YORK Acorn Running Club produced another battling performance in the Cleveland Way Relay despite being beaten by a strong Loftus team who retained their title for the 14th successive year.
Loftus recorded the third-fastest ever time of 12 hours 54 minutes over the 109 miles of fell, road and path with more than 6,000 feet of ascent involving teams of 16 people. They beat Acorn (13 hours 11 minutes) by 17 minutes.
Acorn's Steve Ratcliffe recorded 61 minutes for the first leg from Filey to Scarborough.
Fellow student Tim Lawes then put Acorn into a two-minute lead to Cloughton Wyke which Martin Nice maintained to Ravenscar.
Veteran Mike Hetherton then ran well to leave Acorn 30 seconds adrift of Loftus at Robin Hood's Bay.
Loftus placed their best runners on successive legs and despite running 56 minutes, Dave Chaplin was five minutes adrift at the Whitby whalebones and Andy Normandale 13 minutes behind at the top of Runswick Bay bank as international Steve Hepples ran a brilliant 52 minutes for Loftus over a hilly off road.
John Hunter increased this lead to 18 minutes over Steve Simpson to Skinnigrove and Jerry Barnes (64 minutes) on the longest leg to Slapwath lost
Acorn another two minutes.
At that stage Acorn were 20 minutes adrift but over 40 minutes in front of third-placed orienteering specialists CLOK.
Andy Burt ran a club record 55 minutes to Gribdale and Dan Isherwood and Mike Rynes both cut into the Loftus lead over Battersby Moor and veteran Jim Shemilt completed a fast 35 minutes over the Wainstones to Carlton Bank.
Martin Kirby ran 59 minutes to Osmotherley but Loftus' strength was emphasised by their 21-minute lead at this stage.
Andy Hilton emphasised his return to fitness with another club record 52 minutes to Sneck Yate to cut six minutes off the Loftus lead which Susanna Dale maintained in the White Horse leg.
Andy Nesome ran 42 minutes on the last leg but lost another minute to 15-year-old county runner Alec Duffield.
CLOK eventually finished over an hour behind Acorn.
Updated: 09:38 Tuesday, July 13, 2004
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