Linlithgow Athletic Club runners completed local parkruns at Plean, Falkirk, Perth and Edinburgh on Saturday. There were great times at Falkirk where Kenny Gray was 3rd Male and 1st VM40 in a superb 18:45, a new parkrun PB; Lynsey Hay was 3rd Female in 21:19; and Roddy Simpson was 2nd VM65 in 24:07. Graeme Wilkinson ran Plean in 23:24 and was 1st VM45. William Millar ran Perth in 20:03 (1st VM35, and another new PB). In Edinburgh, Lorna Simpson finished in 23:14, Jill Horsburgh in 24:48, Alex Wood in 26:10 and Bev Dodgson in 32:28. Farthest-flung Linlithgow athlete of the week was Neil Anderson who ran Jamaica Pond parkrun, in Boston, Massachusetts, in 21:33 (3rd VM55) and followed that with an unusually cold, wet and windy Boston Marathon which he finished in 3:40:41.
Round the Houses, Milan Marathon, Belvoir Half and Parkrun
The race of the week for Linlithgow Athletic Club runners was Sunday’s Round the Houses 10k in Grangemouth. Despite eighteen Linlithgow athletes running there, there was an excellent club participation on Saturday at parkruns across the UK.
Parkrun - Leicester, Kingston, Northwich, Falkirk, Perth, and Edinburgh
Richard Wood finished at Leicester Victoria in 19:24 (3rd VM45), Neil Anderson ran Kingston in 20:22 (1st VM55) and Michael Watts finished Northwich in 23:00.
There was a good turnout also at more local parkruns. At Falkirk Kenny Gray completed in an excellent 19:39 (4th overall, and 1st VM40), Ian Boxall in 22:46, and Alex Wood in 28:08. Jill Horsburgh finished at Livingston in 24:51 (1st VW55). William Millar ran Perth in 20:24 (1st VM35) and at Edinburgh Malcolm Hughes completed in 21:27, Scott Cumming in 23:35 and Bev Dodgson in 32:51.
Milan Marathon and Belvoir Half marathon
On Sunday, Richard Wood ran the Belvoir half-marathon in 1:27:12. At the same time three Linlithgow athletes ran the Milan Marathon. Katryna McLeod and Charlotte Moran both finished in 4:26:28 and Carolyn Walker in 4:38:37.
Round the Houses 10k
Closer to home on Sunday, at Grangemouth, Lucas Welsh, one of our promising juniors, finished 7th the 2k. In the senior race David Marshall was the first Linlithgow runner home, finishing in 35:58. David McNish ran 39:12, Steven Laurie 39:30, Michael O’Hara 41:14, Lynsey Hay 42:11, William Millar 42:24, Martin Maginnis 42:35, Paul Emery 44:04, Neil Barnes 44:09, Gary Welsh 46:36, Kenny Leamy 47:24, Lorna Simpson 48:05, Roddy Simpson 48:49, Rosemary Gallagher 51:28, Jennifer Newton 53:28, Alison Marshall 54:02, Laura Finlay 54:05, Beverley Dodgson 1:10:50.
Tom Scott 10 Mile race, Glasgow to Edinburgh Ultra and Parkrun
Tom Scott 10 mile race
There were great runs for two Linlithgow runners at the Tom Scott 10 mile race on Saturday in Strathclyde County Park. David Marshall was delighted to finish in under the hour with a splendid 59:41 while Roddy Simpson finished in 1:22:34.
Glasgow-Edinburgh Ultra
David Dalmau ran the Glasgow-Edinburgh and was sitting 11th overall when knee problems forced him to pull out but he is looking forward to running it next year.
Parkrun - Ganavan Sands, Plean, Leicester, Inverness, Perth, Edinburgh and Falkirk
Linlithgow athletes ran in seven parkruns across the country on Saturday. Graeme Wilkinson ran Plean parkrun, achieved a course PB in 22:42 (1st VM45). Jill Horsburgh did the beautifully scenic but very hilly Ganavan Sands parkrun near Oban, finishing 8th woman in 25:20 with the best age grade ranking of all runners on the day, 73.42%. Richard Wood completed Leicester Victoria in 19:18 (2nd VM45). Gary Welsh ran Inverness in 23:05. William Millar finished at Perth in 20:28 (1st M35). Scott Cumming finished at Plean in 26:57. At Edinburgh Malcom Hughes ran 22:11 and Bev Dodgson ran 32:19. Biggest Linlithgow turnout was at Falkirk where Martin Maginnis completed in 21:09 (1st VM35), Kenny Gray in 23:37, Lorna Simpson in 24:23 (1st VW40) and Jennifer Newton in 26:08.
