Local runners made a mark on the world scene with Bingley Harriers’ Pete Covey winning a world silver medal on September 17.

He was second over-70 finisher in the World Masters Mountain Running Championships in Paluzza in the Dolomites.

The race took place near the famous Sky-race course overlooking the Austrian border, 70 miles north of Venice.

Covey managed to prevent a German one-two, splitting George Gross (37min 39sec) and Raimund Krausse (38:56).

The Bingley Harrier held off Krausse by three seconds after the gruelling 8.7km, with 493 metres of ascent over a short and long lap.

Last weekend saw the successful return of Paula Radcliffe in the Berlin Marathon, with an Olympic qualifying mark in 2hr 23min 46sec, and a new world record for men by Patrick Makau of Kenya (2hr 3min 38sec).

In their wake, in a personal best, was Pudsey Pacer, Nigel Armitage, finishing in 2:52:47.

Nearer home on the same day, Quentin Lewis continued his rich seam of form, winning Sunday’s Horsforth 10k a day after having competed in the Northern Road Relay Championships for Airedale Athletics.

His team-mate from Warrington, Simon Pass, was second, ahead of a strong field of 437.

The ladies’ race was competitive, with Guiseley’s Gemma Smith (Kirkstall Harriers) winning in 39min exactly, from Wetherby’s Lisa Mawer (39min 57sec), Otley’s Karen Best (41:03) and Helen Barber (Horsforth; 41:49).

A tight local battle then saw Karen Potter (Airecentre Pacers) edge Rebecca Cesar de Sa (Syrac) for fifth.

A cluster of women around 44-46min included a delighted Shirley Oldale (Eccleshill), who knocked 50 seconds off her personal best in 46:26, again, a day after Warrington.

The Horsforth results included the welcome addition of age-related grades, based on a percentage of the world-best for the distance, by age-group.

On that basis, Ilkley’s Key Souyave, an over-60 male, was best performer of the day, running 41min 9sec, in 44th position, but achieving a grading of 80.37 per cent.

Keighley & Craven’s Marco Gvero (fifth in 35:28) was next in 80.30 per cent, just ahead of Lisa Mawer’s 80.27 per cent.