Endurance Update

Spring’s warmer temperatures and increased daylight make training for endurance runners a much more pleasant experience compared with the cold and dark of winter and the club’s runners have been taking advantage of the improved conditions.  I’ve have listed below a selection of performances.

Marathons

Boston, Madrid and London all featured athletes from our club.

James Stewart, who ran 100k in 7 hours 25 mins at Perth on 24^th March, stepped down a distance running  2 hours 39 mins for 15^th place at the Madrid Rock ’n’ Roll marathon, on 27^th April. Gerry Craig crossed the Atlantic to run Boston on 15^th April in 3 hours 17 mins. In London on 28^th April, Rhian Dawes making her marathon debut ran 3 hours 5 mins and Alex Potter, a London regular ran 3 hours 13 mins. Amanda McFarlane and Grant McGregor from our road running group both ran 3 hours 48 mins

Half Marathons

Claire Thompson ran 1 hour 28:57 at Alloa on 31st March

10K Road

Sarah Potter was our fastest athlete running 35.59 at Dumbarton on 16^th May. Becky Dunphy ran a PB 38.14, Sandy Gardner dipped below 40 minutes for the first time running 39.33 with Alex Potter running 39.36 and Mark Ashby 42.03

The previous week at Helensburgh Donna Finlayson ran 45.04

10,000m Track

At Crownpoint on 19^th April Sarah Potter ran a PB 35.47 in the BMC organised race.

5K Road

The Scottish 5k Championship took place at Cramond, Edinburgh on 3^rd May. Max Milarvie ran 14.54 for 12^th place. Ross Whitelaw ran 16.09, Graeme Laing 17.23, Holly Little 18.19 and Sandy Gardner 18.29

Parkruns

Our local parkrun at Victoria Park continues to be well attended each week by our athletes. Notable recent performances include Craig Johnstone (17.33), Finlay Waters (18.08) Saul McGlennan (18.16) and Sholto Kinghorn (18.47).

Elsewhere in the Glasgow area Claire Thompson was 1^st Female at Pollock on 18^th May, Becky Dunphy, 1^st female at Tollcross on 11^th May, Louis Sharp ran 18.06 at Springburn on 11^th May and Finlay Waters was first finisher at Drumchapel.

Our club’s athletes ran parkruns at various locations around the UK and abroad in  the last few weeks including Ganavan Sands, Oban (Andy Law), Victoria Dock, London, (Louis and Ella Sharp), Harrow (Saul McGlennan), Plean (Sandy Gardner), Southport (Mark Ashby), Keswick (Finlay Waters), Kew Woods (Mark Ashby) and Stockholm’s Haga parkrun (Robyn Connolly).

Ralph Connolly

Endurance Update

Our club’s endurance runners don’t ease up in their training schedules during the winter months with a long sleeve top, beanie hat and pair of gloves typically being the only concessions to the cold weather.

The healthy growth in numbers attending the club’s Road Running Group, regularly taking part in a parkrun and the juniors attending midweek endurance training bodes well for the future as we look to develop the endurance side of the club.

At this time of year, the main focus for the club’s competitive endurance runners is cross country but we have still had a number of athletes competing on the road and I have listed below some notable performances:-

10K ROAD

The Ribble Valley 10k at Clitheroe on 30^th December is one of the top 10k road races in the UK and Beth Potter (now concentrating on triathlon) ran a PB of 32.07 breaking the course record and posting the fastest female 10k road time in the UK for 2018. Sarah Potter was also well up the field finishing 15^th female in a time of 36.30. Max Milarvie ran an excellent PB of 31.04 finishing 17^th overall and 2^nd in his age category.

Closer to home, Diane Ramsey, Thomas Connolly (running his first 10k) and myself all splashed our way round Bellahouston Park at the Jimmy Irvine 10k on 11th November and on Boxing Day, myself, Thomas and Robyn Connolly (running her first 10k) ran the 10k Turkey Trot at Ayr.

PARKRUNS

The last few weeks have seen VP-Glasgow athletes running at various parkruns with the biggest turnout at Victoria Park on New Year’s Day with over a dozen runners from the club taking part.

Rhian Dawes (Walmer & Deal Seafront parkrun), Claire Thompson (Pollok) and myself (Ayr) all posted first finishes. There was a 2^nd place finish for Sandy Gardner at Ruchill, Sophie Sinclair at Springburn and an impressive 3^rd place at Victoria Park for Craig Johnstone in 18.17. Louis Sharp (19.32) and Ella Sharp both ran course PBs at Ruchill on Saturday 19^th January and on the same day Sandy Gardner (19.26) and Robyn Connolly (22.49) ran course PBs at Victoria Park. Well done to everyone from the club who has turned out at the parkruns recently, both running and volunteering.

