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Scottish registered charity number: SC047791
Our website is relocating to www.inverclydeac.org/
www.inverclydeac.co.uk will remain open for March Challenges.
Club members will be alerted before a complete move is made.
Who we are.
Based in Greenock, Inverclyde AC is one of Scotland's top amateur sports clubs. Established in the late 90s, we have wasted no time in overtaking many of our rivals to become a front runner in Scottish athletics. Such is the impression we have made, we have been awarded "Impact Club of the Year" by Scottish Athletics in recent years. You don't have to look far to see evidence of our success - with black and white vests regularly appearing on National Championship podiums throughout the year, especially on the track, cross country, road and hills!
Although we love to show off the achievements of our fastest runners, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive and family-oriented club that caters for all ages and abilities. We have an award-winning junior development plan that has been in place for a number of years now, and the international success of many of our juniors over the last few seasons recognises how much care we take in the development of our youngsters.
At the other end of the age-spectrum, we regularly have Veterans teams taking part in county, district and national competitions, and the number of athletes taking part in our local club races has been growing steadily in recent years.
So no matter how fast or fit you think you are, we offer some of the best coaching in the country and our membership includes use of the recently relayed track at Ravenscraig and the strength and conditioning equipment in our clubhouse.
And of course we're not all about the training. We all love to relax and have a bit of fun - just ask anyone in the club about the dancing coaches in zebra onesies at the 2015 Prizegiving!
Although we love to show off the achievements of our fastest runners, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive and family-oriented club that caters for all ages and abilities. We have an award-winning junior development plan that has been in place for a number of years now, and the international success of many of our juniors over the last few seasons recognises how much care we take in the development of our youngsters.
At the other end of the age-spectrum, we regularly have Veterans teams taking part in county, district and national competitions, and the number of athletes taking part in our local club races has been growing steadily in recent years.
So no matter how fast or fit you think you are, we offer some of the best coaching in the country and our membership includes use of the recently relayed track at Ravenscraig and the strength and conditioning equipment in our clubhouse.
And of course we're not all about the training. We all love to relax and have a bit of fun - just ask anyone in the club about the dancing coaches in zebra onesies at the 2015 Prizegiving!
Recent news.
COVID-19 update
With all formal training cancelled for the foreseeable future, our coaches made a decision on how we can
• recognise the importance of all participants continuing to be physically active during this time, in safe and appropriate environments keeping in mind the latest Scottish Government advice’.
Our strategy at present is:
For All groups U'13
We will be sending out 'challenges' for you to achieve at home. We hope you will share your exploits on our closed Facebook group to maintain our ZoominZebra of the Week Awards
For All groups U'15+
Coaches will be sending out training plans via their normal group contact ( Facebook/Whats App)
**Coaches will be making arrangements to include parents in these groups.
Changes in advice are being made on a daily basis at the moment and we will be monitoring these closely and updating our strategy as required.
Any parent who is not a member of our closed FB group. Inverclyde AC should ask to join. You will need to answer a question to enable our Admins to accept/decline. Question not answered is an automatic decline.
You can also get in touch by using the 'Get in Touch' dropdown on our website and complete the form. You will be contacted asap.
Please pass this onto any parent you know is not using facebook
Our twitter account is @inverclyde_ac
With all formal training cancelled for the foreseeable future, our coaches made a decision on how we can
• recognise the importance of all participants continuing to be physically active during this time, in safe and appropriate environments keeping in mind the latest Scottish Government advice’.
Our strategy at present is:
For All groups U'13
We will be sending out 'challenges' for you to achieve at home. We hope you will share your exploits on our closed Facebook group to maintain our ZoominZebra of the Week Awards
For All groups U'15+
Coaches will be sending out training plans via their normal group contact ( Facebook/Whats App)
**Coaches will be making arrangements to include parents in these groups.
Changes in advice are being made on a daily basis at the moment and we will be monitoring these closely and updating our strategy as required.
Any parent who is not a member of our closed FB group. Inverclyde AC should ask to join. You will need to answer a question to enable our Admins to accept/decline. Question not answered is an automatic decline.
You can also get in touch by using the 'Get in Touch' dropdown on our website and complete the form. You will be contacted asap.
