Scottish Junior Hill Race Championships, Greenock, Sun 19th May 2019.

Pictures of race; thanks to Kenny Phillips : Kenny Phillips FaceBook Pics

Race Results: on following Links

2019 CORNALEES HILL RACE -1

2019 CORNALEES HILL RACE -1 

It was success for Glenpark Harriers Ben Campbell and Harry McGill at the Scottish Junior Hill running Championships, where the pair made home advantage count, at the event being held in Greenock for the very first time.

In the under 17 men’s 7km race , Harry’s tactic of starting cautiously on the climb was to pay off, as a flying descent pushed him into the lead to win from Lasswade’s Henriksen to take his first National title by 30 seconds.

In the under 15’s 4km race  East Lothian’s Angus Wright – Also a National cross country champion – was impressive as he went well clear of the chasing pack. That pack was led by Ben Campbell who made the most of his long stride to just keep clear to claim Silver. Alex Wiseman with a 2 minute improvement on last year finished in 9^th.

Ava Beaton was first of the 6 Harriers back off the hill, agonisingly just one place away from a medal but she along with Katie Johnson and Francesca McKay can take great confidence from the massive improvements in their times in the last 12months. A special mention to Sophie Campbell who continues to improve with every race.

In a high quality Under 20s race won by Garscube’s Jack Trainer, the Harriers Alan Mollins ran strongly to finish a creditable 7^th.

The Championship races were preceded by the under 13s who had a tough little 1200metre run from Woodstock road up to the “Cut” and back down. The field was mostly made up from runners from the two local clubs, and there were amazing performances from all of the youngsters taking part.

David Docherty was denied on the line as county rival Calan Chong from Giffnock just held him off by a stride, with Douglas Campbell a few seconds further behind.

Inverclyde’s Iris Paterson had a much more comfortable win, 20 seconds clear of Fife’s Freya Hedley, with Erin McEleny in 3^rd winning the battle of the Glenpark Girls.

The prestigious event attracted runners from all over the country from Stornaway, Gala in the Borders and Aberdeen.

Thanks to all the volunteers from Inverclyde Athletic Club and Greenock Glenpark Harriers for marshalling and timekeeping, and putting in all the preparation work required for hosting the  successful Championships.

Every year, Greenock Glenpark Harriers travel in numbers across the Clyde to Dunoon to pay tribute to one of our past members, Willie Jukes. The annual 5 mile road race takes place in his home town in his memory. This year there were 42 senior runners and 40 junior runners taking part. Great to see such a turnout and the Jukes family were very welcoming as always.

The race itself heads South from the West Bay promenade and runners are turned back for home at the half way point. A fast and flat route which is ideal for chasing good 5 mile times. The conditions were cool with a decent breeze to contend with on the way back (as always seems to be the case!)

The men’s race was very high quality, with the top four runners all finishing in under 27.30. The pack was solid through 6k before Shaun Lyon, unperturbed from his great 5k race the night before, broke away to take the victory. Shaun’s legs clearly had recovered in time as he posted the fasted time on the route since Stephen Trainer broke 26 minutes five years ago. The chasing pack battled for second with Steven Campbell breaking clear to take second, a real return to form for the former club champion going into the summer season. Paul Monaghan ran the 5k in Friday night, but he edged out Andy White for 3rd with both men just 1 week after excellent marathon efforts.

New member Wes Pattison was 5th in his club race with local junior runner Alan Mollins in 6th. Elsewhere in the men’s race there was a PB over 5 miles for Stephen Hanley, with Callum Gorry, Eddie Devine and another new member in Eric Lindsay. Eric has been doing the sessions since the turn of the year and has taken over 6 minutes off of his parkrun time since then! Superb stuff.

The ladies race was just as competitive as the mens. Donna Campbell lead from the start but Claire Monaghan paced it brilliantly to nip in from with little over half a kilometre to go to claim victory. Claire continues her brilliant running and puts herself right in the frame for the wide open ladies championship alongside Donna and Sandra Campbell who finished in 3rd on her return from injury. Elsewhere in the ladies race there were great runs from Sharon Black, Dannie Seddon and Debbie McKenzie. New members Elaine Medinelli and Angela Nelson swapped the hills for the flat in their first club race outing, both running well.

