Latest March 2009 News Round-Up
March 16th, 2009Another week of varied action saw some Gala Harriers shed their green and white vests to represent their schools and their employers, as Kerry Sandilands and Rowan Marr competed for their secondary schools in Irvine and Gillian Duncan ran for Lothian and Borders Police in the Lake District.
Beach Park, Irvine was the charmingly named venue for the windswept Scottish Schools Athletic Association Cross Country Championships on Saturday and Kerry must have thought she was on a summer trip as she sped through the field in the Under 14 girls’ event, coming home 7th out of 105 for Earlston High School in an excellent time of 11 minutes 58 seconds, a superb run.
Also running with incredible consistency was Rowan, this time for Selkirk High and he bettered Kerry’s position by 2, crossing the line in 5th place in 12.19 in the U14 boys’ race, a well deserved success. Both young runners improved on their placings in the National XC championships last month and will go into the summer of athletic action in great shape and with great confidence.
Donning her police strip, Gillian Duncan travelled to the Lake District on 11th March to compete in the UK police championships. Not only did she help Lothian and Borders to the third team place by coming 9th overall, but she helped herself to selection to represent the British Police in November.
Proud to wear his Gala vest once again, Derek Fraser travelled to Inverness last weekend to compete in the half marathon there, surely one of the most scenic but nevertheless testing courses in Scotland. His time of 1 hour 35 minutes and 21 seconds was not his best performance over this distance but the beautiful course following the River Ness past Inverness castle and then out to the shores of Loch Ness more than made up for it.
Harriers race at Alloa in the half marathon there on Sunday 22 March, starting at 10am.