Please pass this onto any parent you know is not using facebook
Our twitter account is @inverclyde_ac
John Bell/David Henderson/Andy Harkins
John Bell took to the Battery Park to take on a solo challenge, clocking one the fastest half marathon
times in Inverclyde AC history.
Finishing his time trial in a time of 65:21, John managed to pick up the pace lap after lap, running all of
his four, 5 kilometre splits in under 16 minutes each.
Flanked throughout by David Tamburini, Chris Barlas and Stephen Trainer; John showed that his past
year’s worth of training has put him in good stead, finishing with a time less than seven and a half
minutes off the world record.
Going through 10km in 31:30, John’s second split over the same distance was even quicker, running
30:37 for his second 10km split, before finishing off his final kilometre in 2:50.
His fastest 5km split would turn out to be 15:06, faster than most of his teammates can run the distance
just once.
Elsewhere, long-time friends and teammates David Henderson and Andrew Harkins ran the Virtual
London Marathon on a lap around the Esplanade.
Both had taken time to pace David Tamburini previously in his 100k attempt and now were receiving
help around the 26.2 miles.
Both considered their efforts a solid attempt in a race where they would usually be swarmed by a number
of bodies to pull them through.
There were still bodies to take the pace for them, with teammates and friends pacing them both to sub-3
hour times.
Off the back of just two and half weeks of build for the marathon distance, Andrew edged out David as
the two were separated by only 32 seconds.
Andrew’s finishing time was 2:42.10, running his second quickest time over the distance – only running
faster in 2016 when he clocked a time of 2:38.38.
David continued to show his training had set him in good stead clocking in at 2:42.42 – also running his
second quickest marathon, when he finished 33 seconds ahead of Andrew at the London Marathon in a
time of 2:38.05.
Andrew’s charity of choice for the London Marathon, before the mass start was cancelled due to COVID-
19, was Children with Cancer UK who he is still fundraising for.
David’s charity of choice was Dreams Come True, who look to fulfil the dreams from children and young
people with serious and life-limiting conditions aged 2 to 21 years of age.
Both of their fundraising pages can be found by searching their names on the London Marathon
fundraiser site.
John Bell took to the Battery Park to take on a solo challenge, clocking one the fastest half marathon
times in Inverclyde AC history.
Finishing his time trial in a time of 65:21, John managed to pick up the pace lap after lap, running all of
his four, 5 kilometre splits in under 16 minutes each.
Flanked throughout by David Tamburini, Chris Barlas and Stephen Trainer; John showed that his past
year’s worth of training has put him in good stead, finishing with a time less than seven and a half
minutes off the world record.
Going through 10km in 31:30, John’s second split over the same distance was even quicker, running
30:37 for his second 10km split, before finishing off his final kilometre in 2:50.
His fastest 5km split would turn out to be 15:06, faster than most of his teammates can run the distance
just once.
Elsewhere, long-time friends and teammates David Henderson and Andrew Harkins ran the Virtual
London Marathon on a lap around the Esplanade.
Both had taken time to pace David Tamburini previously in his 100k attempt and now were receiving
help around the 26.2 miles.
Both considered their efforts a solid attempt in a race where they would usually be swarmed by a number
of bodies to pull them through.
There were still bodies to take the pace for them, with teammates and friends pacing them both to sub-3
hour times.
Off the back of just two and half weeks of build for the marathon distance, Andrew edged out David as
the two were separated by only 32 seconds.
Andrew’s finishing time was 2:42.10, running his second quickest time over the distance – only running
faster in 2016 when he clocked a time of 2:38.38.
David continued to show his training had set him in good stead clocking in at 2:42.42 – also running his
second quickest marathon, when he finished 33 seconds ahead of Andrew at the London Marathon in a
time of 2:38.05.
Andrew’s charity of choice for the London Marathon, before the mass start was cancelled due to COVID-
19, was Children with Cancer UK who he is still fundraising for.
David’s charity of choice was Dreams Come True, who look to fulfil the dreams from children and young
people with serious and life-limiting conditions aged 2 to 21 years of age.
Both of their fundraising pages can be found by searching their names on the London Marathon
fundraiser site.
David Tamburini 100k
“Putting in a shift” was put into literal terms for Inverclyde AC runner David Tamburini who ran
uninterrupted for seven hours and 40 minutes around a 3.6 kilometre loop at the Esplanade, completing
the rarely-conquered 100 kilometres distance.
