Black Rock 5

12 Harriers made their way to the small town of Kinghorn in Fife on a Friday night in May to race the ‘Black Rock 5’. A welcome return of the race that first started in 1987 with 67 runners now attracts north of 1000 runners and is known for it community spirit as the locals line the streets to create the most amazing atmosphere.

The course is a 7km out and back, with the majority of it on Pettycur sands round the low tide exposed ‘Black rock’ and finishing 200m or so beyond the start line up a wee hill 😀. Ssshhhhh if you are in the know.

How did everyone get on?
First up, the girls:

Fiona Cushnaghan; first time doing the race and her aim was to get it complete after hearing about the conditions on the far side of the ‘Black Rock’. She wasn’t let down, with the water over her knees in some parts, but pulled through to finish in a solid 49:12. Before the race, Fiona & Craig were making their way to the start when Craig asked for directions. The steward looked at Fiona and responded “..for the kids race?” (Fiona’s words, they had a good laugh at this 😀)

Kirstin Arthur; also first time taking part found the out section super tough into the stiff Easterly wind but enjoyed the return journey + the wade in the Forth! Pushing hard on the hilly finish saw Kirstin finish strongly in 49:09, admitting if the finish was any further she may not have made it! I think most would agree on that 😀

Fiona Macfarlane; another first timer to the beach race enjoyed the terrain and also found it tough on the way out into the wind. The atmosphere, location and scenery had a positive effect on Fiona’s running, finishing in an impressive 35:59 and 21/165 in her category.

Emma Benstead; Emma has experience of the course with 2 previous finishes at the race also found the wind hard on the way out and had to tough out the second half with the waterlogged sand zapping energy as she returns to full fitness, finishing in 64:19. Emma loves the race setting and whole ‘Black Rock’ experience.

Lorna MacLean; another first timer and Lorna was looking to complete the course and soak up the atmosphere, as well as her first chance in ages to pull the vest on! No surprise Lorna also found the wind tough going and conditions underfoot tricky but finished well (and still smiling) in 57:35. Lorna loved the atmosphere of the race and being part of a big Harriers contingent.

Marianne McKay; last minute decision to compete due to the lurgy but pulled through in an impressive 39:00. When asked her thoughts about the event, she commented “it was fun” which makes us think she wasn’t trying hard enough 😉.

Angeline Austin; Ange’s fifth time taking part, toeing the line every year since 2016. One of her favourites to race and enjoys telling other harriers how good an event it is and to have a go! Working on getting back to race fitness, Ange finished strongly in 55:06 after being the last starter!

Next the boys;
Craig Canning; another first timer to the Kinghorn race and another who struggled in the wind on the way out, but picked up on the way back and finished strongly to post 35:14, a welcome return to racing for Craig. He loved the buzz generated when a whole town comes out to support the massive event, as well as the views up the Forth!

Stephen Reid; Stephen’s fourth time competing in this event and also found the wind tough but enjoyed the return leg to post a solid 35:18 comfortably in the top 1/3 in his category. Why does Stephen keep coming back? The unique course, always a good Harriers crowd and of course the beer at the end!

David Benstead; David’s second time competing also found the wind tough to deal with in the first half but after rounding the ‘Black Rock’ used the wind to pick up and return a solid 41:55. David thinks it’s an excellent race with a fantastic atmosphere.

Malcolm MacLean; Malcolm’s first time and was persuaded by the others who have ran multiple times to try out the unique race. Malcolm, returning from injury, was looking to get round comfortably and welcomed the support from the Kinghorn locals on the closing stretch on the streets and in their gardens cheering on, especially on the last hill section. Malcolm really happy with 38:15 and loved the whole community spirit and vibe of the race. Already looking forward to next year!

Stuart Austin: fifth time, running every race since 2016. Struggled with conditions, mainly underfoot, to get any rhythm but really happy to be back competing with a big Harriers group. Finished in 33:35 and top 1/4 age category so no real complaints. One of the most atmospheric and unique races in the calendar, and the beer, banana, water combo to look forward to at the end – what’s not to like!

