In a race which incorporated the World Mountain Running Challenge, the foreign athletes found it tough going against the British athletes in the men's section.

Three-times winner Rob Jebb finished fourth this time (2:59:13), while Pudsey and Bramley's Rob Hope was just one place behind.

He improved steadily throughout and lead Pudsey and Bramley to a team victory.

Team-mate John Heneghan, runner- up last year, finished 12th in a field of 754.

Conditions were heavy and times were well down on the record in the men's race, but there was a superb record-breaking run in the women's section where the foreign athletes did well.

Anna Pichrtova (Czech Republic) opened up a six- minute gap over Scotland's Angela Mudge to come home in 3:14:43, taking some two minutes off the long- standing course record held by Sarah Rowell (Pudsey and Bramley).

Bingley's Sharon Taylor ran well to take fifth place (3:34:15).



Results
Men: 1 J Lennox (Shettleston/UK) 2:53:39; 2 T Owens (Mercia/UK) 2:54:16; 3 M Kosovelj (Czech) 2:57:36; 4 R Jebb (Bingley/UK) 2:59:13; 5 R Hope (Pudsey and Bramley/UK) 2:59:51; 6 R Lightfoot (Elenborough/UK) 3:00:25; 7 C Gray (Calder Valley FR/UK) 3:01:24); 8 B Burns (Salford/Switzerland) 3:02:44; 9 J Symonds (Kendal) 3:03:36; 10 A Peace (Bingley) 3:04:47; 11 J Davies (Borrowdale) 3:05:03; 12 J Heneghan (Pudsey and Bramley) 3:05:30.
Team: Pudsey and Bramley.
Women: 1 A Pichrtova (Czech) 3:14:43; 2 A Mudge (Cartheny/UK) 3:20:53; 3 A Bateup (Australia) 3:25:33; 4 A Frost (New Zealand) 3:26:13; 5 S Taylor (Bing/UK) 3:34:15; 6 E Rukhlyada (Russia) 3:34:35; 7 E Danilova (Russia) 3:35:36; 8 H Fines (Calder Valley FR/UK) 3:38:42.