped him through some of the more challenging episodes in his life, including bouts of anxiety and depression.

The book, released in paperback in March, after being available as an eBook for little over a year, was recently featured on the award-winning Hawksbee & Jacobs show on TalkSPORT radio.

So pleased are the publishers, Pitch Publishing, with the success of the book that have already invited Doug to begin work on a sequel.

“It was a project I took on when I first retired and found I had a bit more time on my hands,” said Doug.

“I just never imagined it would be so successful in appealing to runners and non-runners alike and it is heart-warming to see how it has inspired people of all ages and levels of fitness to take on new challenges that they would never have thought were possible.”