Senior/U20 event roundup 17 th April 2024

Despite the weather suggesting otherwise, spring is definitely here – our track and field athletes
have moved outside and our road runners are starting to gear up for the summer season! Since our
last report there has been a lot going on with our seniors and U20s, if we have missed anyone off
please let us know.

We start this week’s report at the Tom Scott 10 mile race at Strathclyde Park on Sunday the 31 st of
March – the second of our summer league events. 7 Harriers took on this race which is also the
Scottish 10 mile championship. First home in the blue and white was Sam Rice in 55:38, followed by
Ross Granger in 1:00:52 and then Mark Alexander (running this as part of his London Marathon
prep) in 1:04:30. Gary Martin was next home in 1:13:16 then Amy Mitchell in 1:32:05. Nothing
could split Nick Carter and Lauren Little, both crossing the line in 1:31:46 – well done to all who
raced.

The following weekend saw the first of the Ayrshire open graded events held at the Riverside in Ayr.
Conditions were tricky to say the least, with some throws cancelled and high jump moved indoors
due to the wind. However, our seniors and U20s were out in good numbers and recorded some
excellent early season results given the weather! Brooke Dunlop was first out for the club, throwing
26.97m in the javelin to finish 1 st U20 woman. In the 100m, Adam Todd ran a PB of 12:43 in his heat,
and Douglas Dickson had a fine outdoor season opener of 13.64 in his heat. In the high jump
indoors, Laura Mitchell overcame issues with the tight space to clear 1.42m. Back outside in
increasingly windy conditions, Jonathon Downey came out top in the first heat of the 1500m in
4:07.84 with Connor Scobie running 4:34.77 in the same race. In the next race, Jennifer Beattie
finished in 5:40.51. In the 400m, Ally Mitchell was first home in 52.28, with Matthew Monachello
behind him in 55.37 and Nathan Smith opening his seasonal account with a 57.00. Adam Todd was
2 nd in his heat in 58.65, and Hannah Burn finished the day for the team in fine style running 59.98 to
finish first senior lady. Great work in really unpleasant conditions from everyone!

A little further afield, Katrine Kelly was enjoying better weather in Paris for the marathon. Kat ran a
fantastic 3:07:58, finishing 10 th in her age category – huge congratulations!
On Tuesday the 9 th , our sole senior/U20 representative at the Linwood OG was Matthew Monachello
who ran a solid 2:01.50 in his 800m heat – great running Matthew.

The weekend just gone was a really busy one, with athletes competing at various venues. On
Saturday the 13 th , we had a team of seniors/U20s through at Grangemouth to participate in the
Scottish National Athletics League. Unfortunately the wind was conspiring against us again with the
added bonus of some very cold rain showers! But Kilmarnock Harriers are tough, and in the 800m
events, Jamie Phillips was fastest of all throughout the day with a fantastic 1:52.67. Matthew
Monachello consolidated his Linwood run with a 2:01.79, and Jennifer Beattie ran a 2:32.87. Izzy
Caufield rounded up our senior and U20 results in the 800 with a 2:42.96. In the 100m, Ally Mitchell
was 6 th in the first heat with a solid 11.29s and Isla Raeburn also earned some valuable points with a
13.57s over the distance. In the 1500m, Izzy Caufield ran her second event of the day with a 5:42.83
(PB). Connor Scobie ran in the men’s 1500 for a solid 4:29.22. In the 400m events, Hannah Burn was
the fastest lady all day and the only one to break that minute mark in 59.69. For the men, Ally
Mitchell posted a PB of 51.31 and Nathan Smith ran 55.24 – great running in some horrible
conditions yet again. We were also well represented in the field events, with Brooke Dunlop posting
a 5.13m jump in the long jump, a 26.87m throw in the javelin and a 1.40m jump in the high jump.
Fellow multi eventer Isla Raeburn threw 10.38m in the shot and cleared 1.45m in the high jump.

Logan Mitchell dominated the men’s shot with a 14.16m throw. As a result of all of these great
performances (alongside our U17 athletes) the team finished in 4 th place overall which is a great
result against some of the biggest clubs in Scotland. Special mention needs to go to the Senior
women who actually topped their category – well done ladies!

Sunday the 14 th we were back to Grangemouth, this time for the Round the Houses 10k. Sam Rice
was 1 st U20 in 33:29 and Colin Anderson also had a strong run (39:17) – well done guys! A bit further
afield, Andy Taylor completed the Manchester Marathon in 5:46:52. Further afield yet, David
Sherrington was at the Boston marathon on Monday and he completed the tricky course in a
fantastic PB of 2:42:47 – huge achievement David, well done!

Our summer league has now started with the first two events completed. Sam Rice tops the men’s
table and Amy Mitchell tops the ladies, with the next counting race next Wednesday at the Ayrshire
5k Champs held as part of the Ron’s Runners 5k – best of luck to all competing! We are still looking
for a few more athletes for CSSAL League on the 27 th at Crownpoint and will shortly be looking for
names for the next SNAL at Grangemouth on the 5 th of May – keep an eye on social media.

 

Summer 2024 tables