Irvine AC-Club Articles

Ultra Runners season of to a flying start!!

Irvine Ac’s Ultra runner Dave McLelland was down at Dumfries for the first Marathon race of the road season. Dave put in an excellent run and went into the lead right from the start. At the half way stage he was heading the leading group of runners in a time of 1hr 20mins. Dave started to work hard in the second half of the race and gradually opened a gap over the second place runner. Dave continued his fast pace and crossed the line in first place in a time of 2hrs 48mins. to win the gold medal, 5mins ahead of the second placed finisher. An excellent result from the Irvine AC athlete.

Scottish Schools CC Championships

Irvine AC’s young athletes were competing in the Scottish Schools Cross Country Championship at the Beach Park Irvine on Sat 8th March. U13 girl Stephanie Dalgoutte running for Ardrossan Academy was in the 2500m first year race and put in a good performance finishing 39th. Next up was U13 boys Gordon Wilson, Ardrossan Academy and Kian Douglas Irvine Royal in the 3000m race. . Gordon had a excellent race finishing 20th with Kian not far behind in 27th. To have two runner in the top 30 was a good result. Last entry was Paige Douglas representing Irvine Royal. Paige put in a steady run to finish 47th in a tightly packed race, Paige could have been in the top 30 by taking one minute off her time. This race once again was not very well supported by the local schools with Irvine AC athletes the only ones entered. To have a National Championship in your local area and not support it, seams to be a strange decision to make by the Local secondary schools and a lack of focus from North Ayrshire Education.

John McCafferty Jr smashes Scottish Record!!

Irvine AC U17 athlete John McCafferty smashed the Scottish Under 17 pentathlon record at the Scottish Indoor Championship Kelvin Hall Glasgow on Saturday 16 February 2008. He broke the record by almost 300 points and amassed the best score in the history of this event . 16 year old John was only entered into the multi-event Championship in order to maintain his conditioning for the AAA High Jump Championship in Birmingham Sat 22nd Feb. A strong field of 13 athletes from around Britain entered the Scottish Open Championship.
John immediately made his intentions clear in the first event ( High Jump) by setting a seasons best clearance of 1.98 mtrs and won the event, next event was 60trs hurdles and a personal best of 9.21 mtrs, Shot Put seen John throw a huge lifetime best of 14.80 mtrs with the 5 kg Put, 3 mtrs up on any other competitor. Long Jump next and John got some last minute coaching from Scotland’s newly named national jumps coach (Darren Ritchie), result was another lifetime best of 6.16 mtrs and another event won, last event was the 1 km, John finished in 2.53 mins in his first ever go at the distance, A third Scottish Championship title in 10 days for the Irvine AC athlete was now in the bag and a new Scottish record of 3,611 points putting him No 1 in the current UK Rankings (Multi – Event ) by massive 500 points.

John junior will still be concentrating on high jump and reaching Delhi Youth Commonwealth Games later this year and training is geared towards this, his high jump has been steadily improving over the last few weeks, Saturdays performance now sends him off to Birmingham this week with chance of a good showing in the AAA Under 17 High Jump Championship.

Edinburgh Cross-Country

Four of Irvine AC’s young athletes were Through at Edinburgh on Saturday 12th January 2008 running for the West District teams who were taking part in the cross country races that were part of the Great Edinburgh Cross country series of races. With teams from the West Scotland, East Scotland, North Scotland competing for the National Team Trophy and runners from England, Ireland and Wales also taking part the standard of competition was very high.
U13 girl Suzanne McManus was in the first race and put in a good performance finishing 25th in 12mins 12s over the 2 lap Hollyrood course. U13 boys Kian Douglas and Gordon Wilson were in the 2nd race, unfortunately Gordon Wilson fell at the start and injured his knee, he did run on to finish in 19th place in 11mins07ses with Kian Douglas having a great run finishing 20th in 11mins15secs. U17 girl Sarah Munn found the going tough over the 3 lap race, Sarah finished 34th in 18mins04secs.

This was a great learning experience for the Irvine athletes who were all some of the youngest runners competing and will still be able to compete in the same age groups next year. Having four athletes selected for the district team shows that the Irvine AC coaches are also doing well.

Arran Runners Mixed Terrain Handicap

On Wednesday 2nd January, five Irvine Athletes braved the swells of the high seas and boarded the Arran Ferry to participate in the Arran Runners Mixed Terrain Handicap; this fine body of men and women was made up of Ian McManus, Finlay Dowell, John Moore , Helen Morton and finally my good self.

The race was a basically a clockwise loop starting at the Sports Club in Brodick, over the Clauchland Hills, through the Forest, along the paths in Glen Cloy and finished back at the Sports Club, a total of some 9 miles.There was a sensation even before the race began, when one of Irvine's Athletes produced a bottle of whiskey, claiming that a "tradition" was merely being perpetuated and encouraged his fellow competitors to imbibe. How low can one stoop ? In his defence however, I have to report that the offerer did indeed himself participate, but the effect this had on the outcome of the race will never be known. Conditions were reasonably good, although the top of the hills were exceptionally boggy which was advantageous for the Hill Runners, but a distinct disadvantage for those courageous road runners, who descended, to quote from another race recently reported upon, "like big jessies", oh err Mrs!! I am sure that the Handicapper will next year recognise this affliction and introduce into the handicapped times the RRDA - The Road Runners Descending Allowance - five minutes to me seems not unreasonable.

