Dom Carter has one hand on the men’s 2025 York and District Road Race League trophy after clinching a tense 17-second victory in the third fixture at Easingwold where Becky Penty made a return to action that threw the ladies’ championship battle wide open.
After a delayed start to proceedings at Millfields Park, just north of the market town, York Postal Harriers’ Carter streaked up Oulston Road and Crayke Lane to grab his third win of the season with a 33:05 – one second off his personal best – despite the concerted efforts of James Eaton from Tadcaster Harriers, who was second again even if his 33:22 was a huge improvement on this course.
York Knavesmire Harriers’ Dave Smithers made up for falling short of the podium at Pocklington last time out with a strong 35:19 for third to keep City of York AC challenger William Torgerson (35:30) at arm’s length come the halfway stage of the campaign.
Knavesmire great Penty – the 2015 champion – has built a reputation for producing unsurpassable performances on her infrequent outings in the competition and there was no exception here as she romped home almost two minutes clear of title hopeful Charlotte Bush (York Acorn Running Club) with a 36:43 to exactly match her time from 2023 and claim ninth place overall in a tough field.
Bush’s 38:36 denied Knavesmire a one-two near the Howardian Hills as Rosalind Mather took bronze with her 38:49, with Tadcaster’s Nik Tarrega stranded outside the medal places on a damp but not unpleasant evening for 10k racing.
Eaton grabbed a second veteran-40 crown with team-mates Darren Tomlinson and Stephen Walker second and third, while Smithers looks good for the vet-50 prize after going three from three to hold off Tadcaster’s Paul Millgate and Richard Ginn from Pocklington Runners.
City’s Stephen Wright flipped the script on Barry Atkinson, who had won the first two vet-60 races, with a 41:19 to top the category but Knavesmire had two men in the top three thanks to Dan Jones. John Oliver (Knavesmire) retained control of the vet-70 battle by pipping Tadcaster’s Mark Thompson again, with YKH enjoying further success thanks to Michael Denner placing third.
Penty shook up the vet-35 stakes by turning up to deny Tarrega and Selby Striders’ Emma Winter on Tuesday night. Knavesmire’s Hazel Hall (42:20) followed up her vet-45 win in round two with another to edge out clubmate Katy Lee and Julie Lawn of Acorn.
Deirdre Souch improved from third to seal vet-55 honours with a 51:34, outpacing Easingwold Running Club’s Steph Cooper and Gillian Johnson from Tadcaster. Acorn’s Gill Boynton is primed to taste vet-65 glory after her 50:34 delivered a third win this year and Easingwold duo Philippa Hutton and Sally-Anne Lardner packed out the podium.
Tadcaster’s men scored 65 points, through Eaton, Tomlinson, Tom Peacock, Millgate, Walker and AJ Marchant, to stay out in front of Knavesmire with their 108 while City took 159. It is more of a nip-and-tuck battle for the ladies with Knavesmire fighting back to dethrone Selby as Penty, Mather, Hall and Lee bagged an incredibly low 25 points to the Striders’ 44, with Acorn signing for 48.