David, better known by friends as “Tamba” started off his day before the sun had even risen, waking up at
4am to eat breakfast prior to the start of his run at 7am.
Starting down at the bottom of North Street, where he can be found training with his teammates on a
regular basis, he was flanked by clubmates as well as some friends from neighbouring athletics club
Glenpark Harriers who kept him company throughout too.
With it being planned exercise, COVID-19 rules allowed the groups to form to support Tamba, who was
running at an average speed of around 7 minutes and 40 seconds a mile.
To put it into context, he ran 20 Parkruns back-to-back in 23 minutes and 49 seconds each without
stopping his watch.
Some of his pacemakers and support group put in solid shifts themselves, with morning runners taking a
break before coming back to run a second time.
Others who were training for virtual marathons, covered more than a third of the distance, while many of
the younger athletes were determined to reach at least 25k – running a quarter of the distance of the main
man.
Inspired by ultramarathon runners and motivational speakers, Tamba set a goal to run the distance – over
62 miles – after the COVID-19 pandemic left the racing calendar empty for athletics.
Having had experience in 50k competitions, his latest effort saw him cover over two marathons,
unofficially running one of the quickest times in Scottish history – if it was an official race it would have
been good enough for 23rd
on the all-time list.
Training on a vegan diet, Tamba’s run comes just six years after he returned to the sport and would soon
be running nearly as quick as he was a youngster. Now at 45, he is still inspiring athletes in their teens
who ran part of the distance.
It wasn’t a run without its drama though. Around 70km in, a pacemaker on a bike clipped a barrier, taking
down one of the runners – luckily not Tamba himself. Reportedly, the pacemaker survived with a couple
of scratches but is back running and typing up race reports.
Finishing at 2.40pm, Tamba received applause from some of those who came to watch him complete the
effort. In response he thanked everyone for their support. Special thanks go to all pacemakers as well as
those who provided well-needed snacks at the finish.
“Putting in a shift” was put into literal terms for Inverclyde AC runner David Tamburini who ran
uninterrupted for seven hours and 40 minutes around a 3.6 kilometre loop at the Esplanade, completing
the rarely-conquered 100 kilometres distance.
David, better known by friends as “Tamba” started off his day before the sun had even risen, waking up at
4am to eat breakfast prior to the start of his run at 7am.
Starting down at the bottom of North Street, where he can be found training with his teammates on a
regular basis, he was flanked by clubmates as well as some friends from neighbouring athletics club
Glenpark Harriers who kept him company throughout too.
With it being planned exercise, COVID-19 rules allowed the groups to form to support Tamba, who was
running at an average speed of around 7 minutes and 40 seconds a mile.
To put it into context, he ran 20 Parkruns back-to-back in 23 minutes and 49 seconds each without
stopping his watch.
Some of his pacemakers and support group put in solid shifts themselves, with morning runners taking a
break before coming back to run a second time.
Others who were training for virtual marathons, covered more than a third of the distance, while many of
the younger athletes were determined to reach at least 25k – running a quarter of the distance of the main
man.
Inspired by ultramarathon runners and motivational speakers, Tamba set a goal to run the distance – over
62 miles – after the COVID-19 pandemic left the racing calendar empty for athletics.
Having had experience in 50k competitions, his latest effort saw him cover over two marathons,
unofficially running one of the quickest times in Scottish history – if it was an official race it would have
been good enough for 23rd
on the all-time list.
Training on a vegan diet, Tamba’s run comes just six years after he returned to the sport and would soon
be running nearly as quick as he was a youngster. Now at 45, he is still inspiring athletes in their teens
who ran part of the distance.
It wasn’t a run without its drama though. Around 70km in, a pacemaker on a bike clipped a barrier, taking
down one of the runners – luckily not Tamba himself. Reportedly, the pacemaker survived with a couple
of scratches but is back running and typing up race reports.
Finishing at 2.40pm, Tamba received applause from some of those who came to watch him complete the
effort. In response he thanked everyone for their support. Special thanks go to all pacemakers as well as
those who provided well-needed snacks at the finish.
Jonny Glen British Champs
Jonny Glen became one of the first athletes from Inverclyde to compete at the British Athletics
Championships, playing a part in the men’s 5,000 metres final.
After posting a solid 14min 1sec personal best in a 5 kilometre road race just weeks before, confidence
was running high for the 23-year-old heading into the race in Manchester, marking the first year that the
Championships had moved away from its usual home of Birmingham in over 10 years.