Irvine runners swept the board this year. Ian McManus was first home thus repeating his triumph of two years ago; Ian was due to go out to dinner that night, no doubt he took the trophy with him to impress his hosts and regale them with tales of daring do; not bad for a man in his mid 60s, or so he told me. John Moore who descended like a gazelle, although I doubt if any have ever been sighted on Arran, claimed the quickest time, no doubt benefiting from following the correct route, with Finlay second, possibly a victim of "tradition". The remaining Irvine Athletes followed in shortly afterwards to rapturous applause from those whom had already finished. It was at this point that " tradition" was suitably partaken in by those whom considered it, either unethical to do so prior to the race, or did not wish to do so for fear of the impact on their performance, i.e. serious athletes.

The participants then retired to the Ormidale Hotel for further refreshment and refuelling where the results and prizes were presented with due ceremony. A big thanks to Paul Emsley and his fellow Arran Runners for organising the event and to Paul in particular for marking out the course, not the easiest of job. Just to prove that Athletes are not the only nutters at this time of year enjoying their sport, we were joined in the pub by members of the Arran Cricket Club who had been practising their slashes outside their off stumps on the Astroturf. None of them however looked as if they could match Mr Flintoff in the drinking stakes, but I could have been wrong.

West Districts (Juniors)

Irvine AC young athletes were at Irvine Moore on Saturday 8th December for the West District Cross Country. Irvine Royal Academy hosted this event and provided excellent facilities for over 300 athletes who took part in this major competition.
The weather started out not to bad but gradually got colder and windier and wetter as the afternoon progressed. U13 girls Stephanie Dalgoutte and Suzanne McManus were running in the first race over the 3200m large lap. In their last race Stephanie finished ahead of Suzanne so it was going to be a competitive race between the two Irvine girls. Suzanne started in the lead with Stephanie just behind, as the race progressed Suzanne kept pushing and was 11th at the halfway mark with Stephanie less than 30 seconds behind in 25th place. Both runners put in good performances in the second half of the race with Suzanne finishing 11th in 13.16mins and Stephanie 25th in 13.53mins.
In the U13 boys race Gordon Wilson and Kian Douglas put in good performances over the same course as the girls. Gordon who is only in his first year at this age group had a tremendous race to finish 6th in 12.03mins with Kian also running his best race ever to finish 12th in 12.30mins. with both hopefully winning selection for the
U15 girls Victoria Conway, Paige Douglas and Ashley McQueen started the 4000m race just when the weather was at its worst. At the halfway mark Victoria was 37th , Ashley 40th and Paige 42nd . Coming into the final 800m Ashley who had been struggling with the conditions had to drop out, Victoria continued with a great performance to finish 36th in 21.01mins. Paige finally came to life in the second half of the race to finish 39th in 21.15mins.
U17 boy Ryan McDonald running for the Glasgow School of Sport was not in top form having just recovered from a bad cold. He put in a good performance to finish 17th in a high class field of Athletes.
U17 Girl Sarah Munn who is only in her first year as an U17 put in a great performance as the conditions did not suit Sarah’s slight build. Sarah worked hard and was well up at the halfway stage of this 6k course, she finished the second half strongly to cross the line in 12th place in 19.19mins.

The results of this Race will determine the age group teams for the was for the West District Teams that will run in the big race through at Edinburgh. Even although Irvine AC did not have a big entry the club athletes Gordon Wilson, Kian Douglas, Suzanne McManus and Sarah Munn are all in contention to win a West District Vest. These will be confirmed in January.

Collin Miller Star Man for Scotland

Irvine Athletic clubs Colin Miller was competing for Scotland at the weekend in the British and Irish international cross-country at Stormont estate in Belfast.
Having moved into the over 50 age group Colin who had been suffering from a painful hamstring injury from some time, was part of a strong Scottish team which had a good chance of taking the team gold medals.
Conditions on the day were a bit wet and windy but almost perfect for distance running with the course itself consisting of four, relatively flat, two kilometre laps.
Being hampered by the injury, Colin had a cautious start where he settled in at the rear of the field. As the race progressed he started to come through the field where he eventually finished eighteenth and fourteenth in his age group.
As the points were added up it emerged that Scotland picked up the silver medals, only two points behind England and just ahead of the Republic of Ireland.

In the open race, Mary Miller had a good run when she finished in 14th place.

DUBLIN MARATHON

On Monday 29 Oct 07 , a Bank Holiday in Ireland, I partook for the second time in three years in the Dublin Marathon. The weather was very conducive to long distance running, being cool and clear with only a little meteorological wind . I used my prior knowledge to good use, starting off gently and maintaining a modest pace. The course itself was an anti clockwise loop starting in Merrion Square, through Phoenix Park and the South East and South West suburbs of Dublin, before returning to the City Centre. The course was not too hilly , although there was a sharp little climb at about 20 miles and between 24 and 25 miles a taxing little raise over the Great Canal, which I remembered as being a bit taxing from last time. I finished in 3 hrs 37 mins and after a bath at the Hotel , I had a very fine pint of Guinness in an excellent pub, engaging in banter with the locals two of whom had had also ran,before catching the bus to the Airport, partaking of a more than acceptable curry and boarding the iron bird back to Glasgow.

