10k racers run flat out
Fast course around city
More than 700 runners flocked to Stirling for a day of racing at the weekend.
The annual Stirling 10k, as well as a 2k family race, was staged in the city on Sunday.
The Scottish 10K road championship race attracted 671 competitors as well as another 61 in the 2k run.
The route saw runners pound the pavements along a flat and fast course, starting from Stirling Sports Village, heading towards Riverside, passing Cambuskenneth and Craigmill before looping back to the sports village.
The big winners on the day were Kristian Jones (29.56), who claimed victory in the men’s race, and Fionnuala Ross (34.07) in the women’s event.
A strong second half of the race in breezy conditions took Dundee Hawkhill Harriers athlete Jones to victory by 50 seconds.
Shettleston’s Fionnuala Ross led the women’s contest from start to finish to retain her title, making it four golds in a row in the race.
Commonwealth Games triathlete Grant Sheldon was runner-up with Euan Gillham third in the men’s race whilst Stephie Pennycock and Jo Williams were second and third in the women’s event.
Speaking afterwards Jones said: “There was a big pack at the start with lots of different people taking the lead and it was windy.
“I gave it a little bit of effort in the second mile just to see who was going to come with me and who the race was going to be against. Myself and Grant Sheldon got a bit of a gap.
“If there had been more I might have eased back but since it was just the two of us, I just tried to push on. I got away at about six and a half kilometres. He was really right on me so I was quite relieved to get the gap and happy to get away.”
The event was staged by Central AC.