Yorkshire Marathon: Runners take part in inaugural race

Runners in the Yorkshire Marathon passed York Minster and other landmarks on the route through North and East Yorkshire

More than 6,000 runners have taken part in a new marathon in York organised by the family of Jane Tomlinson.

The Yorkshire Marathon was set up by Jane Tomlinson's Run For All, which the Leeds fundraiser's family launched after she died of cancer in 2007.

The marathon's 26.2 mile (42km) route passed several landmarks in York and went through villages in North Yorkshire and the East Riding.

Edwin Korir, from Kenya, won the men's race in two hours and 13 minutes.

The race was expected to raise more than £1.3m for charities, organisers said.

Mrs Tomlinson undertook a series of fundraising sporting challenges after being told her cancer was terminal in 2000.

'Spectacular scenery'

She had raised more than £1.5m by the time of her death.

Paralympic gold medallist Hannah Cockroft is taking part in the Yorkshire Marathon

Jane Tomlinson's Run For All already stages Leeds, York, Hull and Pennine-Lancashire 10k races and the Leeds half marathon.

An additional 600 places were made available for the inaugural Yorkshire Marathon after an initial 5,500 were snapped up within three days earlier this year by runners from all over the world.

The race started and finished at the University of York, with runners passing York's city walls, the famous Betty's tea rooms and York Minster.

Lynne Preston, the marathon's lead organiser, said it was "really special" for the city.

"In York we have a city with amazingly spectacular scenery, but one that is also extremely flat which should make for a really fast course," she said.

Double Paralympic gold medallist Hannah Cockroft, from Halifax, who took part in the event, said the marathon built on Yorkshire's showing in the 2012 Olympics.

She said: "Last summer proved that Yorkshire was the best county for sport in Britain and now that Yorkshire has its very own marathon, people can come and share in the legacy that was created."