More hot running: Linlithgow Athletic Club Weekly Roundup

LINLITHGOW ATHLETIC CLUB WEEKLY ROUNDUP

It’s been another week when Linlithgow Athletic Club runners were competing against the heat as well as their rival runners.  On Tuesday, Graeme Wilkinson ran Bridges of the Tyne 5 mile road race, along the Newcastle side of the Tyne and achieved a PB of 36:01.

Bryan Grome ran a very hot and humid Decathlon 5k at the Meadows, Edinburgh, on Saturday in 26:17.           

On the same day, Martin Maginnis travelled to the Forres Highland games, running the 10k race, a challenging route running up hill for the first 3 miles made tougher by the 22 degrees heat, in 48:06.

Linlithgow athletes also ran in five parkruns on Saturday.  Prior to running at the Elgin Highland Games, Martin Maginnis finished Elgin parkrun in 20:51 (4th overall and an all-parkrun PB).  David Main-Reade ran Fort William in 24:54 (1st VM45).  At Falkirk Alex Wood finished in 26:01 (3rd VM65) and Ian Boxall in 26:45.  Scott Cumming completed Edinburgh in 24:19 and Ali Malone finished in 21:57.  Neil Anderson tail-walked Ganavan Sands in 50:49.

Hard running in the heat: Linlithgow Athletic Club Weekly Roundup

LINLITHGOW ATHLETIC CLUB WEEKLY ROUNDUP

A blisteringly hot Scottish summer week saw Linlithgow Athletic Club runners battle the temperatures.

On Wednesday evening, David Mason ran in Tillicoultry in the Law Breaker hill race where the weather certainly took its toll.  The temperature was just above 27 degrees at the start of the race and there was no wind, not even at the top.  Although Law Breaker is a relatively short race of 5.4km race it has over 630m of ascent and descent.  After a very long, tough climb in the heat, David finished in 53:12.

On Thursday, Bryan Grome ran the third (12k) of the Chacefield Wood Trail series in Denny and finished in 1:11:34, 13th male among those who completed all three races. 

Alex Wood ran the Arran half-marathon on Sunday, again in blistering heat, and finished in 2:09:59.

Despite the high temperatures on Saturday, Linlithgow runners had some cracking parkruns.  Lynsey Hay ran Perth in an excellent 20:27, to finish 1st Female.  At Strathclyde Park, William Millar finished in 19:52 (1st VM35).  Graeme Wilkinson ran Victoria Park in Glasgow in 22:36.  David Main-Reade completed Livingston in 23:27 (a new PB).  Scott Cumming ran Edinburgh in 24:28.  The club’s biggest turn-out was at Falkirk where Kenny Gray finished in 19:26 (2nd VM40), Martin Maginnis in 21:03 (another new PB), Jill Horsburgh in 25:48 (3rd VW55), and Roddy Simpson in 27:47 (1st VM70).  Linlithgow’s one parkrunner to escape the unusual Scottish heat, was Jennifer Newton at New Farm in Brisbane, Australia, where it’s winter and where she finished in 24:27 (2nd VW50).

WEEKLY ROUNDUP

LINLITHGOW ATHLETIC CLUB WEEKLY ROUNDUP

The big local event of the week for Linlithgow runners was the Dechmont Law 10K trail race on Sunday.  A splendid summer day saw six Linlithgow Athletics Club runners competing.  Mairi Watts was 4th Lady in 45:47 and Lynsey Hay 5th in 46:00.  Scott Hyslop finished in 46:16, Darren Dick in 50:50, Jill Horsburgh in 55:46 and Alex Wood in 56.27.

Ian Logan completed the Pentland Hills 2018 Solstice Triathlon on Thursday evening.  Located in the Pentland Hills, the race involved a 750m swim on Threipmuir reservoir, followed by a 15km mountain bike and 5.5km trail run.

Graeme Wilkinson ran the Cholmondeley Castle Half Marathon on Sunday and finished 13th in 1:39:41.

