Jemma pulls a fast one at Miler Meet
Runner in stunning form
Jemma Reekie was in outstanding form once again as she shared the £500 prizepot at the GAA Miler Meet at Scotstoun.
The Kilbarchan athlete produced her fourth personal best of the season with a performance of 2.02.62 to win the main women’s two-lap race by a huge margin.
It is one of the best 800m performances by a Scot in Scotland outdoors in recent years.
The European Under-20 1500m champion shared the prize with Great Britain international James Bowness, who had more of a challenge as he won in 1.50.16 from Sol Sweeney, who made it four recent PBs after good runs at 5000, 3000m and 1500m.
Reekie and Bowness were both inside the time standards asked for by the GAA for race winners to share their £500 prize-pot, but none of the 3000m runners hit the marks.
Mhairi Maclennan, the Lindsays XC champion, and Fife AC’s Logan Rees won the top two races in 9.34 and 8.16 respectively.
Reekie said: “I’m very pleased with that and the good thing is that it felt very comfortable at that pace.
“I’m looking to the British Champs and probably favouring the 1500m. We will see what my coach, Andy Young, says nearer the time but at the end of the day, quick 800s help.”
Also at Scotstoun, Reekie’s young clubmate, Rachel Muir, broke Reekie’s Kilbarchan 800m club record for Under-15s, set a few years ago.
Muir’s time of 2.15.38, puts her at the top of the Scottish rankings. There were also personal bests at Scotstoun, for Chloe Cameron 2.26.81, Sarah Forbes 2.30.10, Belle McCormick 2.36.20, Nicole McGilp 2.41.29.
Lewis Hannigan won the Scottish Under-17 boys 3000m title time a personal best of 9.07.09.
There were Scottish championship medallists, too, at 3000m in the U20 and U17 age groups on another busy evening when there were no fewer than seven races over 3k and 13 at 800m in the latest Scotstoun meet supported by the British Milers Club.
In the 3000m races, Logan Rees was pleased with a run of 8.16.34. Morpeth’s Carl Avery was second in 8.18.04 and Michael Ferguson of Aberdeen was third in 8.22.66.
Aberdeen AAC athlete Naomi Lang retained her Scottish U20 title with a strong run. It was a PB performance from the Edinburghbased athlete as she chased home the pace-maker Mhairi Maclennan.
Maclennan, for her part, clocked 9.34.03 to win the race and claim the gold.