Telford postie Claire Martin found the Big Apple to her taste as she celebrated a hat-trick of wins in the prestigious JP Morgan Corporate Challenge in New York.

Martin, from Aqueduct, qualified for the New York race after she won the British Corporate Challenge, held in London in July, for the third consecutive year.

Her team Royal Mail Letters also won the team event in London to book their plane ticket for the New York World Finals.

The winning teams from the Corporate Challenge races on five different continents - representing Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe and America - all gathered for the finals held over a flat and fast 3.5 mile course along Park Avenue.

This famous street in the heart of New York, is closed to traffic for 45 minutes for the race to take place.

Having won in both of the last two years, Martin was the clear pre-race favourite on Saturday and was soon into her stride, taking the lead after the first 400m and never relinquishing it. She won in 19mins 17secs - 13 seconds clear and just three seconds outside her winning time last year.

She then had the added delight to again be a member of the winning team as Royal Mail Letters won the mixed two men-two women team event.

Martin was joined by Colwyn Bay’s Isabel Redfern, Nottingham’s Billy Farquharson and Leicester’s Phil Critchlow. The Royal Mail team finished one minute ahead of their nearest rivals Goldfields from South Africa.

Her biggest challenge was still to come, however, as she was stopped by customs officers at the airport on the way home while carrying the Tiffany winner’s trophy.

After fully unwrapping the fragile package, they were eventually convinced and started to congratulate the Shropshire ace on her victory.