Not So Merry at Marymass 10k

This year’s Marymass 10k was moved from its usual Wednesday night slot to Sunday morning. I’ve run a personal best on my last two attempts at the race, once when it was a short course, and was looking forward to this year’s event.

I was a bit later than planned in getting to Irvine. As I was collecting my race number the volunteer commented that he had seen my name in loads of results, at which I joked “yes but well down them”. I warmed up as I made my way to the race start at Cochrane Street with some Bellahouston Harriers and joined with the rest of the assembled runners outside the home of Irvine Victoria FC. This being a Kilmarnock Harriers Championship Race, I was surprised that there wasn’t much of a turnout from the pride of Ayrshire. Richard Skilling, David Lowdon, Brian Darroch, Ian Logan and myself from the men’s section were wearing the famous blue and white vest, whilst Kara Tait was the sole Killie Gal. Kibarchan were represented by Jim McMillan, Cat Stewart and flying machine Derek Hawkins, whilst Giffnock, Motherwell and Hamilton had one runner each: Sheila Lewis, Clare Barr and Jim Breen. Sarah Munn and Chris Clarke were there from Glasgow Uni Hare and Hounds whilst Cambuslang had Robert Gilroy and Kerry Wilson going head-to-head. Host club Irvine AC and their Ayrshire neighbours Troon Tortoises and Ayr Seaforth were all fairly well represented but again there were a number of runners noticeable by their absence. Together with a sprinkling of runners from other clubs and a number of those classified as unattached took the total number to around 130.

Race Report



After a staged ‘start’ for the local photographer we were set on our way at 11:14am. The first part of the router took us south and slightly uphill along Harbour Road and past the back of the railway station where the road veered right and headed down to Portland Roundabout. My Garmin beeped to reveal that the 1st k had taken me 4:13. “What a surprise”, I thought recalling that 4:13 seems to be the time it takes me to run the initial kilometre in a lot of my 10k races. The extended route, it was previously short, goes uphill at this point, along Beach Drive before a sharp left turn took us on to the cycle path, parallel to Marine Drive. I was disappointed but not surprised to see that my pace had dropped to 4:35. Clare was already well in front and Sheila and David Lowdon had also overtaken me. By the time that Garmin revealed that the 3rd k had taken me 4:32, I had slipped down the pack even further with Jim and Cat overtaken me. The 4th k was even worse at 4:42, Jim and Cat were increasing their lead and the only mystery was why Brian Darroch hadn’t overtaken me yet. I didn’t need to worry for long though as when I stopped to refresh myself at the water station he ran past me and turned left on to Marine Drive for the homeward leg. A guy with a yellow vest (Brian Hamilton) had also stopped for some water and as I chased after Brian Darroch, he overtook me. The 5th k had taken 4:40. I lent some encouragement to a few running buddies who I could see heading towards the turn before the road left the path at 6k. My pace had increased to 4:33 but I wasn’t having any success in closing the gap on Brian. In fact I had actually continued to slip down the field as Andy Taylor and someone else ( Darren Ramsay) had also overtaken me. I could see that Sarah Munn had dropped back a bit and I figured that I could catch her, Jim, Cat, Brian and Andy before the race ended. I made my move and caught yellow vest, Andy, Darren, Brian and just as Jim and Cat caught Sarah, I overtook all three of them. The 7th k had taken a much more respectable 4:23. I left the road and rejoined the path, there was now no-one else in sight and although I was telling myself to work hard, I could hear some runners closing in on me. My pace had dropped to 4:33. Someone cried “keep going Ian” as I rejoined Beach Drive. I could now see some other runners including David Lowdon in front and managed to increase the pace to 4:28 as I ran into a strong headwind. “It’s the same for everyone” I thought as I closed the gap slightly on at least one of the runners in front.  I lost my bearings for a second at the roundabout before a marshal shouted out “this way” and directed me onto the promenade, where I caught sight of the next runner (Neil Jeffrey).  I was chasing after him, along the cobbled road when “arghh” I felt a pain in my right knee. Jim Stevenson advised me that there was about 600m to go, as I decided to grin and bare it. “Nice smile for the camera” commented Gillian Scott as she photographed me just before the final strait. I heard my Garmin beeping as I approached the Finish and crossed the line to the sound of the timekeeper saying “ten”.  The 10th k had taken me 4:17.





