March 2016

4th March 2016

It was the Scottish cross country championships in Falkirk on Saturday 27th at Callendar Park and there was another strong turnout for the Perth Road Runners. In the ladies event, Sonjia Crow 38:20 and Fiona Manson 44:27 got the day off to a strong start. In the men’s event, David Knight 49:27 led the road runners home, followed by Kevin Riddell 51:15, James Fotheringham 52:17, Kevin Rogers 53:45 and Mike Dales 01:05:15.

The following day, the Stroke Association 10k resolution run took place at Camperdown Park in Dundee. Kevin Rogers, in his second race of the weekend, was first overall in 40:32. Martin McEwan finished soon after in fourth place. David Stokoe, Craig Antrobus and Peter Ritchie followed them home, with special mention going to club member Debbie Jackson who raised £3500 for the charity with some dedicated fundraising, including a raffle with the prizes drawn after the event.

Further afield, Paul Grace (1hr 44 mins) and Daile Sipple (1hr 58 mins) took part in the Malta half-marathon, finishing at the coastal town of Sliema.

The weekend had started with thirteen green vests lining up on a cold and crisp morning for Perth Parkrun at the North Inch park, where Stuart Robertson crossed the line in third place with a superb new personal best of 17:54. Stewart Reid and Richard Ward both completed the course in less than 20 minutes for the first time, finishing in 19:41 and 19:59 respectively, a well-deserved reward for completing so many winter miles. Roy Mitchell also finished with a new PB, 21:54.

Tuesday is the usual club run, meeting at 6:20 in the entrance to Bells sports centre for a 6:30pm start. Thursday 10th will be an interval session at George Duncan Athletics Arena.

stroke 2
Stroke Association 10K

11th March 2016

The main outing for the Road Runners this week was the ladies-only Smokies 10 mile race at Arbroath on Sunday 6th March. On a lovely crisp and clear day, five green vests took part on the challenging, undulating course. Sonjia Crow was first club member home and 5thin her age category (7th overall) with a time of 1:11:26, an outstanding effort, averaging just 7:09 minutes per mile. Fiona Angus was 21st overall and second in her age group with 1:15:42. Gillian Smith followed in 1:36:34, with Caroline Hogarth 1:43:17 and Eleanor Paul 1:44:17 completing the club turnout. It was then back to the sports centre for the awards presentations and well deserved sandwiches and cake.

At the Lasswade 10 mile race, Roy Mitchell was the sole club representative and completed the course in 1:17:00 on a fast course near Edinburgh.

As it was the first weekend of the month, it was pacer day at Perth Parkrun on Saturday 5th. A number of club members covered paces ranging from 21-30 minutes, helping a number of runners set personal best times. Stuart Robertson crossed the line first in 18:02, with Kevin Rogers third in 18:35. This was Kevin’s fourth personal best in his last four Parkrun events! In total, 18 club members completed the course, with many more volunteering.

Tuesday night is the usual club run, meeting at Bells Sports centre ready for a 6:30 start. As always, new runners will be met by a nominated club member, who will introduce them to other runners and ensure they find a group of similar ability. Thursday 17th is the final winter hills session at Corsie Hill Road, before moving to Deuchny Woods after the clocks change.

Smokies girls
Smokies girls

18th March 2016

It was another busy week for the Perth Road Runners. At the annual Perth and Kinross sports awards, the club secured runner up in the team of the year award. Representing the club at the Dewar’s centre were Julie Ramsay, Stuart Fraser and Sonjia Crow, pictured here with Commonwealth games gold medal winning boxer and the evening’s guest speaker, Charlie Flynn.

At the Inverness Half Marathon, six green vests completed the 13.1 mile race, crossing the line at Queens Park Stadium near the River Ness. Kevin Rogers was first club member home in an excellent time of 1:21:21, closely followed by Jimmy Fotheringham 1:26:13, Leonard Burnett 1:31:52, Roy Mitchell 1:43:03, Wendy Burnett 2:00:18 and Nina Roberts 2:00:33.

Barry Campbell completed the D33 ultra-marathon near Aberdeen, negotiating the mixed-terrain 33 mile course in a time of 5:18:27, an excellent show of endurance and dedication.

At the Cupar 5-mile road race on Saturday, Roy Mitchell warmed up for Inverness the following day with 35:50, with club veteran Bob Brown 40:02 following soon after.

The final race in the Strathearn trail series took place on Sunday 13th. Julie Ramsay finished in 22:56, followed by Scott Connor 26:31, Linda O’Neill 31:53 and Shuna Reid 34:24. The trail series will return next winter after its successful inaugural year.

At Perth Parkrun, 14 green club members took part in the 151 strong field at Perth’s North Inch park. Kevin Riddell was third across the line in a new personal best time of 18:02. Kevin Rogers continued his excellent form by improving his personal best for the fifth consecutive time in 18:23. The popular weekly event continues to attract first time runners along with more experienced club members.

The regular club night is Tuesday, meeting at Bell’s Sports Centre from 6.25pm. All new runners are welcome and with the lighter evenings soon upon us, it is an ideal time to get involved.

PRR at the P&K Sports Awards
PRR at the P&K Sports Awards

25th March 2016

Alloa half-marathon took place on Sunday 20th March on a warm and sunny spring day at the foot of the Ochil Hills. 32 Perth Road Runners participated, a great turnout in the first club championship race of 2016. Of the 2298 finishers, Stuart Robertson was the first green vest home. He finished strongly in 1:19:57, an impressive 51st place overall. Kevin Rogers 1:22:47 and Jimmy Fotheringham 1:26:47 soon followed. The first female club member was Sonjia Crow in a new personal best time of 1:36:43. Fiona Angus 1:38:29 and Holly Bryon-Staples 1:51:01 were second and third in the club points table. A number of the club achieved personal bests on the 13.1 mile course, while others competed at this distance for the first time. The next race in the championship will be the Grangemouth “Round the Houses” 10k on April 10th, followed by the Loch Leven half-marathon on May 14th.
Four runners represented the club at the Newtonmore 10 mile road race on Saturday 19th. Julie Ramsay was first club member home and won her age category in an excellent time of 1:07:08. Nicola Crowe 1:11:54 was second in the same category. Grant Wooler was third in his age category with 1:07:58. Cath Livingstone 1:31:18 completed the club turnout with a strong run, running alongside her husband Robin 1:31:19.
At the weekly Perth Parkrun, Ronnie Glen completed his 100th event in just over 2 years, an excellent achievement in such a short space of time. David Knight was third across the line with a new PB. Fourteen other club members participated, with another 6 volunteering.
The regular club nights are Tuesday and Thursday’s, check out the clubs website or Facebook page for details. New runners are always welcome and will be paired with runners of a similar ability on their first night.

PRR's at the Alloa Half
PRR’s at the Alloa Half