Barry Buddon Half Marathon & Teviotdale 10k

Colin headed to the Barry Buddon army camp by Monifieth, a few miles east of Dundee to take part in the East District Half Marathon championships. 

I had high hopes of a fast time as the course is described as 'This race offers an excellent chance of a good time, being a flat, traffic-free course, on good-quality tarmac.' I can't comment on the quality of the tarmac but it was certainly flat. I had high hopes of breaking 1.20 having recorded 1.21:20 in Liverpool back in March and training had been going well. I only managed to hold the 6.05 min mile pace for the first three miles and it soon dawned on me that it was never really on and slipped off the pace from then on. I don't have a reason for this but it wasn't helped by the fact it was a windy day and the course is exposed as it sticks out in to the Firth of Tay.
I managed to hold my own compared to those around and was running in a group of four into the last mile and managed to squeeze ahead of the them finishing in 1.22:18 in 15th place overall (out of 286 finishers). Results here I think I have been the first M40 from an East District club but the results are a bit confusing as the race itself only awarded a M50 prize and I left before the prize giving.

Darin Dougal was also in action today and took part in the Teviotdale 10k he was 6th overall in 37:53 and scooped the M40 prize. Results here

Juniors Race Well at Scottish Trials

The final race of the Scottish Junior Hill Running League took place at Aberfoyle on Sunday 30th August and there were excellent runs by the four Moorfoots taking part. The U17 and U20 races doubled as the Scottish trial races for the Junior Home International due to be held in Betws-y-Coed on the same day and course as the World Mountain Running Championships on 19th September,

After her excellent PB on the track over 1500m at the Scottish Championships last weekend Mairi Wallace put in another really strong performance to come 3rd in the U17 girls race behind two of Scotland's top cross-country runners Laura Stark and Emily Nicholson. Emily had finished 4th in the GB U20 trials for the World  Championships the previous weekend, just missing out on a place in the GB U20 team. Mairi finished in 20mins 46secs for the 3.8km up and down course which had 225m of climb. On top of her bronze medal in the Scottish Championships back in May, Mairi has put herself right in contention for a spot in the Scotland U17 team for the Home International. Fingers crossed she gets the nod from the selectors for one of the four slots in the team which would be a fantastic achievement in her first year in the age group and with a 4th quarter birthday too.

Lucas Cheskin also had a great run for 4th to give the selectors something to think about for the U20 men's team. Lucas finished in 33.48 for his two lap course over 7km/375m. Gala's Thomas Otton was second in 31.56 and looks assured of his place in the team, with former Gala team-mate Gavin Bryson, now running for Edinburgh, just ahead of Lucas in third. Jacob Adkin's selection for the GB U20 team for the Worlds just might open the door for Lucas to gain selection for the Scotland team. Again, fingers crossed for Lucas along with toes, knees, eyes and anything else you can think of!

In the U15 league races which were also run over the same 3.8km course as the U17 girls, Beth Hobbs showed a return to form with her fourth place in 21.41 and Ethan Elder was 6th in a hot and closely contested boys' race in 19.43. Beth and Ethan are both still in that age-group next year.

Unofficially it looks like the two boys Lucas and Ethan both finished second in their respective leagues (best three races over the series) and the girls Mairi and Beth both finished third. Well done all.

Moorfoots Senior Club Championships, Summer results and Winter events

The first Moorfoot Senior Summer Series Championship was just completed and awarded at the club BBQ last Sunday.

Lovely Shiny new cup kindly donated by Mike McGovern

In order to get a placing you needed to have completed 3 out of 6 of the races below:

Date	Event
07/06/2015	Portobello Beach Race 4 miles
14/06/2015	Lilliesleaf Offroad 10k
20/06/2015	Eildons Hill Race - 7.2km, 420m climb
12/07/2015	Kelso Road 10k
18/07/2015	St Ronans Games - Lee Pen Hill Race - 4.8km, 350m Climb
09/08/2015	Philiphaugh Hill Race - 11km, 400m

The overall series winner was a split between Darin Dougal and Colin Williams on equal points, with Alan Elder winning for V50s.The full results are found here. It was the first time it had been run and in fairness the dates were announced fairly late (by me!) so although there were a lot of members taking part in some of races the overall take up was low.

Therefore we are announcing the winter dates in much more time. Hopefully the races chosen are familiar to many Moorfoots. In order to get a series ranking you need to complete 4 of the following 6 races. The scoring will work so that the first  Moorfoot home will get 1 point, 2nd 2 points etc and the lowest score from three races will give a position. The intention is that there will be an overall 'scratch' prize for the fastest regardless of age and then age-group awards subject to there being multiple series racers.

Date	Race	Location	Distance (km)	Profile	Entry cost	Web
Sat, 10 October	Manor Water Hill Race	Croftlea, Kirkton Manor, near Peebles	16	700m climb	£5 EOD	http://www.carnethy.com/ri_manor.htm
Sun, 25 October	Jedburgh 10k or Half Marathon (either  to count)	TD8 6JQ	10 or 21.1	flat	£13.50 or £18.50 PRE ENTRY ONLY	http://www.jedburghrunningfestival.org.uk/
Sun, 1 November	Lauder XC	Lauder	c. 6	a bit hilly	£12 Series Cost PRE ENTRY ONLY	http://www.bordersxc.com/
Sun, 20 December (Date TBC)	Club Handicap (Scratch times to count)	TBC Inners / Peebles / Cadrona Forest	c. 8km	undulating	None	Moorfoot Blogger
Sun, 17 January TBC	Feel The Burns Hill Race	Selkirk Rugby Club	21.4	800m climb	TBC	https://www.facebook.com/SelkirkFundRunners
Sun, 14 February	Galashiels XC	Gala Swimming Pool	c. 6	a bit	£12 Series Cost PRE ENTRY ONLY	http://www.bordersxc.com/

