Around one thousand spectators turned out on sunny Easter Monday to witness the 51st World Coal Carrying Championships, held in the English town of Gawthorpe in West Yorkshire.

Athletes of all shapes and sizes gathered outside the starting point at the Royal Oak pub to tackle the 1,100-metre up-hill course.

Even though the nearest coal mine closed some time ago, the opportunity to carry 50 kilograms of coal around Gawthorpe's streets proved irresistible for many.

Men aged over 40 took part in the men’s veterans race, followed by a women’s race and two men’s main races, with the best time being taken across the three men’s races. This new method of judging was introduced in 2013 due to the popularity of the event and was a great success.

Some of the men had clearly done more training than others, but all were enthusiastic about the challenge ahead.

It was Chris Birkin who set the early pace and was never likely to be caught. The strain began to show as Birkin rounded the final corner, and his nearest challenger was close behind as he fell onto the waiting hay bales in a victorious heap.

The women ran the same course as the men but carrying a considerably lighter 10-kilogram bag of coal.

Penny Ditchfield beat her 30 fellow competitors in a time of four minutes and 39 seconds to claim her maiden title and equal the current women's world record.

These are the rushes from the day.

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