The Shaftsbury Barnet Harrier was content to sit in the pack as a group of nine went through the first mile in five minutes, three seconds.
After the steep climb up Wentbridge hill, the four-mile marker was reached in exactly 21 minutes with the Leeds City pairing of Chris Birchall and Adam Osborne forcing the pace.
By five miles, Bannister and Neil Renault from Long Eaton had gone to the front with Dave Norman from Altrincham tucked in behind them.
Another mile on and Bannister started to show his class as he pulled clear of the field. The eight-mile point was reached in 41-12 with Bannister 200 yards ahead of Birchall, Norman in third and last year's winner, Ian Fisher from Otley AC in fourth.
Bannister then cruised through the last five miles with mile splits of 4-55, 5-00, 4-57, 4-56 and 5-00, increasing his lead to just over a minute as he stormed under the finish gantry to take the victory in 66 minutes 24 seconds. He also won the Yorkshire half marathon championship event, which was staged within the race for the eighth consecutive year.
Birchall finished second in 67-25 with Norman third in 68-07. Fisher still managed to finish fourth in 68-30 despite nursing a hamstring problem in the latter stages. Renault was fifth in 68-46 with Nathaniel Williams from North Yorkshire Moors AC something of a surprise package in sixth place in 68-47. Darran Bilton from Leeds City illustrated what a quality race it was by finishing seventh in 68-51.
Birchall took the silver medal in the Yorkshire championship race with Fisher taking the bronze.
Adam Osborne, second in the race last year, was pushed back to eighth this time, but he made sure that Leeds City went home with the men's team award in the open race and also in the Yorkshire championships.
Simon Newton was the first finisher from Ackworth Road Runners and Athletics Club. Simon finished 23rd in 76-11.
The women's race was a much closer contest with Julie Briscoe from Wakefield Harriers just managing to hold off a strong challenge from Vicky Whitehead from Valley Striders. Briscoe crossed the line in 80-04 to record her first victory in the race and also the Yorkshire half marathon championships. Whitehead was just ten seconds adrift of the winner, but she did have the satisfaction of winning the silver medal in the championship race.
Mary Wilkinson from Bingley Harriers was third in the women's race in 83-21 despite needing medical attention at the end of the race. Her late entry into the race rendered her ineligible for the Yorkshire championships, so Kate Nelson from Knavesmire Harriers, fourth in 83-34, took the bronze medal.
Faye Banks from Ackworth Road Runners and AC had another outstanding run to finish fifth in 84-40. With tremendous support from Angela Hannon, who finished 11th in 89-48 and Christine McCarthy, who was 15th in 91-39, the Ackworth women's team took the winners' medals in the Yorkshire championships.
Holmfirth Harriers won the women's team race in the Wilkinson Ackworth half marathon open race.
The race was extremely successful with 666 finishers, just 34 short of the record from 2006. Louise Gilchrist from Valley Striders set a new British record for women over 75 when she crossed the line in 1-56-36.
The Ackworth 1.7 miles fun run had 141 finishers.
In the closest finish ever seen in the race, unattached runner Cameron McNeall just edged out Micah Lyons from Ackworth Road Runners and AC with both runners clocking nine minutes, eight seconds.
Michael Howell (unattached) finished third in 10-09 with Liam Holdsworth from the Ackworth club fourth in 10-20.
Kelsey Mansell, aged 12, from Ackworth Road Runners and AC, was the first female finisher in eighth position overall in 11-27. Lucy Callaghan from Wetherby Road Runners came second in 11-35 with Danielle Wilson from the Ackworth club third in 11-36.