I managed to get to Irvine Sports Club on time and registered for the race. I couldn’t quite recall my Scottish Athletics number so guessed it. I didn’t realise that some race organisers have software that automatically logs your name, address, club etc from your SA number, so if I hadn’t later informed the organisers of my correct number I would have been registered as someone who runs for Moray Road Runners!
After a ‘warm up’ I lined up with 51 other runners and cyclists as Jim Stevenson delivered the pre race announcements and warned us of the underfoot conditions. After a couple of photos we set off at 1pm, I had decided to take it easy and started near the back of the field. Although it was cold and frosty, the snow was softer than the frozen neige which I had become accustomed to in Glasgow in recent weeks. Although I hadn’t run this race before, I knew that it was a cross country event and wore my trail shoes for the second day in a row. What I didn’t know was that the race also included a number of man made hurdles and it wasn’t long until I found myself having to jump over car tyres and leap over show jump style fences. The assault course then went up hill onto the road and the icy pavement took us over a bridge. I was running ‘naked’ as I had forgotten to recharge my Garmin so I had no idea but my pace or distance covered. Troon Tortoise, Ian McNee overtook me, briefly, on the bridge, with his club mate Natalie Fleming just behind him. This gave me the incentive to raise my game and I immediately returned the favour. Killie Captain, Liz McDerment was about 200 metres in front of me and, for the next while, that’s how it stayed: Liz doing the hard work and navigating her way around the tricky course, with me following and Ian and Nat pushing me on from behind. Although we narrowed the gap on Liz, there was little opportunity to overtake her in the narrow trails on the Irvine moors, and I had no desire to lead the pack. However when we crossed a pavement Ian and Nat made their move and overtook us, I overtook Liz and followed the Troon pair around for the remainder of the race. Up and down and round and round the course took us, with Jim Stevenson and his band of merry marshals appearing every so often, revealing that the course included a number of loops. I panicked a couple of times when I lost sight of Ian and Nat before remembering which way the course had taken us previously, I was also feeling sick as the combination of excess alcohol and exercise took their toll. Finally Jim informed me that I was nearing the end of the race and directed me out of the moors and back to whence we had originally started. It was here that I noticed the iconic building which is Irvine Royal Academy and immediately recalled that I had participated in a cross country race here once before, about 38 years ago, when I was still at school.
We were directed along a path and then a steep decline almost took us sliding onto the frozen River Irvine before a sharp left took us under a bridge and downhill towards the fences and tyres. Liz had kept on my tails since I caught her and although I was now concentrating on closing the gap on Nat in front of me I was well aware of her pushing me on, whist I continued to feel sicker and sicker.
Encouraged home by supporters and those that had already finished, I managed to cross the line in 42nd place in a time of 40:08, nine seconds behind Nat and five seconds in front of Liz. After brief congratulatory hugs and hand shakes, I made my way behind a container to be sick before freshening up and heading in doors for a much needed hot cup of sugary tea.
The cyclists had won the day with three of them: Gareth Barnes; Scott Russell and Jim Goldie finishing before the local club’s David Millar and cyclist Lorna Sloan narrowly beating Kara Tait in the women’s event. However in true reflection of Ayrshire hospitality there were prizes for all finishers.
The journey back up the M77 was a little bit tricky as the snow descended but it didn’t deflect from what had been a great day and my 61st race of 2010.
Results
Irvine Herald Photos Here
Photos courtesy of Walkers Cycling Club
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