An excellent event that is very well organised, sponsored by a brewery 😀, that raises lots of money for the local community and provides a unique atmosphere for runners and spectators. The prize giving is held after the race in The Harbour View bar, which has fantastic views over the Forth and onto Edinburgh with lots of category and team prizes, beer and BBQ. Entries normally open on a Friday night in April and typically sell out within an hour or two so if you would like to give it a go, get in early.

MOK run weekend 28^th and 29^th May

Some of our club members returned to Campbeltown for the popular Mull of Kintyre running weekend consisting of junior races on The Saturday and a 10k and Half marathon on the Sunday.

On Saturday it was Connie and Zak Dolan in the junior races, Connie had 1 lap of Kinloch green to do and Zak 2, both ran well and earned their bag of goodies at the end.

On Sunday it was the combined 10k and half marathon events, this event has a maximum 1000 entrants and usually sells out quickly when it goes on sale at the turn of the year.

Robert Dolan in the half with Jude Dolan and Liz Ness in the 10k set off on a sunny Sunday morning, Jude who was stepping up in distance being too old to defend his junior title from 2019 stayed with the leading pack until the split, the 10k heading back into town but the half heading up the A83 to continue the half, Robert found out at this point that he was lying in 4^th position which he held until the end. A very scenic tough course, usually windy taking in part of Machrihanish golf course and beach.

Jude stayed with the pack as long as he could heading into town and came home in 9^th place overall and 3^rd in his age category. Liz who has been doing this race for years completed another one and added to her handmade clay medal collection.

The goody bags, pastries, sandwiches and coffees are as popular as the race itself and its definitely one for your diary.

Juniors – Connie Dolan 1 lap 3:20, Zak Dolan 2 laps 4:57

10k – Jude Dolan 39:01, Liz Ness 60:59

Half marathon – Robert Dolan 1:28:23

Thanks to Robert Dolan and Stuart Austin for writing. Please get in touch f you want to submit a race report.

Glorious weather at Shewalton Water in Irvine welcomed Inverclyde trio Danny McLaughlin, Marian Monk and Campbell Cromar to this year’s Scottish National Aquathlon Championships. There were 75 athletes participating and all three athletes were defending their 2021 national titles. As always, Ayrodynamic Triathlon Club did an excellent job organising the event.

The water temperature on the day was 15C, 1C above minimum, so wetsuits were optional. When this was announced Campbell decided to ditch the wetsuit and trade off a slightly slower swim time for a faster transition. Danny and Marian, being the more experienced (and some would say more sensible) triathletes, opted for wetsuits.

Big chunky medals on show in the presentation area prior to the start was motivation enough for all competitors to give it their all. The aquathon was split into male and female waves, with the women set off first in the 750m swim.

With a few GB athlete’s in the race, the day’s proceedings got underway at a blistering pace. Marian came storming in with the leading group and had an impressively fast transition.

Marian proceeded to pass a few in the 5km run, finishing fastest overall V40, V45 and V50. For this she was justly awarded the V50 gold medal and Best Female vet’s cash prize. This got as far as Nardinis in Largs for ice creams all round!

With the ladies’ run underway, the men’s race was promptly called. Campbell, an experienced open water swimmer, started with the leaders and finished well up the field, despite not having the benefit of a wetsuit. Danny however, who has recently recovered from COVID-19, struggled to catch his breath and had to swim breaststroke for the first few minutes, allowing the main pack of swimmers to get away.

Campbell finished a minute behind his main rival in the swim. Thankfully with just running shoes to put on, he left the transition zone a few seconds ahead and proceeded to open up a further four minute gap on the run to win his age group comfortably.

Danny’s swim left him quite far down the field. He was unable to repeat his excellent performance of last year and unfortunately finished out of the medals.

