Bingley Harriers gained four team firsts and four fastest laps in Sunday’s Yorkshire Veterans Athletics Association Road Relay Championships at Saltaire.

This year’s race – a flat, fast course of 2.9 miles – was promoted by Eccleshill Road Runners and the Airedale Athletics clubs and supported by Sustrans Volunteer Rangers.

The race began at Roberts Park, then along the Aire riverbank before looping back into the park via the Leeds-Liverpool canal.

Conditions were dry but blustery and athletes faced a steadily strengthening headwind as they returned.

The 162 runners represented teams from as far afield as Sheffield and Richmond, with good representation from clubs in Bradford and Keighley.

The over-35 and over-40 men ran four legs of the course. All other categories ran three.

Bingley Harriers men were triumphant at both ends of the spectrum. Their over-35s swept the board, winning all four of their legs for a winning time of 61min 41sec. Fastest time was by Steve Broadbent in 14min 30sec.

To rub salt into the wound their over-60s team took first in 53min 55sec, Roy Bailey running his leg in 17min 49sec. Meanwhile their over-70s team ran their three legs in 59min 23sec, Fred Gibbs putting in an impressive 19min 0sec to the astonishment of spectators.

Sheffield Hallamshire took the honours in the over-40s men in 63min 26sec and Sheffield Runners won the over-50s in 49min 43sec as South Yorkshire swept the medals (Rotherham and Barnsley beating Richmond & Zetland). Mark Hall of Barnsley AC scooped the prize for fastest lap in 15min 53sec.

Bingley’s dominance was broken in the women’s races by Holmfirth, who won the over-35s and over-55s in 54min 0sec and 71min 58sec respectively, with Helen Berry and Lesley Ewart running laps of 17min 38sec and 19min 28sec.

Bingley came through again however in the over-45s, winning in 56min 39sec. Andrea Dennison ran the last leg in 18min 12sec.

The Titus Salt School junior runs rounded off the morning as a launch-pad into the Saltaire Festival.