Shona takes on Ultra Challenge
Lothian specialist on 71 mile Great Glen trip
Lothian Running Club’s ultra race specialist Shona Young tackled the 71 mile Great Glen Ultra course over the weekend.
Recognised as one of Scotland’s toughest running challenges, the course started at Neptune’s Staircase, just outside Fort William, and follows a series of Glens along a geological fault-line to Inverness.
With the race getting underway at 1am, runners have 22 hours to cover the course, which finished at Inverness Athletics Stadium.
Shona was well inside that time, stopping the clock at 13 hours 57 minutes and 26 seconds to place 15th overall and third female. She also was the top over-50 female to win the category.
Elsewhere, in what was a busy week for the club, Hannah and Andrew Steel contested the Youth events at the Thornton Highland Games in Fife.
Unfortunately, they didn’t make it through their heats in the 90 metres and 200 metres handicaps races. In the 800 metres, Hannah was among the prizes as she finished in third place behind brother and sister duo Kyle and Erin McFarlane of Pitreavie AC.
Andrew finished in a credible seventh place.
A handful of Lothian Running Club veteran athletes took part in the Brig Bash five miles race at Bridge of Earn.
Results are as follows: 89th Jim Alexander (36.59), 113th Kenny Mearns ( 38.24), 132nd Alan Robertson ( 40.38), 191st Alan Robertson ( 45.58), 206th Mike Murray (47.00).
The Lothian club had the first three finishers in this week’s Livingston 5km parkrun.
Josh Dack was first to cross the line in 17.36. He was followed by Jo Williams (17.48) who was leading female, with Alan Knowles in third in 18.27. Paul Young (20.12) came home in sixth place.
Three of the club’s junior members recorded personal best times with Robyn McDonald ( 24.02), Amber Cunningham (24.16) and Nicole Dredge (24.40) all beating their previous best times.
Following some excellent performances in this year’s Forth Valley League events, four of the club’s junior athletes have been selected to represent LRC in the President’s Select match at Grangemouth Stadium at the end of the month.
Eilidh Howard, Eilidh Turner, Robyn McDonald and Hannah Steel all caught the eye with a string of impressive results and will contest the various events on the day.