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Hurrah. For once, although extracting the solution has been painful I feel well off. Thank you Phi.

Lovely, Jogamel - as was the puzzle!

We would really appreciate some help with 7d. We have the theme and all the other entries but we cannot see the 3 letter word which needs replacing with another 3 letter word. Thanks

The answer to the clue has a four-letter word, adjective meaning 'limping', plus a letter coming from the 'start of race'. That word is an 'enthusiastic American competitor', though I'd probably have thought it was a UK word too.

Bandj, I forgot to say that your crossing letters might show you most of the replacement already...

We are puzzled. From your reply it sounds as if the answer is not one of the themed entries.

Got it whilst walking to our village Christmas light switch on. Thanks!

The three letter word we needed is not in Chambers as a synonym. We only knew it as as a collective noun which is why we thought we were perhaps looking for a 4 letter substitution. As you say - could as easily been an English word for the original answer.

Thanks, Bandj, glad you got it all finished off. The three letter word is definitely in my Chambers , with an entry of its own.

Bandj, you're not thinking of a word like metallic fabric for limping, as I was stuck doing, are you? There is another curiously similar word meaning limping that applies here.