Last updated 19:51, Thursday, 04 September 2008

RUNNING wondergirl Laura Park has won her seventh mayor title of the season.

She took gold at the UK Schools Games where she was representing the North West region.

The games, at Bath and Bristol, are run like a mini Olympics with sports such as swimming, fencing, gymnastics, badminton and athletics.

The athletics were held at Bath University and Park competed in the 3000m against the best juniors from throughout Britain.

Park adopted her usual tactics of dictating the race and set a fast pace which meant that the bulk of the field were some 50 metres back by the end of the second lap.

There was only Beth Carter, representing the South East, that could live with her pace.

Carter kept on Park’s shoulder and it came down to a sprint finish with the Dearham 16-year-old winning by five metres in nine minutes, 39.22 seconds.

Her success comes two weeks after gaining selection to the England U20 team for the World Mountain Championships in Switzerland on September 14.

Park, of Ellenborough Athletics Club, won her place at trails in Snowdonia when she headed her race – a three-miler all uphill – by nearly three minutes.