Renfrewshire AAA XC Championships

Sunday 22nd November, Bellahouston Park.

Results

My first XC race in the season "on the toughest course of the year. Plenty of mud and hills for everyone" as it was advertised in the Club News.

Plenty of Glenparkers showed up on a cold and windy day, not to forget wet. I wanted to take it relatively easy but found myself in the first row at the start. But no one really wanted to start from the front of the race anyway as it seemed.

Of we went and it soon turned out the grass was deep and muddy and very difficult to run. And also the first climb had to be tackled and I had to slow down grasping for breath with the leaders pulling away lead by Robert Quinn who had no match today and won the race by quite a distance.

Before the race I had the choice between the Mudclaw or 15millimeter spikes and I choose the Mudclaw which was the right choice for the downhills and the wrong choice for the uphills since they collected mud and got heavy. I call it a good choice anyway.

Soon I was past by a familiar face Donald Petrie from Kilbarchan and I tried to follow him which required me running 100%. Another familiar Face cheering me on, Caroline Pacepusher!

Today I was probably running my best downhill ever and eventually managed to get past Donald on one of those steep downhills and opened a gap which I could keep to the finish.

I ended up in 12th place which is superb but quite a few good runners did not show up today like some of the very fast Inverclyders. Our very own Stevie McLoone was of course ahead of me at the finish (8th) but surprisingly close. Maybe I can catch him one day ;-)

Pictures from the Kilbarchan Website (taken by Stuart McLardie)