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Dashing Santas hit the road to set new record
Thousands of runners dressed as Father Christmas took part in Liverpool's annual Santa Dash yesterday – to set a new world record.
An estimated 5,000 Santa's pounded the streets in red suits, white beards and black boots to raise cash for local charities.
Last December 3,921 Santas took part on the 5km course, earning the stunt a place in Guinness World Records.
Yesterday's massive effort means the city has smashed its own world record – though a strong challenge is expected from a Santa dash in Las Vegas later this month.
More than 5,000 filled in application forms to enter the Dash, though a final headcount of sponsored runners, and the amount raised, will not be known for some weeks.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Santas took part in not one but two charity runs just miles apart yesterday.
It is the sixth year a Santa Run has been organised in Newtown, Powys, Mid Wales, but it was temporarily cancelled earlier this year when a charity 35 miles away in Oswestry, Shropshire, organised an event for the same day.
Both runs went ahead, however, attracting just under 2,000 competitors and raising tens of thousands of pounds for charity.
Organisers of the Newtown event – run by local community transport charity Newtown and District Dial A Ride – said numbers were down on previous years but they did not blame the rival event.
Tammy Sinden, one of the organisers, said: "We had between 700 and 800 runners and raised at least 10,000 for Dial A Ride. We are thrilled we decided to go ahead. Even though the event was on a much smaller scale it was still successful."
The four-and-a-half mile run was started by Montgomeryshire politicians Lembit Opik MP and Mick Bates, Welsh Assembly member.
Not too far away in Oswestry around 1,000 Santas took part in a two-and-a-half mile race in aid of the local Hope House charity, which has children's hospices in Conwy and Shropshire, raising at least 20,000.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 8 C to 21 C
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