Full results from the race can be found here

A video of the event can be viewed here

If you are interested in Aquathlons, consider joining :

https://greenockglenparkharriers.com/ and https://www.inverclydemasters.com/

The Babcock series of 10km races returned in May for the first time since 2019, with some members still having their pre Covid entries for the cancelled 2020 and 2021 series! Helensburgh 10km started the series on May 5th, with Dumbarton a week later. The series concluded in Glasgow Green on May 29th. Dumbarton also doubled up as the West District 10km championships for the year.

Helensburgh is traditionally a nice sunny spring night, but runners were greeted with damp conditions more ideal for fast running. The race took place the night before the Scottish 5km championships at Silverknowes, so the field was not quite as strong as previous years. 8 harriers were in attendance, with Oliver Reilly and Andrew Osborne battling it out for top honours. They ran each other close, with Andrew edging the win with a 35.18 PB, Oliver only 4 seconds behind. Sol Sweeney won the event in 30 minutes dead, and former Rio 2016 marathoner Sonia Samuels picked up first female in 34.30.

Back in the pack, Stephen Hanley edged out Mick McLoone for 3rd Harrier, as Mick was narrowly beaten to first v50 by 11 seconds. Alan Poole narrowly missed out on sub 40, but would be back next week at Dumbarton to set that right. Marianne McKay was first female harrier, with Charlotte McKay also running well. They were on hand to provide the biggest cheer of the night when Andrew, Oliver and Stephen managed to win 3rd team with their finishing positions of 13, 14 and 20 being enough to finish behind Shettleston and Bellahouston RR.

On to Dumbarton, and unseasonably cold and wet conditions greeted the runners for what is traditionally a fast night of 10k racing. The sheltered course tends to not be too exposed to the wind, and apart from a headwind near the last km, it was not a bad night for racing. This doubled as the West District 10km championships, and some of our club’s top guns were on show to try and pick up some prizes.

Neil Lafferty lead the way in 34.12 for 16th overall and v40 bronze, narrowly missing silver but just ahead of good runs from Inverclyde’s Jon Hammerman and David Tamburini. Their teammate John Bell took the overall win in 30.41, with Katie White taking the first place female.

Again, there were a pack of harriers helping each other round with Andrew Osborne breaking the 35 minute barrier for the first time, just ahead of Wes Pattison and Paul Monaghan, with Oliver Reilly not far behind with a new PB of 35.12. Paul was first v50 on the night.

Andy White (2nd v50) edged out Stephen Hanley in a tight battle, while Stevie Campbell, Mick Follan and Alan Poole (with a PB) were all under 40 minutes. No team prizes this week with the stronger field in attendance from all local clubs. Natalie Smith ran a great PB of 54.09, with Craig Melrose not far in front. Nathalie has been running well, and had her eyes set on Shettleston to keep it rolling.

Onto Shettleston to complete the set, and a new course was in store for runners around Glasgow Green. The narrow stretch from the back of the playing fields to the Shawfield bridge was under repair, and the Shawfield loop was removed. Instead, runners had two 5km loops of the green to contend with. Nice and flat, but some tight turns cast some doubt on how quick the course could be.

Best of the day again came from Andrew Osborne, who Edged out Oliver Reilly for top harrier, but no PBs this time. Stephen Hanley was 3rd back, nursing an injury and doing well to get round in 38 minutes. Those three were the only 3 to complete the series from the club, finishing in that order each time. John Stevenson returned to club racing with a solid sub 40. Nathalie Smith beat her PB from Dumbarton with a sub 53 minute run, just ahead of the returning Andy McLean and Nathalie’s training partner Eileen Stevenson.

The series was once again very well organised, and provided our runners with a great opportunity to get some quick times in ahead of a busy month of 10k racing. Next up is the Scottish Camps at Roon the Toon (Kilmarnock) on Sunday and the Renfrewshire Championships at Bellahouston Harriers’ Brian Goodwin the following Friday. The club is running a bus to this, so please get in touch if you are interested. The end of the month sees the Port Glasgow 10km, and entries are still open here:
https://www.entrycentral.com/event/119444
You could also volunteer for this, and please get in touch if you wish to do so.