Saturday’s parkruns also saw Linlithgow athletes run at a range of venues.  Richard Wood was 3rd overall at Leicester Victoria, finishing in 18:44.  William Millar ran Strathclyde Park in 19:31 (2nd VM35).  At Falkirk, Kenny Gray ran 19:29, Ian Boxall ran (1st VM50), Malcolm Hughes ran 22:32 (1st VM55), and Roddy Simpson ran 25:15 (1st VM70).  Excellent runs also at Falkirk by two of our juniors, Madeline Veitch who ran 27:56 (1st JW11-14 and a PB!) and James Veitch who ran 28:55.  Graeme Wilkinson completed Hartlepool in 21:26.  Scott Hyslop ran Lochore Meadows in 21:51.  At Edinburgh, Lorna Simpson finished in 21:53 (3rd VW40 and a new all-parkrun PB), Scott Cumming finished in 24:16 and David Main-Reade in 28:25.

Hard runs across the country: Linlithgow Athletic Club Weekly Roundup

LINLITHGOW ATHLETIC CLUB WEEKLY ROUNDUP

It has been a hectic fortnight of hard running for Linlithgow Athletic Club members.

Hannah Danson, Laura Finlay and Ian Logan were at the Keswick Mountain Festival on the 9th and 10th of June.  The festival takes place over 2 days with various sports including trail races, triathlons, a bike race and swimming races during the day and a music festival in the evening.  Ian competed in the sprint triathlon (400m swim, 18km bike and 5km run) on the Saturday and won the race overall in 58:14.  On the Sunday, Hannah, Laura and Ian all ran the 10k trail race.  The course is beautiful and interesting from the word go but very hard and hilly with some technical trails which meant that it was closer to 11k than the advertised 10k! The start is located halfway down Derwent Water with all competitors being transferred to the start by boat and running back to Keswick.  The course is a mixture of trails through amazing woodland, a little single track, hills and some road and fields to the finish.  The course starts on the shores of Derwent Water before climbing and following the flank of the famous Cat Bells Ridge.  Ian finished in 45:36 to come 2nd overall, Laura finished in 1:14:00 and Hannah in 1:24:06. 

There was also a good Linlithgow representation at Parkruns on the 9th.  At Falkirk Kenny Gray finished in 19:46 (2nd VM40), Ian Boxall in 21:26 (1st VM50), and Lorna Simpson in 22:39 (2nd VW40 and a Falkirk PB).  Graeme Wilkinson ran Plean in 22:09.  Scott Cumming ran Edinburgh in 23:11. Roddy Simpson completed Kirkwall in 23:21 (3rd VM70).  Jill Horsburgh ran Lochore Meadows in 24:58 (2nd VW55).  Neil Anderson finished Whinlatter Forrest in 30:40. 

Four on the Foreshore was a 4 mile mixed surface run along the scenic foreshore of Bo'ness on 13th June.  Lorna Simpson finished in 28:47 (1st woman and 10th overall) and Graeme Wilkinson finished in 16th place in 30:06.

There was a good Linlithgow contingent at a series of Parkruns on the 16th of June.  William Millar ran Strathclyde Park in 19:32 (2nd VM35).  Lorna Simpson completed Livingstone in 22:10 (1st VW40 and all-Parkrun PB).  At Falkirk, Paul Dudchenko finished in 21:04 (3rd VM50) and Alex Wood in 26:55.  At Edinburgh Scott Cumming ran 23:37 and Bev Dodgson ran 32:17. David Main-Reade ran Tollcross in Glasgow in 24:23.  Roddy Simpson ran Kirkwall in Orkney in 25:43 (2nd VM70).  Graeme Wilkinson tail-walked Plean in 43:56.

It was the 7 Hills of Edinburgh race on 17th June, almost 15.5 miles, 2200 feet ascent/ descent across Edinburgh in what might well be the best organised and most friendly race around!  Laura Finlay finished in 3 hours and 20 minutes.

Jill Horsburgh took part in the Tour of Tameside which comprises of 4 races over 4 days. The concept was first dreamed up by running legend Ron Hill in the early 80s.  After an absence of several years in the late 90s and early 2000s, it was revived in 2015 and has run annually since. This was Jill’s fourth year of participation. The races are a Thursday night trail race (10k), Hell on the Fell (6m) on the Friday evening, the Hero Half Marathon which follows the Trans Pennine Trail off road on the Saturday morning and a 7 mile road race, the Hyde 7 on the Sunday morning. Overall it is just over 32 miles running. 390 runners completed all 4 races with many more taking part in individual events.  Of the Full Tour finishers Jill was 200th overall, 31st of 125 female and 3rd in the FV55 category. Her cumulative time was 4:49:36  The Tour generates lots of support from local people and fantastic camaraderie amongst the full tour runners. Ron Hill was present at all the races saying a few words, although sadly he is no longer running. 

