Monday 26 November 2012

Peebles BXC 2012/13 - Runner Information

Update 1-Dec 1630
 
Course marked out - icy in a few places, muddy in other places, but very runnable. Peebles had a light snow fall on Friday evening so crusty snow on top of frozen ground - hard frost forecast for Saturday night and then  a clear sunny day on Sunday - wrap up warm !!!
 
Please heed the parking advice below...see you on Sunday..... 

 
 
Details above of Moorfoot Runners hosted Peebles BXC leg on Sunday 2-December 2012.

A familiar course and the usual Peebles ingredients - plenty of mud, the 'heart-attack hill' at the 2.5 mile mark and plenty of cheery marshalls dotted around the course - looking forward to welcoming everyone to the race....

Car parking - please avoid a car park melt down and Sunday morning road rage incidents by considering parking in our plentiful town car parks and walking to the park - this may add 10 mins to your day but will help reduce everyone's stress levels and help the organisers focus on the race event - thanks you !

Juniors Contribute to Team Borders Success


The East District Cross-Country League moved on to Livingston on Saturday 24th for the second of three legs and there was a significant contribution from Moorfoot juniors in helping Team Borders again prove to be the leading force across the seven age-group races.

On a perfect if chilly day for cross-country running, the muddy underfoot conditions proved a tough test but one to which the Borders runners rose with vigour.  Leithenburn recruit Craig Angus showed good improvement to finish 7th and 3rd team counter in the U11 Boys race. Barring a non-return in the 3rd and final leg in January, Team Borders' incredible 93-point overall lead in the league is unassailable.

The U-11 Girls also took the team spoils with Beth Hobbs home 4th and 2nd counter and newcomer Molly Falconer, who ran steadily for 9th in only her second competitive cross-country race, giving a team total of 15 points and an 11-point winning margin. They too lead going into the 3rd leg, but their current 15 point cushion over Edinburgh will need some strong defending.

The young U-13 Boys team showed good improvement from leg 1. Euan Hood was 15th helping Team Borders to finish 3rd team on the day just ahead of Edinburgh.  With all of the team eligible again next year, they are doing well to lie 4th overall.  Selkirk based Zaynah Aziz produced an excellent individual win in the U-13 Girls race. Newcomer Fiona Grant had a tremendous first outing at this level to finish strongly for 11th with Mairi Wallace just behind in 13th – all 3 counters being Moorfoots and shaping up nicely for a medal challenge at the East District Champs in Cupar on 8 December when it’s back to club representation rather than Team Borders. The girls lie 2nd overall in the league with 61 points in what is a hotly contested age-group with Central leading on 52 points and Edinburgh close behind in 3rd on 64 points.

In the combined U-15 Girls/U-17 Women’s race it was heartening to see Sophie Collins show some signs of a return to being competitive at this level with her 21st place finish for Team Borders helping them to 3rd on the day behind two strong Edinburgh teams. Edinburgh A have an unassailable lead overall and the Team Borders girls will have to pull out all the stops in leg 3 if they are to make up the current 8-point deficit on Edinburgh B for the runners-up spot.

The strength of the Team Borders U15 Boys squad was demonstrated by their team win despite the absence of top performer Nathan Cox from Gala. Kobe Stevens showed good commitment to come home as first counter in 8th. But with Edinburgh’s team likely to be strengthened by the return of UK no.1 Josh Kerr for the 3rd leg, the 19-point overall cushion which Team Borders will enjoy going into that final race in January is by no means secure.

The U-17 Men’s squad is stronger still and they again dominated their team race with a trio of Moorfoot counters. Jacob Adkin ran a committed second lap of the 4 mile course to take 2nd place with Selkirk based training partners John McLean and Jack Stanners in 3rd and 5th, Jack perhaps suffering in the latter stages from setting the early pace. Their 63 point overall lead ahead of Edinburgh would appear to be at risk only from a non-return in the 3rd and final leg. With Lucas Cheskin backing them up in 18th, the boys look nailed on to medal at the East Champs at Cupar – but what colour this time after their team bronze last year in Aberdeen?

OTHER MOORFOOT RESULTS
U11 Boys:  28th Finlay Collins
U13 Girls:  34th Ailsa Innes
U15 Boys: 29th Ruairidh Britton; 32nd David Collins
U17/U15 Girls: 33rd Niamh Shaw (Moorfoot)

In the senior women’s race Scout Adkin, who had missed the previous week’s Scottish Students Championship with a minor calf strain, showed no signs of any hindrance to finish a commendable 10th overall and 1st U-20.

Sarah Hungary For Irish Success


Sarah McCormack took 3rd place in the Irish European Cross-Country trials just outside Dublin on Sunday and has been duly selected for what will be her biggest athletics test yet in the European Cross-Country Championships in Hungary on Sunday 9 December.


With defending European champion Fionulla Britton racing in France but guaranteed her place in the team, Sarah thought there were four more places up for grabs for the team of five in what promised to be a very competitive trial. However a further two of the top contenders for the team were absent from the start line and with only the first two in the trial guaranteed selection it was touch and go whether Sarah’s 3rd place finish would be enough to get the nod. In the end though, perhaps taking account of how competitive the team could be for a medal, the selectors announced a maximum team of six (5 to count) with Sarah’s name inked in for the trip to Budapest.

