U20/Senior Race Report 25th November 2024

Well winter is well and truly here, with recent conditions making training challenging at times
to say the least! However, it takes more than a bit of snow and ice to slow down our
athletes, and once again we have a load of great results to share this week (if we have
missed anyone please let us know!).

We start on the 9 th of December, where the AAA was the host venue for the Ayrshire XC
championships. We were definitely blessed with dry and fair conditions, and following
multiple successes from our young athletes our strong contingent of U20 and senior athletes
were keen to follow this up on the day. The men and women set off at the same time, and
spectators were treated to some great racing from both. In the men’s side of the race, a
leading pack of 4 athletes (with our own Jonathon Downey looking dangerous from the get
go) quickly broke away from the pack and it wasn’t until the last lap that it came down to two
athletes, but Jonathon stretched away in the closing stages to take the win for the second
year in a row with a 21 second margin. However all of the action was not restricted to the
front of the race, and it was excellent to see the depth of Kilmarnock men working together
to ensure that the team prize also came our way – counting scores were Matthew
Monachello (6 th ), Owen Walpole (7 th ), Tom Flood (9 th ), Graeme Quinn (10 th ) and Ross
McNaught (16 th ). There were also strong runs from Greig Glendinning (24 th ), Mark
Henderson (27 th ), Nick Carter (28 th ) and Gary Martin (29 th ). Meanwhile, the women’s race
was equally fascinating with Katrine Kelly having a great duel with Hannah Terrance of Ayr
Seaforth throughout the race. Kat made a great move coming back onto the playing fields
and stretched away to take the win by 9s on the day. Backing Kat up to take the ladies team
prize were Sasha I’Anson who also secured individual bronze with a fantastic run, and Eilidh
Ballantyne who was 6 th overall. Great runs were also had by Izzy Caufield (9 th ), Amanda
Bryden (12 th ) and Mhairi Ballantyne (13 th ). It would be interesting to know when the last time
was that Kilmarnock took both Ayrshire XC relays, both Ayrshire Champs titles AND both
Ayrshire champs teams in the same year – if anyone knows please share!

Also on the Saturday, we had a squad of Harriers preferring the road to the grass at the
Newton Road Races 10k in Cambuslang, and like our XC teams they did not disappoint!
Jordan Phillips made his 10k debut a great one, finishing 3 rd overall and 1 st U20 in 34:46.
Scott Masterton was next home in 6 th overall (35:26), followed by Ross Granger in 20 th
(37:14), and Mark Alexander in 40 th (39:42). Our sole lady on the day Sophie Granger was
89 th overall and 11 th senior lady in a shiny new PB of 43:53, and rounding up the results was
Mark Lyden in 207 th place (52:31) – great running all.

Sunday the 10 th saw the return of the ever popular Jimmy Irvine Bella 10k at Bellahouston
Park. Craig Ferguson finished 13 th overall in 34:55, and Mark Lyden rounded up a busy
racing weekend to finish 317 th in 53:11.

Saturday the 16th saw most of the team get a wee breather from the XC train, but for
masters athlete Kat Kelly this was a big one – the British and Irish Masters Cross Country
International which was held in Belfast this year. Kat was selected to represent Scotland
W45 team which is a fantastic accolade in itself, and on the day she had a fabulous run to
finish 5 th V45 overall and 1 st finisher for team Scotland – anchoring the team to a bronze
medal which was presented at a formal prize giving event in the evening, giving the team a
chance to dress up and let their hair down! Well done Kat, brilliant to have the club
represented at this level!

Also on the Saturday, Eilidh Ballantyne took on the super challenging Glentress Half
Marathon with a total ascent of 900m (!), completing in 2:37:51 and finishing 125 th overall
(33 rd lady and 16 th senior lady overall) – great running Eilidh!

Out on the roads, we had three Harriers head south to run the historic Brampton to Carlisle
10 mile race on Sunday the 17th. This is well known for being a very fast and competitive
race, and our athletes all made the most of this to deliver PBs on the day. First home was
Martin Brown who finished 19 th overall in 51:41, followed by John Speirs in 95 th overall (8 th
V45) in 57:55 and our sole lady Lorna Baird finished 157 th overall and 9 th female overall (8 th
senior) in 61:27 – absolutely outstanding running from all, well done!

Moving back to XC for the weekend just gone, Jonathon Downey was in Liverpool on
Saturday the 23 rd for the British Athletics Cross event. The conditions looked nothing short
of biblical, but Jonathon finished the U20 race against some of the top athletes in the country
in a fine 71 st place – only 15s covered the time between 50 th and 70 th which should give an
idea of the depth and quality in these races.

Managing to dodge the worst of the weather over the weekend, we had a squad of Harriers
at Glasgow Green taking part in the MoRun events. In the half marathon, Nick Carter was
first home in 39 th overall (5 th V40) in 1:33:29 which I believe to be a big PB – well done Nick!
Next back was Gary Martin in 50 th overall (1:37:00), Alistair Craig in 125 th (1:45:36) and sole
lady Lauren Carter finishing as 30 th lady overall and 21 st in her age category in 1:57:55 –
great running team! In the 5k race, Amanda Bryden was 2 nd lady overall and 1 st senior lady
in 17 th place running 22:32 – well done Amanda.

From a winter points perspective, Eilidh Ballantyne currently tops the senior ladies table with
41 points, with Kat Kelly in 2 nd with 34 and Laura Haggarty in 3 rd with 24. In the U20 ladies
table Izzy Caufield currently leads with 41 points, with Mhairi Ballantyne 2 nd with 36 and
Jennie Munro 3 rd with 14. In the men’s table Tom Flood takes the lead with 26 points, with
Jamie Nix in 2 nd with 25 points. Rounding up the top 3 is currently Nick Carter with 21. For
the U20 men Jonathon Downey leads with 34, Matthew Monachello is 2 nd with 23 and
Connor Scobie is 3 rd with 14. Lots still to play for with West Districts this weekend and then
the Christmas Handicap and Cyclists v Harriers being the next races to count!

You can see the full league tables here – Winter points 24.5 (1)