Roddy Simpson ran the Hoy Half Marathon on Sunday 17 June  in 1:54:15. It was a very hilly course but a fine day with great views over Scapa Flow.

Also on Sunday, Malcolm Hughes ran the Glasgow Mens' 10k today and finished in 45:21 (even though he was at least 30 seconds ahead of the 45 minute pacer !!) and was 12th MV55.

Bodmin to Blenheim Palace to Kirkwall: Linlithgow Athletic Club Weekly Roundup

LINLITHGOW ATHLETIC CLUB WEEKLY ROUNDUP

It was another bumper week for Linlithgow Athletic Club runners. 

Saturday saw Linlithgow athletes race at Blenheim Palace, Lochwinnoch and Killearn.  David Marshall won the Lochwinnoch open road race, a small 8.5K race on a hilly course on a humid day, on Saturday.  Well done, Coach Marshall.  David Main-Reade ran the triathlon at Blenheim on Saturday in 1 hour 39 minutes.  Bryan Grome ran the Killearn 10k, a beautiful event, on Saturday in 57:25, and was glad, in the baking heat, that it was a trail race with shady trees.

We also had runners at eight parkruns on Saturday.  As well as the more local runs, we had athletes at Bodmin, Leicester, Aviemore and Kirkwall.  Neil Anderson ran Lanhydrock, Bodmin, in 27:11.  Richard Wood was at Leicester Victoria where he finished in 20:49.  Jill Horsburgh completed Aviemore in 24:16 (3rd Woman and 1st VW55).  Laura Finlay ran Kirkwall in 26:35.  Closer to home, William Millar completed Livingston in 20:01 (1st VM35).  Graham Wilkinson ran Kirkcaldy in 21:49.  At Falkirk Ian Boxall finished in 21:54 (2nd VM50) and Martin Maginnis in 23:07 (2nd VM35).  Scott Hyslop completed Lochore Meadows in 21:57 (2nd VM50) and Shirley Hyslop in 30:19.  At Edinburgh, Thomas Gahagan ran 21:33, Scott Cumming ran 23:41, Louisa Cockburn ran 24:36 (3rd VW35), and Alex Wood ran 25:57.

After completing the Aviemore Parkrun, Jill Horsburgh also ran the DSUK (disability snowsport UK ) Race The Train event where runners run along the Speyside Way trying to beat the steam train (with a bit of a head start!), a challenging 7K, completed in just over 37 minutes, in the hot weather, but it was great fun especially hearing the train hooting as it approached. 

The Alloa half-marathon, cancelled earlier in the year, was run on Sunday with a full squad of Linlithgow AC runners.  David Marshall was our leading runner, finishing in 1:24:35.  Michael O’Hara completed his first half-marathon in 1:34:03.  There was new PB for Lynsey Hay in 1.36.12, just ahead of Paul Emery in 1:37:51.  Ali Malone also got a PB in 1:44:29. Darren Dick finished in 1:46:09 and Charlotte Moran in 1:48:18.  Lorna Simpson finished in 01:50:54 and got a new PB by over 20 minutes!  Roddy Simpson ran 1:55:14 and Alison Marshall 2:02:20.  Great running in hard, hot conditions!

John Redding skipped Alloa on Sunday to do his first ever triathlon, the Stirling sprint triathlon, a 750m swim, 22K bike-ride and a 5K run. He finished in 26th place in 1:16:12, really enjoyed the experience and now plans to compete in a few more triathlons.  

Club Championship Update

As we are now into June and the summer is on us, it’s time for a much needed update on this years’ club championship. We’ve had great performances, from a strangely dry national XC championship, to an unusually hot and humid Alloa half marathon. The later without the ubiquitous westerly headwind. We’ve also seen some road racing at Grangemouth 10k, trails at West Lothian College 5k and the infamous Dumyat hill race.

