Easter Race and Egg Hunt
Traditionally this is the final counting race in the Winter Championships for the younger age groups, however, with the summer Saturday track sessions already underway, it was decided to hold the event at Ravenscraig Stadium and incorporate a series of time trials alongside the U’11 events. This proved to be popular across all the junior age groups, especially with the opportunity to take part in the Egg Hunt. 4 teams competed in glorious sunshine and it was a sprint to the finish line with their last egg between the Yellow and Orange teams. A dive over the line saw the Yellows take the victory.
Many Thanks to club coaches, parent volunteers and families for supporting this event, and to the ground staff at Ravenscraig Stadium for their continued assistance at our training sessions as well as events.
Results
Winter Championship
U’9 Boys
Ben Roxburgh, Ethan Martin, Keiran Martin,
U’9 Girls
Grace Barry, Pearl Paterson, Eilidh Timmons, Olivia Law, Hannah Timmons, Millie Wilson, Leah Kane
U’11 Boys
Liam Kane, Jake Reilly
U’11 Girls
Iris Paterson, Nuala Ward, Honor Thompson
U’13 Girls
Millie Paton
Time Trials
U’11
Rebecca Cameron 100m. Lara Cameron 1000m
U’13
Sam McGarva 200m/100m
U’15
Lorien Carnegie 200m/100m. Niamh McGarva 200m/100m
Keir Arthur. 1000m/200m. Jonathan Cameron 1500m
Aidan McGarrigle 200m/100m
U’17
Abi Hammerman 1500m. Leah Cameron 300m/200m/100m
Hannah Shankster 200m/100m. Katie Purves 200m/100m
Peter Bradshaw 600m/400m. Ciaran Hogg. 600m/400.
Lewis Hainey 600m/400m Josh Law 600m/400m
U’20
Ben Nichol 600m/400m. Zoe Renfrew 600m/400m
Traditionally this is the final counting race in the Winter Championships for the younger age groups, however, with the summer Saturday track sessions already underway, it was decided to hold the event at Ravenscraig Stadium and incorporate a series of time trials alongside the U’11 events. This proved to be popular across all the junior age groups, especially with the opportunity to take part in the Egg Hunt. 4 teams competed in glorious sunshine and it was a sprint to the finish line with their last egg between the Yellow and Orange teams. A dive over the line saw the Yellows take the victory.
Many Thanks to club coaches, parent volunteers and families for supporting this event, and to the ground staff at Ravenscraig Stadium for their continued assistance at our training sessions as well as events.
Results
Winter Championship
U’9 Boys
Ben Roxburgh, Ethan Martin, Keiran Martin,
U’9 Girls
Grace Barry, Pearl Paterson, Eilidh Timmons, Olivia Law, Hannah Timmons, Millie Wilson, Leah Kane
U’11 Boys
Liam Kane, Jake Reilly
U’11 Girls
Iris Paterson, Nuala Ward, Honor Thompson
U’13 Girls
Millie Paton
Time Trials
U’11
Rebecca Cameron 100m. Lara Cameron 1000m
U’13
Sam McGarva 200m/100m
U’15
Lorien Carnegie 200m/100m. Niamh McGarva 200m/100m
Keir Arthur. 1000m/200m. Jonathan Cameron 1500m
Aidan McGarrigle 200m/100m
U’17
Abi Hammerman 1500m. Leah Cameron 300m/200m/100m
Hannah Shankster 200m/100m. Katie Purves 200m/100m
Peter Bradshaw 600m/400m. Ciaran Hogg. 600m/400.
Lewis Hainey 600m/400m Josh Law 600m/400m
U’20
Ben Nichol 600m/400m. Zoe Renfrew 600m/400m
Scottish National Cross Country Championships, Falkirk
Inverclyde AC’s Adam Craig (pictured - photo by Bobby Gavin) wiped the field clean at the Scottish National Cross Country Championships as he became the latest national cross country champion from the club.
Adam went into the race as one of the favourites for the title, but few saw the dominance that he would show over the 34 minutes of running. Adam would take the win by nearly a minute as he pulled away from the field in the early stages. His win helped the senior men return to the team medals as they finished third, only four points behind second-place Cambuslang. It would be the first time the senior men would sit on the podium since their gold in 2010.
