SKYRAC had four runners in the 7,000 strong field for the Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon at York on Sunday.

The quartet all agreed that the 26.w mile route is certainly not as flat the organisers would have you believe.

They found that a gruelling two-mile climb from approximately 18-20 miles really makes for a tough final stage of the race.

First home for Skyrac was Tim Straughan, just beating the three-hour mark with a time of 2:59:53 to finish 86th overall.

overall.

Straughan's determined effort meant that he finished sixth in the M50 category, a fine performance.

Rebecca Cesar de Sa, competing in the race for the third successive year, finished 157th and was the eighth female across the line in 3:09:35.

She said: "My legs and feet were really hurting at the end and I found the last three miles really difficult.

"I knew it wouldn't be a personal best time but I really wanted to maintain eighth place in the ladies race, luckily I managed to hold on."

Her husband Nuno Cesar de Sa, who really found the latter stages of the race tough, still managed to clock in under three and a half hours with3:29:42.

Geoffrey Baggaley followed closely behind in 3:33:46, finishing in ninth in the M55 category.