Leading us off in the scratch competition is David Marshall with a strong 396 points in 4 events, from Paul Dudchenko and relative newcomer Martin Maginnis in his first year with the club. The top 10 or so is close with only number of events completed separating competitors.

After a strong 2nd half of the year with the club in 2017, Lynsey Hay is forging ahead with maximum points in her 4 events so far. Looks like she will take some catching as she is running well. Jill Horsburgh and Lorna Simpson are close behind.

In the Handicap, Martin Maginnis has sprinted out of the blocks and seems to be getting faster week on week and is sitting pretty at the top with 400 points. David Marshall and Paul Dudchenko struggling to keep up despite both setting 10k and marathon PB’s respectively in the process

Lynsey Hay is not only showing her speed, but also her consistency and improvement as she sits top of the pile in the women’s handicap also. Charlotte Moran, having another good year and Jill Horsburgh are in tow.

Don’t forget there are still many chances available to get involved.  Lothian’s Dechmont 10k is next up on the Sunday 24th June (www.lothianrunningclub.co.uk). We have our own mile race which will be in august and then the Linlithgow 10k in October. Remember you can also run a marathon or half marathon of your choice before we head to the final show down in November at Falkirk Parkrun.

Happy running everyone…

WEEKLY ROUNDUP: A BUSY WEEK'S RUNNING FOR LINLITHGOW

Summer is here and Linlithgow Athletic Club runners have had a great week.

David Mason was at Strathyre on Wednesday to compete in the Ben Sheann hill race, a very short but steep race of 3.4km and around 400m of climbing though rough woodland and heather.  Fantastic conditions though meant he finished 3rd MV50 in 33:41 and 12th overall.  With weather like that it had to be followed by the traditional post-race swim in the river.

On the same evening Linlithgow AC had ten runners in the West Lothian College 5K.  Results have not yet been published.  The following are our runners and the given results are therefore self-timed: Paul Emery (20:31, a PB!), Lynsey Hay (20:59, 3rd Woman), Roddy Simpson, Jill Horsburgh, Graham Chambers, Kenny Gray, Alex Wood (26:30), Charlotte Moran, Ian Boxall, Scott Hyslop, and Mairi Watt.

Bryan Grome managed 2 races this week.  He took part in the second of the Chacefield Trail Series, a 9k run which he completed on a very warm night in 49:45 and, on Sunday, ran the EMF 5k in 25:52. 

We had a good turn-out at the Black Rock 5K in Kinghorn, Fife, on Friday evening.  David Marshall ran 28:19; Neil Anderson, 31:21; Martin Maginnis, 31:47; Paul Emery 32:22; Gary Welsh, 36:04; Charlotte Moran, 36:06; Karen Outram, 37:53; Jill Horsburgh, 38:17; Katryna McLeod, 39:26; Laura Finlay, 41:13; and Carolyn Walker in 41:25.  (All gun-times.)

On Saturday five of our Juniors were competing in Match 2 of the Forth Valley League.  Final times are not yet available but Andrew McGill ran in the 800m, Sam De Salis in the 1500m, Isla McFadden in the 600m, and Sophie Reid competed in the 100m and the Javelin and Miller Binnie in the 100m and the Shot Putt.  Ian Douglas officiated at four Javelin events throughout the day.

Lorna Simpson took her new parkrun 50 top to Edinburgh and got a new parkrun PB of 22:16 (making her 2nd VW40 and taking 15 seconds off her previous PB) while Scott Cumming ran 23:26.  Roddy Simpson celebrated his first parkrun as a 70-year old and finished Greenock in 23:29 (1st VM70).  At Leicester Victoria, Richard Wood completed in an excellent 18:55 (2nd VM45).  William Millar had a super run in Livingston, finishing in 19:49 (4th overall and 1st VM35).  At Springburn, Glasgow, Neil Anderson finished in 21:31 (2nd VM55).  At Falkirk, Paul Dudchenko ran 21:07 (1st VM50), Alex Wood 27:09 (3rd VM65) and Kenny Gray 27:19.  Jill Horsburgh finished at Troon in 24:59 (1st VW55).  Alison Marshall ran Hove in Sussex in 27:43 and David Main-Reade finished at Crichton, Dumfries, in 29:34.