The team went into the race as one of the favourites for the team prize but suffered a blow the day before when one of the key members of the team, Andy Douglas, was ruled out by injury. With this the team faced a bigger challenge, but eventually would prevail.
Sean Fontana and Craig Ruddy would make up the top twenty runners with Sean falling away on the last lap as Craig closed in, finishing a second behind. 20 seconds down the course came John Bell who, despite running for the past five years, took part in his first national cross country.
There was a gap to the team’s fifth and sixth counters as Michael Houston and Mark Pollard completed the team, working together to finish as high up the field as possible, ending in 41st and 44th place. For John and Michael, it would be their first senior medals at Falkirk.
Inverclyde made it seven runners inside the top 100 as David Tamburini placed 92nd and finished ninth in his final year in this age group. It could’ve been eight in double digits, but Pete Tucker would just miss out in 102nd place after a recent injury hampered his hard work over the season so far in the lead up to the race. Just behind him came Andrew Harkins and Al Myers. Andrew was 15th in the veteran 40 category on his way back to fitness, while Al ran the whole race hoping to overcome a recent shin injury, but the pain didn’t subside as he struggled to the end. Nicholas Gemmell would also place fifth, but in the vet 45 category.
Julie Gordon would be the sole runner in the senior women’s race finishing 72nd and fifth in her age group, improving on her performance at the West District Championships in December.
In the junior races, Dylan Crawford was the only under 20 representing due to injuries to his teammates and track commitments. In his opening year, he would finish 45th in a strong field of nearly 70 athletes.
In the under 17 men’s race, Josh Law was first home for the club in 35th, followed by Ben Nichol less than a minute behind just outside the top 50. Inverclyde’s under 15 boys would finish 13th in the team competition with the quartet being led by Lewis Hainey in 54th, ten places ahead of Robert Gray. Jonathan Cameron and Nathan Harkins would make their national debuts to complete the team too.
In the under 15 girls race, Abi Hammerman would have a solid display as she narrowly missed the top 20. Orla McGeehan would also feature in 82nd in a field of well over 100 runners. Keir Arthur would finish easily in the top half of the field in the biggest junior field of the day as he placed 76th with nearly 200 competing.
With the winner of the biggest race of the day and his teammates securing team bronze too, Inverclyde could once again call the National Cross Country a success ahead of the road racing season.
Inverclyde AC’s Adam Craig (pictured - photo by Bobby Gavin) wiped the field clean at the Scottish National Cross Country Championships as he became the latest national cross country champion from the club.
Adam went into the race as one of the favourites for the title, but few saw the dominance that he would show over the 34 minutes of running. Adam would take the win by nearly a minute as he pulled away from the field in the early stages. His win helped the senior men return to the team medals as they finished third, only four points behind second-place Cambuslang. It would be the first time the senior men would sit on the podium since their gold in 2010.
The team went into the race as one of the favourites for the team prize but suffered a blow the day before when one of the key members of the team, Andy Douglas, was ruled out by injury. With this the team faced a bigger challenge, but eventually would prevail.
Sean Fontana and Craig Ruddy would make up the top twenty runners with Sean falling away on the last lap as Craig closed in, finishing a second behind. 20 seconds down the course came John Bell who, despite running for the past five years, took part in his first national cross country.
There was a gap to the team’s fifth and sixth counters as Michael Houston and Mark Pollard completed the team, working together to finish as high up the field as possible, ending in 41st and 44th place. For John and Michael, it would be their first senior medals at Falkirk.
Inverclyde made it seven runners inside the top 100 as David Tamburini placed 92nd and finished ninth in his final year in this age group. It could’ve been eight in double digits, but Pete Tucker would just miss out in 102nd place after a recent injury hampered his hard work over the season so far in the lead up to the race. Just behind him came Andrew Harkins and Al Myers. Andrew was 15th in the veteran 40 category on his way back to fitness, while Al ran the whole race hoping to overcome a recent shin injury, but the pain didn’t subside as he struggled to the end. Nicholas Gemmell would also place fifth, but in the vet 45 category.
Julie Gordon would be the sole runner in the senior women’s race finishing 72nd and fifth in her age group, improving on her performance at the West District Championships in December.
In the junior races, Dylan Crawford was the only under 20 representing due to injuries to his teammates and track commitments. In his opening year, he would finish 45th in a strong field of nearly 70 athletes.
