West District XCs, Irvine

10th December 2011

Results

Another good turnout of running and cheering Westies for the annual mudfest in less-than-lovely Irvine. As expected, Shettleston and Inverclyde battled it out at the sharp end of the men’s race, while Niall and Tom fought for Westies supremacy. Niall took it on the final hill and held on until the line. JD started well but was pole-axed by a stitch, but such is the man’s form these days that he was still way ahead of most of us. Chris was in the mix with the fast guys, so they were our 4 counters. (Edit – sorry, it’s 6 to count, so that includes me, for which I must also apologise!)

James ran his first ever race (not just his first in Westies colours), and showed the speed that was immediately apparent when he first arrived for reps. With his lack of race practice he faded a little, but I could never get the gap to much under 10 seconds and I didn’t have a chance in the closing dash. However, I did clock a PB of almost 2 mins, building on my foundation of long runs, speedwork, and tapering down by offering to marshall in midweek.

Next in for the men was Tony, whose partner Katy was an extremely vocal supporter from her mid-course position and definitely pushed the Westies men to the max. Ciaran, Don and Peter were all close, with Peter continuing to improve and getting ever-closer to the guys ahead. Gibson got ahead of Bobby Young this time, and GrimOrr completed the Westies men’s team. For once, John Quinn wasn’t there, having been struck down by a lurgy.

The ladies were finishing just as I arrived, with Muffy, Pauline, Helen and Pat all enjoying(??) the Irvine mud. Jo had already finished her run – sorry I missed it!

Most notable feature of the day was the new Westies gazebo! A long-overdue purchase, it provided a meeting point, storage, and changing, plus a wee challenge in the assembly and re-packing stages. It’s plain black for now, but in due course it will be adorned with a golden W or perhaps even the full Westerlands CCC. Truly, this is luxury.

P.S. Where was Steve Gray?

Winners and Westies:-

1. Lindsay MacNeill (Shettleston) 23:48
65. Jo McGuire 31:03
71. Pauline McAdam 31:18
72. Muffy Calder 31:23
81. Helen MacPherson 32:29
101. Pat McLaughlin 36:59

1. Andrew Douglas (Inverclyde) 29:33
36. Niall McAlinden 34:08
37. Tom Smith 34:11
76. Chris Upson 36:25
77. John Denovan 36:35
111. James Callender 38:11
115. Johnston Orr 38:24
129. Tony Dickinson 39:36
152. Ciaran McDonald 41:15
168. Don Reid 42:46
169. Peter Grassl 43:04
184. Gibson Fleming 44:46
205. Graeme Orr 50:02

Men’s teams:
1. Shettleston
12. Westerlands CCC
(17 teams)

MV teams – 3 to count:
1. Irvine AC
16. Westerlands CCC (Chris, Don, Gibby)
(21 teams)