Having the Scottish Inter District Cross Country 3 days later didn't deter me from my usual New Year trip to Kilbirnie for the Beith Harriers New Year Race. I travelled with cautious optimism, making sure I didn't forget to return the McLuckie Cup pre-race.
While conditions were extremely wet and dull, the galeforce wind of last year was absent. The field contained numerous athletes who have been close or had the beatings of me in the past so there was no hint whatsoever of complacency. Whatever, the race, national or local, big or small, everyone in a pair of running shoes is a threat. I set off at a relaxed rhythm into the first of the 4 laps of 1.2 miles each round Glengarnock Industrial Estate with Jamie Findlay (Irvine AC) keeping pace. I felt I was going well but realised he was not going to be shaken off easily. In the second half of the lap, I injected a turn of pace to slowly move into the lead, finishing the first lap that way. The change of pace adversely affected my breathing since I still had a lingering cough but without it, I would not have got away.
As always, I ran the remainder of the race always with the assumption there was a runner immediately on my shoulder. I went through halfway in 11:42. Beating my course best of 22:55, set in 2011, wasn't on but if I could keep working hard, I would certainly beat my 2012 winning time. I never want to lose focus again the way I did at Inverkip so that became today's task, keeping focussed on the job. Into the final left turn leading to the slight downhill finish, I injected as big a turn of pace as I could, winning the race for a second time and clocking 23:28, meaning I had only been 6 seconds slower in the second half than the first. I immediately went into a horrible coughing fit. Behind me, Sean Gaffney (Inverclyde) narrowly overhauled Jamie Findlay to take 2nd place by 9 seconds in 25:36. Leading a healthy turnout of Kilmarnock Harriers, Scott Martin took a strong 4th place in 26:18 ahead of his clubmate Keith Haining (26:32). Keith, myself and Scott took the first 3 places at the Dundonald 10k Road Race in 2008 in that order. Another Cambuslang runner, Eddie Carr, took 23rd place in 31:20. His son Eamon took 3rd place in the under 13 boys 1.2 mile race in 7:49.
I stayed on for the prize giving (and grub) to receive the McLuckie Cup again which race organiser Susan McIsaac had polished up so well between me returning it and getting it back, it looked like a different trophy completely. From the choice of other prizes, I settled for a bottle of wine.
Another enjoyable afternoon at a great race. Sadly, another low turn out, 48 runners. As the link below illustrates, this event dates back many years with some of the country's best athletes gracing it over the years. On Boxing Day, fields of 284 and 157 did 10k and 5k races respectively at Ayr. The Portobello Promathon race in Edinburgh on New Years Day attracted 315 runners. On the same day, 164 people ran a Parkrun in Glasgow and another 88 did one at Strathclyde Park. I can trace my upturn in performances back to my run at Kilbirnie in 2011 when I was dragged round to one of my best races up to that point in finishing 3rd behind Chris Mackay and Craig Ruddy. I'll keep attending as often as possible.
Thursday 2nd January 2014, 12.15pm, Glengarnock Rugby Club- see you there!
History of the Beith Harriers New Year Race
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