A medal was unlikely for the Greenock athlete, but a personal best in a fast field was certainly a
possibility.
The pace at the start was relatively casual, led by eventual winner and firm favourite in the field, Marc
Scott, who has twice ran for Britain at the World Championships.
But Jonny struggled to move with the pace when Scott picked it up, initially being dropped from the pack
as he managed his own pace.
Despite having the slowest personal best coming into the Championships in the field, Jonny’s well-
formed pace had him finish in 14th
in the final behind some of the country’s quickest distance runners.
Although a very respectable performance, Jonny expressed his disappointment post-race, wishing for a
faster time – but he remains one of the only athletes from the area to compete at the British outdoor
Championships.
He clocked a time of 14:23:91, just half a second slower than his track personal best, finishing second
among Scottish athletes in the race.
A British Championships debut with positives to take away from it, Jonny made the three-hour trip home
with his father Morris, who was cheering him on from the stands – socially distanced.
Jonny Glen became one of the first athletes from Inverclyde to compete at the British Athletics
Championships, playing a part in the men’s 5,000 metres final.
After posting a solid 14min 1sec personal best in a 5 kilometre road race just weeks before, confidence
was running high for the 23-year-old heading into the race in Manchester, marking the first year that the
Championships had moved away from its usual home of Birmingham in over 10 years.
A medal was unlikely for the Greenock athlete, but a personal best in a fast field was certainly a
possibility.
The pace at the start was relatively casual, led by eventual winner and firm favourite in the field, Marc
Scott, who has twice ran for Britain at the World Championships.
But Jonny struggled to move with the pace when Scott picked it up, initially being dropped from the pack
as he managed his own pace.
Despite having the slowest personal best coming into the Championships in the field, Jonny’s well-
formed pace had him finish in 14th
in the final behind some of the country’s quickest distance runners.
Although a very respectable performance, Jonny expressed his disappointment post-race, wishing for a
faster time – but he remains one of the only athletes from the area to compete at the British outdoor
Championships.
He clocked a time of 14:23:91, just half a second slower than his track personal best, finishing second
among Scottish athletes in the race.
A British Championships debut with positives to take away from it, Jonny made the three-hour trip home
with his father Morris, who was cheering him on from the stands – socially distanced.
GLEN SMASHES 5K PERSONAL BEST ON COVID COMEBACK
Inverclyde AC’s Jonny Glen showed that time away from racing was no detriment to his form, breaking
his personal best in the 5K by a whopping 22 seconds.
Competing in Burnley at the Podium 5K race last week, Jonny clocked in at a time of 14:01 to finish 14th
in the men’s elite race, finishing a spot ahead of Beijing 2008 Olympian Tom Lancashire.
Marc Scott, who finished fifth in the 5,000m European final in 2018, stormed home to win the race in
13:20, with Jonny coming home as second Scot behind British triathlete Grant Sheldon, nine seconds
ahead.
Jonny’s quickest time prior to this came in 2016 on the track in the 5,000m, running 14:23.42 in nearby
Manchester, while his previous best on the road was 14:52 from 2015 at Silverknowes in Edinburgh at the
Scottish 5K Championships.
He did not travel alone however, with two of his teammates lining up in separate races – in limited fields
due to social distancing in a bid to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Perhaps the most impressive run of the day came from Mark Doherty in the men’s B race who clocked a
new personal best to finish 11th
in a time of 15:22.
Doherty, who is now into his third year as a Vet 35, broke his best time from two years ago by a full
minute – showing significant improvement since returning to the sport after being a promising youngster.
The third and final athlete was Cammy Watson who contended well on his return to fitness and despite
not being at his peak, finished 21st
in the A race in a respectable time of 15:37.
Cammy, who has a road personal best of 15:15 and a 5,000m best of 15:10, showed that he is not far from
his best - returning after suffering a couple of set backs in the past 12 months.
Races are few are far between for athletes at the moment, but all three showed early signs of great
performance for the team ahead of what is expected to be a limited 2020-21 season.
Inverclyde AC’s Jonny Glen showed that time away from racing was no detriment to his form, breaking
his personal best in the 5K by a whopping 22 seconds.
