Sarah on road to success in Ireland

Lothian Running Club’s Sarah Inglis turned in the best performance of her winter season in finishing in an excellent fourth place and first Scot in the prestigious Armagh International 3km Women’s Road Race in Ireland last Thursday evening.

This was the 27th anniversary of this iconic event now ranked as one of the best and most popular road races in the world.

The event is organised by Armagh Athletic Club and attracts athletes from the highest elite standards from all over the UK.

Run under lamplight on a 1000 metre circuit, the course is reckoned to be one of the fastest anywhere, and so it proved with 29 of the women finishing in under 10 minutes.

Race winner, Laura Weightman for the Morpeth Harriers set a new course record of 8m 59s.

Sarah, who has had a low key winter season by her own standards, excelled in finishing with a new road PB of 9m 12s.

In a race stacked in quality, the Lothian runner was the only Scot in the top 10 finishers.

Sarah was joined in the race by her sister Mhairi, in what was by far the biggest event she had contested for a few seasons.

She didn’t disappoint and justified her decision to take part by crossing the line in 54th place in 10m 51s.

The Lothian club had half a dozen runners among a big field of 550 who contested the Devilla Forest 15km Road Race at Tulliallan.

Calum Ross was the first of the contingent to finish in 93rd place in 1:10.16, he was followed home by - 100th Brian Reid (1:10.40), 299th Linda Garratty ( 1: 24.52), 308th Fraser Ballantine ( 1: 25.54), 338th Kirsty McMeechan ( 1: 27.58) and 438th Brian Morris (1:35.49).

The club had two runners in the Run with the Wind Half Marathon.

The course which starts and finishes in Strathaven and passes the Whitelees Windfarm at halfway saw Shona Young place 65th overall and fifth female in a time of 1:37.44.

Michelle Ki rkbright crossed the finish line in Kirkland Park in 2: 27.19 which placed her 291st and 103rd female.

Meanwhile, there was club success at the Livingston parkrun as the club claimed a 1-2-3 in both male and female categories.

Less than 24 hours after her fine run in Ireland, Sarah Inglis was the overall winner in a new PB for the 5km course of 17.06.

She was followed home by fellow club members Josh Dack, Colin Partridge and Alan Knowles in second, third and fourth places.

Completing the female clean sweep were 10th & 2nd F Mhairi Inglis and 31st & 3rdF Shona Young.