I said after last year's Renfrewshire race that I would definitely be back. True to that statement, I embarked doon the watter again this year to Greenock as did 101 others, amongst them a number of returnees from a year ago. One of these was clubmate James Healy who made his Cambuslang debut at the 2014 edition of this race. Race day was also my Dad's birthday.
The weather was dry and not too blustery and I was hopeful recent training in testing, snowy conditions would reap some rewards and give me some hope of a good showing in Armagh. Embarking on the one and a half lap circuit of Battery Park, I tried to hold onto the coat tails of a group including Derek Hawkins and Luke Traynor as long as possible. By the time we came to the half lap, I was finding Derek's pace in particular a little too sharp but, while a gap started to be forged, I was working as hard as possible.
Above: the initial lap and a half of Battery Park, Stephen Trainer and others giving chase. Photo courtesy of Kenny Phillips.
The route then heads out the park, turning onto the promenade for a spell then back to Battery Park for another lap and a half. By the promenade, the first 6 had more or less split into pairs. Hawkins and Traynor lead the way. Craig Ruddy had overtaken me in the park and was running alongside Dougie Selman. I meanwhile was beside Stephen Trainer. As the race unfolded on the outward journey, Derek gradually moved away from Luke, Dougie forged a gap on Craig and I progressed only slightly ahead of Stephen. I felt I was running well but was also working very hard. By the turn, I had closed the gap on Craig.
While not galeforce, the return trip saw us encounter a stiff breeze. Being asthmatic, windy weather can adversely affect my breathing. Compounded with this is my tendency to lean forward when running into the wind. I endeavoured to reverse my natural instinct and also lengthen my stride. Craig was maintaining his lead on me but I also had a chasing pack to hold off. The boating club, where registration takes place, was a welcome sight because it meant leaving the promenade. The only incline to speak of was to be found here and I pushed hard off the top in an effort to maintain position.
The closing stages felt very long but I did enough to repeat last year's 5th place finish. The bonus however was a new personal best time of 24:44. I felt pleased at how I had competed in a good calibre race. The top 10 positions were:-
1. Derek Hawkins, 23:42
2. Luke Traynor, 24:06
3. Dougie Selman, 24:25
4. Craig Ruddy, 24:33
5. Stuart Gibson, 24:44
6. Stephen Trainer, 24:53
7. Neil Renault, 24:59
8. Calum McKenzie, 25:06
9. Paul Sorrie, 25:28
10. Mark Pollard, 26:04
Full race results are here.
A returning from injury Kara Tait won the women's race in 29:11 (a post race chat unveiled that Kara had hated the Inter District experience as much as me) ahead of the Renfrewshire championship winner Elspeth Curran. In a reversal of the Beith Harriers race result, James finished behind Kara on this occasion. He did however redeem himself after ill health affected his showing in the Scottish Masters Cross Country the day before.
After my warm down, which I timed to finish outside the boat club, my Dad and I enjoyed another excellent spread of food and hot drinks. On the return to EK, we were out for dinner and I allowed myself a beer.
This race is now a definite favourite. If I'm not there in 2016, I've had a mishap on route.
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