RICHARD Wilkinson slashed almost six minutes off the record for over-50 runners in the recent 21-mile Grindleford Gallop fell race in the Peak District.

The Long Eaton Running Club veteran was tackling the popular annual event for the first time and competing in the colours of Dark Peak Fell Runners – his first claim club when fell running.

Runners tackle some 2,500 feet of ascent during the mostly off-road event, taking in the villages of Baslow, Froggatt, Eyan, Great Longstone and Edensor.

Wilkinson finished ninth overall of 316 runners in two hours, 40 minutes and 10 seconds and was comfortably the first over-50 finisher.

With the Grindleford effort still in his legs, Wilkinson found himself battling cramp on the steeper ascents of last week's Edale Skyline event and finished second V50 in 3.37.

Back on the road, Long Eaton RC's Jackie Mather ran a personal best one hour 40 minutes exactly in the undulating Retford half-marathon, while the club's men's captain, Shaun Burton, ran his best half-marathon since 2004 to finish in 1.38.18.

The club's men's team narrowly missed out on the team prize in the Ashby 20-mile road race last week, with Ed Murden, in his debut road race for the club, leading them in with an excellent 10th place overall out of some 800 runners.

Murden recorded a PB for the distance of 2.05.59.

While there were 12 Long Eaton members taking part, there were also 20 in the race from Derby club Shelton Striders.

First back for the Striders was Marcel Darling, 90th overall in 2.24.58.

DERBY AC came a respectable sixth in the Northern Men's 12-stage road relays at Manchester's Wythenshawe Park.

The event consists of six short stages and six long stages and the club's international steeplechaser, Luke Gunn, ran the fifth-fastest long stage of the day to lead the Derby effort.

Leeds City won the event for the third consecutive year.

AMBER Valley AC's Tamara Armoush was the best-placed Derbyshire runner at the English Schools' Cross Country Championships, coming in ninth in the senior girls' race in heavy, muddy conditions at Heaton Park, Manchester.