ILKLEY'S Tom Adams claimed a superb third place in the British Mountain Running Championships at Llanberis in Wales on Saturday.

Representing England, he chased home Scotland's Andrew Douglas who won the men's title in exceptional style.

Adams clocked 55 minutes and 30 seconds for the 12.5km course, finishing just behind second-placed Joe Steward as he helped England to second place in the team standings.

And his performance will hopefully see him get the nod from the GB selectors for the World Championships in Argentina in November.

Fellow Harrier Jemima Elgood was 11th in the women's race in 70:14.

Also featuring on the national stage over the weekend was Jack Wood, who took eighth in the Ilam English Championships fell race in the Derbyshire hills. He finished in 36:22, just over a minute behind winner Mark Lamb of Keswick AC.

A little closer to home, several Ilkley runners travelled to the Great Whernside fell race on Saturday.

Glorious conditions greeted them for the up-and-back-down route and Jack Cummings led them home in third place in 33:17, with the event won by Wharfedale's Harry Coates.

Jim Ryder took home the prize for the first MV50 while Paul Calderbank did the same in the MV60 standings and there were fine runs by Richard Joel, Michael Duffield, John Hayes and Helen Waddington.

On the same day, Helen Wood (111th) and Alison Weston (141st) tackled the Three Shires race over 20km in the Lake District.

The warm weather helped enhance the stunning views but also made it even more of a test, especially the climb up to Wetherlam.

Roy Ruddle and Dick Waddington also headed north for the spectacular Glencoe Skyline - 52km and an epic 4,750 metres of ascent.

Thankfully it was dry for all of the scrambling on this audacious route and Ruddle did superbly to beat the cut-off times and make it all the way round, Waddington just getting timed-out after 36km.

Jaysson Sawyer went south and even though he didn't quite have the same elevation to contend with, he still enjoyed wonderful vistas at the Equinox event around the Belvoir Castle Estate.

The breathtaking backdrop helped keep the spirits up as he completed 10 laps to total 100km of running.

And Andrew Merrick managed to even top that - and in some style - as he took on the scenic and hilly 102-mile Cotswold Way 'Century'.

Starting at noon on Saturday in the centre of Chipping Campden, he ran through the night and faced contrasting weather - hot by day followed by heavy rainstorms and fog once it got dark. Undeterred, he reached the finish flag outside Bath cathedral at 1:45pm on Sunday.

Back in distance, Sunday saw the Knaresborough Crag Rat Run, a 5-mile, mixed terrain race. Paul Calderbank, fresh from his Great Whernside run the day before, Chantal Busby and Caroline Howe all made the top 65 from the 250 who finished.

And on the Parkrun front, Lucy Williamson was first lady and sixth overall at Penrhyn while 75-year-old Geoff Howard was 11th at Horton.