Fife AC athletes finished top of the class at the Scottish Schools Track and Field championships at Grangemouth last weekend dominating the middle distance events.

Adam Scott posted an outstanding double for Balwearie in the Group D (1st Yr) boys section winning the 800m final in 2 minutes 11.32 seconds (heat 1st 2:17.4) before also claiming gold in the 1500m final in 4 minutes 31.84 seconds (heat 1st 4:47). 

Bruce Millar (Balwearie) added the school group A (over 17) 1500m title to his growing collection of honours taking the gold medal in 4 minutes 01.65 seconds.

Stephanie Pennycook (Balwearie) won the Girls Group A 1500m title in 4 minutes 44 seconds also taking the 800m silver medal in 2 minutes 22.63 seconds. Annabel Simpson (Kilgraston) claimed the bronze medal in the Group B (15-17) 3,000m final clocking 10 minutes 45.36 seconds. 

Jack Robb represented Glenwood in the Group A boys 400m winning his heat in 52.60 seconds and going on to a personal best of 51.77 seconds in the final to take home the silver medal.

Struan Christie (Madras) won his group D hurdles heat in a personal best 13.08 seconds which proved to be the fastest time of the day, before placing 3rd in the final with 13.32 seconds. The under 14 athlete won his 100m heat in 12.89 seconds advancing to the semi-final to place 3rd (12.72) before finishing 5th in the final with 12.85 seconds.

Other results include. Boys. Group A. 100m 6th ht. Kieran McGhie 12.48. 200m. 4th ht McGhie 24.51, semi-final 8th 25.10. 800m. 3rd ht Bruce Millar 2:04.73. 1500m. Final 9th Euan Berry 4:27.96, 11th Liam Sleigh 4:32.10. Final 7th 2:10.65. Group B. 800m. 6th ht. Scott Bernard 2:09.76. 6th ht. James Pennycook 21.78. 3,000m final. 9th Logan Rees 9:33.32. Group C. 1500m 6th ht. James Berry 4:56.26. Group D. 1500m. 4th ht. George Rees 4:54.47. Final 8th 5:05.68.9th ht. Stuart Aitken 5:10.36.

Girls. Group A. 200m 4th ht. Corryn Christie 29.14. 8th Final 29.40. Group C. 800m 4th ht. Katy Aitken 2:43.83. 1500m 8th ht. Aitken 5:27.77. Group D. 800m. 5th ht. Abbie Steggles 2:38.76. 6th ht. Louise McCullagh 2:47.24. 1500m. 7th ht. Steggles 5:26.63. 10th ht. McCullagh 5:34.73.

 

Fife AC under 20 athlete Zach Delaney bounced back from a non-finish at last week's Hill of Tarvit Race to place 5th junior representing Scotland at the Karrimor Great Trail Challenge Home Countries International in Keswick.

Zach covered the 10km route which included an ascent of Latrigg Fell in 38 minutes 21 seconds.

Glenrothes over 50 veteran John Kay excelled at the Strathearn marathon from Comrie last Sunday placing 5th overall/1st over 50 in 3 hours 00 minutes 08 seconds. Andy Milne 40th (3:38.36) and Derek Adamson 101st (4:07.580 also completed the undulating route.

Running a ten mile leg Helen Sharpe made up one third of the winning ’Whippets’ women’s relay team at the 34th Man v Horse 22 mile race in Llanwrtyd Wells, run over mountainous terrain with the opposition including four-legged competitors !

The event has been an annual race since 1980 but it wasn’t until the 25th race anniversary that runner Huw Lobb beat the first horse home in 2 hours, 5 minutes and 19 seconds. The feat was repeated in 2007, when 2 human competitors outpaced the first equine competitor by a full 11 minutes.

Helen’s team completed the race in 3 hours 07 minutes 10 seconds placing 24th overall. Darryl Beggs competing for Allcock and Balls finished third male relay team in 3:08.10.

Horse-rider Beti Gordon took the title this year, finishing the course in an impressive two hours 18 minutes – 28 minutes ahead of the closest runner.

 

Scott Cassidy led from start to finish at the Dundee Road Runners Templeton Woods Trail Race last Friday.

Cassidy, third at the Hill of Tarvit Race only forty-eight hours earlier, covered the 5.8 mile winding course in 33 minutes 28 seconds sixty-seven seconds clear of runner-up Hamish Roper (Dundee Road Runners).

