Roses rivalry to fore as elite and stars join 10k road race

Those taking part in the 10k race from Sheffield city centre to Hillsborough and back declared their allegiance to either Yorkshire or Lancashire, with the winning county set to be calculated by totting up finishers’ times.

Jonathan Mellor, 25, was first over the finish line in Norfolk Street, completing the course in 29 minutes 24 seconds – almost a minute ahead of Olympic 5,000m runner Nick McCormick.

Following the race, Mr Mellor said: “It’s a big win for me.”

Meanwhile, Gemma Steel retained her title in the women’s race, finishing in 33 minutes 12 seconds.

She said: “It is really great to win again. I definitely want to return next year and I’ve been told if I score another victory, I can keep the trophy.”

Celebrities to pound the pavements of Penistone Road yesterday morning included various Emmerdale and Coronation Street cast members, as well as actor Dean Andrews, from Rotherham, best known for his role in Life on Mars.

But the race also saw thousands of personal achievements for fun runners, who were raising money for various charities.

Paul Eames was running for The Children’s Hospital in Sheffield, which he says saved his son Daniel’s life when he contracted four different viruses at just two months old.

Daniel is now a healthy four year old, and joined in the fundraising by running in the Mini Run event with his older brother Harry.

Their mother, Katherine, from Woodseats in Sheffield, said: “As a family, we try to do everything we can to give back to the hospital because without it, Daniel wouldn’t be here.”

To mark this year’s Olympics, a custom-made gold medal worth more than £250 was also given to the runner who finished in 2,012th place.