Bilton storms to victory in Otley Ten Mile Race (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Bilton storms to victory in Otley Ten Mile Race

8:25am Thursday 19th June 2008 in Search By Rachel O'Connor

LEEDS City's Darren Bilton won this year's Otley Ten Mile Road Race with the host club disappointed that their star runner Ian Fisher was not able to run due to injury.

The first three home in the race were wearing race numbers one, two and three proving that the seeding was right.

Otley AC spokesman Andrew Robertshaw said: "The top runners are always seeded and Darren won the race wearing No 1 with second placed Gary Dunn wearing No 2 and the hat-trick of successful seeding was completed with third placed Bingley Harrier Stewart McDonald wearing No 3."

First lady home was Pocklington Runners' Helen Cross.

In the otley club's 25th anniversary year the event was sponsored by The Divan Centre, Leeds, Up and Running and Yorkshire Tea from Bettys.

The course is flat for the first four miles out to Pool but then quite hilly with two large hills to climb at five and eight miles on the circuit via Farnley and back to race HQ at Otley RUFC.

Fisher is still recovering from a muscle spasm in his thigh but he helped out by driving a lead car for part of the race.

Fisher's rival Bilton is in blinding form while Fisher's old Harrogate League challenger from Thirsk and Sowerby Gary Dunn had finished an excellent fourth at Edinburgh 17 days earlier.

As the race started it was Bilton who led out with Dunn on his heels. It remained like this until the two mile marker when Bilton broke away with Dunn feeling heavy legged early on.

Bilton had a huge gap over Dunn but the latter ran well so soon after a marathon.

Otley's Zack Whitehead continued to impress with his 58 minute plus run for 11th place. He also claimed first local with a sprint finish over the next local Jamie Hutchinson.

1, Darren Bilton 0:52:01 Leeds City AC; 2, Gary Dunn 0:55:06 Thirsk & Sowerby H; 3, Stewart McDonald 0:56:22 Bingley H; 4, John Convery 0:56:48 Bingley H; 5, Graham Pearce 0:56:59 Pudsey and B; 6, Tim Midgley 0:57:22 Bingley H; 7, Paul Marchant 0:58:17 Rothwell H; 8, Adam Breaks 0:58:26 Stainland L; 9, Owen Beilby 0:58:42 Wharfedale H; 10, Jeremy Rogers 0:58:47 Abbey R; 11, Zack Whitehead 0:58:49 Otley AC first local; 12, Jamie Hutchinson 0:58:54 Ilkley H; 13, Andy May 0:59:08 Abbey R; 14, Dennis Speck 1:00:36 Pocklington R; 15, Rory McMahon 1:00:37 Lancaster; 16, David Smithers 1:00:52 U\A; 17, Andrew Guiseley 1:01:01 Dewsbury RR; 18, Andrew Meskimmon 1:01:21 Dewsbury RR; 19, Willly Smith 1:01:37 Keighley & C; 20, Quentin Lewis 1:01:45 Baildon R; 21, Donald Kennedy 1:01:54 Longwood H; 22, Andy Hartley 1:02:07 NWAS; 23, Shane Green 1:02:54 Pudsey and B; 24, Andrew Dobby 1:03:13 RAF Menwith Hill AC; 25, Mark Crabtree 1:03:43 Halifax H; 26, Liam Dunne 1:03:43 Otley AC; 27, George Rutten 1:03:51 Rothwell H; 28, Charles Lines 1:03:57 Ackworth RR; 29, Stephen Pickard 1:04:31 Baildon R; 30, Mark Garnett 1:04:35 U\A; 31, Michael Walsh 1:05:15 Ackworth RR; 32, Daren Nockels 1:05:26 Kingstone R; 33, Terence Hyland 1:05:47 Huddersfield RR; 34, Richard Balshaw 1:06:08 Dragons RC; 35, Chris Mobbs 1:06:19 U\A; 36, David Woodhead 1:06:28 Pudsey P; 37, Jon Uttley 1:06:36 Valley S; 38, Simon Anderson 1:06:41 Otley AC; 39, Helen Cross 1:06:42 Pocklington R first lady; 40, Frank Glass 1:06:48 Airecentre P; 41, Mick Hogan 1:06:57 Eccleshill RR; 42, Dick Ballantine 1:07:01 Keighley & C; 43, Aly Raw 1:07:13 Bingley H; 44, Paul Kelly 1:07:13 Darlington H; 45, Jason Westmoreland 1:07:15 Rothwell H; 46, Keith Pailing 1:07:16 Rothwell H; 47, David Lord 1:07:21 Clayton-le-Moors AC; 48, Rob McWilliam 1:07:26 Selby S; 49, Ian Kitching 1:07:30 Abbey R; 50, Philip Goode 1:07:37 Idle AC.

