Runners upbeat

In unprecedented times it seems important to celebrate successes where they arise.

And on a weekend which saw a number of races cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak, members of Perth Road Runners were pleased to represent the club across the country.

Green vests took to the start-line for the Balloch-Clydebank half-marathon, the second race in this year’s Championship Series.

On a flat course there was plenty to cheer for from a Perth perspective with Stuart Robertson leading the way, finishing in a time of 1:16.21.

He was followed by Duncan Ryan in 1:16.51 and Ronnie Glen in 1:22:10.

Stuart and Duncan were second and third in their age category, while Ronnie secured a new personal best.

Lisa Aikman was first for the Fair City ladies in a personal best time of 1:32.17, followed by Fiona Angus in 1:45.29 and Lou Ella Cole in 1:54.46.

There was also a personal best for Simon Grieshaber who snuck under the 90-minute mark for the first time, running in 1:29.56.

Bryan Jenkins was agonisingly close to the same mark, finishing in 1:30.09. But that sub 90-minute run cannot be far away either.

Keeping up the feelgood factor was Derek Swan with a new best run of 1:44.05. Other Perth runners in action were Sean Toole, Louise McLaren, Caroline Malloy and Alan Bothwell.

Elsewhere, club members ran at the latest instalment of the Skull Trail Race Series at Balbirnie on Sunday. Stewart Reid finished as the first V40 in a time of 36:41, while Neil Muir was first V50 in a time of 38:32.

At parkrun, Kevin Riddell and Gillian Edwards were at Warrington where Kevin was the second finisher, while Fiona Manson and Mike Dales made the shorter trip to Loch Leven.

At Perth, 32 members completed the course with Campbell Hay leading the way for the men and Tessa Ward was the first female finisher.

As the coronavirus pandemic wiped many races from the calendar, a number of Perth Road Runners took on a virtual 10k in place of one race, proving that the sense of perseverance is strong among club members.

Following recent government advice on social gatherings, the club has revealed they will not be meeting for their regular runs until further notice.

Photos from last week’s events will be in Tuesday’s PA.