SCOTTISH Commonwealth Games athlete Hayley Haining recaptured her Brass Monkey Half Marathon title in some style - beating her own course record to win the prestigious race.

The 34-year-old, a former cross country and track champion who runs for Kilbarchin AC, last took the title two years ago, when she again had a record-breaking run.

On Sunday, she simply destroyed the women's field, powering home in a time of 72 minutes 7 seconds - more than seven minutes ahead of second placed Lisa Mawer, of Bingley.

Last year, Haining finished ninth in the marathon at Melbourne in the Commonwealth Games and has also finished in the top 30 at the World Championships.

The York Brass Monkey race, which is now in its 22nd year, attracted 1,200 entries - a far cry from the first event in 1984 which had just 125 runners. It is organised and run by Knavesmire Harriers.

The winding 13-mile course starts at Bishopthorpe Road and passes through Bishopthorpe, Acaster Selby and Appleton Roebuck before finishing by the grandstand at York Racecourse.

In the men's race, Thirsk and Sowerby Harriers' Gary Dunn kept the prize in North Yorkshire - improving on last year's fourth place to take the honours in 68-50.

Pickering's Great Britain international Darran Bilton, who finished third last year, took second place for Leeds City with a time of 68-56. He said the race had been a perfect tune-up for the European Cross Country Championships in Istanbul in a couple of weeks' time.

"I thought I ran very well in what was a real tester," he said.

"I used the same tactics that I did to beat Gary in my last two outings - from the front but I couldn't shake him off. I am fortunate to be disappointed about finishing second out of 1,200 runners.

"I ran strongly throughout the race and ticked all the right boxes so it all bodes very well."

York Brass Monkey Half Marathon

Men: 1 G Dunn (Thirsk and Sowerby) 68.50; 2 D Bilton (Leeds City) 68.56; 3 M Hall 71.30; 4 M Sanders (Ackworth) 71.32; 5 M Grainger 71.53; 6 A Jackson (Ackworth) 72.03.

Women: 1 H Haining (Kilbarchin) 72.07; 2 L Mawer (Bingley) 79.18; 3 K Young (Leeds City) 79.28.