KNAVESMIRE Harriers finished the North of England 12 stage Road Relay Championships as the top North Yorkshire Club in the event.

The was the first time they had entered the event, which comprised eight legs of 5.3 miles and four legs of 2.8 miles based at Sunderland's Silksworth Sports Complex.

Dave Chippett ran the fastest long stage for Knavesmire with a time of 28min 33sec and Bob Caldwell the fastest short stage with 16 min 32 secs.

Knavesmire finished in 31st place with a total time of 5hr 12mins 45sec.

The winning team were Morpeth Harriers with a time of 4hr 24mins 52sec.

York Acorn Running Club overcame several mishaps to finish for the fifth successive year.

Acorn put together a team to run 12 hours before the event following injuries to established members just days before the race.

Problems continued when Martin Kirby, the club's outstanding runner, suffered from illness and finished the first leg in second to last place in a time of 33min 49sec.

Acorn gradually moved through the field of 46 starting teams but on the final leg Martin Lawn was not informed by officials about the mass start, resulting in the Acorn losing approximately ten minutes to eventually finish 39th.

Acorn's next relay is the Cleveland Way relay in late June when they hope to field a joint team with Nestl Rowntree AC which should challenge Loftus AC, who have dominated the event in recent years.

Acorn's Julie Bushell won the Blubberhouses Moor 25 mile Cross Country Challenge over hilly, muddy terrain in 4hr 12min. Acorn's Gerry Orchard also finished in 3hr 45min.

In her previous race, Bushell achieved third place in the 26 mile Cleveland Survival in 5hr 38min, where competitors only receive their map references at the start. Orchard clocked 4hr 51min.

Acorn's Helen Barnes was ninth in 65min 15 sec in the Meanwood Valley eight mile trail race which was won by Bingley Harrier Mick Hawkins in 45min 53sec. Sarah Rowall (Pudsey and Bramley) took the women's title in 49min 15sec.

Acorn Over 50 veteran Norman Stephens clocked 2hr 35min in the Spen 20 mile road race near Cleckheaton and team mate Jenny Rowland also finished.

Steve Simpson led six Acorn home in the Coniston 14 in 1hr 21min 59sec to finish 27th out of nearly 1,000 runners.

Mark Sullivan was the first Knavesmire Harriers man home in the Baildon Boundary Way off-road Half Marathon with a time of 1hr 43min 10 sec.

Fiona Strange clocked 1hr 44min 20sec for third place in the Senior Women's category. Robyn Oldham (1hr 50min) and Graeme Adamson (2hrs 12min) also competed over a tough course in cold and wet conditions.

Dave Chaplin, one of several Nestl Rowntree Athletics Club members who will be running in the London Marathon on Sunday, is aiming to do the big event in under 2hr 40min.

His final preparation for the big event was the Doncaster Half Marathon last week, when he finished ninth, in 1hr 14min 50sec.

John McDonough, who completed the Doncaster event in just under 1hr 20min, should be capable of doing the London Marathon in under three hours. Last year he took 3hr 2min.

Despite a disappointing run of two hours in the Doncaster event, 58-year-old John Turnbull, a blind athlete, is confident that he will break the four hour barrier in London.

He and his son Chris, who is the guide runner for his father, hope to raise over £1,000 for the Royal Institute for the Blind.