There are at least two very good things about the Dublin Marathon, firstly,the crowd support is excellent and secondly ,being a relatively compact City, getting a Hotel some 10 or so minutes from the Start/Finish has a lot to recommend for it

Klmarnock Cross-Country

Irvine AC young athletes were at Kilmarnock on Sunday 10th November for their annual cross country races. This is one of the toughest cross country courses in the west of Scotland, its long grass, soft underfoot with a big hill. The weather was kind, nice and sunny ideal for running. U13 boy Kian Douglas was the only Irvine AC runner in this race and he put in a good performance finishing 7th in 12.12mins. U15 girls Paige Douglas was also the only Irvine runner and Paige finished in the top half of the field in 16th place in 22,56mins. good for her first year in this age group. Last of the Irvine Runners was Ryan McDonald running in the U17 race. Ryan had run on Saturday 10th through at Falkirk winning a bronze medal in the Scottish National road relay Championship. Ryan was under order to take things easy as he injured himself in this race last year and the year before. Ryan was lying 5th after the first 3k lap and looking comfortable, he maintained this position over the last lap and finished in 23.35mins. for the 6k course. Good performances from the small Irvine contingent who turned up. The next race is down at Girvan on the 25th November and hopefully we will get a bigger turnout of Irvine AC junior athletes.

Ayrshire CC Relays

The Beach Park Irvine was host for the second week in a row to the cross country relays. This week it was the Ayrshire Championships on Saturday 20th October 2007. The course was the same as last weeks West Districts except for the addition of the U11’s 1200m loop. Irvine AC U11’s were first off with Cameron Neil taking 4.55mins for the boys and Caitlin Flannigan 5.29 for the girls. 2nd leg runners were John Paton 5.01mins. and Jill Taylor 5.56mins. Last legs Scott Kerr 5.18mins. with Becky Shanks 6.14mins. Both teams finished 4th overall.
Stephanie Dalgoutte.ran 11.13 for the 1st leg of the U13Girl team taking 8secs off last weeks time over the 2500m lap. Alison Paton running for the club for the first time ran 13.19mins with Suzanne McManus the fastest in 10.48mins on the 3rd leg winning the silver medal. Emily Munn ran in a composite team taking 11.42mins.
The boys U13 team with Kian Douglas running the 1st leg in a time of 9.50mins. David Kerr ran 10.05 for the 2nd leg with George Sloan running the last leg in 11.32. bringing the team home in second place.
U15 girls Ashley McQueen, ran 11.24mins 1st leg. Victoria Conway ran 12.04mins 2nd leg and Paige Douglas ran 11.23mins 3rd leg to take the bronze medal.
U17 girl Sarah Munn ran the first leg in 10.38mins with Nicole Bunyan 11.12mins 2nd leg and Laura McTaggart cam home in 11,24mins in first place. The best result for the girls.

The U17 boys team of Ryan McDonald, John Kerr and Gary Kerr have been running this event since they were U11’s. and have won gold in all the age groups. Ryan was running the fist leg and he went straight into the lead. finishing 17sec. faster than last week in 8.32mins. John Kerr kept the first place position running a 9.24 2nd lap. Gary Kerr had to keep up the pace as the second place runner from Kilmarnock was only 50m behind and looking strong, Gary held on to win in a good time of 8.53mins with the team completing their collection of gold medals for this event.

West District Relays

The cross country running season was kicked of at Irvine on Saturday 13th October 2007 with the West District Cross Country Relay Championships held at the beach park Irvine..
With over 400 competitors and a large number of spectators the beach park was a busy place. Irvine AC Girls relay teams made up of U13, U15 and U17 girls an run over a 2500m course. 1st leg runners were Emma Valley Emily Munn and Stephanie Dalgoutte.
It was the usual fast start and the Irvine girls were in the middle of the pack, first Irvine finisher was Stephanie in 11.21mins with Emma right behind on 11.22mins. Emily Munn followed up in 11.53mins. U15 girls Ashley McQueen, then Alex Reid and Paige Douglas took over for the 2nd legs. Paige Douglas made up ground with a good run to finish in 11.00mins, then Ashley McQueen in 11.53mins and Alex Reid in 13.00mins. 3rd leg U17 girl Sarah Munn had an excellent run bringing the team home in 33.23mins with her leg time of 10.30mins. Molly Bell brought team 2 home in 35.06mins with leg time of 11.52mins. there was no 3rd leg runner for team 3.
The boys only had one team with u13 Kian Douglas running the 1st leg in a time of 9.32mins the 7th fastest of the leg. Ryan Janson took over, but unfortunately struggled with a hamstring injury but still managed to finish with a time of 13.01mins. U17 Ryan McDonald run the last leg in a good time of 8.49mins.

This Saturday 20th its back to the Beach Park for the Ayrshire CC relays. First race 12 noon

These are age group relays starting with U11’s up to seniors.

Road Running

Irvine AC’s ultra runner Dave McLelland was up in the highlands for the tough Loch Ness marathon This is a very hilly course for a marathon and with a field of 2400 starters the scene was set for a good race. The weather was ideal, dry, sunny but cool. Dave got off to a steady start and was in the top 20 at the half marathon stage going through in 1hr 19mins his best ever at this stage. He gradually worked his way through the field to finish strongly in 8th place in a time of 2hr 45mins 59s. an excellent time over this hilly course.

