### Clue: Runner perhaps started to lose heart (4)
### Answer: BEAN 
 ### Explanation: Definition: Runner perhaps
 "began"(started/initiated) **minus ****its middle letter**(to lose heart).
Defn: A family of plants, an example of which/perhaps is the runner bean. Also, a runner is a twining plant, an example of which is the bean plant.
The plant, pods and beans: