MORE THAN 400 runners took on the Wombwell Five-Mile Race.
The event, organised by Kingstone Runners, has been taking place for almost 40 years. Elliot Smales of Rotherham Harriers won this year.
There were 28 Barnsley AC runners in the race. Gareth Cooke was the first of those back in sixth place overall in 26-49.
Taylor Hughes ran a PB of 28-48.
Lydia Race was third woman overall with a 35-second PB of 31-16.
Gemma Thickett also ran a PB of 32-00 to finish as fourth female.
There were age category wins for over60 man Chris McNicholas and over55 woman Helen Morgan. Over50 man Richard Price and over70 man Kevin Manley finished third in their respective age categories. Lydia Race, Gemma Thickett and Helen Morgan made up the first women’s team to finish.
Samantha Ryder ran her first ever race, finishing in 1-06-06.
Kate Kelly also made her debut in a Barnsley AC vest, finishing as fourth over45 woman in 39-57.
Barnsley AC’s Dave Allemby completed the race for the 31st time since it started in 1988. Then, at Sunday’s Barnsley ParkRun, he passed a total of 70,000 recorded miles for training and racing.
He first started recording his mileage on January 1, 1979 but actually began running in 1976.
Forty Barnsley Harriers were at the Wombwell 5. David Thompson finished 34th overall and was first over50 man while Antonette Wilson knocked more than two and half minutes off her five-mile PB to finish in 35-47 and be crowned first over45.
John Hewitt was second over80 while Katie Roberts (over40 woman) and Paula Mills (over55 woman) were third in their age categories.
There were PBs for Johnny Hewitt, Ricky and Shaun Curtis, Stewart and Sam Holt and new member Lauren Williams, who were all running the distance for the first time for the club.
There were also PBs for Jay West (by six minutes), Deborah Carrington (105 seconds), Josh Jordan-Clough (one minute), Chris Fall (30 seconds), Ryan Senior (28 seconds), Lisa Clarkson (15 seconds), Gareth Wilkes (15 seconds), and Phillip Tyas (five seconds).
Sean Pitt led Penistone Footpath Runners home with 29-10 to place 22nd overall. Dawn Godley delivered one of the club’s stand-out road performances, recording 39-28 to finish 193rd overall and take first place in the women’s over65 category – improving her previous best for the distance by more than three minutes. Bill Phillips claimed second in the men’s over75 category in 45-25.
Four men, all of whom attended Darfield and Wombwell schools in the 1990s, returned on Sunday to take part in the race. They joined veteran basketball coach, Bert Beaumont, from Darfield, who first did the race in 1988, and completed it for the 17th time.
Jimmy Watford was the fastest – finishing 61st in a time of 31-54, followed by Martin Perry (208th), Ben Beaumont (253rd), Glenn Cookson ( 269th) and Bert Beaumont (325th). Bert was the first over80 for the third consecutive year, with a time of 49-26.
At the Hoppits Hill Race, which incorporated the 2026 Yorkshire Youth Championship races, Penistone’s Graihagh Turner won the under 20s title and was 21st overall.
Penistone’s Josie Smith was first over40 woman while Bernice Nixon and Barbara Haigh also won their categories.
Jon Hallam led the senior men home in 40th place.
Penistone’s Damian Kilpin enjoyed a busy fell-running weekend.
On Saturday, he finished 15th overall in 53-11 at the At The Double Fell Race near Saltburn. He followed that up on Sunday with 28th place in 53-12 at the Midgley Moor Fell Race.
Penistone’s Stefan Butler-Gillen took on the Watersons Hale 10k, finishing in 55-00 for 1056th in a field of 1,675 runners.
Penistone’s Ian McNulty ran 1-55-41 at the Media City Half Marathon in Salford, placing 83rd in the men’s over45 category.
Penistone’s Harriet Drouin and Brent Carlin took on the Winter Reverse Half Tour of Bradwell, covering 17.5 miles with 3,478 feet of elevation across tough Peak District terrain. Carlin finished 23rd overall in 2-54-18 in the men’s over40 category, while Drouin completed the course in 4-07-06 to place 143rd overall.