Jacob's Trials Win Secures GB Selection for World Champs

The GB mountain running selection trials for the World Championships were held on Saturday on the Worlds course at Betws-y-Coed in the north of Wales and Jacob Adkin secured an excellent victory in the Junior Men's race to seal automatic selection. Racing over 8.3km with a total climb of 445m over the course of the two laps, Jacob finished in 35minutes 2 seconds.  The World Championships are four weeks away on Saturday 19 September. Well done Jacob. That is four from four GB selections in the last two years.

Scottish Track Gold for Michael

The first ever Scottish Championship track title for a Moorfoot Runner arrived on Saturday at the Scottish National Age-Group Championships at Grangemouth courtesy of Michael Girdler who stormed home in the U13 Boys’ 800m seeded final. Running sensibly, Michael slotted in on the heels of the leaders after 200m and followed the fast pace before moving out round the home turn and kicking away down the home straight to record a fantastic time of 2.12.56, more than two seconds clear of silver. Not only was that a four second personal best time but it was nearly a full second inside the previous Scottish Championship Record set back in 2005.

Not content with that, Michael then went through the rounds of the 200m, demonstrating his speed by taking silver in the final in 26.41, slightly outside his personal best, but it had been a hard day at the office!

Although there no more medals, there were some excellent other performances and a host of personal bests.

Ethan Elder punched well above his weight in a fast paced U13 Boys’ 1500m final. The line came a tad too soon for Ethan who came home a fast finishing fourth in a PB time of 4.47.40, less than a second off the bronze medal.

After two years of missing out on national finals by the narrowest of margins, this time round Ailsa Innes, running for Lasswade, qualified as the fastest loser in the U17 Women’s 800m in 2.23.77, only twelve hundredths off her PB. She too then punched well above her weight with a really strong run in the final to finish an excellent fifth.

Charlotte Morrison set an eleven second PB of 5.37.44 in finishing 7^th in the B final of the U13G 1500m.

On Sunday it was the turn of the U15 and U20 athletes and the PBs continued despite the strong wind into which they athletes had to battle in the home straight. Mairi Wallace turned in her best ever track performance in her U15 1500m heat, running superbly to move into clear third off the final bend and an automatic qualifying place, only to be outsprinted near the line by two fast-finishing rivals. But her time of 5.07.68 was a near four second PB and the fastest of the six non-automatic qualifiers for the final. With an eye on her main target, the Scottish Junior International hill running trials next weekend back on her favoured hilly terrain, she was a precautionary withdrawal from the final.

Craig Angus found the competition hot in his U15 1500m heat but was another to set a four second personal best of 5.13.40. You can’t ask for any more particularly on such a windy day. Euan Hood, running for Lasswade, was a few seconds outside his personal best when finishing 6th in a muddlingly paced heat and missed qualifying for the final by just over a second.

Niamh Shaw, another wearing the Lasswade colours, ran well to come within a second of her personal best in the U20 Women’s 1500m which went as a straight final. Niamh finished 6^th in 5.05.34.

Kobe Stevens, in his first year in the U20 age-group, ran strongly for a fastest loser spot in the 800m finishing in a time of 2.02.21 but didn’t have the legs to trouble the leaders in what was a relatively slow tactical final.

The Nebit Downfall

The Nebit (Downfall), possibly so named because it resembles a big nose sticking out of the earth, is one of a series of  three short steep downhill thrash races that take place late August to early September. The other two being Bishop Downhill in Fife and Caerketton Downhill at Hillend. It’s around 1400 feet of a climb to the start of this one – made less pleasant on Wednesday as the dreichness was plentiful with a good breeze thrown in. All are togged for the weather and jog around the cairn at the top to keep warm. We are given 15 second spaced count downs by Al Anthony.

My coat is off and in the bum bag with 30 seconds to go. I charge off and already my eyes are filled with rain. I manage to keep a good pace and soon pass a runner, then another and another. Coming down the zig-zag section I catch an Anster Haddie but am unable to reel her in until the long sweep left to right. I’m passed myself, and then the runner slides off the hill but recovers well. I follow his route over a small crag and am soon aware that my legs are no longer my own. The jelly is setting in. 

The route runs under an overhead pipe. Duck or decapitation! 100 meters to go and a set of stairs need to be negotiated. The legs just make it and it’s on to a rough path through the trees. The finish is in sight – last dash with what’s left in the legs. I manage to pass another runner (Julia Connor I think) over the line and breathe!

The results are calculated in the back of a VW camper as waiting runners a feasted on by hordes of voracious midges. The Gilmore brothers are 2 seconds apart - on 5.12 and 5.14. I manage 19^th in 6.56. 2 days on and the legs are still complaining!

Click for Results

Sub-2min 800m for Anton

I mentioned at the junior awards on Sunday that the most promising newcomer award winner Anton Kobus had come agonisingly close to breaking the 2 minute barrier for 800m several times and had a few opportunities left this season to achieve it. Well he has done it with a 1.59.48 run at the Livingston Open Graded last night which puts him top ten U17 in Scotland. It is also marginally ahead of Kobe Steven's 1.59.75 from earlier this summer. Not bad for his first season and for someone who is a mere 6 days off still being U17 next season.