Running Log

Clare Stevens (Keighley & Craven) was 12th among 290 over-45 ladies in the Rotterdam Marathon on Saturday, finishing strongly in 3hr 25min 26sec (chip-timed) after a dip following the 30km marker.

Stevens had won the previous weekend’s 150th staging of the Bradford Park Run. This Saturday’s event was won by Pete Hopson in 17min 35sec, a personal best in the event, with stalwart Andrea Dennison the first lady in 20:46. Lister Park saw an excellent turnout of 267.

At least two other Bradford competitors ran Rotterdam, usually the world’s second-fastest course but this year too windy and warm for comfort. Adrian Brown finished in 4:05:22, suffering in the last two miles, while Kate Taylor from Wyke managed 4:33:28 among 8,327 finishers.

The Wakefield Hospice City 10K on Sunday offered another fast springtime course. There were 1,148 taking part, with excellent times at the front.

John Convery recorded the male age-related performance of the day, the Bingley over-50 recording 34:38 (chip-timed) in finishing seventh.

Female best was Wetherby over-40 Pauline Munro, who clocked 36:02. But even she was bettered by Wakefield’s own Helen Singleton, who won the women’s race in 35:42.

Ian McBride won overall in 32:13, a minute ahead of fellow Lancastrian Adam Peers. Spen’s Kevin Ogden, the first over-40 male, was fourth in 34:06. Clubmates Martin Hall (35:48), Neil Barker (35:57) and Gerard Skippins (36:44) all packed well in the top two dozen.

For 300 off-road runners, the second of three April Tuesday-night Bunny Runs at Penistone Hill took place on a bitterly cold evening.

Annabel Mason of Wakefield, aged 16, rewrote the 2007 record of Mary Wilkinson, reducing it by 15 seconds to 17:05. Katie Walshaw finished second again but took the ‘egg stage’ for a record tenth time.

James Hall, fresh from an England training camp in Wales, showed his potential by winning his first Bunny race.

Hall, 17, kept a cool head and tactically ran perfectly by not chasing Max Wharton’s fast early pace and by the lakeside took control, going on to win in 15:52. Third was 32-times Bunny winner Ian Holmes.