The handicap race saw Graeme Crawford claiming his second handicap victory in 18 months, this time having to wait until the maths had been done back in the pub! Dannie Seddon and Claire Monaghan shared second place in a dead heat. Overall, 37/42 runners finished with 3 minutes of their assigned predicted time, showing great consistency across the field. The handicap championship now has only one race to go, the Bill Elder 10k in August. Stephen Hanley picked up 4 points on Saturday to take a 3 point lead (complaints on a postcard!) The table below shows everyone who can catch him, so get training hard!

There’s not long to go until you can get your fill of another GGH club race, with this year’s hill race on Sunday 19th May. It would be great to see a big turnout of runners there to support the event and all our juniors who are running the Scottish trials at the same time. After that, it’s the lung bursting Chisholm Mile on Tuesday 29th May. 102 different GGH members have ran races this season which is superb, let’s see how high we can get that number to!

Results: Shaun Lyon 26:56, Stevie Campbell 27:11, Paul Monaghan 27:17, Andrew White 27:24, Allan Mollins 28:23, Wes Pattison 28:35, Daniel Doherty 29:24, Stephen Hanley 30:14, Neil Lafferty 31:05, Duncan Anderson 31:26, Chris Jones 32:02, Danny McLaughlin 33:47, Graham McGrattan 34:21, Ian McKee 34:28, Michael Dunn 34:33, Callum Gorry 35:19, Stephen Reid 35:31, Claire Monaghan 35:39, Donna Campbell 35:58, Gerry Gallacher 36.16, Matthew Young 36:39, Sandra Campbell 36:46, Marian Monk 37:34, Frank McMahon 37:35, Lorna Coyle 37:45, Rhys Jones 38:40, Eric Lindsay 38:48, Dannie Seddon 39:09, Terri Wall 39:21, Lisa Boonsanong 39:26, Sharon Black 39:39, Lucas Bezian 40:21, James Campbell 40:44, Graeme Crawford 40:46, Debbie McKenzie 41:13, Gerry Gillespie 41:21, Lynsey Mooney 42:09, Heather Lafferty 42:31, Kenny Scott 43:19 Angela Nelson 43:44, Elaine Medinelli 44:54, Simon Hutton 46:21, Eddie Devine 49:37

Bronze for Harry on Day 2 of West District T&F Championships, Kilmarnock 12/5/19

It was another successful day at the District Championship for the Harriers with useful experience gained for all the youngsters, which for many was their first taste of outdoor track competition and it was topped off with a Bronze medal. Again all the Glenpark athletes were competing in the same event distance, but this time it was the 1500m rather than yesterday’s 800m.

And what a difference 12 months makes; last year Harry McGill was pushed around in the final eventually dropping off the pack to finish 8^th. But with a year’s experience behind him his only thought was of going all out for the top spot. Even though being up against the Scottish Champion Jack Patton, he followed every move as the pace gradually wound up by each passing lap. But it was to take a surge by the champion with 350 metres to go that finally killed off Harry’s challenge.  Although he drifted back he fought on to hold for 3^rd place and a coveted bronze medal. In the same race was Shaun Wiseman, a little tired from his win at the Prestwick Aquathon on the Saturday, ran well just missing out on a sub 5 minute time.

The first runners away after an early morning rise were the under 15 girls Ruby McGill and Emma Aitken. In their final, the pair ran strongly to both go well under 6 minutes.

In the afternoon the races came thick and fast as the different age groups took to the track.

Next, showing little sign of nerves, were the youngest athletes, the under 13s Sophie McGinty, Maria McCabe and Douglas Campbell.  They more than met expectations with all producing quick times for the 3 and ¾ laps in the warm Ayrshire sun.

Ben Campbell tired in the middle part of his race, but his potential was there to see with a blistering final 200m to claim 8^th in the under 15s boys final. The same can be said for Abbie Tosh, cast adrift by the main pack, she ran steadily throughout and finished impressively down the home straight to dip under 6 minutes.

In the under20 and seniors competition Alan Mollins produced an outstanding final lap to pass three athletes to take 3^rd in the B final.  While Chloe Simpson ran a season’s best finishing 7^th in 5.01.

Results: U13s; 14^th Douglas Campbell; 5.34.37; 11^th Sophie McGinty 5.59.17; 14^th Maria McCabe 6.21.16

U15s: 7^th Ben Campbell 4.55.42; 10^th Ruby McGill 5.26.38; 13^th Emma Aitken 5.46.09

U17s: 3^rd Harry McGill 4.13.77; 12^th Shaun Wiseman 5.04.15 11^th Abbie Tosh 5.57.63

Sen/U20s: 3^rd Alan Mollins 4.20.12 (2sec PB) 7^th Chloe Simpson 5.01.30

Day 2 of Under 20&Seniors National Open, Grangemouth 12/5/19

The very good early season form continued from the Harriers sprinters Scott Hannaway, Scott McCluckie and Mark Magee, when they dropped down to the 200metres after yesterday’s exertion of 2 heats over 400metres.

