FATHER and daughter Michael McKenzie and Cathy Harrison ran the 81 mile Dales Way - just for the fun of it.

Michael, 59, and Cathy, 39, both facing 'significant' birthdays, ran through the night and had to dodge crowds at Bolton Abbey to complete the long distance path in 20 hours and 45 minutes.

Cathy, a teacher at Queen Elizabeth School,

Kirkby Lonsdale, who lives in Linton, said both she and her father, who lives in Arncliffe, had run sections of the Dales Way before, but never the whole lot in one go.

"It was just going to be me. My father started off at Bowness to support me, and then ended up doing the whole thing," said Cathy.

The pair, helped along the way by family and friends, set off from Bowness on Windermere, Cumbria, at 9.45pm on Saturday, July 9, and finished in Ilkley at 6.30pm the next day.

Having set off from the shores of Lake Windermere, they ran across the Yorkshire Dales, past Cathy and her husband's two homes, to Bolton Abbey and into Ilkley - and all in perfect weather.

"It did get more difficult towards the end, especially at Bolton Abbey which was thronged with tourists, I was more fast walking towards the end," said Cathy.

"We decided to take on the challenge as we have run sections of the Dales Way for many years and both have significant birthdays coming up. The weather was absolutely perfect throughout the run and we would like to thank all the family and friends who came out to support us," said Cathy.