In the under 17 men’s race, Josh Law was first home for the club in 35th, followed by Ben Nichol less than a minute behind just outside the top 50. Inverclyde’s under 15 boys would finish 13th in the team competition with the quartet being led by Lewis Hainey in 54th, ten places ahead of Robert Gray. Jonathan Cameron and Nathan Harkins would make their national debuts to complete the team too.
In the under 15 girls race, Abi Hammerman would have a solid display as she narrowly missed the top 20. Orla McGeehan would also feature in 82nd in a field of well over 100 runners. Keir Arthur would finish easily in the top half of the field in the biggest junior field of the day as he placed 76th with nearly 200 competing.
With the winner of the biggest race of the day and his teammates securing team bronze too, Inverclyde could once again call the National Cross Country a success ahead of the road racing season.
Renfrewshire Road Race Championships, Greenock
Inverclyde AC’s senior men would make history at the Renfrewshire Road Race Championships, becoming the first senior men’s team to complete a ‘treble treble’ with a victory on home turf at the Battery Park.
The team of Sean Fontana, Craig Ruddy, Michael Houston, Mark Pollard, David Tamburini and Jon Hammerman would take team gold decisively, adding another gold at Renfrewshire championships, having won this race, the Renfrewshire Cross Country Championships and the Renfrewshire Cross Country Relays three years in a row.
Sean would win in a solid run, 15 seconds ahead of guest runner Dougie Selman of Corstorphine. Craig, gearing up for a big half marathon prior to the National Cross Country, would finish fifth overall and second in the county. Michael Houston had an exceptional run, narrowly missing an individual Renfrewshire medal by eight seconds as he finished eighth, with Mark rounding off the top ten. David Tamburini and Jon Hammerman would be the final counters, finishing within a few seconds of each other in 16th and 17th.
In the women’s race, Julie Gordon looked very competitive and near her best, finishing sixth overall. She would also finish second in her age group too, taking an individual silver.
In the junior races, there continued to be success. In the under 17s, Josh Law had a real race on his hands in the top three, where all three runners vied for gold. As the end of the race came to a close, Josh was narrowly squeezed into third place, but will be happy enough with his run and bronze medal.
In the under 15s, Abi Hammerman would finish fourth in the county, just outside the medals in an encouraging run ahead of nationals. Orla McGeehan would also have a strong showing, finishing tenth overall and eighth in Renfrewshire, keeping competitive with a number of runners around her.
The under 15 boys would take team bronze thanks to the efforts of Robert Gray, Jonathan Cameron and Nathan Harkins. Robert took on a competitive field, finishing sixth, while Jonathan and Nathan would finish 12th and 14th respectively in the midfield.
The under 13s saw both Millie Paton and Kate Seggie compete for the girls, finishing eighth and 13th while Keir Arthur placed 11th in the boys’ equivalent.
Last but not least, the under 11s were victorious across the board. In the girls race, Iris Paterson stormed to victory, taking individual gold by seven seconds. Her teammates counting for the team included Lexie Bremner and her younger sister, Pearl Paterson. The two girls would finish only a few seconds between each other in 17th and 18th. Elsewhere Abigael McAnernay would make her first outing for the team finishing in 30th, ahead of Mirren Morrison in 32nd. With five girls in this race, the future looks bright for them.
On the boys side, there were no individual medals, but there was a silver medal for the team as Oliver Wagstaff, Fraser McLaughlan and Aaron Harkins comfortably took second. Oliver would miss an individual bronze, finishing eight seconds away in fourth. Fraser beat Aaron in a sprint finish for sixth, with both of the boys less than ten seconds off Oliver. Oliver’s usually neck and neck with his brother Lucas, who had a rare off-day finishing in 12th. Still, he was less than 20 seconds off Oliver in the end.
There were plenty more black and white vests in the race too as Ashton Fulton and Oliver Arthur would make the top 20. Oliver and Liam Kane would be two of five runners to clock the exact same time in a blanket finish. Next came the two Bens: Gerrard and Roxburgh in 37th and 39th again separated by only a few seconds. Slightly further down the field were also runs from Jake Reilly, Ethan Martin, Rory Munro and Kieran Martin with many of the boys (like the girls) taking part in their first road race for the club. With twelve runners in the race, it shows fantastic depth that will hopefully be retained as the boys progress through the age groups.
