February 21st, 2024

Cambuslang Harriers senior women and men were invited once again to compete in the Armagh International Road Races.  The Armagh event is renowned for the warm reception given to competitors by the host club Armagh AC, for attracting a top international and domestic field and for generating fast times in the women and men’s 3K and 5K races.

The preceding local schools’ races took place in very wet and windy conditions.  However, fortunately the rain went off shortly before the senior women toed the line.  The club was represented by Stafanie Tucker who was also counting for the Scottish team, Eve MacKinnon, Hannah Addison along with debutants Zoe Pflug and Holly Little.  Although Zoe had joined Cambuslang in October she had spent the intervening months in rehab from injury and then in building up her fitness again.  Holly had signed up in late December after returning from an athletics scholarship in the USA.  Stefanie, Zoe and Eve packed well clocking respective times of 9.41, 9.47 and 9.55 which gave them an excellent 3rd spot in the open team competition behind City of Leeds and Reading AC.  Holly (10.12) and Hannah (10.40) provided good back up support.  There was an added bonus for Stefanie as she was also a counter in the winning Scottish national team.

Unfortunately Cambuslang was not able to field a 4 man team due to the withdrawal of the injured Gavin Smith who had set a pb of 14.01 in the same event last year.  The surviving trio of Jamie MacKinnon in a pb of 14.14, Callum Tharme (14.24) and Fraser Stewart (14.36) packed well within 24 seconds of one another.  The race statistics showing 17 athletes under 14 minutes and 130 under 15 minutes underlines once again the quality of this 5K fixture which has a race entry qualification of 16 minutes and 30 seconds.

U20 athletes Zak Povey and Lewis Roddis gained valuable experience in the men’s open 3K.  Zak set a pb of 9.10 and Lewis’s clocking of 9.18 demonstrated that he is well on the way back to full fitness after illness.

Also on the roads John Spiers returned to competition when claiming the M40 prize in the Neil McCover Half Marathon at Kirkintilloch.

The 3rd and final West Cross Country League Match at Erskine provided club athletes over 13 with the opportunity to race on the country before the Scottish Cross Country Championships.  Additionally it was a good cross country taster for U11 runners Monica Smith, Niall Smith and Douglas Gallie.  U13 girl Brooke Walker finished in 5th position and  U13 boy Aiden O’Connell competed well.  In the U15 boys event Daibhidh Kinnaird was a clear winner and with strong support from new member John Frood and Euan Reid in 4th and 5th spots the outcome of the team race was never in doubt.  The improving Angus O’Neill was a close 7th with Rory Barclay and Jack Gillon not far behind.  3rd placed U17 Chris Black also led Gabriel Murphy and Alex Gillies to team victory. 

Mike Christoforou was an emphatic winner in the senior men category and with back up from Callum Matthews and Kevin Farmer the club was 3rd in the team stakes.  The masters men achieved 1st team position courtesy of 3rd placed Brian Douglas, Gary Lyon and Dan O’Connell with Iain Wallace not far adrift.  Nathalie Brohan took 1st place in the W40 age group while Marie Kane in her first season with the club secured the 4th senior slot.

The Scottish Masters Cross Country took place the following day in Forres.  The course combines both fast parkland and a testing up and down trail section.  In the opening 6K event for men over 65 and for all female age groups over 40 W65 Erica Christie and M65 Colin Feechan convincingly claimed their respective titles..  Colin justified his pre race favourite tag and continued his unbeaten string of victories in his age bracket.  Club captain Kirsty O’Brien arguably produced her best performance of the season in taking 6th place in the W40 category. 

The M50 trio of Justin Carter, Jamie Reid and Dave Thom retained their age group title in spite of losing defending M60 title holder Colin Donnelly  to a mid race hamstring pull.  Justin ran an inspired race on perhaps his favourite course to lift the M50 title while Dave and Stan were awarded the individual M60 gold and bronze medals.  It was good to see Jamie competing again in a red and white vest in his first national championship event since 2019.  M55 Iain Crawford took time off from his coaching duties and picked up valuable club championship points.

On the very same day 3 hardy Cambuslang masters participated in the testing Devilla Forest Trail Race near Kincardine.  Paul Donaldson was first home for the club followed by Chris Paton and Iain Kinear.

The following week Stefanie Tucker represented Cambuslang Harriers in the 3000M at Birmingham in the UK Athletics Indoor Championships.  She had achieved the entry qualifying time at the Sheffield Indoor Meeting in early January.  With the Emirates Stadium having been closed for several months in preparation for the World Athletics Indoor Championships she had to do her speed work often in inclement conditions on an outdoor track.  With Laura Muir also competing there was no doubting who would break the tape first.  In a tactical race involving a good domestic field Laura inevitably picked up the pace over the final 1K to decisively pull away from her rivals.  Stefanie hung in well and will have benefitted from her experience of racing in a UK Championship Event involving an athlete of Laura’s calibre. 

David Cooney