It was the hungriest race in town.
And hundreds of people turned up to grab a piece of the action.
Almost 300 runners of all ages and abilities took part in the Great Yorkshire Pieathlon on Sunday.
And there was a real festive spirit as several Father Christmases and even a whole nativity scene braved the 6km cross-country course.
Setting off from Salendine Nook High School, participants tucked in mince pies and pork pies as they navigated some twisting and boggy terrain.
Wane Law, one of the organisers, said: “It well really well and people had a brilliant time.
“We had just under 300 people and it was very, very festive.
“We had Father Christmases and eight or nine people came as a complete nativity scene with a donkey, sheep and one person dressed as a star.
“They really bought into it. This group came from Castleford but we had people from all over the north of England.”
The race, through Longwood and Outlane, raised cash for local charities The Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust, One Good Turn and the Welcome Centre.
The route featured pie stations stocked with goods from Bolster Moor Farm Shop, Haigh’s Farm Shop in Mirfield and Huddersfield-based Pie-eck.
Organised by Team OA, usually known for their tough marathons, the race featured the ‘Bog of Doom’ which is a marshy stretch near Outlane Golf Course.
The recent rainfall was a concern ahead of the race but if anything this improved conditions for runners expecting more of a muddy route.
Wane added: “We expected it to be really wet but then the weather changed and it was superb.
“The Bog and Doom even in the height of summer is boggy and wet but there was so much water that the muddy sections had almost cleaned up!”
Organisers have two more fun events coming up in the shape of a Chocathlon in April and a Wineathlon in September where feed stations every two miles will be stocked with wine.
Wane said: “We organise some very difficult races but the idea of these is to put the fun back into running.
“We’ve had people finishing in under 40 minutes and people taking over an hour and 50 minutes to finish.
“One guy turned up and carried his son round in a rucksack.
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“It’s open to all and we’ve had all sorts of people of all abilities turning up and going round together, relaxed and happy.
“They had great fun grabbing the selection of mince pies and pork pies.
“People would grab a few at first but then try eating them while running and realised that they couldn’t manage it.
“When they got to the finish line they had only one pie and had taken just a small bite out of it!”.
