Bristol runner Bryan Stadden has returned from the Original Mountain Marathon in the Lake District and played down reports of runners' lives being in danger.

Competitors had to camp overnight after heavy floods in the area and the event had to be abandoned.

Bitton Road Runner Stadden admitted that the weather was bad on Saturday, with gales and torrential rain battering the 2,500 runners, and while he didn't disagree with the decision to call off the race, he said the fears that runners were dicing with the death on the mountains were grossly over-exaggerated.

Stadden said: "To be honest, it all went a bit mad and (the coverage) was over-hyped compared to what really happened.

"To start with we knew the weather was going to be bad and the organisers had already implemented a double bad weather course, taking out the higher points of the race and making it shorter.

"It was touch-and-go whether it was going to be held, but I think it was a fair call to start. Then don't forget runners are in pairs for the event and have to carry their own tent, stove, food, waterproofs and everything you need to spend a night on the mountains.

"If you get into the trouble and can't make the overnight camp area then you just put your tent up where you can or wrap it around you if it is too windy."

Stadden said a lot of the reports reflected an ignorance of the event. He added: "The hype about people being lost and stranded on the mountains was rubbish. Most of the people in the race can navigate very well and are very experienced.

"It just became a media frenzy and with an element of communication breakdown between the organisers and the mountain rescue people went into overdrive."