Running log

Pumlani Bangani warmed up for the EDINBURGH MARATHON with a hard race in the ASKERN 10K.

And his seventh place outside Doncaster in 33min 23sec was clearly beneficial, since the Salford athlete also placed seventh among 9,459 finishers in the Scottish capital with a time of 2hr 37:08.

Longwood’s Andrew Pearson led a top-quality sextet home on one of the fastest courses in Yorkshire. The Askern race clashed with the Esholt 5K series but still drew a strong field of 457 from South Yorkshire and Leeds.

Pearson won in 30:24, while Barnsley’s James Boxell was 32 seconds adrift but edged Steve Worthington (Lancaster & Morecambe) on the sprint. Darren Bilton and James Smith (both Leeds City) and Dave Archer (Hallamshire) all broke 32 minutes.

In warm conditions along the Firth of Forth on Sunday, the women’s performances were typically more impressive than the men’s in what is now Britain’s second-most important marathon.

Reading’s Sarah Gee, as an over-45, was tenth overall in a world-class 2:38:14. Behind her was Barnsley staff nurse Julie Briscoe, completing her first-ever marathon in 2:41:31.

The race was won by 36-year-old joiner Steve Littler from Lancashire in a time of 2:26:31 – but only after he overtook race leader Phil Hinch, who pulled up with cramp with the finish line in sight.

At the appropriately named SOWERBY SCORCHER on Saturday, St Bede’s Adrian Worger continued his weekly race routine with 14th place in 47:08. Stuart Edmundson (Horwich RMI) was a clear winner in 40:30.

The Otley TEN-MILER on Wednesday, June 9 will this year start from Otley Cricket Club, alongside the rugby club at Cross Green, with 300 runners expected.

With the revised course, there is a bonus for the male and female winners and thereby new course record-holders.

The course takes the runners along an initially flat route through Pool and Leathley before reaching the first of two hills at the halfway stage.

The second half is more undulating and has another climb around the seven-mile mark at Lindley, before returning downhill to Otley through Farnley.