51, Chris Plews 1:08:00 Wetherby R; 52, Josie Hodgetts 1:08:22 Otley AC; 53, Jim Buller 1:08:23 Wetherby R; 54, Neil Chapman 1:08:23 Ilkley H; 55, Richard Ginn 1:08:25 Pocklington R; 56, Eric Green 1:08:28 Valley S; 57, Kevin Norman 1:08:37 Pocklington R; 58, Sally Malir 1:08:38 Ilkley H; 59, Ian McArthur 1:08:57 U\A; 60, Paul Smithson 1:09:15 Keighley & C; 61, Daniel Fisher 1:09:23 U\A; 62, Laura Martin 1:09:34 Otley AC; 63, Edward Rawlings 1:09:42 Pocklington R; 64, Robert Haggas 1:09:43 Eccleshill R R; 65, Leon Winder 1:09:58 Idle AC; 66, Carl Heron 1:10:01 Queensbury RC; 67, Nick Howarth 1:10:05 U\A; 68, Dave Jepson 1:10:20 Ilkley H; 69, John-Paul Hopkinson 1:10:23 Keighley & C; 70, Graham Hopkinson 1:10:34 Horsforth H; 71, Phillip Dutton 1:10:50 Pudsey P; 72, Richard Moon 1:10:53 Wetherby R; 73, Patrick Piggott 1:10:56 Pocklington R; 74, Peter Bramham 1:10:57 Keighley & C; 75, Martin Smith 1:10:58 York Knavesmire; 76, Des Fretwell 1:10:59 Keighley & C; 77, Brett Weedon 1:11:01 Keighley & C; 78, Peter Mullery 1:11:03 Rothwell H; 79, Matt Tipling 1:11:06 Airecentre P; 80, Jacqui Dews 1:11:07 Holmfirth H; 81, Steven Wentling 1:11:20 Otley AC; 82, Matthew Ross 1:11:22 U\A; 83, Neville Whittingham 1:11:35 Keighley & C AC; 84, Simon Chapman 1:11:41 Ilkley H; 85, David Cusack 1:11:47 Valley S; 86, Kate Bell 1:11:48 Abbey R; 87, Simon Richardson 1:11:53 Pocklington R; 88, Rohan Akers 1:11:56 U\A; 89, Tamara Hird 1:12:01 Wharfedale H; 90, Laura Bannister 1:12:04 Burnley AC; 91,Tony Brayshaw 1:12:06 Idle AC; 92, Richard Bhola 1:12:09 Pudsey and B; 93, Adrian Worger 1:12:19 U\A; 94, Mark Jordan 1:12:19 Harrogate H; 95, Tim Lawrence 1:12:25 U\A; 96, Nick Kennett 1:12:28 Ackworth RR; 97, Steven Worth 1:12:33 Pocklington R; 98, Chris Rainey 1:12:37 U\A; 99, Chris Brown 1:12:39 U\A; 100, Stephen Brook 1:12:44 Queensbury RC.

l See otleyac.co.uk for full results.