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Club News 2010

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SCAWT HANDICAP

It’s been quite a while since we last dipped our collective toe into hill racing and it’s good to report that nothing seems to have changed – it’s still bloody hard work. Nevertheless, thirty-six runners turned out for Tuesday evening’s Scawt Handicap, the sixth in the Club’s Wine Bar sponsored series. Included among the competitors were some members embarking on their first foray over the mountains and it will be interesting to see whether or not they turn out for another hill race after their experiences, although it must be said that all the competitors seemed to enjoy themselves on the night.

Victory in the race went to Damian McNeill, his second success in the last three handicaps. However, unlike the dish with the spoon he didn’t exactly run away with it, as he just about scraped home by the skin of his teeth from Dan Magill. I suppose it was no great surprise that nobody ran away with the race as the club isn’t overly blessed with dishes, unless you count the odd roly-poly and the occasional puddin’.

The course for the race incorporated perhaps the toughest start to any handicap, a strength-sapping 300 metre climb over uneven ground, which effectively made a good warm-up a prerequisite for anyone contemplating a fast time. Unfortunately, those with no prior knowledge of the course would eventually discover that this climb was just the first of the many agonies waiting in store for them.

Elaine McKay and Rhonda Wallace were the first to set off up the opening hill, their heads bobbing up and down as they moved leisurely over the humps and hollows. If Larne ever gets picked to host the winter Olympics (ok, it’s a long shot, I know) this slope would be the ideal location for the moguls events. Last away was Ryan Maxwell, who had been set the task by the handicapper of giving Elaine and Rhonda over twenty minutes.

The outward run to the trig point was largely uneventful, except that even as the mid-field runners approached the Standing Stone, more half a mile short of the turning point, they were met by the leaders who were already on the way back to the finish. This put into context the size of the task ahead of them if they, let alone the late starters, were to have any chance of figuring in the top three.

Three-quarter ways into the race it was obvious that Damian, Dan and Beverly Gaston wouldn’t be caught. Damian might have moved ahead of Dan, but Dan was working hard to hang on to his coattails. Beverley meanwhile was closing in on both of them and with a mile or so to go it was impossible to say with any degree of certainty who would come out on top.

Towards the rear of the field, Ryan Stewart was making the best of what, in the light of his performance in the McVeigh Classic, Andy Gregg and Ryan M probably thought was quite a lenient handicap. From a starting position of third from last, he was eyeing a top ten finish, an indication that, on current form, he is probably the best fell runner in the club at the moment.

With the finish in sight, Damian was still just about holding Dan off, with Beverley just a few seconds behind and even as the trio raced down the final descent the timekeepers and spectators weren’t sure who was going to get to the line first. As it turned out, it was Damian by just one second from Dan in a corrected time of 49.21, with Beverley a further six seconds further back. In fourth place, almost a full two minutes behind, was guest runner, Simon Kane, with Hannah Fletcher completing an excellent run by taking the fifth spot.

Sixth place went to Paul Tilson, with Alan Glover in seventh, despite a heavily strapped right knee. Elaine Hall was eighth, six seconds ahead of Sammy Drummond, who just pipped Danny Hylands by one second. A further three second back, just failing to make it into the top ten, came Ryan S. His corrected time of 36.14 was the fastest of the night by over a minute. Guest runner, Geraldine Quigley, was twelfth, Eddie Finn was thirteenth and Brian Magee was fourteenth. Phelim McAllister and Heather Baxter crossed the line together in fifteenth, with Kieran Sharratt, James Brown (whose knee and legs supports could only have been bettered with the aid of scaffolding) and Nat Glenn in seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth places respectively. Jackie Wallace completed the top twenty.

Dale Smith was twenty-first across the line in 39.41, further proof that fell running really is his forte. Newcomer to the hills, Elaine Mc, was twenty-second, just one second behind Dale. Bert Brady, fresh from his excellent personal best in the Titanic 10K, was twenty-third, with Andy and Ryan M, who both clocked 37.26, the second fasted time of the night, in twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth. Ruth Wilson and Rhonda Fekkes, although separated by almost a minute, occupied the next two places.

Billy Thompson, clearly benefiting from his preferred training regime of completing two long runs over hills and a pace run on the three days immediately prior to a race, finished in twenty-eighth; Amy Beggs was twenty-ninth, James Robinson thirtieth and Rhonda W thirty-first. Perennial category champion, John Agnew, was thirty-second, while Ray Bannon, Brian Spence and Andy Beattie filled the last three places. Alvyn McQuitty was unable to complete the course because of injury.

Thanks, as ever, to Denise, Kirsty and Emma for timing; to Denise and Kirsty for the much appreciated refreshments; to Elaine H for organising the prizes and to John for setting the handicap. Finally, thanks to the Wine Bar for their continued sponsorship of the handicap series.

Full details of times and places can be found by clicking on the Results tab.

Apologies for any typos or the misspelling of anyone's name.

Results