Hayley Haining, who regularly beat Paula Radcliffe as a youth but was then handicapped by long-term foot injuries, recorded a world-class time to win Sunday's 25th running of the Brass Monkey Half-Marathon from the Knavesmire in York.

Haining returned to the sport a few years ago as a fun-runner' with her neighbourhood Glasgow club. Since then she has finished ninth in the Commonwealth Games marathon at Melbourne and is hoping to represent Britain in the Beijing Olympics.

The mild temperature and flat course were negated by fierce winds. Nonetheless, her time of 1hr 11min 46secs shaved two minutes off her own course record and was just outside her own lifetime best.

The Scot said: "The wind was the only thing to trouble me on the course and I was happy with how I progressed from start to finish."

In second place was Wakefield's Julie Grisco, who ran a time of 1hr 18min 27secs - a minute in front of third-placed Rebecca Moore, from Edinburgh.

Amy Green (Keighley & Craven), Lisa Mawer (Bingley) and her club-mate Pauline Munro were the next three women home in the 1,015-strong field.

In the men's race, Ian Fisher (Otley), and Steve Hepples (Newham & Essex) set the early pace from the gun. Over the last four miles both runners tried shading from the wind.

In the final quarter of a mile, Hepples out-paced Fisher and won in 1hr 8min 13secs, 11 seconds ahead.

Nigel Bedsell (Keighley & Craven) finished just ahead of local rival Julian Mawson (Ilkley) in a time of 1hr 16min 38secs as next fastest local finishers.