Grin and Bare it



Poor Times

I couldn’t fathom why a race that had taken me 42:30 last year had taken 45:10 this year but as I congratulated the other runners a lot of them informed me that their times were also slower than usual.

 I managed a walk/jog back to the Sports Centre with Jim Breen, Sheila and Clare before showering and getting my biscuit and cup of coffee. Unfortunately Irvine is not one of those clubs renowned for its post race spread.


Winners

Derek Hawkins had, as expected, won with a new course record, whilst Robert Gilroy had out paced Kerry Wilson to earn runner-up spot. Kara Tait won the women’s race, with the departed Clare and Sheila winning the FV35 and FV45 races respectively.


Losers

With my leg growing more pain full and stiffer by the minute, I headed back up the M77 for an extremely late brunch and some painkillers before heading back to bed.

Poor Me

Today I can hardly walk, never mind run but I did manage the short cycle into work, hopefully I’ll recover soon as I have a number of races scheduled in the near future, including: the Glasgow Half; the Around Cumbrae 10miler and the Great North Half.



Full Results (to follow)

Great Scott Photos





Irvine Beach Post Race Pics

A couple of photos and a compiled paronama taken after the race at Irvine.

Ailsa Craig

The Firth of Clyde

Paronama compiled from six photos

Ayrshire Cross Country Relay Championships

They're Off!

I had a pleasant journey down to the Ayrshire coast on Saturday for the county’s Cross Country Relay Championships. Despite a number of national races taken place at Irvine’s Beach Park this was my first appearance at the scenic location. There was a decent turnout from the local clubs with the host club having three teams of four in the men’s event but sadly no teams of three for the women’s event. Kilmarnock had four men’s teams and three women’s; Troon Tortoises: two men’s and two women’s: Ayr Seaforth: two men’s and one women’s; Girvan: two men’s and no women’s; and Ayrodynamic Triathlon Club: two men’s and one women’s. A total of 15 men’s teams and seven women’s teams, around 80 athletes in all, up significantly on the previous year.



I was pleased to be informed that I would be running the second leg, rather than the anchor/death/glory/last one of the previous week. Even better news was that the men’s and the women’s races would be held simultaneously. This would mean that I would be competing against other racers rather than just the clock.

There was perfect weather as the senior athletes chatted and warmed up as the junior athletes completed their races. One of the great things about cross country races and relays in particular is that athletes get more time than usual to mingle with each other, sharing the pre and post race banter and camaraderie. Around 2pm the seniors set off. I was in the D team and John McLarty was our first runner, as he made his way around the 4k course, I completed my warm up and made my way to the hand over pen. After the elite runners had sestet off on their second leg, I moved closer to the front and cheered on Natalie Fleming as she almost caught her Troon colleague Iain McNee as they crossed the line, in 16:43 and 16:42 respectively. Next home was Ayrodynamic’s Louise Murdoch in 16:50, surprisingly, ahead of Ayr’s Laura Wallace in 16:51. Girvan’s Stephen Flanagan was next in 16:59, followed one second later by Ayrodynamic’s Kenny Girvan. Kilmarnock’s John McLarty handed over to me in 17:13 and I set off in 14th place.