Cumbrae 10 Mile Road Race

A squad of Irvine AC runners made the short ferry trip to the island of Cumbrae for the annual 10 mile race around the island which also incorporates the Ayrshire 10 Mile Road Race Championship. The race starts and finishes in the town of Millport with the relatively flat loop around the island offering runners a chance of a fast time. Conditions though were not ideal with a strong wind on the far side of the island making running particularly difficult between the four and nine mile markers. The race attracted a good field of over 200 runners including a number of strong athletes from non Ayrshire clubs. Irvine AC's David Millar was hoping to repeat his victory of last year and again led from start to finish to clinch a convincing victory clocking a personal best time of 50'51" (over one minute faster than his winning time of the previous year) and retaining the Ayrshire championship. John Moore was the next Irvine man home in a good time of 64'26 for 30th place, closely followed by Jim Sneddon running a very strong race for 33rd place in a time of 64'57. Finlay Dowell was the next Irvine athlete home in a time of 68'24 for 58th place. Mike Flinn followed in 62nd place with 69'22. Alistair McFarlane, making his debut over the 10 mile distance came home in 83rd place in a time of 72'46 and can be pleased with his performance

Bellahouston 5K

Irvine AC had four runners competing at the popular Bellahouston 5K road race which is held at the picturesque Bellahouston Park in Glasgow. The course winds it's way round the park and features some steep hills which makes the fast and furious pace of a 5K race even more difficult. Runners also had to contend with some puddles on the course after heavy rain which were more like steeplechase water jumps than mere puddles! Irvine's David Millar set off in his customary aggressive style taking the lead immediately and led all the way to the finish, winning in a time of 15'02 for a new personal best and a course record. Victory was particularly sweet having missed out in a sprint finish the previous year. Next home for the club was Alex Allardyce, running his first race in a while, finishing in 13th place in 16'55. Tony McKnight was not far behind in 18th place in a time of 17'10 with George Irving next in 30th place in a time of 18'15. These were all good performances over this comparatively shorter distance which will set up the runners for the forthcoming relay season

Ultra Running

Irvine AC ultra runner Dave McLelland has been busy over the last two Sundays. On the 2nd September Dave had a great run in the Glasgow half marathon running a personal best time of 1hr 20mins. On Sunday 9th September Dave took part in the Scottish 50k Championship held at Glenrothes. The weather was dry , but with strong gusts of winds to contend with Dave tucked in at the back of the leading pack over the first 10k. At the 30k mark the field had stretched out and Dave moved up from 5th to 2nd. On the last 10k Dave started to have trouble with cramp in his calf muscles, and had to slow down and lost a couple of places. He put in a steady finish to cross the line in 4th place in a time of 3hrs 43mins. A great performance from the Irvine athlete and as it was the Scottish Championship Dave won the bronze medal for 3rd Scot and also won bronze for 3rd vet along with a trophy.

Great Scottish Run 2 Sep 07

On Sunday 2 Sep a number of Irvine Athletes took part in the Great Scottish Run. In view of the overall number of participants I have probably not captured all those who took part from the Club, so apologies to any one omitted , but those worthy of comment will be pleased to note the correct spellings of their names, including I would hasten to add, my own,unlike some previous reports on both this Web Site and in the local press!!

The Irvine Athletes I am aware of were as follows and in no particular order:

Dave Miller, who I believe was second Scottish Athlete behind Andrew Lemoncello who had just returned from Osaka and was sporting his GB Vest. Dave's time was an impressive 67:03 and in 8th place, a PB by some minutes; a superb performance. I suppose not having to change with the riff raff and a free entry may have contributed to his success, although as the great South African golfer Gary Player once stated , "the more I practice, the luckier I become". A wee lesson there for us all me thinks.
Two other Athletes who did PBs were Tony McKnight and Dave McLelland, who performed excellently in 79:34 ( 69th) and 80:44 (80th)respectively .
Jim White also partook but as he was not wearing the official Club Colours, I am not sure if it would be proper for me to comment. He was sporting a garish hooped number, in a colour which I last saw in a sporting contest at my visit to the New Wembley for the Division 1 Play Offs, when the Team in Jim's colour were put to the sword by the mighty Seasiders. Jim's time was 87:25 (226th) , who knows what time he would have done if he had been properly attired?
My training partner Mr Nicol was well one his way to his targeted time of 1:35 when he succumbed to a calf strain at about 12 miles, nevertheless his time of 1:40:06 ( 1025th) was more than respectable for a man of his vintage.
As for myself, well in the words of athletics commentators, I didn't go too soon, didn't panic , got in the mix and asked a few questions , to post a reasonable time of 1:35:25; my position to paraphrase David Coleman circa 1968 " it does matter who is 630th" . I am please to report that I managed to come in some 5 minutes in front of my daughter's, boyfriend's, sister's husband, or as Jimmy Saville would have said " 'ows about that then guys and gals".

Also if a recall right Dave Gemmal, sprinter and sprint coach at the club was running. Considering Dave usually does no more than 150m for training, this is a superb acheivment to go and run (maybe jog) the half marathon. Also a big shout out to Nasreen my cousin that ran for charity, Just wish I'd gave her some training!!

Regards to Mike for writeup!

Strathhaven 50 mile Road Race

Irvine AC’s Ultra runner Dave McLelland was through at Strathaven for the annual 50 mile road race Conditions were good for ultra running, a light wind, dry and overcast at the start. Dave got of to a good start and was up with the leading pack at the 26 mile mark. The eventual winner of the race started to stretch the field and Dave was now in second place. The pace settled down and Dave keep going to finish just behind the winner to finish 2nd in 6hrs 58mins. an excellent time for Dave as he has been out of serious training over the summer.

Helensburgh Half Marathon - Sunday 5th August

4 brave souls from Irvine battled an early start and the summer showers for the Helensburgh Half Marathon on Sunday 5th August.

In good (if wet) conditions for running, Dave Millar led the field from the off in determined fashion. The mere mortals grunted support to him as he headed back towards the finish on the return route, and he was not to be caught. He finished almost 1 minute ahead of 2nd placed Alistair Morrison , and 3 minutes ahead of the 3rd placed finisher.

