Round-up: Central AC; Douglas; Masters; Giffordtown

Monday 5th October 2015

Central AC celebrate rare Scottish medals at English Six-Stage Relays – photo via Twitter

Central AC took a team south to the English Six-Stage Road Relays at Sutton Park over the weekend – and came up with a fine performance.

Shettleston Harriers had medalled in the event with silvers back in 2010 and Derek Easton’s squad ensured a Scottish club were back on the podium with third place in the race this time.

Easton played his selection cards well with Andrew Butchart and Alastair Hay on legs five and six in a tight contest and that was enough for Central to take third behind the other medallists – winners Tonbridge and second-placed Derby.

Aidan Thompson, Alex Hendry, Jamie Crowe and Scottish 3000m steeplechase champion Scott Green were the other members of the team who contributed to a fine performance.
One look at the archived list confirms that Scottish medals in this event are extremely rare, (with those Shettleston medals coming in 2010 and the table here showing results up to 2006).

There’s more detail on the 2015 races on Athletics Weekly.

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Andy Douglas (right) – won WMRA World Cup with Robbie Simpson second overall

Scotland’s stock in hill running at international level was already on a high before the weekend conclusion of the WMRA Mountain Running World Cup.

But if anything that reputation was enhanced even further by a remarkable 1-2 at Senior Men’s level as Andrew Douglas took the overall title with fifth place in the final race following a gruelling six-race summer series.

And Robbie Simpson, an individual bronze medallist at the recent World Champs in Wales, was placed second overall in the World Cup after his third-place at the weekend at the International Smarna Gora race.

Sarah Tunstall won the Senior Women’s overall World Cup, too, to make it a British double with Douglas, who represents Inverclyde AC and North Highland Harriers and is coached by Sophie Dunnett. Sophie has been short-listed in our Coach of the Year awards in the Performance category.

Uganda’s Fred Musobo, winner in Wales two weeks ago, was again victorious in Slovenia but Andy’s fifth place finish saw him secure the overall series title and become the first British male winner of this event. Musobo clocked 42:46 ahead of Italy’s Alex Baldaccini with 42:51 and Simpson, who finished third in 43:29. Douglas clocked 44:31 behind Switzerland’s David Schneider.

‘World MR Cup Champ 2015 – sweet moment to round off a packed mountain running season!’ tweeted Douglas.

Simpson finished second behind Douglas in the overall rankings, with Schneider third.

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Scottish Masters at Nottingham last year

GB international and Scotland Commonwealth Games marathon runner, Joasia Zakrzewski, is set to race for Scotland at the British Masters Cross County in Dublin next month.

The Scottish Veteran Harriers Club takes teams to the event on an annual basis with races in five-year age band from V35.

There are a host of familiar names including Ronhill Cambuslang duo Robert Gilroy and Kerry-Liam Wilson, Fiona Matheson of Falkirk Vics and Gillian Sangster of Dundee Road Runners. Four men are listed at V75 – George Black, Watson Jones, Walter McCaskey and Bill Murray.

Team Selection Masters XC

(With thanks to Colin Youngson and David Fairweather)

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Morag MacLarty – road race course record in Fife

There was a course record for Morag MacLarty of Central AC at the Giffordtown 5k organised by Fife AC.

MacLarty clocked 16.45 to take 17 seconds off the previous women’s best for the course, as she finished in 7th place overall. Central AC club-mate, Conan McCaughey, won the race in 15.24 and was himself only two seconds off a course record. Dundee Hawkhill’s Gordon Barrie did set a V40 course record with 16.25 in 4th.

Tags: Andrew Douglas, Central AC, English Six-Stage Relays, Fife AC, Masters, Morag MacLarty, Robbie Simpson