It has been a successful season of racing for the Horwich fell contingent, with top results across the board again.

The final race of the Run The Moors GP was the Castle C’Alf - seven miles with 1,600 feet of ascent - last Sunday.

The most notable results were new course records in both the M40 and F40 categories for Dan Gilbert (1hr 5mins 7secs) and Lindsey Brindle (1:09:53), respectively, with Brindle finishing a mere 13 seconds shy of the overall female course record.

Both obviously won their age category, with Brindle first woman home and Gilbert just missing out on an overall podium - in fifth.

Adam Macdonald had a rude awakening to the ‘joys’ of racing across tussocks and through rivers and bogs, but proved a natural.

He came home in 12th place in a time of 1:08:41.

Aided by Alison Mort (1:23:21), Horwich also swept the team prize, which took the combined times of the first two males and first two females from each club.

On the same day, the Gin Pit 5 - the penultimate round of the Central Lancs Grand Prix - took place.

Held on trails round the disused colliery in Tyldesley, the course is generally hard-packed, fast and flat, bar a testing climb at the end of each of the two laps.

Colin Rigby squeezed into the top 10, finishing in eighth place with a time of 32:06.

Unbelievably, his time was only good enough for second V55.

Gary Porteous clocked a 30-second PB on the course as he continued his endeavour for a high overall V55 placing in the series.

His time of 36:23 was good enough for third in his age category on the day, behind his team-mate Rigby. Mary White was first FV70, clocking 45:32.

There was plenty to smile about in the North Yorkshire town of Giggleswick at the English Schools Fell Running Championships, as several Harriers posted good results.

Charlotte Wilkinson showed her mettle by finishing 17th in the Year 12/13 girls’ race (6km, 251m) despite being full of a cold.

Meanwhile, in the Year 10/11 boys’ race (5.5km, 247m), Mark Titmuss was 22nd and Harry Yates 29th.

Phil Marsden made a successful return to cross country in his first race for five years, finishing fifth in the V40 trial race on September 28.

Marsden earned selection for England at the home international cross country in Ireland in November.

It was parkrun’s 20th anniversary last weekend and there were some impressive runs to mark the occasion from Horwich Harriers members.

Stephanie McKee recorded a course PB and was first female finisher at Worden. McKee was pleasantly surprised after having a long lay-off with damage to the tendons in her ankle.

Another athlete on the comeback trail, Rob Jackson, returned to his favoured venue of Peel. He posted a time of 18:52 to finish 14th overall, first V55-59 and first in age grading at his 80th parkrun, which saw a venue record of 601 runners take part.