YORK marathon star Darran Bilton has been picked to run for Great Britain in a special international challenge match.

The 39-year-old is one of the two senior men in the GB side to race against Canada at the Toronto Marathon on September 25.

Bilton was selected on the strength of his superb performance in the Standard Charter Bank Greatest Race event in Hong Kong in February when his 26th place finish in monsoon conditions saw Britain take fourth place overall and become Greatest Race European champions.

He was in London last month with the other three UK athletes who took part on the global four-series competition to receive a bronze medal from Dave Bedford of UK Athletics.

Only a few days after the Hong Kong marathon Bilton got an invitation from the Toronto race organisers to take part in their race as an individual. But since then the Canada v GB match has been set up and now Bilton will now go to Toronto as an official international representative.

Michael Green, of London, is the other GB man in a senior men's event. Bristol clubmates Amy Styles and Lucy Hassell are Britain's two senior women for the international.

Bilton recently helped his Leeds City club win a bronze medal at the National Stage Relays final at Sutton Park, Birmingham, the first time the club have won a medal in this event.

The York guest house owner ran the penultimate and longest leg of the race, his 26min 58sec for the eight kilometres lifting Leeds into third place, which their final runner maintained.

It was business as usual for Cameron Brooks (Knavesmire Harriers) as he got an easy win in the

second race of the York and District Road Running League at Tadcaster.

Going clear from the gun, Brooks won by almost two minutes in an

impressive time of 32 minutes 32 seconds given the hilly second half of the course.

Andy Hilton (York Acorn) was second with Neil Strange (Knavesmire) coming third.

A debut runner won the women's race with student Sarah Tunstall (Acorn) coming home in 39.33. She was well clear off veteran Fiona Strange(Knavesmire) in second with Helen Wilcock (Pocklington) taking third.

Acorn won both men's and women's team races.

York and District

Road Running League

(at Tadcaster)

Men: 1 C Brooks (Knavesmire) 32.32, 2 A Hilton (York Acorn) 34.19, 3 N Strange (Knavesmire) 34.37, 4 S Simpson (York Acorn) 34.56, 5 N Holden (Selby) 35.02, 6 P Goble (York Acorn) 35.13, 7 M Raynes (York Acorn) 35.27, 8 N Ramsden (Easingwold) 35.47, 9 N Lovett (Pickering) 35.49, 10 N Neesham (Selby) 36.02

M40: 1 N Strange (Knavesmire) 34.37, 2 N Holden (Selby) 35.02, 3 N Ramsden (Easingwold) 35.47

M50: 1 S Richardson (Pocklington) 36.14, 2 J Oliver (Knavesmire) 37.52, 3 W Allan (Tadcaster) 38.36

M60: 1 I Bithell (Knavesmire) 45.28, 2 M Fawcett (Knavesmire) 46.02, 3 D Hunter (Knavesmire) 47.37

Men's team: 1 York Acorn 46, 2 Knavesmire 110

Women: 1 S Tunstall (York Acorn) 39.33, 2 F Strange (Knavesmire) 40.51, 3 H Wilcock (Pocklington) 41.04, 4 J Derry (Tadcaster) 42.11, 5 C Douglas (York Acorn) 42.14, 6 J Ellerton (York Acorn) 42.48

W35:1 F Strange (Knavesmire) 40.51, 2 J Derry (Tadcaster) 42.11

W45:1 J Cordingley (Knavesmire) 44.59, 2 S Colquhoun (Tadcaster) 46.16

W55:1 M Metcalfe (Knavesmire) 49.38, 2 G Gill (Knavesmire) 59.24

Women's team: 1 York Acorn 19, 2 Knavesmire 34.

Updated: 10:34 Thursday, June 02, 2005