Birnam Hill Race, Balloch-Clydebank Half and Parkrun
Parkrun - Great Conrad, Leicester, Greenock, Plean, Falkirk and Livingston
Linlithgow Athletic Club members ran parkruns on Saturday from Suffolk to Leicester to Greenock, as well as at local venues. At Great Conrad in Suffolk Graeme Wilkinson completed in 22:10. Richard Wood ran Leicester Victoria in 19:21 (2nd VM45). Roddy Simpson ran 23:02 (1st VM65) at Greenock. At Edinburgh Scott Cumming finished in 24:19 and Beverley Dogson in 33:13. On a gorgeous morning at Plean, Malcolm Hughes ran 23:46 (1st VM55) and Jill Horsburgh ran 26:33 (1st VW55). Neil Anderson tail walked the run, completing his 25th volunteer stint in 57:42. Kenny Gray finished Falkirk in 21:37. Victoria McCartney ran Livingston in 22:43 (1st VW35 and a new PB).
Birnam Hill Race
Lynsey Hay ran her first hill race on Saturday at Birnam, 6.6km with most of the race on steep paths, and finished 3rd lady.
And finally...
Three Linlithgow Ac runners ran the Balloch-Clydebank Half-Marathon on a superb, sunny Sunday morning. John Redding finished in 1:15:21 (PB), Ian Logan in 1:20:22 and Michal Sroka in 1:24:14.
Winter running, Scottish Schools XC, Loch Katrine and Parkrun
It was another freezing weekend but, despite a few cancellations, including the Alloa half marathon, some racing occurred and Linlithgow Athletic Club runners braved the elements.
Scottish Schools XC
Congratulations firstly to Andrew McGill running on Saturday in the Scottish Schools Cross-Country Championships at Hopetoun. Andrew was 5th in the Under-15 race (4k) in an excellent 13:52.
Loch Katrine Half Marathon
Bryan Grome ran a cold, snowy and windy Loch Katrine Half Marathon in 2:06:31 on Sunday.
Park run - Leicester, Falkirk, Edinburgh, Livingston
The Club had runners in four parkruns on Saturday. Richard Wood completed Leicester Victoria, in 19:37 (1st VW45). At Falkirk Malcom Hughes was 1st VM55 in 22:40 and Victoria McCartney was 2nd VW35 in 22:51, a new PB. William Millar finished Livingston in 21:06 (2nd VM35) and Jill Horsburgh finished in 25:12 (1st VW55). Four club runners ran Edinburgh in the coldest conditions anyone could remember. Scott Cumming ran 24:22; Frances Wood ran 24:35 (3rd VW55); Alex Wood ran 27:35; and Bev Dodgson ran 33:20.
Let’s hope spring arrives this week.
Foxlake Winter Series, Cambridge Boundary run, Gartmorn, Round the Grounds and Parkrun
Winter running
With the worst of the winter weather gradually coming to an end, Linlithgow Athletic Club members got back to running over the last week.
Paul Dudchenko and David Mason had a fairly epic winter training run in the Pentlands on Saturday, starting at Bonaly, up Harbour Hill, then Bell's Hill but after that they had a bit of a white out moment on Black Hill. These were extremely challenging conditions, with high winds, still very deep snow and no footprints to follow or walk in! They managed to clock up 2 hours 45minutes running time, a good days training banked. Usually this page reports, races and organised timed runs but, as an inspiring message to us all, this is well worthy of mention.
Foxlake Winter Series
On Saturday Hannah Danson ran the last of the Winter 5k series at Foxlake as part of the Foxtrail trail series. She was 6th lady, in a time of 27.46. The brutal weather conditions meant it was super hard, windy, cold, really muddy and slippy. It was a triumph simply not to fallen over!