Another sterling effort from Dave, who now has won this race 3 times - unfortunately unlike the Jules Rimet trophy, the fine Cup was not his to keep permanently.

The supporting cast had their own personal battles to endure and many puddles to skirt, and roared on by the Irvine fan club (thanks Brian!), they gave the usual 100% in their battle to get to the finish for the welcome Mars bar and hot shower.

Irvine AC results

1st Dave Millar 1:09:09

31st John Moore 1:24:52

87th Mike Flinn 1:34:47

110th Bob Nicol 1:37:34

Saltcoats Round the Houses RR

On Monday 16th July it was the annual Round The Houses which is held at Saltcoats. The race has had to move to Jack’s Park as the town centre course has been deemed to be unsafe for the runners.

Irvine AC had local hero David Millar fresh form his Polaroid 10k series win went straight into the lead on the first lap of this three lap course ahead of Jamie Reid from Cambuslang with Eddie Toner from Kilmarnock Harriers in third place. Lindsay McNeil from City of Glasgow was leading the woman’s race. The positions did not change on the second lap with David increasing his lead and storming ahead on the third lap to win in 21,56mins ahead of Jamie Reid in 22,22mins with Eddie Toner third in 23,02mins. Lindsay McNeil went on to win the woman’s race in 25,42mins finishing 16th overall. Ahead of Lesley Chisholm Springburn Harriers in 25,53mins. then Jill Knowles also from City of Glasgow in 26,18mins. Sarah Munn from Irvine AC won the womens U17 race in 28,57mins finishing 40th overall. Other Irvine finishers were Alex Allardyce 12th in 24,33mins. George Irving 13th 24,42mins. John Moore 23rd in 26,58mins. Joe McNamee 25th in 26,58mins. Jim Sneddon 33rd in 27,47mins. and Bob Nicole 49th in 29,55mins.

Around Arran Relay

On Saturday 21 st July, Irvine AC not only organised the Around Arran Relay , but also entered two Teams. This race which consisted of 6 Legs , circumnavigated the Island , a total of 56 miles, with the Legs varying in length from 7 1/2 to 11 1/2 miles, each with their own quirk and difficulty. A lot of work had gone on behind the scenes by the Club Committee to ensure the Race went as smoothly as possible and with both good support from the Timekeepers, Results Coordinators and Caterers, together with fine weather for running, all the Athletes had an enjoyable day.

The Irvine Men's Team finished third in the Men's Race some, 12 or so minutes behind the Winning Team , Central AC from Stirling. There were solid performances from George Irving and Billy Richardson who finished second in their respective races, but the top Irvine performance of the day came from Alex Allerdyce, who won the testing North 3 Leg in a time of 56 mins and 6 seconds,about 1 1/2 minutes in front of the second runner

Individual results are also posted up on the website in the Senior section then clicking on teh submenu to results.

Urie Loch Hill Race - Arran. 15th July, 2007.

On what can only be described as a glorious Sunday afternoon three of Irvine AC's top hill runners participated in the delightful Urie Loch Hill Race on the magnificent Island of Arran. Prior to the race, a quick scan of the competition suggested that the three man team of Tommy Begley (captain), Ian Hamilton and Iain Fraser would be favourites to bag the team prize (despite the fact that Tommy's attempt at bribery with ice lollies (10 for £1 at Lamlash Co-op) was snubbed by most runners). Hopes were dashed at the 11th hour however with the late arrival of a crack contingent of Westies.

The searing heat along the initial 2km stretch of dirt road confirmed that the race would be gruelling. However, at the start of the climb Begley looked to be running strongly in about 12th place, with Fraser about 50 metres back and Hammy pacing himself further back. Thankfully, not long into the climb the runners found welcome respite from the scorching sun as the trail snaked its way up among dense forest trees. It was at this point that Fraser had the audacity to catch and ease past Begely (sorry capt'n!). At the top of the climb Begley was just behind Fraser but, as expected, not long into the descent Begley, descender extraordinaire, flew past Fraser. With a hearty cheer of "Bon chance, mon brave. Allez Tam" ringing in his ears, Begley shot down through the heather like a man possessed and Fraser knew his thankless role of domestique had ended for the day. The biggest adventure of the race lay in the innocuous looking bog at the top of the fire break. Most runners experienced that sinking feeling as they ploughed pell mell through the mire. Fraser fared worse than most as, after the initial plunge up to his spuds, proceeded to execute a rather graceful belly flop into the mire (degree of difficulty: 1.3). The rest of the descent was decidedly slippy, but great fun for the most part. The long final straight along the road into Lamlash seemed to be interminable in the heat and the arrive back at the community centre was a welcome sight, as was the water hose round the back!

Begley continued to pick off runners throughout the descent and finished 9th (le maillot a pois) in a time of 63.51. Fraser finished 13th (le maillot vert) in 67.11 and Hammy finished 21st (Lanterne Rouge) in 98.34. A smashing race that's great fun with a very friendly atmosphere. Pity its not better attended. Few pics also up in the Social section of the website.

John McCafferty - European Open Championships

John McCafferty was competing in the Open European championships in Gothenbourg, Sweden. He also competed last year in which he won a Bronze medal for the High Jump.

This year John was again competing in the High Jump and the Discuss, competition is tough with many class athletes competing from throughout Europe. John finished 4th in the High Jump clearing 1:89m but failed to clear 1.91m so was pipped off 3rd place. John also had a good run in teh Discuss finishing 14th with a throw of 39:08m just a metre below his PB.

