THOUSANDS TURN OUT AS RUN FOR ALL DELIVERS LEEDS ABBEY DASH AS 2025 ENGLAND ATHLETICS 10K CHAMPIONSHIPS 

THOUSANDS TURN OUT AS RUN FOR ALL DELIVERS LEEDS ABBEY DASH AS 2025 ENGLAND ATHLETICS 10K CHAMPIONSHIPS 

Leeds city centre came alive this morning as more than 10,000 runners took to the streets for the 2025 Leeds Abbey Dash, marking the event’s first year under the stewardship of Jane Tomlinson’s Run For All.  

In a landmark edition for the much-loved race, the Dash proudly hosted the 2025 England Athletics 10K Championships, drawing a stellar field of elite athletes and wheelchair racers who delivered outstanding performances on the fast and flat course. 

The morning began with an elite wheelchair race starting at 9:00 and featuring a first-class line up. In the men’s, Callum Hall took first with a time of 00:25:11, Josh Hickinbottom second completing the course in 00:27:45 and in third, Ollie Porter with a time of 00:29:32.  

Spectators lining Wellington Street roared the athletes on as they set blistering paces down Kirkstall Road, passed the Abbey and back into the city centre.  

The elite women’s and men’s races followed at 09:25. James McMurray crossed the finish line first with an impressive time of 00:28:52. Followed by Joshua Grace, with a time of 00:28:56 took second place, while Ollie Lockley took third with 00:29:01 in the men’s race. 

In the women’s elite field, Melissa Courtney-Bryant took first with a time of 00:31:37, while Samantha Harrison followed in close second with 00:32:18 and Louise Small claimed third with a time of 00:33:32. 

Following the Championship races, thousands of runners, from club athletes to charity fundraisers and first timers flooded the start line for the mass participation 10K. Enthusiastic crowds created a buzzing atmosphere along the course, cheering participants of all abilities out and back toward the finish line back on Wellington Street.  

Many participants today were running for more than personal bests, fundraising for causes close to their hearts, including the event’s official partner charities: Age UK, Home Start Leeds, the Jane Tomlinson Appeal and Lighthouse Futures Trust.