Parkrun - Edinburgh, Livingston, Cambridge
Several of our athletes also managed a parkrun this Saturday, after the cancellation, on the previous week, of almost every parkrun in Scotland. William Millar ran Livingston in 21:25 (2nd VM35). Neil Anderson returned to his University town and ran his 100th parkrun, slithering around in the mud and hopping the puddles, at Cambridge, in 25:12. At Edinburgh, Malcom Hughes ran 22:19; Scott Cumming ran 24:39; and Bev Dodgson ran 34:08.
Cambridge Boundary Run
On Sunday Neil Anderson ran the Cambridge Boundary Run, the full marathon route around the outskirts of Cambridge, in 4:55. This delightfully low key event attracts around 800 runners for the full and half distance and the entry fee of less than £15 gets you plenty of sustenance at the aid stations and a very shiny medal at the end.
Gartmorn 6 mile trail race
Jill Horsburgh completed the Gartmorn 6 mile trail race on Sunday, a great low key trail race around the Gartmorn Dam near Alloa. The day was overcast and it was very muddy underfoot for about half the 6 mile distance. There was also a large patch of snow to be navigated. Overall it was more cross-country than trail-race. Given the conditions finishing in 84th place out of 197 runners in 50:05 was an excellent result. There was also a great spread afterwards
And lastly...
Lorna Simpson ran the Heriot Watt Round the Grounds 5k in 24:18 and was placed 36th and gave her new club vest its first outing.
National XC Championships, 3 Eildons, Seville Marathon and Parkruns
National XC Championships
The big events on Saturday were at bright, sunny but cold Callendar Park, Falkirk, where the Scottish National Cross-Country Championships drew a huge field of competitors. Linlithgow AC’s Andrew McGill was 13th in the Under-15s in an excellent 14:42, another great achievement by one of our Juniors. In the Senior Men’s race, John Redding finished in 37:56; David Marshall in 42:24; Kenny Gray in 44:05; Paul Dudchenko in 45:44; Michael O’Hara in 46:43; David Mason in 48:55; Colin Hutcheon in 50:25 and Darren Dick in 51:13. The men’s team finished 28th out of 38 teams competing. In the Senior Women’s race Jill Horsburgh completed in 56:50; Lorna Simpson in 58:06 and Jennifer Newton in 1:00:53. Well done to all our athletes.
Parkrun - Falkirk, Edinburgh, Livingston
With the National Cross-Country Championships in the afternoon, Saturday’s parkruns had only a smattering of Linlithgow runners. At Edinburgh Sam Marshall set a PB and was 3rd JM11-15 in 21:07. Great to see our Juniors running so well! Scott Cumming finished in 24:57. At Falkirk Roddy Simpson finished in 23:58 (1st VM65) and Bryan Grome in 27:30. There were course PBs at Livingston for both our runners: Lynsey Hay completed in 21:35 (2nd SW30) and Alex Wood in 26:22 (3rd VM65).
3 Eildons Hill Race
Malcolm Hughes and Martin Maginnis both ran the 3 Eildons 10 Mile Trail Race near Melrose on Sunday. Martin finished in 1:41:10 and Malcolm in 1:45:35, on a superbly scenic route, with 2,000 feet of climbing over the 3 hills, great views in the glorious crisp, sunshine and a great spread at the end.
Seville Marathon
At the same time, David Dalmau was running the Zurich Marathon in warm and sunny Seville and finished in 03:06:41, a new PB, shaving 7 minutes 8 seconds from his previous best time.
For all Club members, it’s worth noting our new twitter feed: @LinlithgowAC
Running in the snow
Who are managing to run in the snow? Let us know how you keep up your fitness in this weather.
Linlithgow Runners on Facebook.
The beast from the west (lothian)
Paul Dudchenko shows how to run in the recent siberian conditions.
David Dalmau at Seville
A huge well done to David Dalmau, getting a new marathon PB at Seville this morning: 3:06:50.
BOOM!
National XC - Results
Well done to all our runners at the National XC, today at Callendar Park, Falkirk.
Senior Female
Pos Time Name
217 56:50 Jill Horsburgh
228 58:06 Lorna Simpson
249 1:0053 Jennifer Newton
Senior Male
Pos Time Name
92 37:56 John Redding
249 42:24 David Marshall
337 44:05 Kenny Gray
390 45:44 Paul Dudchenko
417 46:43 Michael O'Hara
491 48:55 David Mason
518 50:25 Colin Hutcheon
537 52:13 Darren Dick