This is a great result from John, baring in mind he is only 15 years old and was competing against much older athletes in the Under18 category. This was a good day out for John and a valuable experience as he moves forward. He is loving competing at this sort of competition where standard is higher than winning in Scotland with less pressure. So super effort from john and all the club wishes him WellDone!!

Arran Half Marathon

On Sunday 1 July 2007, following their participation in the Edinburgh to North Berwick Race ( see previous article), Bob Nicol and Mike Flinn stepped down a ( considerable) distance to partake in the Isle of Arran 1/2 Marathon. Both gave workmanlike performances finishing in 1:37:59 and 1:35:10 respectively, with each improving by some 2 minutes on last years times. Conditions were quite conducive to good running, being overcast with some rain during the race.

As ever in any event involving Arran Runners, it was well organised and thanks must go to them for putting the race on . It was a pity that there were not more participants from Irvine to enjoy a grand day out, which in my case was enhanced by a couple of runners from my home town with whom I enjoyed some banter and shared my tale of my recent trip to Wembley for the Div 1 Play Offs ( I am sorry Bob, but that could not be avoided!!).

By Mike Flynn

Road Race’s

The Polaroid 10K Road Race Series ended on a high for Irvine AC's David Millar with an excellent run at the Vale of Leven 10K giving him overall victory in the four race series for the second time in the last three years. The race, at Loch Lomond Shores, also incorporated the Scottish 10K Road Championship and attracted a high quality field with David's fourth place providing enough daylight over his nearest rival in the series to promote him to first. With warm weather returning, the course was challenging, especially given the fact that the first 2km of the race are uphill. Millar was always in touch with the leading group and came home in an excellent time over the gruelling course of 31'23, also picking up silver in the Scotish Championship V35 category. Also completing the series well, George Irving came home in a time of 35'33 and although not feeling quite at his best, George can be delighted with another good performance and third place in the overall series in the Veteran's category."
Young Sarah Munn was running in the women’s Ruby Young race at Kilmarnock on Wednesday night and put in a good performance finishing 2nd .

Ayrshire Harriers Open Graded Meeting

The second of the Ayrshire Harriers open track and field meeting was held at Dam Ayr of Wednesday 13 June 2007. With 188 entries at the competition it was the largest entry at an open Athletic meeting for many years. The format of given medals and one entry fee is working very well. With athletes travelling from as far a field as Dumfries, Glasgow and Lanarkshire it gives the organiser the feeling that they are doing something positive to promote athletics amongst the younger age groups.
Although the weather was not the best Irvine AC had a number of good performances. Gordon Wilson continues to run good times in the U13 800m race finishing 2nd equalling is personal best(PB) of 2.24mins. Sean Thomson had a PB in the U17 200m race finishing 1st in 23,3secs. Victoria Conway also had a PB in the 200m race finishing 3rd 29.1secs. and Nicole Bunyan 1st 200m with a 27.80s PB.
The Club would like to thank all the parents and coaches who gave their time to help at this meeting……without their help the meeting could not take place.

Results
Girls
U11: 80m J. Taylor 2nd 14,30s. L.J. 15th 2,27m
U13: 200m E. Munn 2nd 30,20s. C. Lee 3rd 32,60s. Bingham 200m 3rd =.
U13: 800m. E. Munn 4th 2,54,3 mins. S. McManus 5th 2,54,7mins
U13: L.J. L. Bingham 1st 3.68m. S. Dalgoutte 2nd. 3,62m. C.Lee 3rd 3,51m
U13: Shot. S. McManus 4th 4,62m. L. Bingham 6th 4,28m
U14: H.J. C.Lee 2nd 1,10m
U15: 200m V. Conway 3rd 29,10s. P. Douglas 29,60s. A.McQeen 30s.
U15: 800m P. Douglas 4th 2,44, mins.
U15: L.J. A.McQueen 9th 3,21m
U15: H.J. P.Douglas 2nd 1,30m A. Easdon 3rd . 1,25m
U15: Shot A. Easdon 4th 7,06m
U15: Discus. A. McQueen 2nd 8,89m
U15: Javelin. M. Bell 4th 12,82m
U17: 200m N. Bunyan 200m 1st 27.80s R. Taylor 3rd 32,2s.
U17 :800m S.Munn 1st 2.33mins Nicole Bunyan 2nd 2,37mins.
U17: Javelin R. Taylor 1st 10,51m

Boys
U13: 200m K. Douglas 3rd 31.50s
U13: 800m G. Wilson 2nd 2,24,3mins. K.Douglas 4th 2,43,8s.
U13: Shot G. Wilson 2nd 8,89m.
U13: L.J. G. Wilson 8th 3,65m
U13: H.J. K. Douglas 5th 1,15m

U17: 200m S. Thomson 1st 25,40s. J. MscDonald 2rd 25,50s

Dumbarton 10k Polaroid series

The third of the four races in the Polaroid 10K Road Race series was held at Dumbarton on a hot night at Dumbarton with Irvine AC's David Millar and George Irving again to the fore. Despite the warm conditions, the layout of the course promoted fast times with all the small climbs occurring in the first half. David Millar, for the third race running came home in second place, just 2 seconds behind the race winner, but had the consolation of running a personal best of 31'02. Also running a superb race, George Irving came home in 34'02 for 17th place and 3rd in the veteran category. George's time of 34'02 was also a season's best. Ian Berryman was the next Irvine man home, running his first race in the series, finishing in 69th place with a time of 37'12. The series concludes with the Vale of Leven 10K at Loch Lomond Shores which will also incorporate the Scottish 10K Road Race Championship.