There was quite a head wind going along the coast at the Edinburgh Marathon on Sunday where Linlithgow AC had three runners. Darren Dick completed it in 3:43:39.  Malcolm Hughes finished in 3:51:31 and Marta Sroka, running her first race as a member of Linlithgow AC, ran 3:55:45: welcome to the Club, Marta.  Junior runner, Lucas Welsh ran the 5K at the Edinburgh Marathon Festival and finished in a superb 21:31.

WEEKLY ROUNDUP: PARKRUN PBs AT FALKIRK AND SPRINGBURN

David Mason ran the Gypsy Glen Hill Race in glorious sunshine in Peebles on Wednesday.  It was an 8K race with 305m of climbing to the South of the town.  Despite the hard climb and the subsequent aching legs, David managed to finish in 40:43.

The weekend running was overwhelmingly at Parkruns.  At Leicester Victoria Richard Wood finished in 18:42 (2nd VM45).  Ian Logan and Hannah Danson were at Sheffield Graves, a very hilly and undulating two lap course, where Ian completed in 18:58 (5th over the all, 2nd VM35) and Hannah in 31:15.  William Millar ran Livingston in 19:54.  Thomas Gahagan set a new parkrun PB at Springburn, finishing 21:42.

At the new parkrun at Lochore Meadows in Fife,        Neil Anderson finished in 23:08; and David Main-Reade in 25:07. The course is on the trail around the loch, mostly flat with some very easy gradients.  It’s fine for buggies and a café, a big playground, picnic tables and a loch for swimming, all make this ideal for a family outing!

The Club’s biggest tournout, as usual, was at Falkirk where Kenny Gray ran 19:43 (2nd VM40), Ian Boxall 22:03 (3rd VM50), Ruaridh Duncan, one of our Juniors, ran 22:58 (3rd JM11-14 and a new PB), Roddy Simpson ran 24:15 (3rd VM65), and Alex Wood ran 26:23      .

WEEKLY ROUNDUP: SEVEN RUNNERS COMPLETE WET, MUDDY DUMYAT

Seven Linlithgow runners ran the Dumyat Hill Race (club championship race) on Wednesday in a very persistent, wet drizzle. It was a miserable night, very slippy underfoot and, as a result, there were several spectacular falls.  Despite the horrific conditions, David Mason finished in 45:15, Paul Dudchenko in 45:30,  Scott Hyslop in 48:23, Lynsey Hay in 48:26, Martin Maginnis in 50:13, Jill Horsburgh in 59:28 and Bryan Grome in 1:09:09.

At the East District Track and Field Championships at Grangemouth on Saturday, Andrew McGill ran a PB (2:13:09) in the Under-15 800m heats and followed that by coming 3rd in the final in 2:14:07, a great run by one of our promising young athletes.

There were also some excellent times at parkruns across Scotland on Saturday.  At Falkirk Richard Wood ran 19:15 (2nd VM45), Roddy Simpson ran 23:47 (3rd VM65), Lorna Simpson ran 25:24 (1st VW40) and, two of our juniors, James and Madeline Veitch ran 26:09 and 29:29 (1st JW11-14) respectively.  William Millar ran 20:05(1st VM35) and Michael Watts ran 21:09 (1stSM30) at Livingston.  At Plean, Graeme Wilkinson finished in 21:48 (2nd VM45) and Neil Anderson in 1:00:52 (tail-walker).  David Maine-Reade completed Ayr in 29:06.  At Edinburgh Jill Horsburgh was 3rd VW55 in 24:23, Alex Wood ran 26:11 and Bev Dodgson ran 32:43.

On Sunday Bev Dodgson and  Rosemary Gallagher ran the Cancer Research Race for Life 10k at Hopetoun House in trails, fields and paths through the grounds. There were no official times but both runners put in a great effort for a great cause.

WEEKLY ROUNDUP: PBs and Ultras

It was a weekend of long-distance running for several Linlithgow Athletic Club runners but prior to the ultra-sessions, the Scottish 5K championships were run on Friday evening at Cramond.

Ian Logan was the fastest Linlithgow runner, finishing in 17:53 and came 187th in a very fast race.  Lorna Simpson ran 22:33, a new 5K PB, and Laura Finlay also achieved a PB with 25:25. 

