The hills of Bronte Country were alive with the sound of walkers and runners taking part in The Yorkshireman off road marathon.

Runners from all over the UK took part in the event organised by Keighley & Craven Athletic Club.

The event is over 10 years old but this year it smashed all entry records with 352 people completing the event. The start was from Penistone Hill above Haworth with runners then taking on a challenging course around Oxenhope, Cullingworth, Denholme and Ogden Water. It also included thousands of feet of ascent and descent just to make things a little more difficult.

First home in the men's marathon was Chris Loftus of Keighley & Craven. He smashed the course record with a time of 3 hours 4 mins despite almost getting lost within yards of the finishing line. He is now considering entering the London Marathon in 2005 for a debut road marathon which will probably place him close to the elite of British male runners.

First lady home was Carole Waterhouse of Halifax Harriers in a time of 4 hours 1 minute. First ladies team home was K & C Ac's from Ingrow. They posted a time of 4:15 which would be highly respectable on a road marathon let alone on this difficult course.

Overall, 125 people completed the full marathon course by running. Starting earlier in the day were 41 walkers who spent up to 11 hours completing the course as the runners went past them.

The half marathon was in its second year and it attracted a bumper field of 200 people. Winner was Jason Helmsley of Pudsey and Bramley AC in a time of 1:34. Shortly behind him in 2nd to 4th place were 3 K & C runners, Sean Wilkinson, Will Smith and Lloyd Kellett. First lady home was Laura Woofenden in 1:45.

As runners and walkers alike, staggered into the finishing point at Westfield Lodge throughout the day, they were welcomed by hot food and hot drinks being served all day by a team of wonderful helpers who never took the smile off their faces. From 7am to 7pm, they provided a never ending supply of sustenance to the many weary bodies.

Race Organiser, Charles Marshall, said: "It was by far our largest and most succesful Yorkshireman, next year, we hope to see the entry list top 400 people. To do that, we would love to see more people from Keighley join us for this great event."