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George Cummings Relay
Five Westies made the trip to sunny Houston yesterday. Niall, Don, Johnston and myself running in that order with Grim Orr as our team support.
It may only be 2.7 mile legs but the circuit is undulating with a few long uphill stretches, with one hill, a kilometre from the finish which was a killer. As you reach the crest of this hill a steep downhill opens up in front of you, Westie mannah from heaven, allowing you to build up a good head of steam before turning in to the finishing straight. Niall ran first leg in just under 15 mins then Don, Johnston and myself on the glory leg. I ran a 16:24 but not sure of the other guys times. The results are to be posted on the Kilbarchan web site on Monday.
Prior to the race Johnston and Niall had threatened to shave their heads in team solidarity with Don and myself but not to be outdone I decided to do a Niall Afro hoping it would help me run faster ( see photos ).
In true renfrewshire style the no spitting signs were posted again with the threat of disqualification if any runner gobbed in the street. Apparently having a slash or a s**t is ok but slavering is not on. Grim was Grim as he said spitting was an integral part of running. (Again see Photos)
This was my second year running this race, both times the weather has been great, the atmosphere brilliant and the event very well organised. Definitely be back next year.
Special thanks to Grim for the much appreciated support on the run in.
Posted by John Quinn on Sun 25 Sep 2011 | 4 comments
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Comments
Johnston said...
Having read Hamilton's report on the event last year, I was looking forward to the ridiculous sight of the "No Spitting" signs, and I was not disappointed! They were everywhere! (Don't worry, gentle middle-class readers - Grim did not actually spit on Don, the sign, or Houston's pristine tarmac.)
Not my most glorious run, but at around 16:40, not a disaster either. Definitely put in the shade by the in-form Chippy, who was by far the happiest of the quartet with his performance on the day - Niall, Don and I all being a bit below par. Although he wore the McAlinden Tribute Wig for the photo, and ran like the man himself, John chose a more aerodynamic hair(less)style for the race.
Tough shift for Don, taking over a good position from Niall at the end of Leg 1. That said, I blame him entirely for Westies failure to win.
In the men's race, Kilbarchan seemed to be well ahead on the first leg but Shettleston then assumed the driving seat, with Irvine and Giffnock North also fielding strong teams.
Westerlands only managed a men's team, and the support was truly Grim.
Sunday 25th September 2011 1.22pm
Chris said...
A great results guys! Well done for flying the Westies flag in deepest Renfrewshire.
Monday 26th September 2011 9.23pm
Johnston said...
Indeed - a solid mid-table finish and a complete Westerlands team, boosted by a flying Chippy on the last leg. Results confirm I was around 30s adrift of my training peers. Plenty of scope for improvement!
Monday 26th September 2011 10.04pm
Chris said...
I was impressed that you didn't drop too many places after Niall's flying start!
Tuesday 27th September 2011 9.49am