In the first of Saturday’s long-distance races, David Damau ran the Glen Lyon Ultra 31 mile, round the loch on the main trail before returning to the start area and heading up and over to the adjoining Glen.  David finished 32nd of 160 in 5:12:44.

David Mason ran the  Stuc a Chroin 5000 solo after Paul Dudchenko picked up an injury mid-week.  The race, 22K in length and climbing 5,000 feet, started in Strathyre with a gentle gradient through forestry woods then up to Creag Mhadaidh before a steep boggy descent into Glen Ample.  There was a very steep climb up the other side of Glen Ample to Beinn Each.  By then visibility was down to less than 10m so the run along the indistinct ridge was a bit sketchy.  The final climb to Stuc a Chroin was across a snow field followed by a scramble through rock gullies.  The return into Glen Ample was a longer but very runnable traverse however the (knee deep) boggy climb back up towards Strathyre had the legs screaming.  David finished in 3.18.42, 87th place and 11th MV50.  A fantastic race with an amazing atmosphere and lots of Jelly Babies

Malcolm Hughes competed in the Kintyre Way Ultra.  It was relatively short by ultra standards - "only" 36 miles, but also included 4,500 feet of ascent which made it ‘reasonably challenging’.  The weather was a bit misty going over the higher ground, but brightened as the runners approached the finish in Campbeltown.   Malcolm completed the race in 7 hours  48 minutes.

On Saturday Jill Horsburgh took part in the Kentmere Trail run from Staveley in the Lake Districta a 17k trail race with an almost 2000 feet ascent. With temperatures of 23-24 degrees, stunning views and two friends to chat to it wasn't a day to race, just a great day out to enjoy the hills and music and a cold beer afterwards!

There was also a full range of Linlithgow parkrunners, at six different venues, on Saturday.  In Edinburgh Graeme Wilkinson confirmed Edinburgh parkrun’s reputation as a PB potential course and ran 21: 10 (an all-parkrun PB for Graeme by 25 seconds) and Alison Marshall ran 25:30.  Richard Wood completed Leicester Victoria in 19:10 (3rd VM45).  William Millar finished Portobello in 20:08.  At Falkirk Neil Anderson ran 21:22 (1st VM55); Roddy Simpson 24:06 (3rd VM65); Alex Wood, 27:25; James Veitch, 29:27; Madeline Veitch, 29:41 (3rd JW11); Hannah Danson, 29:58; and Kenny Gray, 38:43.  (Special congratulations to James and Madeline Veitch, two of our Junior members!)  At Inverness, Lucas Welsh finished in 24:33 and Gary Welsh in 24:34.  David Main-Reade tail-walked Vogrie in 51:48.

WEEKLY ROUNDUP: LINLITHGOW AC WIN TEAM SILVER

It was a busy and highly successful week for Linlithgow Athletic Club members.

On Thursday evening Bryan Grome ran the Kinross 10K in 52:50.

Neil Anderson ran the equivalent of 17 parkruns on Saturday when he completed the Highland Fling ultra, the first 53 miles of the West Highland Way from Milngavie to Tyndrum.  It was a fine, sunny day and he finished in 10 hours 55 minutes.  Linlithgow Athletic Club was also represented among the volunteers by Bryan Grome, who was the medical support at the Inversnaid aid station.

Jill Horsburgh enjoyed another sunny Saturday at the Norman's Law hill race.  This 7k race, with an 835 feet ascent starts in the village of Luthrie in Fife.  After a very undulating, steep climb to the top of Norman's Law, where runners are rewarded with a view of the Forth of Tay, there are a couple of kilometres pleasant downhill before going back to the village hall for tea and cake.  Jill finished in 49:13.

There were excellent results for Linlithgow runners at Parkrun on Saturday morning.  After nearly 200 attempts, Kenny Gray was delighted to take first place in 18:51 at Falkirk parkrun, an especially gratifying result given that it occurred on the week after the draining London marathon.   Also at Falkirk, Gerry McArdle was an excellent  3rd overall and 1st VM45 in 19:24, a new PB.  Martin Magginnis finished in 21:28 (2nd VM35);  Roddy Simpson in 24:16 (2nd VM65); Jennifer Newton in 24:42 (2nd VW50); and Alex. Wood in 26:37.  At Livingston, William Millar finished in 20:39 (2nd VM35); Malcolm Hughes in 21:45 (3rd VM55); and Lorna Simpson in 22:31 (1st VW40 and an all-parkrun PB, 19 seconds faster than she’d run before ).  Richard Wood completed Leicester Victoria in 19:10 (2nd VM45).  David Main-Reade ran Montrose in 23:52 (2nd VM45).

