Get on your marks for 30th Ormidale 10K
Dozens of runners, both from Arran and the mainland, will take to the roads of Brodick next month for the 30th anniversary Isle of Arran Ormidale 10K race.
This year it will be held on Sunday April 22 and, as usual, the race is based at the Ormidale Pavilion in Brodick, with a noon start and organisers are hoping to beat last year entry of 59 runners.
The race started in 1987, and, as the race was cancelled one year, this will be the 30th anniversary race. After numbers fell for a few years to a near critical level, more recently numbers have risen again. This was helped, in no small way, by the Arran Banner, which, in 2014, ran a weekly training programme for novice athletes, leading up to the race.
Last year the winner was Steve Daye, of Irvine. Second was Billy Richardson, also Irvine, who won the first race 30 years ago. First local man was Dave Black, followed by Mike Mellor, so there is obviously some good karma in the CalMac office or its surrounds. First local lady was Fiona Clarke.
The course is very flat and takes a scenic route out to Merkland Point at the north end of Brodick Bay, and back, with a short diversion up the Knowe road to make the distance exact. The eight weeks remaining to the race are certainly enough time to train to complete the six-mile course, although to be com- petitive, a higher level of fitness would be preferable. Novices, or seasoned runners, may want to join one of the Jogscotland groups on the island.
One is held on a Monday night at 5.30pm in Whiting Bay by Jean and Gordon McInnes. See Jogscotland – Isle of Arran on Facebook for details of meeting point. And a second has just restarted in Brodick on a Wednesday meeting in the small Co-op car park at 5.30pm. See Arran Run Coach Facebook page.
Day-tripping
The race is timed to suit runners who are day-tripping from the mainland. The 9.45am ferry from Ardrossan (8.40am train from Glasgow Central connects) leaves plenty time to walk to the sports pavilion (15 minutes), change and warm up. There is a choice of three ferries for the return journey.
Organiser Tommy Gilmore said: ‘It would appear that, around the island, there are more and more joggers/runners, of both sexes, hitting the road. Hopefully, some of these will target the Ormidale 10K this April, and use it to improve their times and general fitness.’
Entries and information online at Sientries website.