BOLTON Harriers' super-vet Jim McNulty ran a superb race to take the Over 65 award in last Sunday's Nike Through the Villages race in Chorley, writes Andy Parker.

McNulty completed the 8.5-mile circuit in 61 minutes 09 to win his category by a huge margin of eight minutes, finishing 81st overall. There was further veteran success for the club as Dave Cullen took third in the Over 55 age group with a time of 64.30.

Further up the field Dave Shaw showed that his strength and endurance training is paying off as he finished an excellent sixth from a field of 218 runners, in a time 48.24. Shaw was pleased with his run but felt he made it difficult for himself by starting the race too cautiously.

He said: "I knew the course was longer than I usually run and hilly, but the lead group got away from me and I couldn't get back."

It was still an impressive run from an athlete more used to 1500m track races. The race was won comfortably by in-form East Cheshire athlete Andy Jones. Other Harriers in action included Jon Alwood in 46th, Gary Baxter 77th and John O,Keefe in 137th.

Tim Ellis and Nick Kay took on some of the nation's finest cross-country runners in the Reebok Cross Challenge at Birmingham's Senneleys Park.

The hilly course, which includes a number of difficult stream crossings, was not as muddy as in recent years, but still provided a stern test. The two Harriers responded magnificently to the challenge and were not put off by the strength and depth of the opposition.

In the Under 15 race Ellis finished an impressive 25th, coming steadily through the field to finish just two seconds adrift of local rival Chris Hart from Burnley, who has beaten him by a much bigger margin in the first two Red Rose fixtures.

Sadly Ellis was not joined in the race by his teammate Tom Lancashire who had to pull out with a thigh strain. For 17-year-old Nick Kay this was the biggest test since moving up to the Under 20 age group and 17th place was an excellent achievement. The race was incorporated into the senior event in which he finished 84th in a high-quality field of over 400.

After a summer season ruined by injury, and still not in full training, Kay made light work of the 10km and can only get better as the season goes on.