Escaping Yorkshire for an autumn marathon on the Riviera to achieve a personal best seems like a good plan.

And it just paid off for Nicky Green of Ilkley Harriers, despite having to run into a gale-force headwind in the final eight miles.

Team-mates Green and Caz Farrow had trained hard all year for Sunday’s COTE D’AZUR MARATHON, reaching 90-100 miles per week at one point.

The point-to-point race from Nice to Cannes should have offered perfect conditions, until, during the final week, westerly winds up to 30 miles an hour were forecast.

The 13,000 starters headed westwards on the coast road overlooking the Mediterranean. Nicky went through the 10k marker in 41min 51sec, halfway in 1:41:51 and 30k in 2:05:06.

The strength of the wind from here slowed her pace by a minute per km. It was seriously affecting her breathing too, just at the hardest point of the race. But she hung on to finish in 2:58:31.

Still, it was a lifetime best by ten seconds and she was third over-40 lady, and 120th overall. But it could have been minutes faster but for the weather.

Meanwhile, Farrow went through ten miles in a PB of 66mins, as per plan, and hit halfway at 88mins. From 26km a hip niggle started playing up.

Despite this she passed 20 miles at 2hr 14min, another PB. But a combination of the hip and wind forced her to drop out shortly afterwards.

The only consolation is a place for Farrow in the elite start in the London marathon next spring.

Two course records were broken in Sunday’s WADSWORTH HALF TROG over 9.25 miles and 1,427 feet of fell-climbing north of Hebden Bridge.

James Logue, from host club Calder Valley Fell Runners, won in 68min 42sec, five minutes ahead of junior team-mate Joe Crossfield. Holmfirth’s Helen Berry was first lady in 82min 34sec – also a record.