Moon is star of show

Jonathan Moor'Sowerby Bridge Snails
Jonathan Moor'Sowerby Bridge Snails

The Star of Bethlehem, aka Jonathan Moon of Sowerby Bridge Snails, led home the field at the Piathlon race on Sunday.

The 6k race around Longwood in Huddersfield is a fancy dress affair with three pie stops and, this year, an incredible amount of mud.

Moon was part of the Snails team who chose a Nativity theme for costumes. Snails also raced as angels, shepherds, sheep and kings, not to mention Mary and Joseph.

Moon won in 30:27 and another Snail, ‘King’ Kevin Carse, came third in 34:24. Snails founder Jodie Smith, dressed as Mary, had to be rescued by various biblical characters from the ‘Bog of Doom’.

The race rounded off a fine first calendar year for the Snails, founded in May, 2016.

Snails results: 1, Jonathan Moon 30:27; 4, Kevin Carse 34:24; 10, Tom Oddy 40:17; 110, Wendy Redhead 1:26:38; 140, Anne Molloy 1:33:10; 141, Nicky Brown 1:33:11; 160, David Redhead 1:39:54; 161, Abi Clark 01:40:15; 162, Adam Clayton 01:40:21; 163, Ellen Battye 1:40:25; 166, Helen Marvell 1:41:18; 167, Ted Battye 1:41:19; 168, Amanda Aveyard 1:41:21; 171, Pam McGhee 1:44:36; 172, Nicola Noble 1:44:38; 173, Richard Smith 1:46:10; 174, Sheila Ryder 1:46:15; 175, Jodie Smith 1:46:18.

STAINLAND Lions’ Tracy Mott has completed her demanding 2017 challenge, which involved running a half marathon or more each month to raise money to beat blood cancer in memory of her father.

He schedule started at the Four Villages Half Marathon in Cheshire and was completed in the Saintesprint event in France. In between she took in races at Harewood House, Irwell Valley, Sheffield, Devon, Burnley, Derbyshire, Dublin, Haworth, Exeter and Bolton Abbey.

Club members marked her achievement by running the Stainland cross country route when the Queensbury event was scuppered by the weather last weekend.

Sunday’s six-mile Mytholmroyd Fell Race was called off due to ice but organisers Calder Valley Fell Runners plan to find a new date.

The club’s Thirza Hyde said: “Three of our experienced members went out to flag the route but it was too dangerous.”

The club’s adventure racers took part in a five hour event from Coniston, which included a bike ride and run while having to map read and plot a course.

The first mixed pair were husband and wife Jackie and Phil Scarf. In the female pairs, Di Wright and Stella Chrisanthou were second. Jonathan Emberton, like the Scarfs, gave the young ones a roasting, with fourth in the male solos.

Ben Mounsey was uncorked in Italy’s Almafi coast, running as a guest in two very tough races. Despite jet lag he won both events, albeit in a Lazio vest.