Countdown to Peebles BXC 2012 - Help Required

The Peebles leg of the Borders XC Series 2012/13 is on  Sunday 2-December in Haylodge Park.

As the host club, we have a number of duties to perform in the running of the race:
  • course marking
  • marshalling
  • start/finish time keeping
  • tidy up
We need about twelve volunteers on the day for a couple of hours, from approximately 1100 through ~1300

Please can you email me (Kenny Club Secretary) on kg.davidsonATbtinternet.com if you can spare a couple of hours to help out.

If you are planning to run in the race as a Moorfoot member, it would be appreciated if you can provide a substitute helper to assist on the day.

Regards....

Kenny

PS - wrap up warm - the Moorfoot BXC race usually heralds the first snow of the winter !!!

Saturday 24 November 2012

Feel The Burns Hill Run - new for 2013!!!

A new local hill race in January - sounds interesting.....
 
Sheila Cochran writes:
 
Saturday 19th January 2013 12 noon start
“Feel the Burns” is a 13.7 mile hill run not for the faint hearted!!!! Climbs will include Peat Law, Three Brethren, Brown Knowe and Foulshiel Hill.
It will take on a Burns Supper theme and a hot meal will await you at Selkirk Rugby Club.
Fancy it? I will get printable route to you all soon with entry form.
All profits will be in aid of Tweed Mountain Rescue who have supported our summer “Philiphaugh Hill Run”

Route map here...

Sunday 18 November 2012

Dunbar BXC 2012

Jacob Adkins leading the Moorfoot charge - photo Bob Marshall
A beautiful sunny November day (a chilly wind) and a massive field - both juniors (x95) and seniors (x224)  - descended on Dunbar's Whitesands course. The inevitable delays to the start due to long queues of new series entrants and some car parking challenges, but a big 'well done' to the two person registration team operating out of a small drivers side car window and the host club for keeping eveything under control...

The race - Hector Haimes (HBT) 24:51 finishing ahead of Carnethy's Mike Reid 25:10....but also some terrific performances from schoolboys John McLean of Selkirk (26:43 6th place), Moorfoot's very own Jacob Adkins (26:44 7th place) and Lucas Cheskin (29:10 37th)

Else where, more Moorfoots in action....Kenny (29:20 39th...), Russell Anderson (30:35 57th) back after a lengthy absense, Clive Adkins (32:59 110th), Brian Hood (36:31 160th), Mike Peasron (46.14 218th)

Onwards to Peebles in two weeks time (Sun 2-Dec) - if all the runners who have entered the series turn up it will be a bumper turn out - Moorfoot club members, we will need 'all hands' to help out.

Please see earlier blogger entry about making yourself available to help on the day - thanks....

Results here...



Saturday 17 November 2012

Tinto Hill Race 2012

Julia and I completed the Tinto Hill race last Saturday. Another large field of 260 runners. A bit of a mud bath going up the first section of track , conditions underfoot were much wetter than last year and times were down slightly. I made an effort to have a steadier than usual start which meant I felt marginally better on the final push to the summit cairn. I managed to keep Julia in my sights all the way up and nearly knocked her over in a slippery overtaking move coming down off the summit area. (I hope she has forgiven me!). We both finished with similar times to last year – 43:36 – 79th (myself) and 45:12 - 107th (Julia)
Apparently a few unregistered runners caused havoc with the reconciliation of numbers at the end! This is now a pre-entry only race.
Cheers
Eddie

Sunday 11 November 2012

Sarah 13th in IAAF Permit Race in Spain

Sarah McCormack finished an excellent 13th in the highest quality race of her career on Sunday at the Atapuerca Cross Country in Spain, the first of this winter's IAAF Series of International races. Up with the leaders early on, the injection of pace on lap 2 of 4 by World XC champion Linet Masai stretched the field  but Sarah kept on well and produced her usual fast finish to pick off 2 or 3 in the finishing straight, coming home in 26.41 for the 7.8km course. Her dip for the line wasn't quite enough to gain the verdict for 12th. Of her Irish team mates European XC champion Fionulla Britton was 4th in 25.48, Olympic marathon runner Ava Hutchinson was 9th in 26.28 and Kerry Harty was 19th in 27.23. Fingers crossed Sarah's performance and a good run in the Irish trials in 2 weeks time will gain her selection for the European XC Champs in Hungary on 8 December.

Saturday 10 November 2012

East District XC Champs

Info is now online on the SAL web calendar re the East District XC Champs at Cupar on Sat 8 December. Entries must be made by the club. If you have not already received an email from Gregor and you want to be entered please contact him on 01721 723370 with your DoB and SAL registration number no later than Wed 21st.

Thursday 8 November 2012

Lauder BXC 2012

A lone Moorfoot at this years Borders XC series in Lauder - Ian Munro....

Full results at link here....