RADCLIFFE Athletic Club's Fiona Lynch showed her best form to claim victory in the women's race in the tough Bolton Hill Marathon.

She led from start to finish and was first female home in 3hrs 58mins on a course that had 3,700 feet of climbing, taking in Winter Hill.

Saturday's event was billed as one of the toughest marathons in the UK, even before a downpour on the day, but Lynch made the best of difficult conditions.

She said: "It was a great race with brilliant marshalling.

"It was very wet on the trails and was like running in streams for miles."

Sinead Hayes clocked 5:31:00 and is in training with Lynch to take part in a 110k endurance race next month.

Luigi Salzano was disappointed with his run of 4:40:00.

All three did the event two years ago, when Lynch was fourth 4:01:00.

Neal Emmerson finished second in the popular Race The Train event on Sunday.

He covered the 11 miles in 1:14:31, 15 seconds faster than last year when he was sixth.

In the event – from Bury Station to Rawtenstall – runners covered trails and paths mostly alongside the railway track and aimed to get to Rawtenstall before the steam engine.

Family and friends watched from the train, which runners caught for the return journey.

Emmerson, along with Kris Lee (V40), who ran 1:34:08, both beat the train.

Katie Percival just missed out, coming home in 1:36:43, followed by Scott Baxter (1:38:33), Katie Holden (V40 – 1:43:50) and Karen Doherty (V40 – 2:10:15).

Mauro Rotondi (V45) travelled to the Lake District to take on the Salomon 25k Trail Race, part of the Keswick Mountain Festival.

He clocked 2:40:56 on rugged terrain through the Borrowdale and Watendlath valleys.

Lynch and Rotondi were among 15 Radcliffe runners who took part in the Knowl Hill Fell Race on Sunday.

Covering six miles and a tough 1,300 feet of climbing on to the moors above Norden in Rochdale, the event was part of the Run The Moors Grand Prix and also a club championship race.

Dave McGrath was first home from the club in 20th place in 51:44.

Other finishers: James Hall 54:48, John Wrigley 57:46, Chris Paxton 57:54, Dave Rushton 57:59, Ian Warrington 58:05, Mike Kontowtt 1:00:54, Paul Swyers 1:04:31, Fiona Lynch 1:06:18, Mauro Rotondi 1:06:32, Steve Hamer 1:09:42, Mark Wolfenden 1:11:38, Lisa Carter 1:11:59, Pete Booth 1:14:49 and Caroline Mullineaux 1:21:32.

Sarah Turner clocked 47:59 in the Tatton Park 10k at the weekend, finishing third in her age group and 102nd out of a 507-strong field.

Sarah Oxley took on a more rigorous route in the Wainstones Trail Half Marathon, finishing the tough, rocky course through the North Yorkshire Moors in 3:25:34.

Louise Bowden was third woman in the Edgworth Reservoir Challenge 10k on Sunday in 51:01, while Sarah Rushton completed the scenic course, which took in two local reservoirs, in 1:06:34, followed by Natalie Hitchen in 1:18:31.

Seven members ran the Two Lads Fell Race at Horwich, which is part of the club championship, with Emmerson finishing 13th out of 162 runners in 36:52.

Other finishers: Dave McGrath 38:59, James Hall 41:54, Mike Kontowtt 44:41, Kris Lee 46:54, Mauro Rotondi 48:10, Lisa Carter 54:14.

The men's team were seventh out of 21.