Gillian Sangster (Arbroath Footers) placed 18th overall, first female in 38 minutes 46 seconds seventy-one seconds ahead of Jillian Gordon (Kinross RR) 22nd overall.

Leading Results: 1 S Cassidy Fife AC) 33.28, 2 H Roper (Dundee RR) 34.35, 3 C Love (Dundee Hawkhill) 1st veteran. 35.16…8 L Strachan 36.14, 10 B Cruickshank 36.19…12 K Anthony 1st over 50. 36.39. …17 T Martin 1st over 60. 38.42.

Women. 1 G Sangster (Arbroath Footers) 1st veteran. 38.46, 2 J Gordon (Kinross RR) 39.57, 3 P Coutts (Kinross RR) 2nd veteran. 44.47.

Fife junior Logan Rees won last week’s 5.3 mile Hill of Tarvit Race from Ceres, the third event in the Summer Mid-Week Series.

At the halfway point Logan rounded the hill summit with club colleague Zach Delaney but the steep descent and a suspect ankle forced Zach’s drop-out over the return to the Ceres car-park finish. Rees finished a clear winner in 33 minutes 25 seconds with Del Rae (Anster Haddies) coming through into second place – 32.56.

Sophie Mullins followed up her Chariots of Fire victory over the West Sands the previous Sunday placing 26th, first female timed at 41 minutes 18 seconds. Fife team-mate Kirsti Sharratt followed in 28th only eight seconds adrift. Lundin Links under 20 athlete Jennifer Cruickshanks excelled to place 3rd in 43 minutes 26 seconds.

 

Leading Results: 1 L Rees (Fife AC) 1st junior. 33.25, 2 D Rae (Anster Haddies) 32.56, 3 S Cassidy (Fife AC) 34.06….6 D Clark 36.02, 7 T Rees 2nd junior. 36.21, 8 E Paton 3rd junior. 36.28, 2nd veteran. 10 B Cruickshank 3rd veteran. 37.00, 13 G Rees 4th junior 37.49.

Women. 1 S Mullins (Fife AC) 41.18, 2 K Sharratt (Fife AC) 1st veteran. 41.26, 3 J Cruickshanks (Fife AC) 1st junior. 43.26, 4 H Ritchie (Fife AC) 1st over 50. 43.32…6 A Cruickshanks (Anster Haddies) 2nd junior. 45.27, 7 P Cruickshanks (Anster Haddies) 2nd veteran. 45.30, 8 M Martin (Fife AC) 2nd over 50. 45.54.

Elsewhere Ben McLeod 130th (1:48.10) and 339th Bob Stark (2:27.10) contested the Isle of Skye Half Marathon. Nick Brian ran the Montrose 10km finishing 54th in 49 minutes 28 seconds. Ewan Paton made his Highland Games debut at Cupar placing third in the 1600m.

 

With nothing on this week it would be good to see as many members showing a presence at Craigtoun Parkrun 5km this Saturday 15th June start 9.30 am. Register at Parkrun website...a free one off proceedure, your bar code will then last you a lifetime. All ages and abilities run these events.

 

The junior Mini Tour of Fife (5 races in 5 days) takes place 17th to 21st June. All details at http://www.minitour.org.uk

The next race in the Beveridge Park 5km series is on Friday 21st June starting at 7.30pm. Entries welcome from all local runners outside the Rugby HQ in the park.

The next counting event in the Grand Prix is the Milanthort Dash 5.5 miles on Thursday 20th June starting at 7.30pm. Entry on the night at Church Hall, Ba Hill.

The Strawberry Novice run at Cairnie Fruit Farm on Wednesday 26th June aims to encourage both novice runners and beginners over a scenic 2 mile course around the farm centre with those runners who might normally be nearer the back of the field contesting the honours at the sharp end of the field!

As a rough guide runners with a 5km time of better than 23 minutes (females) and 21 minutes (males) are banned! The race starts at 7.45 pm with entries (£3) taken on the night at the Farm Shop. A 1 Km junior race starts at 7.00 pm (P4 and younger) followed at 7.15 pm P5 and older 1km. At 7.30pm a junior two mile. Entry £1.

Further details...call 01334-656844.

Graham Bennison