Ralph Connolly

Endurance Update

Listed below are a number of the notable endurance running performances from the last few weeks. Apologies if I have missed any performances.

HALF MARATHON

Alex Potter competed in the Great North Run on 9^th September, a race he has run a number of times, finishing in a time of 93.25 and 17^th in his age category. He then ran the Great Scottish run on 30^th September in 88.45. Also successfully completing the Great Scottish Run was Peter Ramsay, Diane Ramsay, Greg McAlister and Ann Caven.

10K ROAD

Max Milarvie ran a superb PB of 31.24 in the Great Scottish Run to place 4^th overall and only 4 seconds off second place. In order of finishing, Graeme Laing, Robert Henderson, Claire Thompson, Ralph Connolly (2^nd in age category), Becky Dunphy, Sandy Gardiner, Josh Kirk, Claire Brien, Neil Logan, David Orr, Grace Thompson and Yvonne Flynn all represented the club in the 10k

On 16^th September, Josephine Moultrie was 3^rd female at the Worcester 10k in a time of 36.50

10K TRACK

A day after running the West District XC relay race at Irvine, Andy Law ran 40.03 on the track at Cumbernauld in the Scottish Veteran Harriers “Andy Forbes Memorial 10,000m” He was first Vet 60.

PARKRUNS

Saturday 6^th October saw the club “takeover” our local parkrun at Victoria Park. Coordinated by Mark Ashby the club provided all the volunteers for the event that had over 400 participants and we successfully promoted the Road Running group. There was a good turnout of our club runners on the day with Fraser Gilmour 2^nd overall with a PB performance of 16.52. Saul McGlennan also smashed his PB running 18.32. Suzanne Gilmour was 2^nd female with a time of 19.13.

The last few weeks have seen our road runners take part in various parkruns around the country. Notable performances include Josephine Moultrie being 1^st female and 3^rd overall (behind Derek Hawkins) at Strathclyde parkrun on 8^th September with a time of 17.40 and over in Edinburgh Aisling McGhee was 2^nd female in 19.10. On 15^th September, Sophie Sinclair was 1^st Female at Springburn, Roisin Cameron Coyle was 2^nd Female at Ruchill and further afield Ralph Connolly was 3^rd overall at Nidda parkrun in Frankfurt, Germany

Ralph Connolly

Road Running Update

Now that summer is drawing to a close, the focus of the club’s endurance runners switches to cross country with the district, regional and national relays in October now fast approaching. There are though still plenty of road running events most notably the Great Scottish Run at the end of September. Hopefully this year will see a good turnout of cross country runners across all age groups.

Listed below are a number of the notable endurance running performances from the last few weeks.

MARATHON

Lewis Priest finished 2nd on his marathon debut at Fort William on 29^th July. With the route described at scenic and undulating (i.e. hilly) and much of it on forest trails his time of 3 hours 1 minute 10 was most impressive.

10K ROAD

Rhian Dawes was first female in the Sandwich (Kent) 10k on 24^th June in a time of 41.13 and on 19^th August Donna Finlayson completed the Paisley 10k in 44.40

OTHER ENDURANCE

Gerry Craig placed 4^th in the John Lucas Memorial Round Strathaven ultra-run completing the 50 mile course in 7 hours 10 minutes

PARKRUNS

Club athletes took part in various parkruns in the UK and abroad during the summer months. Sandy Gardner travelled the furthest (over 4,000 miles) to Florida for the Clermont Waterfront parkrun beating the 2,800 miles that Thomas Connolly and I travelled to run in the Volgograd parkrun, Russia.  

Closer to home, Claire Thompson strung together a series of excellent performances finishing first female at Pollok (30^th June and 7^th July), Portobello (14th July) and Drumchapel (21^st July). Becky Dumphy was 1^st Female at Tollcross (28^th July). 

Andy Law was 2^nd male at Ganavan Sands, Oban (4^th August) and Robyn Connolly was 2^nd female (18^th August). Saul McGlennan was 3^rd at Harrow (25^th August). The fastest time posted was Paul Lennie who ran 18.49 at Victoria Park on 18^th August and with Peter Jardine running 19.02 at Springburn on 14^th July and myself running 19.03 at Springburn on 4^th August we are hopeful that we can get a strong Vet 50 team competing this year.