Like most Renfrewshire championships, there was plenty to be happy about for Inverclyde athletes ahead of the National Cross Country Championships at the end of February. Despite the grim weather conditions, the runners braved the elements ahead of the end of the winter season.
Inverclyde AC’s senior men would make history at the Renfrewshire Road Race Championships, becoming the first senior men’s team to complete a ‘treble treble’ with a victory on home turf at the Battery Park.
The team of Sean Fontana, Craig Ruddy, Michael Houston, Mark Pollard, David Tamburini and Jon Hammerman would take team gold decisively, adding another gold at Renfrewshire championships, having won this race, the Renfrewshire Cross Country Championships and the Renfrewshire Cross Country Relays three years in a row.
Sean would win in a solid run, 15 seconds ahead of guest runner Dougie Selman of Corstorphine. Craig, gearing up for a big half marathon prior to the National Cross Country, would finish fifth overall and second in the county. Michael Houston had an exceptional run, narrowly missing an individual Renfrewshire medal by eight seconds as he finished eighth, with Mark rounding off the top ten. David Tamburini and Jon Hammerman would be the final counters, finishing within a few seconds of each other in 16th and 17th.
In the women’s race, Julie Gordon looked very competitive and near her best, finishing sixth overall. She would also finish second in her age group too, taking an individual silver.
In the junior races, there continued to be success. In the under 17s, Josh Law had a real race on his hands in the top three, where all three runners vied for gold. As the end of the race came to a close, Josh was narrowly squeezed into third place, but will be happy enough with his run and bronze medal.
In the under 15s, Abi Hammerman would finish fourth in the county, just outside the medals in an encouraging run ahead of nationals. Orla McGeehan would also have a strong showing, finishing tenth overall and eighth in Renfrewshire, keeping competitive with a number of runners around her.
The under 15 boys would take team bronze thanks to the efforts of Robert Gray, Jonathan Cameron and Nathan Harkins. Robert took on a competitive field, finishing sixth, while Jonathan and Nathan would finish 12th and 14th respectively in the midfield.
The under 13s saw both Millie Paton and Kate Seggie compete for the girls, finishing eighth and 13th while Keir Arthur placed 11th in the boys’ equivalent.
Last but not least, the under 11s were victorious across the board. In the girls race, Iris Paterson stormed to victory, taking individual gold by seven seconds. Her teammates counting for the team included Lexie Bremner and her younger sister, Pearl Paterson. The two girls would finish only a few seconds between each other in 17th and 18th. Elsewhere Abigael McAnernay would make her first outing for the team finishing in 30th, ahead of Mirren Morrison in 32nd. With five girls in this race, the future looks bright for them.
On the boys side, there were no individual medals, but there was a silver medal for the team as Oliver Wagstaff, Fraser McLaughlan and Aaron Harkins comfortably took second. Oliver would miss an individual bronze, finishing eight seconds away in fourth. Fraser beat Aaron in a sprint finish for sixth, with both of the boys less than ten seconds off Oliver. Oliver’s usually neck and neck with his brother Lucas, who had a rare off-day finishing in 12th. Still, he was less than 20 seconds off Oliver in the end.
There were plenty more black and white vests in the race too as Ashton Fulton and Oliver Arthur would make the top 20. Oliver and Liam Kane would be two of five runners to clock the exact same time in a blanket finish. Next came the two Bens: Gerrard and Roxburgh in 37th and 39th again separated by only a few seconds. Slightly further down the field were also runs from Jake Reilly, Ethan Martin, Rory Munro and Kieran Martin with many of the boys (like the girls) taking part in their first road race for the club. With twelve runners in the race, it shows fantastic depth that will hopefully be retained as the boys progress through the age groups.
Like most Renfrewshire championships, there was plenty to be happy about for Inverclyde athletes ahead of the National Cross Country Championships at the end of February. Despite the grim weather conditions, the runners braved the elements ahead of the end of the winter season.
Attard 10k, Malta
Inverclyde AC athlete Michael Houston smashed his personal best, finishing second in one of Malta’s biggest 10ks.
Michael would record a time of 33.14 at the Attard 10k, placing behind Maltese Half Marathon record holder, Andrew Grech in an event ran by hundreds of people on a stormy Sunday morning.
This would be the second Inverclyde athlete to make the podium in the country in a matter of months with Andy Douglas winning the St Joseph Fleur-De-Lys race in December ahead of Grech over the same distance.
