ATHLETICS: Good performances from Irvine runners

Jul 27 2012 By John Woods

MEMBERS of Irvine Athletic Club were in action on both road and track last week and enjoyed reasonable success on both surfaces.

On Glasgow Fair Monday the club staged its annual Five-Mile Road Race and for a change the traditional Glasgow Fair Monday downpour was replaced by sunshine on what turned out to be a beautiful July evening.

The event, which is now known as the Brodie Engineering Five-Mile Road Race, started on Montgomerie Street just beyond Irvine Station and then followed a route which took in the Beach Park cycle path and Marine Drive before finishing at the Maritime Museum car park.

The relatively flat fast course attracted some of the stars of Scottish running, including current Scottish cross country champion Derek Hawkins of Kilbarchan AAC, Michael Deason and Kevin Brydon of Shettleston Harriers, Iain Connell of Kilmarnock and Irvine AC's very own David Millar.

And Hawkins stamped his name on the race from the gun  as he took the lead with his smooth, relaxed action that makes running at sub-five minute mile pace look easy.

The Kilbarchan ace gradually increased his lead as the race progressed to win in a fantastic new course record of 24 minutes 12 seconds.

Behind him Millar and Deason were having a real ding-dong battle for second and third places with Millar ahead for the first half of the race after his characteristic fast start.

However this time he was reeled in and eventually overtaken by the younger Deason in the closing stages and the pair were separated by only two seconds at the finish, recording 25.32 and 25.34 respectively.

Brydon was fourth in 26.31 and Connell fifth in 27.22.

The host club’s George Irving continued his recent good form with 15th place in 29.05, followed four places later by Mark Livingstone who broke 30 minutes for the first time with a fine run of 29.59.

Joe McNamee and Jim Sneddon fought a race-long battle to outdo each other for the final Irvine placings with McNamee triumphing in 32.13 for 34th with Sneddon 35th in 32.18.

In the ladies race Kara Tait of Kilmarnock had a fine win pushing two good Shettleston runners, Avril Mason and Jessica Bell into second and third places.

Irvine AC would like to thank Brodie Engineering for their race sponsorship and Irvine Community Police for their assistance in ensuring the race was run safely.

On Saturday and Sunday John McGarry was at Derby competing in the British Masters Track and Field Championships hoping to repeat his success of 2011 when he won both the 100m and 200m in the M60 category.

The sprint events are extremely competitive at Masters Championships level and McGarry had to progress through heats to make the 'A' finals in both events.

However on this occasion he finished out of the medals, taking fourth place in both the 100m and 200m, clocking 13.18 and 27.19 respectively.

The first three places went to the same three English athletes on both occasions.