Competing in Burnley at the Podium 5K race last week, Jonny clocked in at a time of 14:01 to finish 14th
in the men’s elite race, finishing a spot ahead of Beijing 2008 Olympian Tom Lancashire.
Marc Scott, who finished fifth in the 5,000m European final in 2018, stormed home to win the race in
13:20, with Jonny coming home as second Scot behind British triathlete Grant Sheldon, nine seconds
ahead.
Jonny’s quickest time prior to this came in 2016 on the track in the 5,000m, running 14:23.42 in nearby
Manchester, while his previous best on the road was 14:52 from 2015 at Silverknowes in Edinburgh at the
Scottish 5K Championships.
He did not travel alone however, with two of his teammates lining up in separate races – in limited fields
due to social distancing in a bid to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Perhaps the most impressive run of the day came from Mark Doherty in the men’s B race who clocked a
new personal best to finish 11th
in a time of 15:22.
Doherty, who is now into his third year as a Vet 35, broke his best time from two years ago by a full
minute – showing significant improvement since returning to the sport after being a promising youngster.
The third and final athlete was Cammy Watson who contended well on his return to fitness and despite
not being at his peak, finished 21st
in the A race in a respectable time of 15:37.
Cammy, who has a road personal best of 15:15 and a 5,000m best of 15:10, showed that he is not far from
his best - returning after suffering a couple of set backs in the past 12 months.
Races are few are far between for athletes at the moment, but all three showed early signs of great
performance for the team ahead of what is expected to be a limited 2020-21 season.
Virtual 5k
Inverclyde AC’s Jonny Glen finished top of the standings in the Scottish Athletics 5k Virtual Championships, leading an array of top performances by the club’s athletes.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, athletics in Scotland has been largely limited, with Scottish Athletics hosting virtual races instead.
The latest looks to act as a qualifier for the Scottish 5k Championships – which the governing body hopes to host this autumn in one of its first in-person competitions.
Jonny was able to use his time from the Podium 5k race in Burnley, where he finished 14th in a time of 14:01 – enough to finish top of the table.
His teammates were close behind with Andy Douglas placing fifth in a time trial time of 14:42, ahead of the ever-improving John Bell in sixth in 14:44.
Ross Gray was next from the club in 23rd in a time trial time of 15:13, ahead of Mark Doherty – who also ran the Podium 5k race, in 15:21 for 28th.
Pete Tucker was close behind in one of his quickest times in years in 31st in 15:27, three seconds ahead of Jon Hammerman who finished in 34th and as top veteran in the over 40 category.
Cammy Watson placed 36th after his 15:36 effort from the Podium 5k race, followed by second Vet 40 David Henderson in 63rd in 16:02, Al Myers in 16:09 for 68th and Colin Doherty clocking a time of 16:15 for 74th.
The women were out in force too with under 17 Abi Hammerman recording the best time in the club with a best of 18:53 – in what looks to be a massive personal best to finish fourth in her age group.
She was closely followed by Rachael Bushfield who finished 13th in the senior women’s category in 19:03 and Nynke Mulholland who has had an absence from training in recent months, placing 17th in 19:32.
Jennifer Lyne and new start Cara Hoey showed the depth that is starting to show from the women’s team as the finished with time of 20:32 and 20:34 respectively.
Jennifer was 10th under 20, while Cara finished 23rd in the senior women’s category.
Back to the men’s results, Dylan Crawford narrowly missed the top 100 with a time of 16:45 to place 101st, while Paul Friend finished 188th in a time of 18:32 to round off the senior team’s results.
Inverclyde AC’s Jonny Glen finished top of the standings in the Scottish Athletics 5k Virtual Championships, leading an array of top performances by the club’s athletes.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, athletics in Scotland has been largely limited, with Scottish Athletics hosting virtual races instead.
The latest looks to act as a qualifier for the Scottish 5k Championships – which the governing body hopes to host this autumn in one of its first in-person competitions.
Jonny was able to use his time from the Podium 5k race in Burnley, where he finished 14th in a time of 14:01 – enough to finish top of the table.
His teammates were close behind with Andy Douglas placing fifth in a time trial time of 14:42, ahead of the ever-improving John Bell in sixth in 14:44.
Ross Gray was next from the club in 23rd in a time trial time of 15:13, ahead of Mark Doherty – who also ran the Podium 5k race, in 15:21 for 28th.
