Hundreds brave rain to take part in 60th coal carrying race in Gawthorpe

• Video report by Arif Ahmed

Hundreds have turned out to mark the 60th year of the World Coal Carrying Championships.

Every year on Easter Monday, competitors carrying a sack of coal on their back run through Gawthorpe, a village near Wakefield.

Men carry sacks weighing 50kg and women carry 20kg across a distance of 1,012m before crossing the finish line on the village's Maypole Green.

Organiser, Duncan Smith said: "These events are the lifeblood of the community, they're the beating heart that brings people together on special days like this."

The race started out in 1963 after a joke between two friends at a pub in the village and has grown in popularity ever since.

The event consists of men's, women's and children's races and this year to mark the 60th anniversary, a Women’s Veteran’s race was introduced for female competitors over the age of 40.

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