Inverclyde AC athlete Michael Houston smashed his personal best, finishing second in one of Malta’s biggest 10ks.
Michael would record a time of 33.14 at the Attard 10k, placing behind Maltese Half Marathon record holder, Andrew Grech in an event ran by hundreds of people on a stormy Sunday morning.
This would be the second Inverclyde athlete to make the podium in the country in a matter of months with Andy Douglas winning the St Joseph Fleur-De-Lys race in December ahead of Grech over the same distance.
Scottish National Indoor Championships, Emirates Arena
Inverclyde’s young athletes took to the track at the Emirates Arena for the Scottish National Indoor Championships, with some impressive performances from some promising stars.
One of the youngest in the field on the day was Sam McGarva at the under 13 age group. In one of the standout performances, Sam would make the 200m final, breaking his personal best in both the heats and the semi-final before finishing sixth in the final. By this point, Sam ran five races in one day having made the 60m semi-final too.
In the second heat of the 60m, there were four Inverclyde athletes vying for the four automatic spots to the semi-finals. With the times so close, three of the four in the heat would make it through, with Amelia Vance narrowly missing out along with Niamh McGarva who was the fastest runner not to qualify.
But from that heat to the next round went Catriona McPherson, Lorien Carnegie and Niamh McIntosh. All three of these athletes were going to struggle with making the final due to the difficult qualification from the four heats, but Niamh gave it the best shot, finishing fourth in her heat with a new personal best. Lorien would also finish fourth and get a PB in her semi-final while Catriona also gained a personal best finishing seventh, running the exact same time in the heat and semi-final.
But Lorien’s day wasn’t over yet. Despite her just finishing her 60m semi-final, she was in action in the 300m heats just minutes afterwards. She managed to exceed expectations by gaining a PB in the 300m too, making the semi-finals where she would not make the final six, but understandable after her fourth race of the day.
Niamh McIntosh was also back in action over the 200m along with Amelia and Niamh McGarva, who both will be a little disappointed in their runs after shining so well in the 60m. Niamh McIntosh would qualify for the semi-final. Aidan McGarrigle had a good day over the sprints too, coming close to his PB in the 60m where he just missed the semi-final and then beating his 200m best later in the day.
Ciaran Hogg struggled on his first outing in the under 20 age group over 400m but has a lot of time to make up for his performance in the summer, while Nuala McCheyne finished seventh in her first outing at under 20s too, but over the 800m distance instead.
In the men’s 1500m, Ben Nichol would gain a personal best, which he would break just four days later, as he narrowly missed out on the final. However, teammate Adam Hay made the final and would go on to take the silver in a blanket finish for the medals. It wouldn’t be his only blanket finish of the indoor season, as a week later he would take joint gold at the Scottish University Indoor Championships as the photo finish couldn’t even separate him and his opponent!
Inverclyde’s young athletes took to the track at the Emirates Arena for the Scottish National Indoor Championships, with some impressive performances from some promising stars.
One of the youngest in the field on the day was Sam McGarva at the under 13 age group. In one of the standout performances, Sam would make the 200m final, breaking his personal best in both the heats and the semi-final before finishing sixth in the final. By this point, Sam ran five races in one day having made the 60m semi-final too.
In the second heat of the 60m, there were four Inverclyde athletes vying for the four automatic spots to the semi-finals. With the times so close, three of the four in the heat would make it through, with Amelia Vance narrowly missing out along with Niamh McGarva who was the fastest runner not to qualify.
But from that heat to the next round went Catriona McPherson, Lorien Carnegie and Niamh McIntosh. All three of these athletes were going to struggle with making the final due to the difficult qualification from the four heats, but Niamh gave it the best shot, finishing fourth in her heat with a new personal best. Lorien would also finish fourth and get a PB in her semi-final while Catriona also gained a personal best finishing seventh, running the exact same time in the heat and semi-final.
But Lorien’s day wasn’t over yet. Despite her just finishing her 60m semi-final, she was in action in the 300m heats just minutes afterwards. She managed to exceed expectations by gaining a PB in the 300m too, making the semi-finals where she would not make the final six, but understandable after her fourth race of the day.