Pete Tucker was close behind in one of his quickest times in years in 31st in 15:27, three seconds ahead of Jon Hammerman who finished in 34th and as top veteran in the over 40 category.
Cammy Watson placed 36th after his 15:36 effort from the Podium 5k race, followed by second Vet 40 David Henderson in 63rd in 16:02, Al Myers in 16:09 for 68th and Colin Doherty clocking a time of 16:15 for 74th.
The women were out in force too with under 17 Abi Hammerman recording the best time in the club with a best of 18:53 – in what looks to be a massive personal best to finish fourth in her age group.
She was closely followed by Rachael Bushfield who finished 13th in the senior women’s category in 19:03 and Nynke Mulholland who has had an absence from training in recent months, placing 17th in 19:32.
Jennifer Lyne and new start Cara Hoey showed the depth that is starting to show from the women’s team as the finished with time of 20:32 and 20:34 respectively.
Jennifer was 10th under 20, while Cara finished 23rd in the senior women’s category.
Back to the men’s results, Dylan Crawford narrowly missed the top 100 with a time of 16:45 to place 101st, while Paul Friend finished 188th in a time of 18:32 to round off the senior team’s results.
Scottish Track and Field League Match 1, Saturday 4th May
Due to the London Marathon the previous week and the 5k Champs the previous evening, only a handful of athletes made it through to Grangemouth to compete in this season's opening League Match.
Age group internationalist and mulit-eventer Scott Brindley kicked off the day in style by equalling his PB of 1.90m in the High Jump. Scott took third in a high-quality field, with a jump that would have been enough to take maximum points in the Division 1 event. Scott followed this up by taking maximum points in the Long Jump.
A good day for Scott was completed as he was presented with a prize for 2018 Division 2 Field Athlete of the Season for his efforts in the Long Jump.
After a week of warm weather training in Portugal, Adam Hay returned to the track with a gutsy sub-2 minute 800m. Adam bravely took on the race from the start and was unlucky to be overtaken towards the end of the race by the eventual winner from Edinburgh AC. Adam followed up this 2nd place finish with 3rd in the 400m, an event which he has less experience in. Hopefully Adam can carry on this strong form for the rest of the season.
Youngster Ciaran Hogg took a break from his S5 exams to compete in the 100m and 200m. After a big PB in the 100m a few weeks ago, Ciaran produced another strong run - well inside the 12 second marker. Under 17 sprinter Ciaran was unphased by the step up to Senior competition and ran well in the 200m to record a fastest ever wind-legal time.
Jon Hammerman returned from injury to compete in the gruelling 5000m. A typically strong run saw Jon take 3rd place after a tough 12 and a half laps of the track.
Despite only having 4 athletes competing, Inverclyde still finished the day in 7th place in Div 2 - ahead of both Kilbarchan and Arbroath. As always, thanks to those who travelled through to support our athletes - especially team manager Matthew Thomson and Club President Gerry Gaffney for officiating.
Due to the London Marathon the previous week and the 5k Champs the previous evening, only a handful of athletes made it through to Grangemouth to compete in this season's opening League Match.
Age group internationalist and mulit-eventer Scott Brindley kicked off the day in style by equalling his PB of 1.90m in the High Jump. Scott took third in a high-quality field, with a jump that would have been enough to take maximum points in the Division 1 event. Scott followed this up by taking maximum points in the Long Jump.
A good day for Scott was completed as he was presented with a prize for 2018 Division 2 Field Athlete of the Season for his efforts in the Long Jump.
After a week of warm weather training in Portugal, Adam Hay returned to the track with a gutsy sub-2 minute 800m. Adam bravely took on the race from the start and was unlucky to be overtaken towards the end of the race by the eventual winner from Edinburgh AC. Adam followed up this 2nd place finish with 3rd in the 400m, an event which he has less experience in. Hopefully Adam can carry on this strong form for the rest of the season.
Youngster Ciaran Hogg took a break from his S5 exams to compete in the 100m and 200m. After a big PB in the 100m a few weeks ago, Ciaran produced another strong run - well inside the 12 second marker. Under 17 sprinter Ciaran was unphased by the step up to Senior competition and ran well in the 200m to record a fastest ever wind-legal time.
Jon Hammerman returned from injury to compete in the gruelling 5000m. A typically strong run saw Jon take 3rd place after a tough 12 and a half laps of the track.
