Ilkley Ladies and Keighley & Craven's men used their route knowledge to win Sunday's Bradford Millennium Way Relay, a race run in pairs over 48 miles, starting and finishing at Bradford & Bingley Sports Club.

Ilkley Ladies were desperate to reclaim the title they had held in 2002 and 2003, especially after losing by a tiny margin last year.

They did so handsomely by posting fastest times on three of the five legs.

Sarah Jarvis and Amanda Oddie on leg four from Silsden to Ilkley (1hr 21min 25sec) did all the damage, being eight minutes quicker than the next ladies' pair.

Keighley's men dominated the race from the start.

Nigel Bedell and Sean Wilkinson pulled out a four-minute gap on the first leg from Beckfoot to Marsh.

Their lead extended to ten minutes at one point, though this was clawed back by Horsforth, Abbey Runners (from Leeds) and Ilkley, who were just three minutes behind, and all within a minute of each other, at the end.

Wakefield Harriers were sixth overall and first vets team, winning the prize sponsored by The Complete Runner in Ilkley.

Times overall were down due to the conditions underfoot and the overgrown paths.

After a frantic start trying to find an emergency stand-in because of an early-morning car crash, Andy Brown, of Bingley Harriers, combined forces with Keighley stalwart Will Smith.

They flew round with the best time on leg two from Marsh to Laycock.

On the fourth leg there was a rare appearance from international marathoner Chris Cariss from Bingley.

Meanwhile, Cllr Martin Love (Shipley, Greens), running with wife Helen, stormed round the fifth leg from Ilkley Moor back to Beckfoot to bring St Bede's home as third mixed team.

Prizes were presented by Linda Enderby from Bradford Cancer Support and Robert Nicholson from Bingley Blind Social Centre, who received £750 donations from the event's proceeds from organisers St Bede's AC.

The Dutch winners of the open team category, Loop-circuit Oost Groningen, donated their prize of vouchers (donated by SportsShoes Unlimited) to the Greenwood Centre in Swain House, where they had been staying for the weekend.

Newcomers, Accrington Road Runners won the mixed team prize.

Captain, Graham Morris said: "A fantastic event and a fantastic route.

"There was a great selection of teams, including the foreign teams from Holland and Belgium."

Race referee Mike Moss added: "Everyone's been really appreciative again. It's involved a big effort from the whole club."