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SRI CHINMOY 5KM RACE, EDINBURGH, Friday 3 May 2024.

INCORPORATING THE SCOTTISH 5KM ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS

by Tarit Adrian Stott

The Edinburgh Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, was again asked to organise the Scottish 5km Road championships. We hold our annual event on a beautiful flat out and back course on a wide esplanade by the River Forth. Although there can often be a breeze by the river, our course is renowned for fast times and over the years for its strength in depth.

We organised our first race there, a five miler, in 1981. Somewhere along the way, with the popularity of the 5km distance in the UK, we developed the 5km event.

Sri Chinmoy, the founder of the Marathon Team, ran and walked on the course on a visit to Edinburgh in 1983, when we staged a 5 mile event. My memory recalls him commenting to us afterwards “You have so many fast runners at your races. Very Good!”

This year it once again lived up to its name as “the fast one” with another amazing show of the strength in depth of the Scottish club scene.

A fresh breeze coming off the Firth of Forth, may have affected the times a little this year, but there was no doubting the usual commitment shown by over 500 club runners from throughout Scotland for the traditional Friday night event.

At the sharp end Great Britain Cross Country international, Scott Stirling, improved on his second place from last year to record an excellent 14:17 (gun time). He was comfortably clear of Edinburgh University’s Finlay Ross-Davie and Fife AC’s, Ben Sandilands. In a photo finish Ross-Davie was given the nod by the officials for 2nd place although they both recorded the same time of 14:25.

In the women’s race, there was victory for Steph Pennycook, who went sub 16 to record 15:55 (15:52 chip time). The Fife AC athlete is only the second female to go below the 16:00 barrier on the course and narrowly missed Morag Millar’s course record of 15:53 from 2019. Millar finished second this year in 16:09 with Cambuslang Harrier Stefanie Tucker in third with 16:18.

Throughout the field, as is usual with this event, the strength in depth told with 26 men going under 15 minutes, and 12 women going under 17 minutes.

In total there were 186 runners under 17 minutes and 394 breaking 20 minutes. Just over 500 runners ran the event.

Special mentions to Fiona and Grant Matheson who claimed a family double by winning gold and silver medals in their respective Masters V60 category.

Also to Sandra Branney, former GB Marathon International and multiple age group record holder who had turned 70 three days before the race. She recorded 21:51. If confirmed, this betters the listed Great Britain time for 5km currently held by Yuko Gordon who ran 21:53 in January 2022.

We are just a small group in Edinburgh, and as the race has grown over the years, we have enlisted the help of runners from the local Edinburgh clubs to make the event run smoothly. The Marathon Team, and the races we have promoted for over 40 years now, are very much a part of the local running community, which really appreciates the efforts we have made with our events.

Selflessly giving up our time to help with projects is so much at the heart of Sri Chinmoy’s philosophy and we are lucky that our local running community also embrace a commitment to helping at each others events whenever asked.

This year we needed over 50 volunteers to make the race work, and they are all blown away with the whole atmosphere this event creates.

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Sarah Webster and Dougie Selman take UKA 100km titles as Webster sets a new European women’s 100km record.

Ronnie Richmond sets a new British 50km mens road record in taking the UKA 50km title. Jennifer Wetton lands the UKA Women's 50km crown.

Full Results HERE

In near-perfect conditions, the Sri Chinmoy 100km and 50km races produced some outstanding performances in Perth on Sunday 24th March. The 1.5 mile /2.831 km course, at the North Inch Park is known for fast times and this year was no exception.

Women's 100km race

Sarah Webster ( Northern IOM AC) broke the European women’s 100km record (subject to confirmation ) with a new time of 7 hours, 3 minutes and 48 seconds. It bettered the previous time, of 7:04:03, set by Florianne Hot of France, in August 2022 by a mere 15 seconds.

Webster, the defending champion, had run a faster 7:03:40 to win the 2023 championship in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, which set a new GB mark. However, due to a technicality, it was not ratified as a European record.

This time Webster went through 50km in 3:26:01 with Melissa Gibson, Ealing, just 40 seconds back. Julia Davis, Newquay, was a further 4 minutes back on 3:30:46. Webster powered on to run remarkably even splits with a second 50k of 3:27:39. It was an extraordinary performance from Webster who now has the 5th and 6th women’s global best tomes for 100km.

