Running log

Pudsey Pacers denied Stainland Lions a clean sweep of West Yorkshire Winter League category wins in the finale of the series on the Calderdale club’s home course.

With strong leads in the women’s and veterans’ sections, Stainland were good value for their overall victory in the league, which takes them through to the national finals.

But Pacers will have been delighted to overturn an eight-point deficit in the men’s section to finish with 6,553 and win by a remarkably narrow nine-point margin over five races.

Crucially Stainland were without talisman Ben Mounsey, whose individual successes had helped keep Pudsey at bay in earlier events.

Mounsey’s absence made for an open race as Rob Bridges (Leeds-Bradford Triathlon) and Quentin Lewis (Baildon) set the Pace over a 4.5-mile course, bathed in cold winter sunshine with conditions made perfect for racing by a thawing overnight frost.

At two thirds distance, 25 metres separated the first three runners and much rested on who coped best with a stiff climb across farmers’ fields overlooking the Calder Valley, prior to the final twisty and undulating quarry section.

Lewis pushed on to win while Bridges was overhauled by Gav Mulholland, who took second place for Stainland and the overall M40 title.

An excellent seventh position left Darren Burnley two points behind Pudsey colleague Paul Gaile in the overall M45 category, with 32nd for Steve Pickard (Baildon) securing the M50 crown.

Jim Wheldon (Pudsey) and Francis Riley (LBT) were confirmed as M55 and M60 winners respectively.

Donna Edmondson Booker had done enough in the first four events to take the women’s title and left centre stage to LBT clubmates Racheal Bamford and Susie Richards, who took first and second on the day ahead of Mags Beever (Stainland).

Beever was runner-up in the series, with team-mate Angela Jordan third. Treena Johnson was fifth on the day and also overall, taking the F50 title.

Jayne Butterworth (Skipton), Lynne Barrett (Pudsey) and Aileen Baldwin (Stainland) won the F45, F55 and F60 categories respectively.

Anna Lincoln (Idle) and Tom Millward (Dewsbury) were provisional winners of trophies for most improved runners.