It was encouraging that even after a tiring weekend the trio still managed to produce times just a fraction away from their personal bests.

Results:

H1-3rd Scott Hannaway 22.83

H2-5th Scott McCluckie 23.61/ A-Final 24.30

H3-7th Mark Magee 25.32 / C-Final 25.30

Gold for Harris on Day 1 of West District T&F Championships, Kilmarnock

Ten of the junior Harriers travelled down the coast to Kilmarnock for Day one of the West District Track & Field Championships. All were competing in the 800 metres; and for 6 it was their first time in a major track competition. Despite the lack of experience among the group, it was a day of outstanding performances with amazingly every single athlete recording a personal best for the two lap race.

In the morning session the under 15 girls’ heats got underway with Francesca McKay showing her potential as she kept herself in contention over the first 400m by reaching the bell in 77 seconds. Despite fading in the 2^nd lap it was a more than a satisfactory performance as she held on for 6^th place. In the following heat Katie Johnson having just moved up an age group looked strong but just missed out by a couple of seconds of advancing to the final.

The under 15 boys’ heats followed, with Harris Morrison and Jude Dolan drawn together.  Harris hit the front early on and comfortably ran clear of the field for the win. Jude’s aim was to hit a new best time but with the strong winds blowing this made it look unlikely; but a determined second lap saw him finish 6^th and slice a second off his previous quickest time.

In the afternoon session the under 13’s ran their heats as timed finals. Ava Beaton was seeded in the quickest heat but despite challenging throughout she just slipped off the leading three to miss out on a championship medal. A 12 second personal best on her first track race of the year gives plenty of promise for the rest of the summer.

In the final heat it was the Harriers youngest girls’ Erin McEleny, Summer Taggart, and Leah Knox who were all competing in their first West event. And what a contest it turned out to be as the 3 battled it out in their own personal Glenpark race. Summer had taken an early lead but was clawed back as the trio reached the bell together. But probably the biggest surprise was that it was Leah who then pushed ahead and broke clear with Summer then Erin following close behind.

David Docherty and Euan Johnson were in the slowest seeded third heat but the pair went out full of determination chasing down the leader from Giffnock. Into the home straight David went onto his rivals shoulder and kicked on and looked to have taken the win on the line, but astonishingly both were given the exact same time. Euan faded slightly but showed grit to hold on for 3^rd. David’s time was unfortunately just outside the medals but he should be delighted to finish with the 5^th quickest time in the district.

The last race – the U15 boys 800m final – provided the highlight of the Day. In a week where there were amazing fightbacks in the Champions league involving Liverpool & Spurs, this race more than matched those exploits.

Harris Morrison after earlier winning his heat, went into the final with the 4^th quickest time, with an outside chance of a medal. At half-way he was trailing in 6^th, but after going through in 66seconds it looked like a PB was going to be a considerable consolation. But then at the 600m mark he started to close the gaps and a bronze began to look a possibility. Harris then stormed around the final bend to move into 3rd. At 700 metres the leaders turned into the strong wind down the home straight and as everyone around him seemed to buckle, Harris flew into the lead for a stunning victory for his 2^nd successive 800m district gold.

A special thanks to coaches Duncan MacNeill, Kenny Morrison and Stevie McLoone for preparing the young athletes for their competition on the day.

Results:

U15 Girls: Katie Johnson 2.40.26; Francesca McKay 2.51.13;

U15 Boys: Harris Morrison: Heat 2.19.14; Final 2.13.16; Jude Dolan 2.29.58;

U13 Girls: Ava Beaton 2.35.67 , Leah Knox 3.00.32; Summer Taggart 3.03.76; Erin McEleny 3.05.55

U13 Boys: David Docherty 2.35.95; Euan Johnson 2.48.62.

Day 1 of Under 20/ Seniors National Open, Grangemouth

There was fine early season form by the quartet of Harriers competing in the National Open at Grangemouth. Drew McIntyre went in the 100 metres dash with Scott Hannaway, Mark Magee and Scott McCluckie taking on the 400metres.

Drew was impressive finishing 3^rd in both his heat and final in the 100 metres and now at last looks to be getting back in shape after injury.

