RADCLIFFE AC had more than 300 finishers at their annual 10k Trail Race on Sunday, adding another success to their list of events.

First place went to James Kovacs (V40), from Salford, in a time of 36mins 39 secs and first woman was Hayley Simpson of East Cheshire Harriers and Tameside AC, 31st overall, clocking 44:08. 

Second overall went to Richard Shuttleworth, of local club Prestwich AC, in 37:10 and Rob James from Royton Road Runners was only two seconds behind in 37:12.

Second woman was Katie Geelan (V45) from Bury AC, 39th overall, in 45:05, after she was also second woman in the club's 10-mile race in February.

Third went to Paula Pilling (V40) from Burnden Road Runners in 46:00.

Rob Jackson, from Horwich RMI Harriers, who has supported the club's events for many years running in most of them, finished second vet-50 and a fine 15th overall in 40:40.

Local clubs including Bury, Prestwich and Ramsbottom were well represented with two of them winning the team prizes, Bury taking the men's and Ramsbottom Running Club the women's.

Runners topped last year's 254 finishers despite the course having to be changed because of improvements on the canal and towpath areas.

The race started from the Nellie Halstead Track at Cams Lane in Radcliffe, named after the town's former Olympian, with registration and prize presentation at Radcliffe FC.

Prizes were presented by race director Fiona Lynch and club member Scott Baxter with homemade cakes and massages raising cash for Keswick Mountain Rescue Team who were instrumental in helping Baxter to safety when he recently fell in winter conditions on Helvellyn in the Lake District as he tried to rescue a walker. He had a lucky escape falling 500 feet and is now fully recovered.

On the club racing scene, in the midweek Mike McGee Memorial 5k Cowm Reservoir Race at Whitworth, Jenny Yates was first woman vet-50 and fifth woman, clocking 21:52.

And on the same evening, Wayne Holden and Lee Cooper ran the Curley's 5k race at Horwich.

Holden, who had run all three races in the midweek series, was two minutes faster than his previous time with 32:13 after a sprint to the finish line. He finished 74th out of the runners who completed the series.

Cooper ran 24:15 in his second of the events. 

Caroline Malone completed the Ribby Hall  Sprint Triathlon at Preston in an overall time of 1:12:58. She had a 400m swim, an 11km bike ride and a 5k run in the Ribby Hall Village.