Stornoway Running and Athletics Club
Scottish National XC Championships 2009
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Stornoway Running & Athletics Club took part in their twentieth National Championships this weekend past at Falkirk’s Callendar Park. The SRAC team make up has changed in these years as the emphasis has moved from entering just a senior men’s team, to just about all of the junior age groups. The club have had individual success in the previous championships, but this year has proved to be about the most successful since the club first competed in the event back in 1990 in Caird Park, Dundee. Arriving in good time for team declarations and with enough adult helpers to take care of other necessary pre-race duties, the juniors runners got to reconnoitre the course before running. Conditions were far better underfoot than the two previous events at the park and the course designers added in two new hills into the route making running that wee bit tougher! First up for SRAC were the boy’s team foursome of Stuart MacDonald, Micheil Smith, Ross Allison and Campbell MacDonald. Interestingly as the events announcer ran through the main contenders he made reference to the East and West Champions on the line and their respective challengers for these titles. But, no mention of the North Champion, SRAC’s Campbell MacDonald? However Campbell with supported by his brother Stuart, Micheil and Ross were ready to fight for every place that would make the SRAC total. From the gun Campbell confidence and ability came together for a pretty perfect start sitting nicely with the leaders in the field of one hundred and thirty-five competitors! At the hill climb just before half way Campbell held good position in the top ten looking fine but working hard. Here the rest of the team placed throughout the first half of the field with Ross Allison just ahead of Micheil and Stuart positioned well enough the field to gain SRAC very valuable team points! 900metres for the finish the runners followed along the ditch and embankment of the famous Antonine’s wall, here getting ready for the final turn and sprint for the line in front of the impressive Callendar House. At the turn Campbell lead the SRAC team and was in tenth position but in a really big effort, picked up the knees, got the arms pumping and ran into a very impressive eight place! A great start for the club and SRAC runners watching and waiting for their own race were buoyed by Campbell’s superb run. Campbell was followed home a minute later by Ross Allison experiencing his first Nationals and just behind Micheil Smith. The whole team had improved performances on last year which resulted in a team place of sixth ahead of North rivals Inverness Harriers in eleventh place. There was only one under 13 girl running and expectations were that this would be a learning run for Alison P M MacInnes! But a really determined run the debutant to the Nationals took twentieth place and was top placed North runner. What a start to the days racing would the under 15’s match the early standard set by the youngsters? The answer came very soon as Robert Jones and Josh Sinclair took to the front from the start of the under15 boys race and with Calum Robertson and Duncan MacKellar also taking up good position. The fear from the watching SRAC coaches was would this be too quick of a start and would the price be to drop through the field as the legs received a rush of lactic acid? At half way Robert Jones was just managing to hold sixth position, but did have a pack of fresh looking runners moving closer to him from ten or so meters behind. Coming along the top of the Antonine wall Robert had fallen back to ninth place, but just edged ahead of one runner before the final run in and it looked like he’d take a very respectful eight place. But there was a bib, big response for Robert to the cheering SRAC support along the finishing straight and he passed one runner, then finally a second on the line to take sixth place! Like the under 13 team the under 15’s also placed sixth and again ahead of North rivals Inverness in eleventh! Ailis Murray, Holly MacIver and Rebecca Munro were one short of a team but did have solid runs in their 4k race. An unfortunate start saw the girls somewhat hemmed in and there after all three worked through the field to likely pre-race positions expected. Their respective positions were 31st, 34th and 47th in the field of 107 runners. In the under 17’s girls Jane MacIver and Ceit Stewart put in very workman like efforts in what was a mixed field of under 17 and under 20 runners. Under instructions of more grimace and less smile Ceit had good steady run and will see further improvement in her second year in the category. Jane suffered mid race with a stitch, but her strength is in adversity and her “never give up” attitude took her through to a strong finish. Robert Smith was the lone SRAC runner in the under 17 mens in a very strong field, but by the end Robert looked like the least stressed guy out there! It has been some time since a senior SRAC lady ran in the Nationals and making her debut in the category was Christy MacLeod. Following some decent north league match results and concentrated training over the past months Chirsty put I a very good display! After failing to field a full team last season the men had six this time round and would be led by Murdo MacKenzie or Andrew Joyce. The team was completed by marathon runners Jim Bruce and Ross Munro with hill specialists Jen Marc Lawton and Bom MacKay. There was no surprise that the front two were Joyce and MacKenzie, but Andrew Joyce’s from proved not only to be the better of the two on the day, but the very best of form for Andrew Joyce! Andrew has had many good days as a junior winning races in the Castle Grounds in years past and it’s now superb to see him in such top form. Often club runners of a pretty good standard struggle to make the top two hundred in the National and Andrew took 93rd in a time of 43 minutes 42 with Murdo running 44 minutes 03 for 103rd place! It would seem all is right for Andrew’s first sub 80minute half marathon in Inverness in a fortnight’s time! (The Western Isles team will miss him in the World Island Games this summer.) The rest of the team places were Ross Munro 205th, 48.25, Jean Marc Lawton 236th, 49 26, Bom 321st 58.28 and Jim Bruce 387th, 58.15. SRAC men placed 24th. RESULTS Under 13 Boys 1. Jake Kerr Edinburgh AC 11.59 TEAM 1. V.P. Glasgow 50ptsUnder 13 Girls Under 15 Boys 1. Craig Wellcoat Law & Dist 12.49 TEAM 1. Gifnock 30pts Under 15 Girls 1. Joanna Muir Stewarty AC 14.58 TEAM (unofficial - based on 3) 1. Edinburgh AC 32pts Under 17 Ladies 1. Elizabeth Potter VP Glasgow 15.59 Under 17 Men 1.Calum Hawkins Kilbarchan 22.09 Senior Ladies 1. Freya Murray Edinburgh AC 27.24 Senior Men 1. Alister Hay Central AC 37.14 TEAM 1. Shettleston 88pts Meanwhile on the indoor track Alasdair Dunlop contested the Scottish indoor Championships and Donnie MacLeod represented Scotland at the Celtic Indoor International. Alasdair who had recently had such brilliant success in setting a new Vets 55 1500m World indoor record, won the Vets 55 800m title. Donnie was part of the Scotland team that won the Celtic Indoor International for the fourth successive year with a series of brilliant performances at the National Indoor Athletics Centre in Cardiff yesterday (Sunday 22nd February) Over the course of the day there were a number of personal bests from Scottish athletes, but the undisputed highlight came from the men's 4 x 400m relay team of Jamie Bowie (Inverness), Donald MacLeod (Stornoway), Graeme Oudney (Pitreavie) and Kris Robertson (Kirkintilloch Olympians), who set a new Scottish National record and Welsh All-Comers record of 3:16.40. SRAC weekend involved athletes at all levels and all ages in a very successful weekend. A Tupper
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