In the quarter mile final, Scott Hannaway was the fastest under 20 (2^nd overall), overcoming Pitreavie’s Billy Doyle who had won the earlier heat. This result is encouraging for Scott, having just moved up from the under 17 age category.

The consistency in the times recorded in both heats and finals from all four demonstrates the good endurance of the group and a testament to the work they are putting in to training, as they look forward to the summer months and the National competition in August.

Results:

100m: Drew McIntyre 11.55 / 11.58

400m: Scott Hannaway 49.94 / 50.33; Scott McCluckie 53.15 / 53.00; Mark Magee 56.25 / 56.32

The young Glenpark Harriers were privileged to have International Hill runner Angela Mudge along to take a session on the hills above Greenock.  Angela passed on useful tips on ascending and descending, as the juniors prepare for the Cornalees hill race in Greenock on May 19 which is being used as the scottishathletics Junior Championship. It is also a selection race for the International Youth Cup, which will be held in Susa, Italy on 24th August 2019.

Colin Shields Junior Road Race 23^rd April 2019

It was another record breaking turnout for the Harriers, with 50 juniors competing over the under 11 one lap and over 11s two lap races through Greenock’s Murdieston Park.

There was a change in format to this years competition  with the Lawrence Mulaghton trophy going to the runner who was leading after the first lap, thus giving the under 11 athletes their chance of glory. And it was an opportunity that was grabbed by Douglas Campbell and Leo Beaton who both went out strongly to lead the field from the very start, while the older runners held off knowing they had another lap of the tough 1.1km route still to run. In the long steep climb up Murdieston Street Douglas pulled clear from Leo to convincingly win the trophy.

Not far behind them came Shaun Wiseman and Ben Campbell who were running side by side, and the pair would stay like that throughout the two laps, with only a stride separating them at the end of a final lung bursting sprint on the hill to the finish, but unlike the previous week’s race at Gourock the positions were reversed with Ben this time taking the win.

Erin McEleny’s good form continued with another top placing in the under 11 girls’ race, with Summer Taggart and Brooke Taylor in the runner up spots.

Over 2 laps Ava Beaton was the leading girl just ahead of Katie Johnson who looks to be getting back to her best, with a big improvement also shown by Emma Aitken for 3^rd place.

Thanks to all the volunteers who helped out on the night, and especially to Lauren, Christie and Rachel Mulaghton who came along to present the trophy which was gifted to the club in memory of their dad.

RESULTS

After 1 Lap 1100m race: Douglas Campbell 3.48, Leo Beaton 3.55, Shaun Wiseman 3.57, Ben Campbell 3.58, David Docherty 3.58, Ava Beaton 3.59, Katie Johnson 4.00, Euan Johnson 4.01, Cameron Crawford 4.07, Emma Aitken 4.08, Erin McEleny 4.09, Cameron Beck 4.13, Summer Taggart 4.15, Brooke Taylor 4.17, Abbie Tosh 4.21, Leah Knox 4.22, Francesca McKay 4.22, Ruari Trainer 4.23, Jack Singleton 4.23, Connor McCrorey 4.26, Sophie McGinty 4.27, Johnathon Lamont 4.29, Brodie Stone 4.31, Maria McCabe 4.34, Sophie Campbell 4.39, Lewis Scott 4.43, Ben Mullan 4.46, Olivia Trainer 4.53, Jacob McCabe 4.56, Beth Docherty 4.58, Aimee McEleny 5.08, Islay Newsome 5.09, Alex Wiseman 5.09, Matthew Ross 5.14, Grant Munro 5.19, Stella McCabe 5.21, Jack Campbell 5.24, Abbigael Crawford  5.29, Finlay McKeegan 5.34, Charlie Pierce 5.40, Orla Trainer 5.42, Finlay McCabe 5.47, Olly Cassidy 5.48, Samuel Cushnaghan 5.55, Cameron Hanley 6.13, Newton Robertson 6.27, Jamie Gallacher 6.28, Zac Gallacher 6.33, Alexander Marsh 7.28, Cole Scott 8.21.

After 2 Laps 2200m race: Ben Campbell 7.45, Shaun Wiseman 7.46, David Docherty 8.04, Ava Beaton 8.16, Euan Johnson 8.23, Katie Johnson 8.32, Emma Aitken 8.53, Sophie McGinty 9.07, Jack Singleton 9.11, Abbie Tosh 9.19, Maria McCabe 9.22, Brodie Stone 9.32, Francesca McKay 9.39, Sophie Campbell 9.53, Olivia Trainer 10.33, Alex Wiseman 10.44, Abbigael Crawford 11.32.