Despite only having 4 athletes competing, Inverclyde still finished the day in 7th place in Div 2 - ahead of both Kilbarchan and Arbroath. As always, thanks to those who travelled through to support our athletes - especially team manager Matthew Thomson and Club President Gerry Gaffney for officiating.
Scottish 5k Champs, Friday 3rd May
John Bell (pictured) would become the first local runner in three years to break the fifteen-minute barrier over 5k as he took 13th at the Scottish 5k Championships in Edinburgh.
With high winds at Silverknowes threatening fast times, it was a surprise to see 13 runners make it under 15 minutes, with John being the last of those. Perhaps viewed as unlucky, John’s time last year would have been good enough for a comfortable top ten finish as he finished in 14:58 in a new road personal best.
Another Inverclyde AC runner with a new PB was Michael Houston who took more than thirty seconds off his previous time ending in 28th in a time of 15:21. To further show the depth in the race, Michael’s time last year would have been good enough for a top 20 finish too.
The third member of the club in the counting team was young Cameron Watson who continues his return after weeks out injured. Working particularly hard in training on the run up may have been his undoing though as he would run 15:49 for 57th on tired legs. Still, to break 16 minutes with two months out was an impressive display and something to work on.
Finally, David Tamburini continued to show good form after his heroics in the 50k Championships in March. Running just a tenth of the distance this time, David was very close to his best in previous years, which is just under 16:30. He would finish in 114th in a time of 16:35 as the 12th Vet 40 in another consistent performance.
A team prize would elude John, Michael and Cameron in a field with tremendous depth, they would take 8th place, 26 points off of third place in the end. But it didn’t matter as there were enough positives taken by the four runners in the capital to set them up well for the track season.
Results: 13. John Bell 14:58, 28. Michael Houston 15:21, 57. Cameron Watson 15:49, 114. David Tamburini 16:35.
John Bell (pictured) would become the first local runner in three years to break the fifteen-minute barrier over 5k as he took 13th at the Scottish 5k Championships in Edinburgh.
With high winds at Silverknowes threatening fast times, it was a surprise to see 13 runners make it under 15 minutes, with John being the last of those. Perhaps viewed as unlucky, John’s time last year would have been good enough for a comfortable top ten finish as he finished in 14:58 in a new road personal best.
Another Inverclyde AC runner with a new PB was Michael Houston who took more than thirty seconds off his previous time ending in 28th in a time of 15:21. To further show the depth in the race, Michael’s time last year would have been good enough for a top 20 finish too.
The third member of the club in the counting team was young Cameron Watson who continues his return after weeks out injured. Working particularly hard in training on the run up may have been his undoing though as he would run 15:49 for 57th on tired legs. Still, to break 16 minutes with two months out was an impressive display and something to work on.
Finally, David Tamburini continued to show good form after his heroics in the 50k Championships in March. Running just a tenth of the distance this time, David was very close to his best in previous years, which is just under 16:30. He would finish in 114th in a time of 16:35 as the 12th Vet 40 in another consistent performance.
A team prize would elude John, Michael and Cameron in a field with tremendous depth, they would take 8th place, 26 points off of third place in the end. But it didn’t matter as there were enough positives taken by the four runners in the capital to set them up well for the track season.
Results: 13. John Bell 14:58, 28. Michael Houston 15:21, 57. Cameron Watson 15:49, 114. David Tamburini 16:35.
London Marathon, Sunday 28th April
Craig Ruddy smashed his own club record for Inverclyde AC as he finished as third Scot at the London Marathon.
Behind only Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Robbie Simpson and new Scottish record holder Callum Hawkins, Craig was able to make amends from his last marathon to get a personal best of 2:20:29.
Having been sent the wrong way in the latter stages of the Frankfurt Marathon in the autumn as he looked to smash his best by nearly five minutes, his return to the distance turned out to be a positive one still.
Having looked to dip under the 2:20 barrier, Craig didn’t quite muster it – but would finish fifth outside of the elite field, putting him 22nd in the UK this year in a solid display with more to come.
But Craig would not be the only Inverclyde runner in London. John Sharp finally broke the 2:30 barrier that has eluded him for the past two seasons. Having previously been just 11 seconds and one second outside of the time, John would run 2:29:55, taking 6 seconds off his time from last year. It would also place him as the 12th best athlete in his age category.