Helensburgh 10k

Only two Irvine AC Runners, David Millar and George Irving, travelled to Helensburgh to compete in the 10K road race there, race one in the popular and prestigous Polaroid 10K road race series. Conditions were reasonable on the night for around 1000 runners, although a wind blowing in from the sea made it fairly difficult on some parts of the course which features long open straights. Both Irvine men continued their good form with David Millar finishing second in a time of 31'38 (the third occasion he has clocked that time on this course!) and George Irving finishing 15th in a time of 34'29 - George picked up third prize in the veteran's category. Disappointingly, despite these two good finishes, with only two runners from the club, Irvine could not contend for the team prize. The series moves on to Clydebank for the second of the four races in the series

Troon 10k / West of Scotland 10k

Irvine AC runners were out in force at the Troon 10K Road Race. One of the biggest 10K races in Scotland, with almost 900 finishers, it also incorporated the West of Scotland 10K championship. David Millar became the first winner of the event from the club by triumphing in a sensational sprint finish. The race started in blustery conditions and David Millar set off in front with the leading group which was soon whittled down to two runners after 2 kilometres. Thereafter Millar and Cambuslang's Robert Gilroy battled neck and neck all the way in a tremendous battle untill the Irvine AC man unleashed his sprint in the final 400 metres to pull away and claim victory and gold in the West of Scotland Championship in a time of 31'19. Meanwhile Irvine's George Irving and Alex Allardyce were having tremendous runs behind in a strong group of runners with George breaking away after 8km to come home in 12th place in a time of 34'03, also claiming silver in the Veteran 40 category. Alex also finished strongly, claiming 15th place in a time of 34'19. Both men will hope to continue their excellent form and chip further seconds of their times in forthcoming races.

Not far behind, Tony McKnight stormed home in 35'14 for 25th place confirming his good form following his recent return to regular training at the club. Alan Auld, fresh from the London marathon, was next home from the club in 35'28 for 28th place. Jim White, another man really returning to form after lengthy injury troubles had a superb run, finishing in 37'45 for 53rd place and 5th in the Veteran 50 category, followed home by another Irvine veteran Andy Rennie in 38'11 for 61st place. Another excellent performance came from David King, claiming 3rd in the Veteran 60 category in a time 43'47 and 225th overall. David Kerr also finished 4th in the Veteran 70 category in a time of 55'32 and 686th place.

Other Irvine AC times and places were:
Ian Berryman    40'55    132nd
Finlay Dowell    42'54 194th
Alan Boyd        43'26    223rd
Anne-Marie Conway    49'23    441st
David McLelland        49'25    442nd

Anne-Marie Berryman 61'36 797th

Hill Races

Dumyat Hill race Stirling University Wednesday 9th May,The race had the largest turnout ever of 263 entries for 2nd race counter in Bog & Burn series of hill races.
Conditions were good with some showers which helped to cool the runners down in this tough course run over 5 miles with over 1250 ft of assent. Irvine AC’s Iain Fraser finished in 50mins in 158th place, Ian McManus was just behind in 54mins in 208th place two good result for the veteran runners.

Saturday 12th May, Irvine hill runners made the trip to Ben Lomondfor the 8 miles Hill Race up the Ben with over 3200 ft of ascent the lomond race is fast with only the top 50feet difficult to negotiate. Although there was no wind underfoot it was wet and slippy with mist at the top, good for midges. With an entry of 118 competitors .Tommy Begley finished 63rd iplace in 1h-35mins. Ian McManus was 109th in a time of 1h-56mins

Scottish Grand Prix at Grangemouth stadium

Irvine athletes William Morgan and Ryan McDonald were through at Grangemouth for the Scottish Grand Prix track and field athletic meeting held on 2nd May 2007.
The grand Prix series of events is aimed at bring together the top athletes in Scotland and offering prize money for the athletes that qualify and win a medal at the final being held at Meadowbank later on in the season. There are three qualifying events and U20 man William Morgan was first up in the 800m U20 race. the competition was tough but William put in a good first lap going through it in 57 secs. in 6th place. He ran a excellent second lap putting in a strong finish to finish 5th in a new personal best of 2mins. A great run from William as he edges to breaking 2mins this season.
Ryan McDonald was in the U17 race also with good competition. Ryan went through the first lap in 58secs in second place. He was working hard to hold on to the leader who put in a strong finish with Ryan pulling him in but he just ran out of steam to finish 2nd in 2.05. The same time he ran at the competition held at Linwood on the previous Sunday.another good performance from the Irvine AC athlete.

Edinburgh to North Berwick

On Saturday 5 May 07 two of Irvine AC's Veteran Stalwarts participated in the above Race. It started at the Meadowbank Stadium and basically followed the coast to North Berwick, a distance of 22 miles, taking in the towns/villages of Musselburgh, Cockenzie, Port Seton, Aberlady and Gullane. Conditions were quite good to start with being cool and cloudy and as the race progressed this cleared, with the sun towards the end of the race being quite fierce. Both Athletes were pleased with their respective performances, Bob finishing in 3 Hrs 02 Mins and 48 Seconds, beating his previous time for last year and Mike in 2 Hrs 53 Mins and 58 Seconds.

