Round Arran Relay 2004

Westies Cuff Garcube To Take 3rd Place Despite Extravaganza Disappointment

A memorable performance by Westies ‘A’ team at the Round Arran Relay resulted in a 3rd place finish behind Irvine and Central. Behind came other giants such as Newlands Amateurs, Troon Tortoises, Arran Runners, Coo’s Tail , and of course the mighty Westies ‘B’ team, whilst perennial no-hopers such as Bellahouston, Lothian, Garscube and JW Kilmarnock trailed in well behind.

However, the triumph didn’t quite compensate for the club’s failure to complete the race as a Struthers-like extravaganza. Having been informed at the start of the week that their entry had not been accepted because the buses hired to get the runners to the appropriate stages were full, Dave set about devising a cunning plan of enormous complexity to ensure every runner got to their stage start using the local buses. This was a strategy requiring immaculate timing, quick wit and the correct fare, thereby making it a near certainty that half of Westies would never make it beyond Brodick Pier.

In the event, a no-show by HBT meant that Westies were able to nab the last two team places, although there was a strong sense of disappointment that Dave’s masterplan wouldn’t be tested. Only later, when the rain was pelting down and Charlie realised that he would have had to wait halfway between Lochranza and Sannox for 2 1/2 hours with only his umbrella to keep him dry and warm, did the sense of disappointment fade somewhat.

So onto the race. Everyone ran well, no-one got lost, there were no injuries and no-one fell into the sea, which given recent Westies mishaps, is no mean feat. Better still, Damon ended up fastest on his stage (winning an Arran cheese), Stevie and Mark were runners up and Nigel was 3rd. The Westies B team were 14th overall (3rd B team) out of 24 starters, so it was a grand day out.

Was there any good gossip? No, not really, apart from the fact that Mark was getting chatted up big style by a media personality. We can’t say too much about who it is, except to say that he runs for a small-to-medium road running club in the south of Glasgow!

Results

Stage 1 North

Damon 65:48 1

Dave 72:27 8

Stage 2 North

Stevie 63:41 2

Blair 78:40 15

Stage 3 North

Mark 57:56 2

Charlie 67:51 15

Stage 1 South

Steffen 47:04 5

Muffy 55:28 13

Stage 2 South

Nigel 55:30 3

Ana 69:59 16

Stage 3 South

John 55:01 8

Drew 66:56 20

Overall Team Positions

1 Irvine 5:25:45

2 Central 5:34:07

3 Westies 5:45:00

14 Westies 6:51:21

24 started