Bournemouth Marathon Festival opened by Fauja Singh

Fauja Singh opened the marathon festival in Bournemouth on Saturday

The first Bournemouth Marathon Festival has been opened by 102-year-old Fauja Singh, who is believed to be the oldest marathon runner in the world.

Thousands of runners from around the globe registered for the Dorset event, which began on Saturday and included two races for children.

The two-day festival's half marathon and marathon took place earlier.

The marathon, from King's Park to Bournemouth Pier, was won by Ebisa Merga from Ethiopia.

A Supersonic 10k race for adults and a Speed of Light 5k race were both held on Saturday.

Mr Singh, who completed nine marathons after taking up competitive running after his 89th birthday, opened the 1.5k junior races for children aged six to 10, as well as the Supersonic race.

Festival director Neil Kilgour said: "With miles of glorious, unspoilt golden sands and clear blue sea, Bournemouth and Poole provide a beautiful backdrop for the ultimate run."