Niamh McIntosh was also back in action over the 200m along with Amelia and Niamh McGarva, who both will be a little disappointed in their runs after shining so well in the 60m. Niamh McIntosh would qualify for the semi-final. Aidan McGarrigle had a good day over the sprints too, coming close to his PB in the 60m where he just missed the semi-final and then beating his 200m best later in the day.
Ciaran Hogg struggled on his first outing in the under 20 age group over 400m but has a lot of time to make up for his performance in the summer, while Nuala McCheyne finished seventh in her first outing at under 20s too, but over the 800m distance instead.
In the men’s 1500m, Ben Nichol would gain a personal best, which he would break just four days later, as he narrowly missed out on the final. However, teammate Adam Hay made the final and would go on to take the silver in a blanket finish for the medals. It wouldn’t be his only blanket finish of the indoor season, as a week later he would take joint gold at the Scottish University Indoor Championships as the photo finish couldn’t even separate him and his opponent!
Inter District Cross Country Championships, Stirling
With only a change of venue from Edinburgh to Stirling, Inverclyde’s athletes proudly represented the West District team and Scotland team in numbers at the Inter District Cross Country Championships.
Within these championships, there were also international races which allowed in-form Adam Craig an opportunity to represent his country in the last race of the day. In a mixed cross country relay comprising of two males and two females over just under a mile a leg, Adam led the Scotland team off finishing fourth out of eight, competing in a field of the top British, European and American runners and only a second off British representative, Jamie Williamson. His time would prove to be the fastest in the team, beating his male counterpart Michael Ferguson by six seconds.
But the results did not just come internationally, there were many athletes representing the West Districts against East and North in the Inter District Championships.
Despite only getting into the sport a couple of years ago, Tayven Adamson’s performance at the West District Cross Country Championships earned him a blue vest for the big race in Stirling. In his first race representing the district, he gave a good account of himself, finishing 25th in a quality field, knowing that he will have more to come in the coming years.
There was a more familiar face in the under 17 women’s team – Nuala McCheyne. Having competed for the district for years coming through the age groups, Nuala’s injury woes of late have seen her have to work harder to get back to the level she was at. With making the team again being an achievement, anything extra on the day would be a bonus. Not all would go to plan for her during the race, but her progression back to full fitness is evident.
Finally, the senior men were represented by three athletes, which was supposed to be five until John Bell’s withdrawal due to a minor injury and Ryan Gray’s due to sickness. Left remaining were mountain running champion Andy Douglas, Inverclyde veteran Craig Ruddy and under 20 Cameron Watson.
It would prove to be a difficult day for both Cameron and Craig who would finish 52nd and 49th respectively for the West team, both knowing that they are capable of better in the future. But there was some good news for Andy Douglas who would finish seventh and fifth Scot overall. With other members of the West team performing well too, Andy and his teammates would go on to win team gold ahead of East on countback, adding another medal to his tally.
As always, no race day is perfect, but with some runners getting their first bite of the cherry for Team West and others building towards nationals, the rest of the cross country season will look to inspire the athletes to train hard towards the end of the winter season and prepare them well for a solid summer on the track.
With only a change of venue from Edinburgh to Stirling, Inverclyde’s athletes proudly represented the West District team and Scotland team in numbers at the Inter District Cross Country Championships.
Within these championships, there were also international races which allowed in-form Adam Craig an opportunity to represent his country in the last race of the day. In a mixed cross country relay comprising of two males and two females over just under a mile a leg, Adam led the Scotland team off finishing fourth out of eight, competing in a field of the top British, European and American runners and only a second off British representative, Jamie Williamson. His time would prove to be the fastest in the team, beating his male counterpart Michael Ferguson by six seconds.
But the results did not just come internationally, there were many athletes representing the West Districts against East and North in the Inter District Championships.
Despite only getting into the sport a couple of years ago, Tayven Adamson’s performance at the West District Cross Country Championships earned him a blue vest for the big race in Stirling. In his first race representing the district, he gave a good account of himself, finishing 25th in a quality field, knowing that he will have more to come in the coming years.
There was a more familiar face in the under 17 women’s team – Nuala McCheyne. Having competed for the district for years coming through the age groups, Nuala’s injury woes of late have seen her have to work harder to get back to the level she was at. With making the team again being an achievement, anything extra on the day would be a bonus. Not all would go to plan for her during the race, but her progression back to full fitness is evident.
