THE change of heart over the Leeds Half Marathon comes in the nick of time.
The move to axe this year's run was misguided and woefully misjudged.
Thankfully council bosses have seen the error of their ways.
Credit must go to them for taking note of public opinion and reversing their decision, although such was the chor
us of disapproval that it was all but impossible to ignore.
The only question that remains is how they arrived at such a barmy decision in the first place.
At least swapping the run from May to September makes sense.
It means there can be no clash with the Jane Tomlinson Run For All in June, allowing the city to get behind both events.
This saga shows there is real support out there for a Leeds Half Marathon.
So now that it has been saved there is no reason why the event cannot become bigger and better – starting this year.
Olympic losers
THEY call the Olympics the greatest show on earth.
And no doubt organisers will make the 2012 games in London a spectacle to remember.
But today the YEP reveals the hidden price of holding them in this country.
Our region's coffers are being raided to bankroll the event.
Leeds is set to lose around £26m in Lottery cash which will instead be pumped into the games.
West Yorkshire as a whole will miss out on a whopping £77m.
That is money that would have gone to community projects and good causes close to home.
We would not mind if we could bank on seeing a return on our cash. Yet despite organisers' vague talk of training camps and tourism there is no hard evidence that we will ever see a penny.
Instead our cash is being spent on building an infrastructure for the already wealthy South East.
It is not as if we will swim in the new pools or use the extra bus services.
Our money is building a lasting legacy for London while we in Yorkshire go without.
Dire strait
FARMER Steve Burgess is about to travel the world on his way to setting a new world record.
He aims to become the first person to cross the Bering Strait between Siberia and Alaska in a road vehicle.
Steve reckons his converted Land Rover will float him across the 56-mile stretch of water.
We wish Steve all the best for his year-long adventure...
If it all goes wrong he will get the sinking feeling in more ways than one.
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