At the 1485 Club’s Spring Duathalon, a 4K run, 24K cycle followed by a second 4K run, in Leicester on Sunday Richard Wood finished 15th, running the first 4K in 13:37, cycling the 24K in 50:33 and running the final 4K in 13:45.

Great though many of these results were, the star results of the week were at Stirling on Sunday.  In the Half Marathon, Martin Maginness ran 1:35:20 (a new PB); William Millar, 1:36:00; Laura Finlay, 2:03:12; and Bev Dodgson, 2:43:13.  In the Marathon, which was the Scottish Marathon Championships, John Redding, finished in 2:44:22 (overall 7th and a PB); Ian Logan in 2:54:36 (21st); Michal Sroka in 2:59:22 (44th);  Moore McCartney in 3:23:55; Paul Dudchenko in 3:28:56 (another PB); Bryan Couper in 3:50:38; Paul Ward in 3:54:34; Thomas Gahagan in 3:56:16; Scott Cumming in 4:12:17; and Darren Robertson in 4:45:39.  John Redding, Ian Logan and Michal Sroka, the first three Linlithgow runners home, subsequently comprised our team for the Team Medal, came 2nd overall, and won the Men’s Team Silver Medal, a truly great achievement for relatively small, community based club.  Everyone is hugely proud of all our runners and delighted to see Linlithgow in the team prize-list.

WEEKLY ROUNDUP

It’s been a busy week for Linlithgow Athletic Runners, with the London Marathon dominating but lots more happening closer to home.

Bryan Grome took part in the first event of the Chacefield Wood Trail series on Thursday night, a 6k run comprising two 3k loops in a wooded area between Denny and Bonnybridge, and finished in 34:25. The next two events in the series, in May (9K) and June (12K), are still open for entries.

Saturday saw Linlithgow runners at a wide range of Parkruns.  The biggest club turnout was at Falkirk where all our runners led their age-categories.  Neil Anderson finished in 21:24 (1st VM55); Malcolm Hughes in 22:20 (2nd VM55); Roddy Simpson in 24:11 (1st VM65); and Jennifer Newton in 25:30 (1st VW50).  There were local PBs for William Millar who ran Perth in 19:52, and Brian Couper who ran Livingston in 21:27.  Laura Finlay ran Edinburgh in 25:53 (another local PB) and Graham Chambers ran 29:46.  At Plean, Graeme Wilkinson was 1st VM45 in 24:00 and Alex Wood was 1st VM65 in 28:06.  Alison Marshall ran Highbury Fields in 26:15 and Kenny Gray ran Southwark in 27:59.  New member David Main-Reade completed Greenock in 22:53.

On Saturday also, Jill Horsburgh contested the Hunters Bog Trot in Edinburgh’s Queen’s Park. Climbing twice up the back of Salisbury Crags and once up the Radical Road, in a distance of just over 4 miles, some 110 runners competed for almost as many bottles of wine and beer, much to the bemusement of the many foreign tourists strolling in the park, and were rewarded by stunning views of the Royal Mile on each ascent.  Jill finished in 47:04, ahead of the oldest runner, an 85 year old Carnethy athlete, who finished to a round of applause mid-way through the lengthy prize giving.  It was a great afternoon's fun.

Lucas Welsh, one of our promising juniors, finished an excellent 17th in a field of around 130 Primary 6 runners in the Scottish Schools cross-country in Kirkcaldy on Saturday: a great run considering it was straight after playing football in the morning.

The big event was in London on Sunday where eight Linlithgow Athletic Club members ran the Marathon in the warmest conditions for many a year. David Marshall finished in3:04:38; Kenny Gray in 3:20:39; David Dalmau in 3:21:20; Steven Laurie in 3:23:24; Gerry McArdle in 3:40:47; Alison Malone in 3:57:10; Gail Hoy in 4:49:15; and Bev Dodgson in 6:54:27.  Well done to all our runners!

WEEKLY ROUNDUP

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.