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The warm spring conditions have brought Harriers out by the dozen, competing in the past week in places as far apart as North Wales and Livingston as well as nearer to home at Dunbar and in Edinburgh.

Two Saturdays ago, Alice Haining travelled down with her Scottish School teammates to the beautiful North Wales estate called Faenol which was hosting the Home Countries Cross Country International as well as the Aviva Schools International Athletics Board championship between the home nations.

Over a tough 4.5 kilometre course Alice placed 10th overall in 17 minutes and 40 seconds, the second Scottish runner home, ensuring that Scotland took 2rd place in front of the host nation and Ireland. She showed that she was back to her usual competitive form and beat several of her usual Scottish rivals in a display of excellent running.

Next day, several of the Harriers’ coaches were lucky enough to be at the superb Borders Sports Conference held at Peebles Hydro where a morning of keynote speakers was followed by an athletic coaching session of stunning brilliance, delivered by Jared Deacon, a former Olympic 400m relay runner. Both senior and junior runners should beware – training sessions might never be the same again!!

Two of the coaches there certainly put the inspirational day into practice a week later in Dunbar on Saturday - Neil Aitchison and Graham Capper turned in excellent performances at the Belhaven 10k on a bright but very windy day. Neil finished 23rd out of 252 runners in 39 minutes and 07 seconds while Graham was 62nd in 43.45.

On the same day, the annual and keenly fought Scottish Athletics Road Relay Championships at Almondvale in Livingston attracted an excellent turnout of 16 Harriers in one womens’ team and two mens. In chilly and windy conditions the womens’ team of Rachel Fagan, Dianne Lauder, Gillian Duncan and Katy Anderson almost took the bronze medal with fine runs from all girls but just not quite enough in the dying stages of the final leg to steal third place which eluded them by 5 seconds.

The 4 x relay legs alternate between 3 and 6 miles and Rachel’s run (19.29) was a great start, followed by an excellent run by Dianne (35.03), Gillian lifting them up to 2nd place in 20.42 and Katy’s anchor leg (37.23) bringing them home in a well run 4th place.

The mens’ race comprises 6 legs of alternate 3 and 6 miles and the first team of Derrick Brydon (19.03) Graeme Murdoch (31.43) Rob McCrirrick (18.44) Euan Jardine (32.22) Magnus Inglis (19.51) and Fergus Johnston (35.34) placed them 23rd out of 50, while the second team of Tony Lunn (19.32) Malky Gowans (39.16) Alistair Wright (20.29) Tommy Knox (41.00) Billy McCulloch (23.02) and Stevie Gillan (42.45) came 44th. Well done to all athletes.

(Some photographs in gallery, photographer apologies to last few runners as he had to give up before his fingers broke off with the cold)

Chris Hoy has now given his name to the Edinburgh City Half Marathon and graced the event in person (but not in his running gear) in bright, sunny but breezy conditions. A good turnout of Harriers headed north to meet him for this Forthside 13.1 miler. The route for this popular race has changed and it now starts at Meadowbank Stadium and hugs the coast, finishing at Musselburgh after a second half into a strong headwind, an excellent preparation for the Edinburgh marathon in May.

Iain Bell led the Harriers home in a superb time of 1 hour 27 minutes and 5 seconds with Dave Nightingale not far behind him in 1.29.58. Malky Gowans, fresh from his jaunt around Livingston the day before kept up the good work with a great time of 1.30.49 and Fiona Shepherd, Gerry Moss, Dawn Grant and Jane Robertson all perfomed well and enjoyed the new route, finishing in 1.44.06, 1.44.48, 1.49.28 and 1.56.13 respectively, as well as Sheila McNab.

Posted on Saturday, April 4th, 2009 at 9:55 pm and is filed under News, Race Reports, Race Results.
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