ILKLEY Harriers' Jann Smith ran a stunning race in the Kings Challenge in Silsden last Thursday night.

She chased down the leader to take first place in the women's race in 56min 6sec, finishing 22nd overall.

Jann was one of four Harriers taking part in an enlarged field, the race starting with a 100-metre dash up the main road before going through the houses to what was a claggy moor up to the trig point at Long Ridge End and back.

In the men's race, Paul Carman was seventh in 46:00 and Michael Lomas ninth in 47:48, while Martyn Stocker finished strongly in 24th in 56:56.

Best among the 44 finishers was local runner James Hall (Wharfedale Harriers) in 39:59.

Many Harriers took part in 5K park runs, with Steve Collins winning the Harrogate Stray event in 17min 41sec, clubmates Carman finishing eighth in 18:51 and Smith 40th in 21:22, with Julie Elmes 209th of the 364 entrants in 27:15.

At Skipton's Aireville Park, junior Daniel Fazackerley was 55th in 26:07, with Fiona Schneider 82nd in 28:24 in a race that was won by the RAF's Lee Athersmith in 17:36 in a field of 148.

Junior Cameron Reilly won the Doncaster park run in 17:50, beating 178 entrants, while Arthur Reilly was 61st in 25:00.

Alex Hirst made the long trip to Peckham Rye worthwhile, coming second in 17:31, 20 seconds behind Dulwich Runners' Timothy Bowen in a entry of 107.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of beautiful countryside on our doorstep, Petra Bijesterveld, Jack Wood and Norman Bush took part in the Arncliffe Gala Fell Races in Littondale on Saturday.

The road race is a four-mile out-and-back course along the river, but it is not as flat as might be imagined.

Against some tough competition, Wood came sixth, while Bijesterveld was second female vet 50.

This was followed by the short but steep fell race of 1.9 miles, including 459 feet of climbing.

Wood and Bush flew the flag for Ilkley, with Wood third in 11:20 and Bush finishing strongly in 51st in 16:03.

On Sunday, Bernie Gibbons triumphed as the first female vet 60 at the Hardmoor Wainstones Trail Race in Chopgate, Great Broughton, Teesside in 2hr 10min.

It was a tough 9.6-mile course with 1,900 feet of climbing, but the glorious weather made for a great day out.