Amidst the wider hill racing season, Greenock Glenpark Harriers held our annual club hill race on Saturday 8^th May. This was also a Scottish Junior trial hill race, with junior athletes and some seniors travelling from all over Scotland to take part. The race followed our traditional route from Woodstock Road on the route to Hillside Hill behind Cornalees with various age category turning points along the way.

The juniors turned at various points up the ascent in age groups U11, U13, U15, U17 with under 20s and seniors heading right to the top before turning back for home. The route always starts at the end of Woodstock Road and heads through the fields to the cut, where the runners cross the bridge and head into the trails on the way up to the summit. The course measures 2.5 miles up from the start to the summit, climbing a total of around 900ft in elevation.

There was some Harriers success in the junior races, with Aimee McEleney 2^nd in the U13s girls race, and earned a new trophy donated to the first GGH back down the hill. Summer Taggart was 1^st girl in the U15s race. Jude Dolan edged out Shaun Wiseman for 3^rd in the U20s race, with Ruby McGill taking the female title. It was a good turnout of juniors from across the country, with 28 competing across the age categories.

The gents race was billed as a battle of the Port, with Andy McCall’s regular title under threat from new challenger to the hilly crown Kyle Wilson. With Neil Lafferty back in the mix too, it was hyped up to be a close affair! On the way up, Kyle and Neil tried to open up a gap on Andy, knowing his strengths lie on the downhill, but with the gap close at the summit, it looked like Andy might be able to charge through. However, Kyle had other ideas and threw himself down the hill to hold off the challengers, which also included Kilmaenock Harriers’ U20 Jonathan Downey. Kyle stormed home for the overall win in 32.51, with Jonathan 2^nd and Andy 3^rd.

Neil Lafferty came home as 3^rd Harrier to add another 8 points to his senior championship haul, which looks like it could be enough to see him crowned this year’s champion. Two cracking runs followed Neil from Inverness Harriers’ Robin Burnett and Euan Rollo, hopefully the long journey was worth it for the spectacular setting on the hills of Greenock. Michael McLoone and Owen Atkinson rounded out the top 5 for Glenpark, both showing their strength on their preferred races.

Ruby McGill picked up another senior race victory with her great U20 run, tackling the full course and coming in ahead of Marian Monk and Fiona MacFarlane. Ruby has now won three senior races this season, but Marian’s 9 points secures another senior ladies championship victory. Ruby will be gunning for that crown in the years to come.

The trial run the week before the race encouraged a few more members to brave the tough course for the first time, with Charlotte McKay and June Anne McKnight going out of their comfort zone to take part. There were also great runs from Lynne Harrison and the returning Debbie McKenzie. William Taylor, Colin McKnight and Stephen Harrison also ran well in their harriers hill race debuts, benefitting from the reccy run or Alan’s famous hill sessions!

This race never happens without volunteers, from those leading the recci run and marking the course before the race, and those helping with registration, timekeeping and marshalling on the day. A big thank you to all of them. An even bigger thanks must go to our race sponsor, Cadence Cycles and GGH member William Laing for his support.

The Chisholm Mile is tomorrow night, so this is your last chance to get entries in. The race will start at 7.30pm on the Esplanade, and early forecasts suggest a westerly wind, so we will likely be starting at the Boat Club (western) end of the Esplanade.

Entry forms below:

Members –
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScL4zcsKaNe1yvhnmmHGRy-u_A_IJdMnEwPUcqxxL5aT9R-dw/viewform?usp=sf_link

Visitors – https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeQwPhkC2ZBoPchJZg8iUhFK1wy9E1VMBAg9wxwFxWLmS0esw/viewform?usp=sf_link

Entries for members and guests are still possible on the night. Registration will be open at the Clubhouse in Orangefield at 6.15pm to 6.45pm and then on the Esplanade itself afterwards. Guests will be charged £4 and if you could bring the correct change that would be ideal.

Glenpark Harrier Juniors returned from the West District Track and Field Championships with impressive performances for those involved.  Harris Morrison was a Hat trick Harrier winning his third District title in a row with a dominating display in the under 17 men 400m. After an aggressive start Harris had opened up a small gap over his competition before unleashing a change of gear which opened his winning gap as he strode confidently down the home straight to add the under 17 title for 400m adding to his under 13 and under 15 boys 800m titles.   

