Kenyan ends visit to Scotland with victory in Aberdeen

Isaiah Kosgei brought the curtain down on his seven-week stay in northeast Scotland by taking top spot in the Aberdeen parkrun 5km.

The veteran Kenyan athlete, who won last month’s Loch Ness Marathon, ran a time of 16 minutes 32 seconds to finish ahead of a field of 303 runners. It’s the third year in a row Kosgei has spent time in Scotland and he has become a popular figure on the local running scene.

He said: “I have enjoyed my time here again and I want to thank everyone who has looked after me.

“The only sad part was the passing of Mel Edwards, which was such a shame. He was a good man.”

Kosgei was chased to the finish by Jim Tole, who continues to make good progress after his return from injury. The Metro Aberdeen man ran 16:49, while David Langan finished third in 16:55.

Metro Aberdeen’s Alison Pilichos led home the women’s field in 20:18 with Jana Vidis (Newmachar Running Group) setting a personal best 21:06 in second position, and Ailsa Munro third in 21:41.

Meanwhile, Dubaibased Aberdeenshire athlete Meryl Cooper won the Wadi Bih Run 35km at Hatta by completing the mountainous trail route in 3hr 8min 23sec.

Only one man ran quicker.

Cooper, from Oldmeldrum, who is preparing for a 100km race in Cape Town next month, was pleased with the result, saying: “It wasn’t very technical and there was only 700m of elevation gain.

“Finishing second overall was quite pleasing considering I didn’t push on any of it except the uphills.

“It was a great day out with access to some hills you don’t normally get to run up as they are in a protected area.”

Isaiah Kosgei