Words: Jill Stocks
Photos: Simon Cullingworth &
Andrew Hardaker
The Pudsey Legal 10k, organised by Pudsey Pacers running club, took place last week and West Leeds clubs were represented in large numbers.
Runners from Bramley Breezers, Farsley Flyers, Kirkstall Harriers, Pudsey and Bramley AC and Pudsey Runners, as well as many clubs from further afield, all took on the ten kilometre race last Sunday morning.
The Pudsey 10k is a very popular event in the local running calendar, despite being noted for having one of the most challenging courses in the county.
Unsurprisingly the race was once again a sell-out this year as participants prepared themselves for a course which could best be described as “undulating”.
Runners set off from the Cenotaph in Pudsey, encouraged by great support from the local community, to tackle the hills and trails of the local area, heading down Bankhouse Lane and into the valley, through Black Carr Woods and onto Tyersal Lane up to the Fox and Grapes pub, finishing in Pudsey Park.
As well as the senior race there are also very popular junior races before the main event with a Park Fun Run over 400m and a Family Fun Run both starting and finishing in Pudsey Park.
In the senior race it was runners from only a short distance away at Horsforth Harriers who swept the board, with Mark Smith first male and Aiveen Smith first lady, with their runners also scooping both the male and female team prizes.
Full results can be found here.
In the week before the race this year Pudsey Pacer, and organiser of regular litter picks in Bramley, Andrew Hardaker gathered a team of fellow Pacers over three sessions to litter pick the course.
Over these sessions 30 volunteers, in sometimes inclement weather, collected a total of 69 bags of litter from the road and trail areas of the race route.
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