BURNDEN’S George Butler dominated the results this week with stand-out performances at the historic Rivington Pike Fell Race and the final event of the three-race Curley’s 5K series at Horwich.

Butler led home the 31 members who tackled the 700 feet of climb up to Rivington Pike, then the mad dash downhill, in the 125th running of the Pike race on Saturday.

He was 41st overall in 21mins 23secs, more than a minute clear of club chairman Rob Short who posted 22:29.

Three days earlier, Butler finished third in the third Curley’s 5K race to cement his position as the club’s top performer over the three races.

He was second senior male runner in a time of 19:28. It earned him second place in the aggregate series standings with a combined time of 58:04 – quick enough to earn the top prize in the M20 age category.

Paula Pilling was the first female member to finish the Rivington fell race, her time of 25:21 earning her second place in the F40 age group.

Anne Ferguson was third F55 in 27:09 and her and Pilling’s times, plus Sally Cottrill’s 34:10, earned the club the ladies' vets team prize and third place overall in the team standings.

Butler and Short’s times plus Paul Duke’s 22:58 and Mark Jackson’s 23:21 put the men fourth overall in the team standings.

Duke, Ed Ashton (23:37) and Laurence Keighley (24:42) combined to come fourth in the men’s vets team list.

Other results: Pete Hopley (25:23), Christophe Menand (25:37), Tony Wall (25:41), Ged Turner (26:09), Andy Duffy (26:23), Steven Bate (27:56), Mark Butler (28:01), Adrian Ashburn (29:46), Jeff Pendlebury (30:54), Trevor Fishwick (31:27), Sally Cottrill (34:10), Alec Cottrill (34:10), Maria Parkinson (35:38), Emma Walker (35:45), Fiona Ashton (35:53), Joanne Darby (36:09), Liz Hopley (36:24), Jackie Cairns (36:32), Louise Wall (38:30), Gemma Chapman (39:48), Rita Ledwards (40:55), Gillian McGowan (41:09), Dawn Evans (43:50).

The club had five runners in the top 20 finishers at the final Curley’s 5K race to add to Butler’s success.

Marcus Taylor was first V45 and seventh overall in 20:15, followed by Duke, ninth overall and third V40 in 20:43.

Ed Ashton claimed the first V50 prize with his 14th-place time of 21:19.

Paula Pilling was again first female finisher, 20th overall and the third woman to complete the race, claiming the second F40 category spot in 22:00.

Other age group victories went to Isaline Pollitt, first F50 in 23:28, and Phil Glassbrook, first V70 in 29:45.

Other notable age-group performances were delivered by Christophe Menand, who was second V45 in 22:26, Ged Turner, second V55 in 24:43 and Colm O’Brien, fourth V55 in 25:07.

Other results: Steven Bate (23:42), Vicki Hamer (24:19), Lawrence McDonald (26:09), Craig Philpot (26:17), Kris Worsley (26:41), Jenna Leeks (27:48), Jeff Pendlebury (28:29), Joanne Darby (30:59), Fiona Ashton (31:44), Linda Haines (33:45).

Over the series, Taylor was fourth with a total time of 1:00:17 which made him first V45.

Duke was second V40 across the three races and fifth overall with a combined time of 1:00:39.

Paula Pilling finished 12th overall, third fastest female runner and first F40 with 1:06:33 and Isaline Pollitt was first F50 for the series in a total of 1:12:10, which put her in 20th place overall.

Ged Turner’s total of 1:13:40 earned him first place in the V55 category and Ed Ashton was second V50 and eighth overall with a total of 1:03:37. Phil Glassbrook’s 1:29:20 total made him first V70.

Steven Bate’s 19th position overall and an aggregate time of 1:12:00 ensured there were seven members in the top 20.

Other series aggregate times: Vicki Hamer (1:13:52), Kris Worsley (1:18:24), Lawrence McDonald (1:18:50), Craig Philpot (1:22:55), Jenna Leeks (1:26:42), Jeff Pendlebury (1:26:53), Fiona Ashton (1:36:29).

In wet and windy conditions at Out Rawcliffe, north of Preston, Jackie Oakes and Julie Newton both put in strong runs to complete the Valiants Half Marathon in under two hours, Oakes breaking her personal best by some distance in 1:48:02 to take the F40 prize and Newton narrowly missing a PB with 1:57:25.

Sarah Sutcliffe recorded a PB at the Salford 10K on Good Friday with a time of 47:27 and Gayle Gerrard was not far behind her in 50:13.

Debra Hennessey headed off to Merseyside for the Hale Village 5-Mile race and crossed the line in 46:53.