Just down the road came Pete Tucker, who has ran 2:23 in the past, has struggled with injury over the winter, but was able to put in a decent display regardless: clocking a 2:31.00. Just 22 seconds behind was Jonathan Roebuck who would also get a personal best close to his new teammate. This would be Jonathan’s first serious marathon and he would excel in his first showing at London.
Jack Letson would take eight minutes off of his personal best from last year too as he finished in a respectable 2:35:18 as he looks to go under 2:35 on his next attempt.
Last but not least, Al Myers hoped to run the marathon and beat his personal best, but injury hampered his preparation. He instead decided to pace his wife to a personal best in 3:13. Couples who run together, stay together.
With four Inverclyde runners inside the top 200 (and Jack just three places outside), some of the area’s best distance runners were able to show the club’s worth on a national stage at the world’s most prestigious marathon.
Craig Ruddy smashed his own club record for Inverclyde AC as he finished as third Scot at the London Marathon.
Behind only Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Robbie Simpson and new Scottish record holder Callum Hawkins, Craig was able to make amends from his last marathon to get a personal best of 2:20:29.
Having been sent the wrong way in the latter stages of the Frankfurt Marathon in the autumn as he looked to smash his best by nearly five minutes, his return to the distance turned out to be a positive one still.
Having looked to dip under the 2:20 barrier, Craig didn’t quite muster it – but would finish fifth outside of the elite field, putting him 22nd in the UK this year in a solid display with more to come.
But Craig would not be the only Inverclyde runner in London. John Sharp finally broke the 2:30 barrier that has eluded him for the past two seasons. Having previously been just 11 seconds and one second outside of the time, John would run 2:29:55, taking 6 seconds off his time from last year. It would also place him as the 12th best athlete in his age category.
Just down the road came Pete Tucker, who has ran 2:23 in the past, has struggled with injury over the winter, but was able to put in a decent display regardless: clocking a 2:31.00. Just 22 seconds behind was Jonathan Roebuck who would also get a personal best close to his new teammate. This would be Jonathan’s first serious marathon and he would excel in his first showing at London.
Jack Letson would take eight minutes off of his personal best from last year too as he finished in a respectable 2:35:18 as he looks to go under 2:35 on his next attempt.
Last but not least, Al Myers hoped to run the marathon and beat his personal best, but injury hampered his preparation. He instead decided to pace his wife to a personal best in 3:13. Couples who run together, stay together.
With four Inverclyde runners inside the top 200 (and Jack just three places outside), some of the area’s best distance runners were able to show the club’s worth on a national stage at the world’s most prestigious marathon.
Scottish 50k Championships
There is a saying among the Inverclyde men’s senior team: ‘Tamba runs, Tamba medals’.
This is in reference to veteran runner David Tamburini who continued to display no signs of tiring in his most gruelling race to date as he took on the 50k race at the Scottish Championships.
With David coming up against a distance which exceeds the marathon by five miles, he was in uncharted territory, taking on the distance for the first time. Yet, he came away with a medal on his debut, proving the saying correct once again.
Slowly moving up the field, he would finish fifth overall in a time of three hours, 19 minutes and 59 seconds: narrowly missing fourth by just over twenty seconds. But he proved to be the most consistent runner in the field, with the gap between his fastest and slowest of his 21 laps being only 30 seconds.
With third Scot home, David would take bronze behind fellow runner from the area, Glenpark’s Andrew White and winner, Cambuslang’s Kerry-Liam Wilson.
There is a saying among the Inverclyde men’s senior team: ‘Tamba runs, Tamba medals’.
This is in reference to veteran runner David Tamburini who continued to display no signs of tiring in his most gruelling race to date as he took on the 50k race at the Scottish Championships.
With David coming up against a distance which exceeds the marathon by five miles, he was in uncharted territory, taking on the distance for the first time. Yet, he came away with a medal on his debut, proving the saying correct once again.
Slowly moving up the field, he would finish fifth overall in a time of three hours, 19 minutes and 59 seconds: narrowly missing fourth by just over twenty seconds. But he proved to be the most consistent runner in the field, with the gap between his fastest and slowest of his 21 laps being only 30 seconds.
With third Scot home, David would take bronze behind fellow runner from the area, Glenpark’s Andrew White and winner, Cambuslang’s Kerry-Liam Wilson.
