WHARFEDALE Harriers won the 14th BRADFORD MILLENNIUM WAY RELAY in the third-fastest time.

Only Bingley in 2011, with 5hr 29min 28sec, and Pudsey & Bramley (5:31:22) have bettered their 5:32:03 from Sunday's race.

Christian Holmes and Lee Athersmith already had a three-minutes gap at Penistone Hill Park. Wakefield were second then, just ahead of Marcin Sozska and Will Kerr for Airedale Athletics.

By the end of the second leg, the final trio was fixed: Wharfedale ahead of Bingley, with Airedale third.

Bingley duo Ian Holmes and Andy Brown ran a course record for the shortened second leg to Laycock.

Skyrac won the mixed prize (they also won it in 2013 and were pipped by Accrington last year), beating perennial victors Accrington Road Runners.

Accrington were already 19 minutes off Skyrac by Silsden but their fourth-leg runners finished slowest of all in the leg to Ilkley.

The Skyrac pairings of Dave Stoneman and Rebecca Cesar de Sa (first leg), Nuno Cesar de Sa and Donna Edmondson (fourth) and anchors Chris Dove and Nicola Squires were all in the top-dozen leg times.

The ladies' team prize was closely fought between Horsforth, Wakefield, Keighley & Craven and Wharfedale, finishing in this order, but with barely eight minutes' gap after 45 miles of running.

Keighley & Craven led after the first leg thanks to Claire Cooper and Sarah O'Sullivan.

Wakefield fronted for 20 miles before dropping back badly approaching Ilkley and then Horsforth took over back to Wagon Lane.

A fine last leg by Jo Buckley and Shona Stone for the Bingley Angels team was not enough for the top four.

Their second team, the Belles, showed good female turn-outs from Bingley, Keighley & Craven, Horsforth, Saltaire and Baildon.

Baildon's men performed well to finish 12th, Idle too in 16th, and organisers Saltaire Striders (who supplied half of the Airedale combination) were 17th.

Blackburn Harriers, making their first appearance, finished a strong fourth. Their advent, alongside Accrington, may mean the calibre increases further.