Deaf Blind 10k - Bishopbriggs

Think canal bank, think flat, fast course. Wrong! Scenic is the coded description of this nice little race over an accurate 10k distance. 14 Harriers descended on Bishopbriggs Sports Centre on Saturday afternoon in pre-race conditions that ranged from monsoon wet to rain forest humid. The sun was out for the race itself but the preceding rain left the narrow footpath on one side of the canal bank very muddy and slippy. An interesting combination for those wearing flat, racing shoes.

Starting on the pavement outside the sports centre, the course headed up onto the main street before turning back down towards the narrow footpath beside the canal, back to the sports centre, over the bridge and back down the wider towpath on the other side. After 3 or 4k, the course veered off onto a more undulating path beside a golf course before picking up a river bank path and eventually another road. Here the course climbed steadily before dropping sharply back down to the canal bank. From there it was a flat, meandering towpath run back to the golf course bridge before crossing the canal for a final time onto the narrow, slippy path for the final km to the finish.

Alan Derrick, Martin Duthie and Stephen Reilly joined the leading pack for the first km but by the time we hit the single file canal bank path, the leading pack was down to only 4, including Martin and Alan. The eventual winner, M50 Jeff Farqhar gradually stretched away whilst Alan alternated between 2nd and 3rd place through the middle stages of the course and Martin maintained a safe 4th. Having just flown in from Copenhagen that morning, Alan was none too racy and indeed was glad to cruise the final km with friend and club mate Martin. An attempted synchronised, side-by-side finish did not defeat the presumably hidden photo finish equipment and Martin was declared 3rd and Alan 4th in identical times of 36:20. Oh how Margaret Anne, in whose memory many of us were running, would have laughed at that outcome!

Stephen Reilly held on for first Junior despite twisting his knee in the slippy conditions (38:14), with Scot Hill (38:50)and Eddie Reid (39:15) close behind. Frances Maxwell was one of the several Calderglen wounded but finished in 45:51 in her first race for some time. Mary Goldsmith finished in 52:08, confirming the tough conditions. An ill Sandra Reid made the sensible decision to drop out early on, not feeling great.

The Harriers contributed to Calderglen being the biggest club there and finished in the following order: Stuart Waugh (40:54), Jim Holmes (41:06), David Herbertson (44:06), Ian McKenzie (missing from results), David Searil (49:59), Don Kennedy (50:38) and finally Russell Couper (58:24) who sustained an achilles tendon injury early on but somehow kept it going to the finish.

Well done to all and thanks to the Harriers' friends and families who turned out to support this worthwhile cause.