Gibson and Davies times, now move to 2nd and 3rd on the GB all-time women’s 100km rankings behind Webster.

Gibson took the silver medal in 7:13:23 and Davies the bronze medal in 7:25:48 It made for a clean sweep for England in the women's Home Countries team competition, with all 3 runners well inside the previous course record of 7:41:12 set by Jo Murphy in 2002.

Mens 100km race

In a very exciting finish to the men’s race, just over a minute separated the first three runners. Once the race had settled down a solid group of around seven runners seemed to be working together, then after the 50 miles the group started breaking up with James Turner, Brighton, leading the charge, Scotland's Dougie Selman, Corstorphine, and Joe Turner, Cambridge, were the only ones to respond and although working hard, were still very much in touch.

Going into the last lap Turner (Brighton ) held a slim 9-second lead over the local favourite Dougie Selman, with Joe Turner ( Cambridge) a further 35 seconds back.

In a storming last lap, Selman was to overhaul Turner, to take the tape in 6:34:28 and raise a huge cheer from the local crowd, James Turner taking second in 6:34:38just 10 seconds behind and Joe Turner 3rd in 6:35:37

All three runners were inside the course record of 6:39:34 set by Matt Dickenson in 2022. And are now the 7th, 8th and 9th ranked All time Gb men at 100km

In the Scottish Championship for the Don Ritchie cups, Selman took the men's title from Chris Richardson (Metro Aberdeen ), who finished 4th overall in the race in a new PB of 6:40:44. Sage Pearce-Higgins, running his first road 100km (Edinburgh AC)took the bronze dipping under 7 hours with 6:56:14.

Sheena Logan ( Fife AC), running her first 100km race, took the women's Don Ritchie trophy, finishing in 6th overall in 8:19:26. Catherine Cowie of Portobello took the Scottish silver medal in 8:26:31 and Fiona Gibson Dundee Hawkhill the Bronze in 10:22:05

The Anglo Celtic Plate Team Competition.

Selman backed up by Richardson and Michael Deason (Shettleston) took the men's Plate ahead of England, Northern Ireland and Ulster.

In the women's Team competition, England with their clean sweep of the podium took the honours, with Ireland in second and Northern Ireland & Ulster third.

In other notable record performances, Ciaran McGonagle set a new Irish 100km record of 6:50:28 finishing in 6th place and first V/40.

Shettlston Harrier, John Duffy, who turned 60 on Friday 22nd March, set a new Scottish V/60 100km record of 8:50:59, TBC, bettering the 8:58:51 recorded by Bill Hutchison (Anster Haddies) at Perth in 2016.

UKA and SCOTTISH 50 KM CHAMPIONSHIP

Mens Championship

In a day of records, Ronnie Richmond, Bideford, and Andy Davies, Mercia Fell Runners, both GB internationals at the distance, ran together for practically the whole race, helping each other to exceptional times. At the end of lap 19 of the 21 laps, they were locked together at 2:32:16

At the bell, Davies had broken clear to have a narrow lead of 10 seconds.

On the last 2.382 km lap, Richmond turned that around to take the UKA 50km title in 2:48:25, just eight seconds clear of Davies with 2:48:33.

They were both under the previous GB road record of 2:49:01 set by Dan Nash in 2019. And just outside the long-held British track 50km of former Olympic marathoner Geoff Norman's 2:48:06, set in 1980. Tom Charles, Chorlton Runners, took the bronze dipping under 3 hours with 2:57:45.

Womens 50km Championships

The Women’s 50km Championship, also doubled as the Scottish 50km championship. This race was more clear cut with Central AC’s Jen Wetton in her first foray beyond the Marathon, leading from the start and recording an excellent 3:29:03 less than a minute outside the course record of 3:28:07 set by Hannah Oldroyd in 2019. Alison McGill (Fife AC), using the race as a stepping stone, as she builds to defending her West Highland Way title in June, took the silver while Niamh Ni Mhaoileoin (Portobello), the bronze in 4:03:18.

Men's Scottish Championship,

John Spiers of Cambuslang took the honours in 3:21:21, with Tony Golabek, Inverness in second, 3:24:11 and Martin Heggie 3rd in 3:24:27.

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