Track Field League

The Club were competing at Linwood for the first Central &South of Scotland League meeting on Sunday 29 April 2007. It was nice and sunny although there was a cold wind which made the final 100m a bit slower. U13 boy Gordon Wilson won the 100m , 800m and the Long Jump. Kian Douglas also won his 800m race along with U15 boy Lee Wilson in a new PB of 2.18mins. U17 man Ryan McDonald ran an outstanding 800m race winning in 2.05mins.and also won the High Jump. U17 John McCafferty won the 100m, race in 11.6s and the Discus. U13 girl Emily Munn won both the 100m and 800m . U13 girl Caitlin Lees and U15 girls Paige Douglas both won the High Jump. U15 girl Victoria Conway won the 100m and the Discus.
Senior Man Dave Gemmell won the 100m
The U13 girls and U15 girls both won their relay 4x100 races. well done the girls.
The Irvine team finished 3th overall which is a good start in this division

Results
Girls/Women
U13
100m Emily Munn 1A 14.3s    Caitlin lees   3B   15.4s
high Jump Caitlin Lees 1A . 1.10m.
Long Jump Leanne Bingham 4A. 3.25m Suzanne McManus   2B 2.98m
800m Emily Munn 1A 2.59mins.     Emma Vallely 3B 3.03mins
U15
100m: Victoria Conway 1A. 13.7s. Ashley McQueen 2B 14.7s
800m Paige Douglas. 5A. 2.45mins.   Ashley Easton 3B 3.04.mins
Javelin. Alex Reid 5A. 6..8m.   Molly Bell 2B 5.14m
Long JumpAshley Easton   3A   3.53m Ashley McQueen 3B 3.25m.
Discus. Alex Reid 2A   14.76m   Victoria Conway 1B 12.99m
High Jump: Paige Douglas 1B   1.44m Molly Bell 2B 1.25m
.
U17 Women
100m Sarah Munn 2A   14.8s. Rachel Taylor 2B   15.3s
800m Sarah Munn 2A 2.37mins
300m Sarah Munn 2A 51.6mins.
Long Jump: Rachel Taylor 2A. 2.51m
Javelin   Rachel Taylor   2A.   9.83m:

Boys/Men
U13
100m: Gordon Wilson 1A 14.1s. Kian Douglas   4B 15.6s.
Long Jump: Gordon Wilson 1A 3.51m
800m: Gordon Wilson. 1A. 2,36mins.   Kian Douglas 1B    2,46mins.
Shot: Kian Douglas. 3A.   4.68m
U15
Long Jump    Gordon McLanon 6A    3.05m
100m   Lee Wilson   2A   12.3s
800m lee Wilson 1A 2.18mins.
U17
Discuss   John McCafferty 1A 36.41m.
High Jump Ryan McDonald. 1A. 1.55m1B
100m Sean Thomson   2A    11.6s.   John McCafferty. 1B 11.6s   .
Long Jump Ryan McDonald 1A 5.19m
Shot Putt Ryan McDonald 2A 7.17m
800m Ryan McDonald 1A   2.05mins .
Seniors
5000m Alistair Munn 3A   18.32mins    Alistair Graham    2B 22.45mins
400m William Morgan 2A   55.8s.
100m Dave Gemmell   1A   12.s Imran Ali   2A.   14.3s
800m William Morgan 3A    2.05mins
Shot: Dave Gemmell. 3A.   11.68m    Alistair Graham . 2B   6.62m
Discus: Imran Ali   3A   14.58m.

Vets
100m John McGarry 3A 12.7s
800m Alistair Munn 3A 2.37mins John McGarry 1B. 2.58mins.

Apologies to anyone whose results have been missed.

Cross Country

The last cross country race of the season took place at Kircaldy Fife on Saturday 28th April.With a large entry of 420 runners there are two separate races for the primary 7 boys and girls..
Kian Douglas representing Castle Park Primary was in the first boys race with 214 entries.Kian was mid place after the first hill, he made good progress through the field and was 68th at the top of the hill, he picked places going into the final downhill straight to the finish 45th .Gordon Wilson representing West Kilbride won the primary 6 race last year and was hoping to do the same in the primary 7 race. He got off to a flying start on the uphill straight and was in the leading pack at the top of the hill. Going into the final downhill straight he was losing ground on the leading two athletes, in the final push to the finish he just did not have enough in the tank to keep up and crossed the line in 3rd place A very disappointed athlete.

In the Girls primary 7 race Susanne McManus representing St. Johns Stevenson and Stephanie Dalgoutt representing Dykes Main Salcoats both got off to a good start up the hill. Susanne was working hard and was up with the leading pack in 8th place at the halfway mark and Stephanie was not far behind in about 30th place. With over 100 runners in the race these were good positions for the girls. Both girls were making their mark on the race with Susanne now in 5th place coming into the downhill finishing straight, she was working hard to catch the girl in 4th but just left it to late to cross the line in 5th place. Stephanie was also doing well and had moved up the field to finish strongly in 23rd place. Four good results for the Irvine AC athletes

Irvine AC 25 March-07

Road Race Championships in Perth

Sunday 25th March 2007 was the Scottish Young Athletes Road Race Championship held at North Inch in Perth. U15 girl Sarah Munn had her best ever performance at Scottish level finishing 8th in 17.58mins over the fast 4800m North Inch course. Sarah has been making good progress over the winter months and with the track season starting in April Sarah will be working on her speed to improve her 800 and 1500m times.
U13 girls Paige Douglas put in a good performance in the 2400m U13 girls race to finish 31st in 9.28mins. Ashley McQueen also had a good run finishing 49th in 9.50 mins. It was a disappointing turnout from the Irvine runners due to illness and other commitments.
The next big event will be the first Ayrshire Track meeting that is being held on Sunday April 15th this competition will also be the selection event for the Ayrshire Harriers young Athletes team. It is important that Irvine AC Young athletes attend this meeting if they want to be considered for selection for the Ayrshire team.

For information or reporting results on Club competitions contact Bill Simpson on 01292 270317