Simon Okiti confirmed his status as having the fastest feet creating a new lifetime best over 100m where an illegal wind put paid to his celebrations, undaunted with this Simon on his second run over the 100m sprint emulated a similar race plan to stop the clock in 11.11 seconds and a confirmed new best.  Weather conditions put paid to some decent sprinting for all concenred running into a very challenging head wind for the longer 200m sprint where Simon had a challenging race and was only squeezed into second by the narrowest of margins. 

In the under 15 boys 100m Ben Mullins in his first championship event put all his training to good effect as he successfully negotiated his heat making the final to challenge the fastest boys in the West. With a fine committed run  Ben implemented his plan to the letter to secure a 5th position in a fast 13 second run.

Jude Dolan and Ruby McGill were the Harrier representatives in the 800m.  Both having ran lifetime best recently confidently attacked the two lap event, Jude against the top male athletes on show gained additional race tactic experiences to finish just outside his best. Ruby benefiting from an increase in her speed base improved her best by 4 seconds.

The girls 1500m Summer Taggart  and Maria McCabe set lifetime best performances and enjoyed the experiences which will stand them in good stead for the summer competitions ahead.

The very popular GGH Chisholm Mile is the next competition in the busy summer calendar .

Thanks to Bobby Gavin for pictures.

Glenpark Harriers junior sprint duo Harris Morrison and Simon Okiti raised their own performance standards with lifetime best  runs at the Central and Southern League at Kilmarnock’s Ayrshire Athletic Arena recently. 

First on the track was Harris contesting the under 17 men 400m, after a new best created last week Harris was testing a new race strategy catching the athletes on his outside before reaching the back straight where he controlled the race before injecting speed on the home straight to cross the line victorious and his second lifetime best in two weeks stopping the clock at 51.80 seconds.  Shortly after this he lined up in the 100m to test his top end speed and was not disappointed creating another personal best time of 11.47seconds.

More accustomed to the 100m competition, Simon stepped up age group to challenge the fastest senior men on the day. A solid start saw Simon chasing his more experienced opponents however hitting top speed through the halfway mark Simon concentrated on his plan and held speed and form through the finish line where the photofinish awarded a second place finish in a new best of 11.17 seconds. 

Both athletes now join their endurance clubmates next weekend competing at the West District Championships.

On the exact day when Glenpark Harrier Willie Jukes would have turned 70, the club headed to Dunoon for our annual memorial race. Starting at Willie’s bench at West Bay, the harriers held a series of races for juniors and seniors. It was not the best weather conditions we’ve ever had for this race, but there was a great turnout from the club on the day.

The day started with the 200m junior race, with 2 heats of juniors competing over the sprint. Daniel Masalskis edged out Zak Dolan in the first heat in 35 seconds. In the second heat, Summer Taggart sped to victory in an impressive 26 seconds! Next up was the one mile junior race, where a good few dusted themselves down after the 200m race to go again. Summer Taggart impressed again as she edged to victory over Aimee McEleny in 6.41. The mile course was out and back, so runners had to judge the wind into their face on the return 800m. Ruari Trainer was in third position with 9 junior tackling the longer race.

The senior race was the traditional out and back 5 mile race, heading south from West Bay to Inellan before returning home. The southerly wind made it a real tactical affair, with a really strong headwind to contend with on the way out. This resulted in packs forming right away to try and share the workload among runners of similar ability. The first pack of 10 runners consisted of the strongest runners in the club just now, all working together to reach the turn. That’s when the real race begun, with Neil Lafferty and Stuart Greenway breaking from the pack. Neil just held off Stuart for the win, helped by a near 5 minute final mile! Wes Pattison pipped Kyle Wilson for 3rd place, while Andrew Osborne continued his fine form to take 5th. Neil’s win in 27.19 gives him a huge boost in the championship tables, and it will take a big effort from the chasing pack to stop it now.

