GRANDMOTHER of two Kim Mazzucca, 49, broke the course record time for the Forest of Dean Park Run on Saturday – and she did it running with her German short haired pointer dog Mamoot.

Kim and her one-year-old dog beat all-comers, including some of the region's top club male runners, more than half her age.

Her blistering time was 16mins 34secs, a personal best.

Not bad for someone who doesn't train regularly and will be 50 next year.

Kim said: "Even in my younger days when I was running on the track I didn't go that fast.

"It's amazing, a complete shock and not at all expected.

"I had a feeling we were quick, but it was quite warm on Saturday and Mamoot dropped off the pace over the last half-mile and I had to gee him along. I wish I had him last November when I went to the Canicross World Championships. I'm pretty certain we'd have won."

As well as setting a new course record, Kim earned the first 100 per cent age grading to be awarded by Park Run race organisers anywhere in England this season.

All Park Run events use age grading to allow athletes to compare results. Age grading uses the world record time for a runner's sex and age group to produce a score (a percentage).

Kim is a former schools' cross-country and Oxford county champion, who won three gold medals in the World Fire Services Games in Las Vegas.

She discovered the sport of canicross by chance, picking up a leaflet in her local vets' surgery. In 2009 she won a silver medal at the European Canicross Championships in Hungary. Her next big event is in France in October.

She added: "Canicross keeps me motivated and exercises the dogs – I'm not sure I'd run much without the dogs.

"However, I think I can go even faster and break 16 minutes."