Senior Race Roundup 16th September 2022

It only seems minutes since I compiled the last race report, but the weekend just gone has been an
absolute bumper one with some fantastic results from our club that simply cannot wait to be
reported!

On Saturday the 10 th , Shaun Dunbar was the sole Harrier participating in the River Ayr Way Ultra.
Shaun has had some really good runs at some of the most challenging Ultras on offer in Scotland this
year, and his hard work was rewarded at the weekend with 3 rd overall and 1 st V40 at this local race –
well done Shaun.

Also on Saturday we had two senior/U20 teams representing at the Scottish Athletics National
Relays. With some of our junior athletes absolutely smashing it out the park, the pressure was on
for our seniors not to let the side down. The men’s 4×100 team duly delivered, with Josh Smith,
Lewis Tidy, Andrew Baird and Ally Mitchell delivering gold – I am told that this is the first time one of
our senior men’s teams has ever lifted this title so huge congratulations to the athletes and their
coaches. Not to be outdone, the ladies 3×800 team of Laura Haggarty, Hannah Burn and Laura
Jedrusiak brought home the silver medal – great running ladies!

Sunday the 11 th had blue and white vests popping up all around Scotland and the NE of England. The
Great North Run is considered one of the most prestigious and popular Half Marathon events in the
country, and 7 Harriers made the trip across the border to take their place on the start line. First
home was John Speirs in 1:17:59 in an amazing 209 th overall and I believe 8 th V45 runner – a huge
achievement in such a massive field of athletes, great running John! Josh Raeburn was next across
the line in 1:35:53, followed by Nick Carter in 1:44:55, Louise Baillie in 1:51:44, Lauren Little in
2:05:08, Thomas Samson in 2:15:44 and Brian Keachie in 2:41:17. Well done to everyone who took
part, hopefully you all had a great day taking in the big event atmosphere.

A little closer to home, we had two starters at the Stirling 10k. Scott Martin has been on the
comeback trail recently (and there are even rumours that he’s planning some XC running!) and he
had another solid run in 37:48. Mark Lyden crossed the line in 51:09, finishing off a busy summer
season where he has competed in ALL of the summer points championship events – well done Mark!
The last race to report on today may not have had the big race atmosphere of the GNR, but this
didn’t hinder our 3 Harriers who put their toe on the line at the Kilmacolm Half Marathon. First back
was David Sherrington who made his HM debut in a very impressive 1:20:11 for 10 th overall and 4 th
V40. Not far behind was Steven Robson (who is currently in the depths of marathon training) in
1:25:34 and 7 th senior man. Kirsty Mackay was our solo lady and she ran an excellent 1:46:52 for 3 rd
V40 lady – well done all.

Next on the agenda is the West District XC relays – you do need to be an SA member to take part in
this one so make sure you are up to date! For those who haven’t done them before, the relays are a
really good introduction to XC running and are a good sociable team day out for runners of all
standards – all we require is that you are willing! For those maybe not sure about competing at
District level yet, the following weekend (15 th October) will be the Ayrshire XC relays – you don’t
even need to be an SA member for that one so no excuses! Keep an eye out on club social media or
speak to your captains if you have any queries.