Thousands turn out for Sheffield’s Percy Pud 10km with puddings, pace and plenty of Christmas cheer
Thousands of runners descended on Loxley on Sunday morning for the annual Percy Pud 10km, one of South Yorkshire’s most popular festive race events.
Since its first running in 1993 when only 600 competitors took part, the Percy Pud has grown into one of the city’s best-loved sporting events.
The race sold out at 2,975 places again this year, and despite thick early-morning fog, crowds gathered well before the 9.30am start time.
Roads around the Damflask Reservoir quickly filled with runners zig-zagging through warm-ups, club vests flashing in the fog as teammates shouted greetings across the lane.
Families huddled at the roadside with homemade banners, ready to cheer their loved ones into the Christmas season.
Race director Richard Dunk, who has overseen the event for 25 years, said conditions were “perfect” for fast running.
When asked what inspired him to run the event, he explained:
“I used to run it myself, and when the previous organiser stepped down, I took it on.
“It’s a good race, traffic-free, scenic, and there’s always a great atmosphere.”
The men’s race was won by Mark Jones, who crossed the line in 31 minutes 06 seconds. He was followed by David Byrne in 31:41 and Taha Ghafari in 31:44.
The first woman home was 22-year-old Lucy Cardno, finishing in 33:59.
She was followed by Abbie Haworth, who crossed the line in 34:45, and Mansfield Harriers’ Hayley Gill, who finished in 35:49 (chip 35:47) and took the F50 category win.
Cardno, who runs for Hallamshire Harriers while studying at the University of Sheffield, said the support around the course was one of the main reasons she returned.
“It was brilliant,” she said.
“I did it last year and have been looking forward to it ever since. So many people come out to cheer, and everyone was shouting for the first lady, it felt amazing.”
She added that she hopes to secure a place again next year, despite the event selling out rapidly each season.
The route was dotted with festive costumes, including several Santas and a group of runners dressed as Christmas puddings.
A large Christmas tree costume worn by a member of the Sheffield Christmas Tree Company drew particular attention from spectators and became a crowd favourite.
The Percy Pud is known for its extensive prize list.
This year, the first male and female finishers received trophies, vouchers, a magnum of champagne and a large Matthew Walker Christmas pudding.
Prizes were also awarded to male and female runners finishing second to seventh, as well as to the top performers across all veteran age categories from 35 to over 75.
A £1,000 bonus is available for breaking the course records, which currently stand at 28:59 for men (Omar Ahmed, 2019) and 31:48 for women (Eilish McColgan, 2019).
Every runner completing the race receives a Christmas pudding - a tradition that has helped cement the event’s popularity.
Food and festive music awaited participants at the finish line.