My Start

 

 

The first part of the course is wide and flat and heads out towards the Firth of Clyde, climbing the first hill at 200m, I was rewarded with a gorgeous view over the sea to the Isle of Arran. The route then took a sharp left turn and went along the ridge before descending, vending right, crossing a path and climbing a steep hill. I was impressed to see Girvan’s John Rennie and Ayro’s Colin Davidson running up the incline and any thoughts which I may have had about walking up it were nipped in the bud. I was rewarded for my climb with stunning views of Ailsa Craig in the distance and the two runners ahead. We made our way down towards the beach and through the sand dunes. I had caught the two runners at this stage but was frustrated at the lack of overtaking opportunities. I was stuck behind John as Colin negotiated the sand dunes better. I seized the first chance to overtake John and set off after Colin. The route took a sharp left and headed upward and inland. I caught Colin on the hill and had taken 4:30 for the first kilometre. The route took another left and zigzagged through the Beach Park. I managed to overtake Troon’s Anne Noble as the route headed back towards the coast and then Ayro’s Alice McNulty. The only person I could now see in front of me was Troon’s Peter Malone. The second kilometre had taken me 4:43. After another 250m or so I caught the bearded giant. I was now running against the clock and headed towards and then along Marine Drive. I wasn’t sure about the course but with the end almost in sight the markers took me back into the park. The third kilometre had taken 4:17. The course then meandered a little before reaching the wide and flat section which forms the start/finish of the race. I gave it my all as I made my way towards the finish line cheered on by fellow runners and supporters to cross the line in a total time of 16:34. I was shattered and had a lie down on the grass before regaining my composure and joining in with the others to support the remaining runners. My Garmin indicated that the course was 3.75k long and that my final 750m had been run at an average pace of 4:03 min/k, 4:25 for the race.

My Finish

I had handed over to Brian Darroch in 11th place and Brian did well to maintain our position with an individual time of 17:09. The ‘glory’ leg fell to Kenny Wales whose time of 17:24 was good enough to gain one place. Our team had finished 10th, with a combined time of 68:20.

Men’s Teams
Kilmarnock Harriers A Team placed second, to Irvine, with a time of 55: 07. The B Team placed fifth in 60:62 and the C Team eighth with a time of 62:44.

Women’s Teams
The Women’s A Team also placed second, behind Ayr Seaforth, with a time of 48:04. The B Team placed fifth in 57:16 and the incomplete C Team sixth.

Stars
Kara Tait ran the fastest lap of any woman with a time of 14:48, whilst Ross Connelly was the fastest Harrier with a time of 13:14. All Harriers can be pleased with their performance including Michelle Goldie who ran her first cross country since leaving school.


One Honest Man and Two Bonnie Lassies (Toni McIntosh and Laura Wallace)



Course

Photos by Lynsey Cooper 

Results                                                  
Senior Men
1st Irvine Athletic Club A 51m 45s
2nd Kilmarnock Harriers A 55m 07s
3rd Girvan AAC A 56m 00s           

Fastest Laps
1st David Millar Irvine AC 12m 14s
2nd S Wylie Girvan AAC 12m 16s
3rd Neil Burnside Ayr Seaforth13m 02s



Senior Women
1st Ayr Seaforth 47m 50s 
2nd Kilmarnock Harriers A 48m 04s
3rd Troon Tortoises A 53m 52s

Fastest Laps
1st Kara Tate Kilmarnock 14m 48s
2nd Louise Hill-Stirling Ayr Sf 14m 52s
3rd Toni McIntosh Ayr Seaforth 16m 07s

50th 10k Celebrated with a New PB

Irvine Marymass 10k Start (Kenneth Phillips)

It was with mixed feelings that I made my way down to Irvine to participate in this year’s annual Marymass 10k road race. I ran a good race at the event last year but was feeling very tired this year and only decided to run it as it was a Kilmarnock Harriers Club Championship Race. I carbo loaded with porridge and made my way down the M77 before turning off and taking the more scenic route through Kilmaurs to the Ayrshire coastal town.

