Jim Young Marymass 10k

Race reports and buses - you wait weeks and weeks since Julie's Run the Blades post and then two come along in the space of two days.

Only two 'official' harriers made the trip to the seaside on a horrible night for any outdoor activity never mind running. Gordon's other half Marion was also in the car and John Boyd ran as part of his works' team, Brodie's Engineering I think, who are one of the main race sponsors.

Despite horrible weather on the way there and on the way home the rain relented for around two hours allowing us to warm up and race in almost dry conditions. I can't say the same for the wind however, it continued to blaw a hoolie all night with gusts of up to 40 miles an hour. At one point crossing over the railway line I felt myself blown to the left across the path such was it's strength. An upside was the puny nine meters of elevation which on a calm night makes this a potential pb course which I did run here many moons ago. Near the end, around the exposed boating pond and just behind the site of the old Magnum Centre, the route took us straight into a headwind which almost stopped me in my tracks, and this is where Gordon came surging past me and it was all I could do to tuck in behind.

In the end I was first harrier home (loved typing that 😂) in 49.39 (sub-50, after narrowly missing out on Sunday!) closely followed by Gordon just nine seconds behind. We had been no more than a few meters apart right from the off and that was easily the biggest gap between us all night. Meanwhile John came home not much later in 51.07.
I was only eleven seconds away from third MV60, still fourth from eleven wasn't too bad.

Puffin and blawin

Gordon keeping me honest along the finishing stretch

Meanwhile, well in front of the guys, Marion not only won her category by an astonishing 6 minutes she also won the FV50 category by two thereby winning a bit more cash and a medal hanger.

Marion on the way to victory in both the FV50 and FV60 categories!

John enjoying the strong tailwind along Harbour Street to the finish 

Gordon later pointed out the irony of the fact that there was no medal awarded at this race!   

There were 218 finishers with the race winners being previous Calderglen trail race champion Neil Renault of Edinburgh AC in 33.09 and Toni McIntosh of Ayr Seaforth in 39.42. Neil's wife Katie topped up their family winnings by following Toni home for a fine second place in 42.39, a productive trip from the east on such an awful night.

Previous WHWR winner David McLure from nearby Kilmarnock Harriers finished second in 34.22 proving that ultra runners are capable of running fast (just not me then!)

Once again the free ice cream from one of the other race sponsors Vanilla Joe's was a major hit with most of the runners taking up the offer.

Photos once again courtesy of Kenny Phillips, what a man! A thought - given his services to running in the west of Scotland shouldn't Kenny be recognised or rewarded in some fashion by Scottish Athletics? Discuss...

And finally...
It's worth noting from the results that after the last placed finisher is recorded a DQ for 'Unauthorised number swap with a younger runner'. I won't name him here but anyone interested can look it up on whatsmytime.co.uk. I'm pleased for a number of reasons, firstly that they actually caught someone doing so, secondly that they took decisive action and thirdly that an MV60 (who should know better) and member of a nearby club who thought he could flout the rules that we all operate under has been publicly named, shamed and presumably reported to Scottish Athletics for further sanction. Well done Irvine AC! Another rant over, angry emoji here...😡