February 2016

5th February 2016

The road runners travelled north to participate in the Scottish Cross Country Masters Championship in Forres on Saturday 30th January. In challenging wintry conditions, Duncan Ryan finished 67th in 34.13, followed by Robin Livingstone 121st in 37.25, Stephen Ferguson 134th in 38.44 and David Michael Wood 165th in 46.19.

Peter Ritchie added another 26.2 miles to his remarkable collection of marathons, completing the Marrakech marathon in 4:58:33 in a field of over 7500 runners. Now in its 27th year, the race aims to raise awareness of environmental protection issues.

Perth Parkrun went ahead on Saturday 30th using an alternative route to avoid flooded areas at North Inch Park. Thirty one runners crossed the line, lead home by club member Kevin Rogers (19:45) in his first victory at this event. Fellow club member, Stuart Fraser, was a close second in 20:10. They were followed by Kevin Riddell, Stewart Reid, David Stokoe, Kenneth Stewart, Ronnie Glen and Karen Walters. Debbie Jackson completed the strong turnout from the club: third female overall and first in her age category with a time of 26:10. Four other club members volunteered in the freezing conditions.

The Thursday session on February 11th is track intervals at the George Duncan arena. Tuesday night is the regular club run, join us at Bells Sports Centre for a 6:25 start.

PRR at Forres Masters XC
PRR at Forres Masters XC

12th February 2016

Another busy week for the Road Runners saw club members competing throughout Tayside and Fife. The final race in the Falkland Frostbite trail series took place on Sunday 7th February in very challenging conditions. Stuart Fraser 27:52 was first road runner home, closely followed by Stewart Reid 28:05. Neil Muir 28:46, Richard Hughes 33:02, Stewart Dallas 34:44 and Gillian Smith 41:33 completing the Perth line-up. Neil clinched the overall prize for his age category in what has become an increasingly popular winter series, hosted by the Falkland “psycho squirrels” trail club.

The Forfar multi-terrain half-marathon took place the same day and the green vests did the club proud. Stuart Robertson surged home 8th overall in a time of 1:29:44, superb running in such difficult conditions. Kevin Rogers 1:32:12 and Jimmy Fotheringham 1:34:03 helped secure second place in the team prize, with Ewan Jelly 1:52:07 and Robin Wombill 2:37:17 completing a healthy turnout for the club. Jimmy also finished first in his age category.

The Lark in the Dark club run on Thursday 4th saw 22 intrepid runners tackle the 4 mile route at Five Mile Wood. This event is decided by the runner who is closest to their predicted time and not first across the line. Linda O’Neill 43:15 won, finishing just 10 seconds off her estimation. The runners who got lost in the dark shall remain nameless!

Greg Simpson won the 113th Perth Parkrun in 17:26 ahead of 141 other runners including 18 club members.

The club will be having its annual presentation night at Craigie Hill Golf Club on February 20th at 7pm. This evening is to celebrate the outstanding running achievements in 2015 and thank those involved in organising club races.

Frostbite runners - Neil, Stewart, Gillian, Richard, Stewart and Stuart
Frostbite runners – Neil, Stewart, Gillian, Richard, Stewart and Stuart

19th February 2016

Last Sunday 14th, on a beautiful but bitterly cold day twenty two hardy souls participated in the Perth Road Runners annual Wee Winter Run. Now in its 10th year, the event is a fun run in the hills above Craigie that attracts regular off-road runners as well as club members trying an alternative to tarmac. This year the ranks were swelled by the appearance of two special guests in the form of identical twins Fiona Rennie (Scotland) and Pauline Walker (Scotland and GB) who started the event and then ran round at the back acting as sweepers, it meant that everyone got a chance to run with two of Scotland’s finest endurance athletes! An added bonus was that the event finished at the Cherrybank Inn where the runners refuelled and relaxed. The club extends its thanks to Scott and the team for their hospitality over the last 10 years.

Elsewhere, Grant Wooler and Duncan Ryan excelled at the Scottish Masters indoor athletics championships at the Emirates arena in Glasgow. In his age category, Grant secured silver medals in the 400m (65 seconds) and also the 800m with a time of 2 min 33 secs. Duncan won two silvers in his respective age category, coming second in the 400m and 800m, following that with a bronze in the 1500m. His times were 60 secs, 2m 15 secs and 4m 46secs. Both members demonstrating great consistency and staying power amongst tough opposition.

There was another strong turnout by club members at Perth parkrun on Saturday 13th with 18 green vests participating in the snowy conditions. Stuart Robertson 18:37 was second across the line, closely followed by Kevin Riddell 18:45 and Kevin Rogers 18:59 in a new personal best time. Lorraine MacPherson was first female home in 23:54.

The Thursday session on the 25th will be an intervals session at George Duncan athletics track. On Tuesday the regular club run takes place. Starting at Bells sports centre 6:30 sharp, new runners are welcome and always paired with a runner of similar ability. Check out the Perth road runners’ website or Facebook page for more details.

Wee winter run 2016
Wee winter run 2016

26th February 2016

Saturday 20th February was the Perth Road Runners annual awards night, this year held at Craigie Golf Club. A wide range of trophies and medals were handed out, recognising some excellent running achievements throughout 2015. Some of winners included:

Club championship: Duncan Ryan and Sue Jones

Summer series: Stuart Fraser, Neil Muir (tied) and Marianne McLevy

Hills are alive series: Paul Grace and Fiona Manson

Most improved runners: Paul Grace and Gillian Smith

A great night was had by all, with the party continuing late into the evening. Music was provided by members of the excellent local group, Red Pine Timber Company.

There had already been celebrations earlier that day to honour Kenneth Stewart’s achievement of completing 100 Parkrun’s at the North Inch. This is in addition to his outstanding contribution as a volunteer (often as the pre-race recce runner) an additional 71 times. A total of 21 road runners participated, with a further 7 volunteering as timekeepers, barcode scanners and marshals.

Sunday 21st was the Devilla 15k trail race at Tulliallan, starting and finishing in the grounds of the Scottish Police College. On a muddy and wet course, Jimmy Fotheringham was first PRR home in a time of 1:06:44. Stewart Reid 1:12:09, Richard Ward 1:12:14, David MacFadyen 1:13:03 followed, while Sonjia Crow was the first female road runner, with a time of 1:13:05. Roy Mitchell was 1:20:03, finishing third in his age category. Scott Connor finished in 1:32:10, followed by Stewart Dallas 1:36:52, Barry Campbell 1:39:50, Robin Wombill 1:53:21, Caroline Hogarth and Eleanor Paul (both 1:54:05), Alan Paterson 1:58:59 and Fiona Morrison 2:16:38. Over 500 runners took part in this increasingly popular race.

A busy week continued at Strathaven Striders Half Marathon where Kevin Riddell finished 19th overall in an excellent time of 1:24:47, knocking nearly 3 minutes off his previous best. Peter Ritchie 2:06:11 and Gillian Smith 2:07:06 also represented the club.

Thursday 3rd March will be a hills session at Corsie Hill Rd. As usual, Tuesday will be the regular club run from Bells Sports Centre. Both sessions start at 6:30pm sharp.

PRR Presentation night winners
PRR Presentation night winners