MORE than 100 long distance runners had to be rescued last night after wintry weather closed in on them.

About 300 runners were attempting to run 55 miles from Helmsley to Guisborough across the North York Moors in the annual Hardmoors 55 race when the worsening weather prompted organisers to close the event.

The Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team was called in to find and rescue runners from the tops, including more than 30 suffering from hypothermia.

Carl Faulkner, Cleveland Team Leader, said: "The events last night show how important it is to be prepared when you head out into the hills or on the Moors; because each Hardmoors competitor was well equipped- with appropriate winter clothing and knew how to read a map and use a compass, they were able to keep moving until they reached a place of safety.

"Whilst the team helped move around 80 competitors last night their resilience and determination was outstanding, and they can all come back and compete next year... hopefully when the sun is shining".

Yorkshire Ambulance Service called in the team at 8pm and it worked with the event organisers to locate 100 competitors needing evacuation.

A team spokesman said: "Our two landrover ambulances were set to remote points on the route to help with competitors who were still running and a couple of team members in their personal 4x4 vehicles were then sent to Kildale to start moving some of the stranded runners.

"The distance was around five miles but took around 20 minutes due to appalling wintery conditions, at times the visibility was zero in the swirling snow and the covered road hard to make out. The ice under the snow on the road made road-holding entertaining to say the least.

"By 11pm or so the team, along with personnel from Yorkshire Ambulance and the race organisers had managed to get all their competitors back to Guisborough and, once we were sure that no-one was unaccounted for, we stood down around midnight.

"A long and difficult job that showed the team's flexibility in coping with all situations."