Graham Bell and Danielle Clark were in action at the Burn Valley Half Marathon on Sunday morning. The course is run entirely on minor roads. Starting in Marsham’s market square and taking runners through the grounds of Swinton Castle the course then follows the picturesque Burn Valley.
It rises to the Leeds Pals war memorial near the top of Breary Banks. From there it drops down past Spout House Farm and returns via Colsterdale and the villages of Healey and Fearby. Turning right at Fearby Cross there is a fast downhill section before climbing back to Swinton Castle, just 1.5 miles from the finish at Masham School.
One of the outstanding parts of the course is the 100 metre climb from Leighton Bridge to the War Memorial and then, when runners are exhausted , they go down a hill on a rough track to Spout House Farm.
Graham was first to come home in 2:07:54 from the 227 field, with Danielle 215th in 2:38:37.
Full results can be found here