Jonny Mellor and Lauren Howarth take Great Yorkshire Run titles

Jonny Mellor and Lauren Howarth won the ninth Great Yorkshire Run in 29:12 and 33:49 respectively for the 10km event in Sheffield.

 

 

Mellor who regained the title he last won in 2012 was more than a minute ahead of Kenya's Jackson Biwott (30:19) and Ethiopia's Wondiye Indelbu (30:21).

Howarth, on her debut, was another clear winner as she beat Lauren Deadman (34:15) and Sophie Cowper (35:14).  Howarth’s win follows four-in-a-row victories in Sheffield for European cross-country champion Gemma Steel, who decided to focus instead on October's Great Scottish Run.

 

A side event in the competiton is the annual “War of the Roses” challenge.  This is a competition between runners from Yorkshire (white rose on their race number) and Lancashire (red rose).  The average time of the competitors was fastest again this year for Yorkshire who retain the War of the Roses trophy.