Finally, the senior men were represented by three athletes, which was supposed to be five until John Bell’s withdrawal due to a minor injury and Ryan Gray’s due to sickness. Left remaining were mountain running champion Andy Douglas, Inverclyde veteran Craig Ruddy and under 20 Cameron Watson.
It would prove to be a difficult day for both Cameron and Craig who would finish 52nd and 49th respectively for the West team, both knowing that they are capable of better in the future. But there was some good news for Andy Douglas who would finish seventh and fifth Scot overall. With other members of the West team performing well too, Andy and his teammates would go on to win team gold ahead of East on countback, adding another medal to his tally.
As always, no race day is perfect, but with some runners getting their first bite of the cherry for Team West and others building towards nationals, the rest of the cross country season will look to inspire the athletes to train hard towards the end of the winter season and prepare them well for a solid summer on the track.
Glasgow Miler Meet, Emirates Arena
New signing Adam Craig (pictured - photo by Bobby Gavin) smashed Inverclyde’s club record over the 3000m distance at the Glasgow Miler Meet’s New Year indoor meeting.
Adam would go up against fierce competition in the A race at the Emirates Arena, eventually finishing second behind seasonal rival Sol Sweeney, who also got the better of him at the Scottish Short Course Cross Country Championships. Despite their intense rivalry over the winter, the two embraced after the race as both finished with personal bests: Adam’s 7 minutes and 57 seconds being a four second improvement over the previous record holder, Dan Mulhare, who represented Ireland over the distance eight years ago at the European Indoor Championships.
In the race, Adam was one of four athletes to break eight minutes, with Leeds City’s Philip Sesemann finishing third. With a new personal best, Adam will be looking towards the highly anticipated Scottish National Cross Country Championships in February as he vies for the title.
Elsewhere in the black and white stripes was another Adam: the slightly younger Adam Hay would hit a new personal best early in the season, shaving off a second from his outdoor time from 2018 in a competitive C race. Michael Houston would also have some success in the F race, running his quickest time in four years after a tumultuous time on the sidelines. Despite being on pace-making duties, Michael decided to continue to the tape to take the race, helping to pace fellow club members Jon Hammerman, Al Myers and Ben Nichol all to personal bests. In the previous race, David Tamburini had a decent showing, finishing narrowly outside his personal best.
In the G race, Jason Kane and Gary McKendrick wouldn’t quite hit their personal bests, finishing just over ten minutes, but Nicholas Gemmell would sub that marker for the first time in a time of 9:53.
With the promise of self-improvement in the new year, very few could ask for more than what Adam Craig would achieve: his first time under eight minutes for 3000m and a new club record.
New signing Adam Craig (pictured - photo by Bobby Gavin) smashed Inverclyde’s club record over the 3000m distance at the Glasgow Miler Meet’s New Year indoor meeting.
Adam would go up against fierce competition in the A race at the Emirates Arena, eventually finishing second behind seasonal rival Sol Sweeney, who also got the better of him at the Scottish Short Course Cross Country Championships. Despite their intense rivalry over the winter, the two embraced after the race as both finished with personal bests: Adam’s 7 minutes and 57 seconds being a four second improvement over the previous record holder, Dan Mulhare, who represented Ireland over the distance eight years ago at the European Indoor Championships.
In the race, Adam was one of four athletes to break eight minutes, with Leeds City’s Philip Sesemann finishing third. With a new personal best, Adam will be looking towards the highly anticipated Scottish National Cross Country Championships in February as he vies for the title.
Elsewhere in the black and white stripes was another Adam: the slightly younger Adam Hay would hit a new personal best early in the season, shaving off a second from his outdoor time from 2018 in a competitive C race. Michael Houston would also have some success in the F race, running his quickest time in four years after a tumultuous time on the sidelines. Despite being on pace-making duties, Michael decided to continue to the tape to take the race, helping to pace fellow club members Jon Hammerman, Al Myers and Ben Nichol all to personal bests. In the previous race, David Tamburini had a decent showing, finishing narrowly outside his personal best.
In the G race, Jason Kane and Gary McKendrick wouldn’t quite hit their personal bests, finishing just over ten minutes, but Nicholas Gemmell would sub that marker for the first time in a time of 9:53.
With the promise of self-improvement in the new year, very few could ask for more than what Adam Craig would achieve: his first time under eight minutes for 3000m and a new club record.