I arrived in plenty of time and was happy to receive the number 9 as my race number. As someone who loved mathematics at school, I’ve always been intrigued by the number. If you multiply it by any number and then add up the digits until there is only one number left that number is always 9. It’s what’s known as the digital root. Anyway back to the race, I chatted with loads of other runners from various clubs and some non attached runners, including Marianne Wilson from my old French class at Glasgow University. I drunk my Your Sports Fuel mixture and then warmed up as I led Bellahouston Road Runner Tom McMillan to the start of the race. The race director advised us that the event would be late in starting as there had been a sudden influx of registrations, however the local councillor and Gala Queen would need to leave for another appointment, so we staged a race Start for the local press. Once all the 211 runners were at the start line, we were advised that Scottish Athletics had measured last year’s route and it had proved to be short, so the route had been amended this year to take this into account. I knew that the Power of 10 had refused to accept athletes’ times from last year, when my endeavours had resulted in a PB of 42:19, way quicker than any other 10k I’ve raced. At 7:37pm we set off down the road, around the roundabout, up Harbour Road, past the railway station, and onward to the 1st k marker at the next roundabout. Garmin bleeped to inform me that I had taken 4:05 to reach here. I was tucked behind two runners but as I wondered momentarily if I should try to stay with them or not they sprinted ahead down the loop that had been added to the route before turning a sharp left onto the trail through the Beach Park. I found myself running at the front of a pack for much of the next, undulating, kilometre. I was overtaken by another Killie runner (John Parker?) and hoped that I would be able to catch him before the end. I was also a little disappointed that my pace had dropped to 4:19. Laura Wallace (aka Toni McIntosh’s twin sister) caught me at this stage and we ran along together for the next, slightly downhill, kilometre in a time of 4:08. I lost her over the next, slightly uphill, kilometre however I did catch up with the other Killie runner and although Al Murray overtook me, I was not at all disappointed as I knew that he was in a false position. At the turning point, I caught Ayr Seaforth’s Tom McCulloch and noticed that Alan Dempster was among the following pack. The fourth kilometre had taken me 4:19 and I was to stick at around this pace as I made my way along Marine Drive hotly pursued by Tom McCulloch and trying desperately to keep in touch with Laura ahead. The fifth kilometre took 4:20. Bella Road Runner Barry Edwards caught me and commented on how good I was running as he passed by with me struggling to breathe, never mind chat. I know how good Barry and Laura are and kept working away. The sixth kilometre took 4:19. After we rejoined the Beach Park path, I held off a strong challenge from, who I presumed to be Tom McCulloch, increasing my pace to keep in front on three occasions before I was finally overtaken, not by Tom but by Alan Dempster. The seventh kilometre took 4:19. I thought I was making up some ground on Laura but as we reached the 8k marker and Beach Drive, I could see her increasing the pace. I hard to work hard to maintain my pace here as we ran straight into a headwind. I could tell by the marshals’ comments that someone was right on my tail and I was adamant that no-one would catch me in the final stages. We turned at the roundabout and made our way along Harbour Street. The ninth kilometre had taken 4:19. The last kilometre seemed long, I was struggling, someone tried to pass me and I had to dig deep to find the energy to fend him off, I raced at a maximum pace of 3 min/k to complete the tenth and final kilometre in 4:00, a total time of 42:30. I grabbed a much needed bottle of water and slumped down beside the harbour wall before recovering enough to share mutual congratulations with my fellow runners. I had taken a remarkable 34 seconds off of my 10k PB and had achieved a wava of 74+% for the first time ever.

Concentrating on the Finish (Kenneth Phillips)

I compared notes with fellow Harriers, Michele Goldie and Brian Darroch, as we warmed down on the way back to the Irvine Sports Centre. After a cold shower, a hot coffee and more post run chat, I was just about to leave when an old school friend Jim Stevenson spotted me and we had a wee chat as the prizes were awarded. Of course I was nowhere near a prize, finishing in 70th place and 9th in my age group but I was still a happy chappy, even more so when I realised that I had achieved my new PB on my 50th 10k road race.

Huge appreciation to Les and Liz McDerment and David Mitchell for their support at various parts of the course and to all the marshals and officials who made the event such a success.

Results Here