BINGLEY Grammar School teacher Jamil Parapia ran 31min 44sec in Sunday's ABBEY DASH 10K.

Given the difficult conditions, this was a better performance than his 31:26 personal best in 2007, which he had been getting close to all year, including a 31:37 in Middlesbrough in September.

Not only did it suddenly become very warm during the race, but there was a strong headwind for the second half.

What made it more difficult was that the start arch blew down just after the elite runners had departed, meaning a long gap while the road was cleared.

For local runners for whom this is a chance to chase down the top 100 invitees, it was a blow to a year's training preparation.

Generally times were down on what runners had expected.

Notwithstanding, Matt Lockyer and Andrew Smith, from Pudsey & Bramley, were next best of the Bradford area runners with 32:45 and 34:27 respectively, with Bingley's Ben Marriott in 33:19.

Spenborough trio Joe Sagar, Kevin Ogden and Simon Bolland ran 33:06, 34:47 and 35:39, while Saltaire Striders' captain Will Kerr ran a decent 34:29 but would have dreamt of going a minute quicker.

Among the women, Leeds' trio of Claire Duck (34:47), Racheal Bamford (35:03) and Susan Partridge (35:22) were the top Yorkshire athletes, among the top 17 of the inter-area race.

Cathy Martin, of Pudsey Pacers, has come from nowhere to run a blistering 38:15 in the first race recorded for her.

Eccleshill's Reena Mistry continues to make huge strides too, knocking off another minute from her personal best to record 45:46.

She has lost eight minutes since starting competing four years ago.

At the front of the race, Dan Studley (Bristol & West) beat Dewi Griffiths (Swansea) and Jacob Allen (Rugby), running 29:43 as the trio got a 30-yard gap on the followers.

Cardiff's Charlotte Arter, representing the North in the inter-area, was first lady home in exactly 33 minutes, beating British international Faye Fullerton (33:09).

Apart from problems with the arch, the race organisation was praised for the pens, allowing over 9,000 runners to start at their correct paces.