Festive 10km Event Returns Following Previous Year’s Cancellation

The Percy Pud, a well-known festive 10km race, drew 3,103 participants upon its return after being called off in 2023 due to adverse weather. Held in Sheffield’s Loxley Valley on Sunday morning, the event saw Tommy Power secure victory in 30.02 minutes, while Fran Collet was the leading female finisher with a time of 34.49. The established course record stands at 28.59 minutes for a male runner and 31.48 for a female runner, a time achieved by Eilish McColgan, who subsequently participated in the Commonwealth Games. The 30th running of the race was previously cancelled last year due to significant snowfall. However, Richard Dunk, the race director for 24 years, stated that the organisers had done “all they could” to ensure the event proceeded this year. A distinctive tradition of the race involves participants receiving a Christmas pudding. Following a recent period of cold weather, Sunday’s forecast anticipated conditions of only light rain and a moderate breeze. The Percy Pud, which commenced in 1993 with 600 competitors, draws participants across all skill levels. For this year’s event, the organisers, Steel City Striders Running Club, also provided finishers with a fridge magnet and a beanie hat. All road closures and traffic diversions implemented for the race have since been lifted. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.