Virtual 10k is a runaway success story
Organisers delighted with turnout
Perth Road Runners welcomed an international field to their popular Virtual Tay 10k race.
And, in fact, winner of the men’s category in a time of 32:54 was Callum Drever who hails from Calgary in Canada.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Perth club, for the second year running, was unable to hold the event in person.
But there remained a determination to offer a virtual alternative and give runners something to look forward to.
All runs needed to start and finish at around the same point – either lapped or out and back routes.
With nearly 300 participants taking part, the Virtual Tay 10k again went down as a roaring success.
Maria Dale, who is on the race sub-committee, said: “We had a lot of club and local people involved.
“But others from all over Scotland, the rest of the UK and even Canada.
“The overall male winner was actually a guy from Calgary, which was nice. I’m assuming he saw the event online. We would much rather be doing the real races but we just felt it has been a difficult time for everyone.
“It can be hard to find the motivation to run if there isn’t anything like this on the horizon. It was nice to have a focus again.
“It keeps the profile of the club up so we decided to go for it. There was a really nice medal this year and the usual set of trophies.
“We encouraged people to do it in their own time, within the race window and we had nearly 290 people taking part this year.
“In my back garden, we even did a virtual presentation of the prizes.
“We’ve never done that before so that was an interesting one.”
The road runners, of course, are looking forward to a time when all club activity can return to normality.
Group runs - while following all government guidelines - are currently permitted and having that social aspect has been a welcome boost.
“We have been operating at a very low level within the constraints of a pandemic and social distancing,” Maria added.
“But we’ve been trying to keep things going. At the moment we have runs on a Tuesday night but it’s limited and you need to book online.
“Most of us have been trying to do some kind of running.
“It’s been nice to run with familiar faces again - some hadn’t seen each other in over a year.
“While still a distanced catch-up, it’s great to socialise because that is what the club is about.
“There has been a lot of effort put in to keep people as connected as possible.”
Hopes are high that, with COVID-19 restrictions easing, the need for virtual events will soon be a thing of the past.
Maria told the PA: “We usually do a second run, the Brig Bash, but that is still very much in the planning stage.
“And we have a lot of good marathon runners at the club who are eagerly waiting to see what is going to happen as the year goes on.
“We really hope 2022 will be the Tay 10 for real and we’ll actually be out seeing people again for it.”
Results: Male - 1st Callum Drever (from Calgary, Canada) 32:54, 2nd Robert Harrison (Blairgowrie) 34:29, 3rd David Scott (Kinross Road Runners) 35:40.
Male Junior (under 20) - 1st
Jordan Cruickshank (Metro Aberdeen Running Club) 35:56.
Male Vet 40 - 1st Kevin Rogers (Perth Road Runners) 36:55.
Male Vet 50 - 1st Duncan Ryan (Perth Road Runners) 36:18.
Male Vet 60 - 1st Grant Wooler (Perth Road Runners) 42:26.
Male Vet 70 - 1st David Cameron (Madderty) 54:35.
Female - 1st Jillian Gordon (Kinross Road Runners) 40:10, 2nd Rose Ryan (Perth Strathtay Harriers) 43:55, 3rd Karen Watt (Glasgow) 44:23.
Female Junior (under 20) - 1st Georgia Douglas 59:39.
Female Vet 40 - 1st Rhona Younger (Perth Road Runners) 45:47.
Female Vet 50 - 1st Margaret Gamble (Dundee Road Runners) 44:27.
Female Vet 60 - 1st Maria Dale (Perth Road Runners) 53:04.
Female Vet 70 - 1st Morag Ellery (St Cyrus Solos) 01:02.41.