Welcome to this months bumper race reports! There’s been plenty of marathons for us to keep track of this month with some superb performances from Glenparkers on tour.

Manchester Marathon

Stuart Austin, George McCallum and Gordy Hepburn all headed to Manchester for the increasingly popular marathon. There were PBs all round for the trio as well, making it a very successful trip!  Gordy was first home for the team in 3.12, a superb 12 minute improvement on his PB. More to come though I think we’ll all agree. George set his new PB at 3.25 and Stuart had only ever ran a marathon previously, not raced it so his new PB is excellently set at 3.32.

Stuart gave his thoughts on a great day out for the lads:
“I was fairly pleased with my run which pretty much went to plan with fairly even splits. Learnt lots, mainly what not to do but those are typically better learning points. 1hr 6min PB for me as although I’ve ran the distance, not raced it! Great to be be able to share the experience with fellow harriers, I think that’s just reflective of the work hard/play hard Harrier ethic, even if George ended up drinking half pints (couldn’t hack the pace) as were thrown out the pub at closing time!”…Sounds like my sort of race, sign me up!

Results: Gordon Hepburn 3.12.24 George McCallum 3.25.31 Stuart Austin 3.32.05

Brighton Marathon

Newcomer to the club Oliver Reilly has really come on leaps and bounds in the last six months since structuring his training with our club sessions. His parkrun time have flown down to the mid 18s and sub 18 is only a matter of time this summer. Taking it to extremes though, he took on the Brighton marathon making his marathon debut for the club! After a typically rapid start Oliver held on for a superb 3.17!

Boston Marathon

Shaun Lyon set off for the USA to take on the famous Boston marathon. After an injury hit end to the 2018 season, Shaun has put in the miles over the winter and was getting back to his best shape in the weeks leading up to the race. Shaun shared his thoughts on how it went:

“Was going to do a Boston marathon training blog but with fear of not making the start line and looking foolish thought I would do a report instead. It was a real privilege to do such a prestigious race which unlike other marathons you have to qualify for in the first place. After fears of storms,heavy rain and headwinds; the weather actually wasn’t too bad, no rain, but a slight crosswind and quite high humidity. My plan was too run a 2.33 but not being a flat course I couldn’t just run even splits, with 5 mile downhill to start I allowed myself to run 5-10 secs above race pace (5:48-5:50 per mile). Unlike any other marathons I have done, this one is rather hilly and it really beats up your quads on the downhills. So I was starting too feel it in the legs from as early as the 4th mile. I hit the halfway stage in 1.16, about right but with hills to come I knew I would prob be 2 mins slower on the second half. I kept my breathing under control most of the way, then came heartbreak hill at mile 21 which slowed me right up dropping down to a 6.20 mile. However I dropped a 5.44 on the other side to get some time back, but the legs were gone after that and a 2.33 was looking out of reach. The saving grace for miles 23 to the finish was it was mostly downhill which meant a pb was still within reach. By mile 25 I was hurting so bad but had too keep pushing and came onto Boyleston Street and could see the clock and knew I had a minute to get there too break 2.35! So I turned myself inside out and made it with 9 secs to spare to finish in 2:34:51, a minute PB, 181st place and 5th British runner.“

Congrats to Shaun for a superb race and a great PB on a tough course. It will be good to see Shaun back with the club for the remainder of the season.

London Marathon

The annual pilgrimage to London for one of the world’s biggest marathons took place last weekend, with 7 harriers represented in the capital. The rest of us had to make do with sitting at home and trying to spot the sky blue vests on the telly. Sadly there were a few notable last withdrawals among the harriers that had to also make do with couch viewing. However, we are all hopeful that the likes of Chris Mooney and our ballot winner Paul Beaton will make it next year and smash it.

Speaking of smashing it, that’s exactly what Andy White had in mind. With a good spot just behind the elites, Andy set off to set a big PB and take on the challenge of the V50 British contenders. Andy set off a slightly quicker pace than intended but cling in there. The last couple of miles brought on a slight stitch, but a sub 2.39 was achieved. Andy was 5th V50, narrowly missing out on the medals. However it was still a great run, a new PB and a mark that can be challenged in Berlin later this year.