Jude Dolan impressed as a junior in the senior race, holding with the fast pack of runners to the turn, and holding on for the return half to finish in 8th place overall. One of many acts of generosity on the day was the donation of a new trophy to mark Willie’s 70th birthday, one of Willie’s own trophies from his career. This was given to Jude for his first junior place in the senior race. One of many if his progress continues in this vein!

The second pack of runners included the wannabees who will be aiming to build themselves up to the same level as the top 10. At the turn, this pack split into a sprint for home too, with Stephen Hanley taking the lead and Chris Mooney, Daniel Doherty and Mick McLoone putting in the biggest challenge to catch. Stephen held on, and pipped one of the fast pack for 10th, with Chris just behind. Sean Marshall and Robert Dolan held with this pack to the turn as well, with Owen Atkinson not far behind.

The ladies race was won by Marian Monk who has 9 and a bit fingers on the ladies championship now after another strong run. Marian’s run was strong, even though she was isolated for the majority of the run. Lynne Harrison continues to impress in her early days as a harrier, grabbing second spot ahead of Lisa Boonsanong. Debbie McKenzie and Claire Monaghan rounded out the top 5, with Yvonne Prager, Lynsey McLaughlin and Jennifer Hanley running well just behind.

The handicap race at Dunoon is always a fun affair, with the crowd gathered in Sinbads after the race speculating on who might have nicked it. Many a minute is spent browsing Strava and trying some mental arithmetic to see who might have won the trophy! However, if the winner doesn’t do Strava, it makes it harder! That was the case when Callum Gorry was announced as the handicap winner, sneaking in just ahead of Lucas Bezian for his second handicap win! Callum had a great run, as did Lucas and William Taylor in third. It was poignant that one of Willie’s good friends in Graham McGrattan was 4th, and has been running great in the last few months. The handicap championship will culminate in August at the Bill Elder 10k, and is up in the air as usual. Graham and William move into a share of the lead, but closely followed by Eric Lindsay and Owen Atkinson.

The Jukes family were once again absolutely amazing on the day. To add to the usual hospitality, every runner received an engraved medal upon finishing which will be treasured by all of us. The post race feast in Sinbads was fantastic, and it was great to see so many of the family come out to cheer us on. We cannot thank them enough for their continued support, and we hope that seeing such a good turnout from the club helps them at this time of the year.

Big thanks to all our volunteers on the day, and to our race sponsor Travis Perkins with James Campbell helping out on the day too.

Results: Neil Lafferty 27.19, Stuart Greenway 27.24, Wesley Pattison 27.55, Kyle Wilson 27.56, Andrew Osborne 28.14, Paul Monaghan 28.34, Oliver Reilly 29.11, Jude Dolan 29.18, Kev Craig 29.25, Stephen Hanley 29.56, Chris Mooney 30.06, Daniel Doherty 30.11, Steven Campbell 30.20, Michael McLoone 30.24, Sean Marshall 30.38, Robert Dolan 30.44, Owen Atkinson 31.24, George McCallum 31.51, John Stevenson 32.30, Alan Poole 32.36, Richard Davidson 32.58, William Taylor 33.02, Graham McGrattan 33.05, Ross Morrison 33.18, Campbell Cromar 33.38, Stephen Harrison 33.43, Colin McKnight 33.48, Callum Gorry 34.10, Marian Monk 36.03, Stephen Reid 36.47, Danny McLaughlin 37.47, Lynne Harrison 38.53, Euan Morrison 39.13, Lucas Bezian 39.44, Lisa Boonsanong 40.12, Debbie McKenzie 40.15, Claire Monaghan 42.42, Yvonne Prager 44.10, Andy MacLean 44.24, Lynsey McLaughlin 44.32, Jennifer Hanley 46.20, Fiona Cushnaghan 46.58, Kenneth Scott 47.22, David Carruthers 48.06, Grace Campbell 48.52, Elizabeth Ness 48.52, June Anne McKnight 52.59, Charlotte McKay 54.22, Edward Devine 59.51