Gala Harrier’s Report Weekend 26th and 27th April 2008
April 28th, 2008Gala Harriers have been in action up and down the country over the last fortnight, including two home races and a fistful of events involving junior girls – and some slightly older club runners too!
On Saturday, Kirkcaldy High School hosted the Primary Schools Cross Country Championships, in which P7s Kerry Sandilands and Katharine Arkley were competing for St Boswells and Melrose PS respectively. In breezy cool conditions over a pleasant grassy mile course, Kerry finished 12th in 7 minutes and 48 seconds with Katharine not far behind in 21st place, finishing strongly in a time of 8.14. As this is a massive event with primary schools from all over Scotland competing this was a pair of very good results for the two girls.
On Sunday at Meadowbank in warm and sunny conditions, some other Gala girls lined up for the HASL sponsored league meeting, representing Midlothian and the Borders, coming back with some very impressive results. Demi Yorke opened up with an excellent second place in the Under13 long jump with a personal best leap of 4m 41 cm.
A well paced run by Charlotte Brown in the U15 1500m earned her first place in 5.22, with only a hair’s breadth separating her from clubmate Lucy Morris who came second in 5.23. The U13 800m saw a twinned first and second placing for Hannah Jones in 2.40 and sister Emily in 2.41, with young Laura Anderson finishing well in 5th position. Demi shook the sand out of her shorts and stormed home to a comfortable win in the U13 100m, with a strong headwind whipping up her time to 13.9 secs. Martha Douglas came home 5th in the U15 100m, won by her clubmate Sophie Elder in a time of 13.7 and Martha’s older sister Emily achieved an excellent 3rd position in the U17 100m. A final flourish from the indefatigable Demi ensured a first place for her team in the 4 x 200m relay, as she scampered home on the anchor leg, cheered home by her 3 other teammates from Lasswade.
A few hundred miles north in Lochaber on the warmest day of the year, two older Harriers were toughing it out over the marathon distance around Fort William. Prepared for cool weather and over an unforgiving course that goes out and back, Kate Jenkins recorded the third time of 3.15 done by a Gala Harrier woman in a fortnight, echoing the achievements of Rachel Fagan and Katy Anderson in London. Her time (3.15.35)secured her third place in the womens’ race. Martin Clarke finished in a time of 3.12.42.
