Batley 10k Report by: Martin Cunnane
October 1999 - Batley
Wakefield Harriers' Penny Thackray put in a storming run in the Batley 10k road race.
She tore the women's field apart with a powerful front-running display that saw her beat most of the men home in the race, as well as defeating Spenborough's classy vet' Kath Drake by more than a five-minute margin to take the honours in the women's section of the event.
Thackray, who had set the second fastest time of the day in the recent Northern Road Relay
Championships at Liverpool, continued her purple patch of impressive form by setting a blistering pace from the off which soon saw her open up a sizeable gap over the chasing pack, headed by Drake and Thackray's Wakefield team-mate Sarah Beevers, a specialist 400m track runner.
With the bit between her teeth the result was never in doubt and Thackray had well over a kilometre lead by the finish, beating Drake by 5 mins 13 secs in a super 37 mins 12 secs - a splendid time given the conditions.
Beevers stayed on well to finish a highly commendable third in the women's, race and looks sure to come on in leaps and bounds over the coming months.
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