Kilmarnock Harriers 125

I was so pleased to be given the opportunity to wear my Kilmarnock Harriers vest for one more time as I joined in with hundreds of others to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Scotland's second oldest running club at the impressive new Ayrshire Athletics Arena.  The last time I had been there, it was the site of the Kilmarnock Academy rugby teams changing pavilion and Lesley Roy had watched me score a try for my old school.  That would have been in 1974 but on this occasion, we were commemorating a time much earlier than that. 1887 to be precise.

My Kilmarnock Harriers Vest, Medal and Wrist Band

It was great to see so many athletes, from kids all the way up to super veterans, donning the blue and white of Kilmarnock Harriers to mark the occasion.  On a personal point, the anniversary allowed me to spend an evening with many of my East Ayrshire running buddies, doing what we all enjoy most, running.

The evening's races started on the new running track, with the younger kids completing their 1.25k race before the  older kids and adults started our race.  Someone had described the route to me, indicating that we had to run it twice, which sounded much further than the 1.25mile run that I had been expecting.

We lined up at the Start at around 7.20pm and completed a lap of the new track before heading through the car park to Queen's Drive, where a sharp left took us up hill towards the A77.  At the round about, we took another left and ran downhill along side the A77. My Garmin bleeped to indicate 1k and I started to wonder just how long the course would be. Another left turn took us onto a trail, which led us through the Scott Ellis Recreation Ground.  A metal bridge took us over the River Irvine and back towards the new Arena.  As I made my way around the track, I looked over to my left to see the Finish Line and increased my pace, reeling in a few runners before crossing the line in 11:51. But tonight wasn't about times, it was about celebrating 125 years of running.  The excellent spread laid on by donations from club members was worthy of the occasion as was the impressive medal, wrist band and various spot prizes.

Well done to all at Kilmarnock Harriers for such a great evening.