Robert Dolan travelled south on the back of social media posts threatening to give Mo Farah a battle. Perhaps this was a premonition of the media headlines days before the race, Mo is clearly up for a square go… Joking aside, Robert absolutely smashed his PB with a super run of 2.55, an excellent PB for the club President. Thankfully he came home with only a bloody nipple and not a bloody nose.

Michael McLoone dipped under the radar and under the hour three hour mark with an excellent run. John Stevenson found the latter half of the marathon tough going, but great family support and a saltire to drape round his shoulders got him over the line in 3.06 which is still a solid effort!

Sue Hewitson set some of the steadiest mile splits you are likely to see on her way to a fantastic 3.23. An absolutely brilliant run from Sue who has been running some great miles for a good time now, and is seeing the big benefits over the distance races! Sue was joined by Susan Clark who ran the race in 4.44.

Wenda and the Crawford gang traveled south to take in all the sights and sounds the marathon experience has to offer. Some illness on the day prevented Wenda from fully going for the race, but she still finished in just over 6 hours and with many stories to tell! Well done everyone. ballot is open for next year! Remember, you need a ballot entry rejection to stand a chance of getting the club entry.

Results: Andrew White 2.38.58, Robert Dolan 2.55.51, Michael McLoone 2.57.49, John Stevenson 3.05.54, Sue Hewitson 3.23.20, Susan Clark 4.44.53, Wenda Crawford 6.02.08

Stirling Marathon

This year’s Stirling marathon was on the same day as London, but it did count as the Scottish marathon championships. The route now take runners west from Stirling out towards Blair Drummond before looking back through Dunblane Bridge of Allan before finishing below castle back in Stirling.

Paul Monaghan went there to have a go at the overall and vets medals. Paul ran an amazing 2.40.18 over the tough undulating course. This made him 4th overall and 2nd vet, so he returned home with a nice shiney silver medal! It was a tough solo run for most of it with Paul well clear of the next runner, making the race a real test of character. Paul has typically worked tirelessly over the winter, putting in big miles and it’s great to see it pay off. Well done Paul.

Paul was not alone in Stirling with Lucas Bezian making his now annual trip to take on his 3rd marathon as a Harrier. Lucas solidified his improvements with a great 5 minute on finishing in 4.17! Well done Lucas.

Kaim Hill Race

The Kaim Hill Race in Fairlie is the first hill race of the season, and it is becoming increasingly popular with the Harriers faithful. This year, 15 Harriers made the short trip beyond Largs. There were some standout performances from the gang too, with veteran hill runner Andy McCall leading the way just ahead of fellow Portonian Daniel Doherty. Youngster Shaun Wiseman was next home with a great run, and Cheryl Thomas edged out Marianne McKay to be first lady. New trio Angela Nelson, Elaine Medinelli and Sandra Devine all took part, and have signed up for more of these races on the back of it. Great to see a new crop of enthusiastic ladies in the club. Elaine was not put off even having a quick dip in the stream (definitely looks like Simon pushed her…)

Results:

Andy, Danny and Mick also made it along to the Beinn Dubh hill race the following week, and it’s great to see a good turnout from the Harriers for the hill races which come thick and fast at this time of year. Don’t forget that our club hill race is earlier this year and coincides with the junior Scottish trial race on 19th May.

Highland Fling

Stuart Austin and Kevin Gill don’t think a marathon is enough pain to put yourself through, it’s much more fun to tackle twice the distance in one go! Throw in an elevation gain of almost 7,000 feet and you’ve got yourself a great Saturday’s entertainment.

Stuart tackled the Fling last year and did in fact really enjoy it. He went out this year on the back of his excellent Manchester marathon performance, but with a lot less of the big long runs in the legs. But experience is vital in these races, and Stuart battled through some particularly nasty weather to complete it 24 minutes quicker than last year! A superb 11 hours and 16 minutes seen him home in time for dinner! Well done Stuart!

Kevin has trained very hard through the winter, including a handicap race victory at the willow bowl in February. He and training partner Kevin O’Donogue have really put in the work. Kevin has been a regular in the last few years and this year he managed to smash his PB set back in 2015, and taking 3 hours off of his time from last year! And if that wasn’t enough, he completed the last 6 miles with a broken arm! Unbelievable scenes from Kevin.

Results: Stuart Austin 11.16.44, Kevin Gill 11.54.54

Arran 10k

Lorna Coyle ran the Arran 10k at the weekend. Lorna was 3rd lad and first v60! Taking home some really nice looking beer as a prize too. Again, sounds like my sort of race…! Well done Lorna.