Ultra runners get ready for Anglo Celtic Plate action in Perth

Friday 22nd March 2024

Scotland athletes line up for the ACP last year

By Adrian Stott

International ultra running returns to Scotland again this weekend with the annual 100km Home International event, the Anglo Celtic Plate, being staged in Perth.

The event takes place on Sunday and will feature both the British and Scottish 100km road championships for 2024.

There is an accompanying 50km distance, which also incorporates the British and Scottish 50km road champs for 2024. There are also open races at both distances.

Races take place on a traffic-free loop course at the North Inch Park on the banks of the River Tay. The loop is measured at 2.381km and is known to produce some fast times.

A full list of entrants for both races is on the event race site

Live tracking will be available HERE

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Scotland look set to challenge England for the team competition in both the men’s and women’s events.

Five men and four women were originally selected for Scotland. As usual, this year’s race involves teams from Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland.

The Scottish men’s team features Chris Richardson (Metro Aberdeen), Dougie Selman (Corstorphine), Nikki Johnston ( LG Nord Berlin), Henry Hart (Belgrave) and Stuart Paterson (Ochil HR).

For Richardson, it is a fourth ACP appearance, and he has proved to be a solid sub 7-hour performer over 100km.

Selman ran an impressive debut, finishing fifth in last year’s ACP in Northern Ireland. Following a marathon PB of 2:20:27 at Valencia in December, he has put in a solid training block.

For Johnston, Hart and Paterson, it will be their first 100km road event, though all have impressive marathon and ultra performances behind them in the last 12 months.

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Scotland women won the ACP trophy in Northern Ireland last year

The Scotland women’s team comprises Catherine Cowie (Portobello), Sheena Logan (Fife AC) and Jacqui MacIntyre (unattached). Unfortunately, Amanda Woodrow (EAC) is a late withdrawal due to injury.

The England teams look very strong on paper.

They are led by the experienced Ollie Garrod (Belgrave) and backed up by Alex Milne, who placed 15th at last year’s Comrades ultra-marathon in South Africa, backing that up with a superb 2:51:25 50k performance in December.

The England Women’s team is led by Sarah Webster, from the Isle of Man. A representative for IOM in the marathon at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and winner of last year’s Anglo Celtic Plate in a new British Record of 7:03:40. That time was also the fastest time yet by a European athlete.

Sarah is backed up by the experienced Sam Amend, second when the event was last staged in Perth in 2022, GB trail running international Julia Davis, and prolific marathon runner Melissa Gibson.

The Northern Ireland  and Ulster men’s teams includes Dave Andrews for Metro Aberdeen and Angus Irvine from Motherwell, while Aoife Ni Mhaoileoin of Forres Harriers is running in the Republic of Ireland team.

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ACP winners when the event was last held in Perth in 2022 – Matt dickinson and Jo Wilson

An added incentive for the leading runners is possible GB selection for the World 100km Championship, being held in India in December.

The first two GB-qualified athletes in the men’s and women’s 100km events, subject to them achieving the qualifying standards laid down by UKA of 6:38:00 for men and 7:35:00 for women, will gain automatic selection.

Other fast times could put athletes in contention for additional team places, for which the standards are 6:50:00 for men and 7:47:00 for women.

The full GB selection policy is HERE

The accompanying 50km race is also a British and Scottish championship.

Standout entries for the men are Wales Commonwealth Games Marathon runner and GB international at 50km, mountain and trail, Andrew Davies, and fellow GB 50km runner Ronnie Richmond. GB 24-hour runner and former Scotland 100km international James Stewart is also in the field.

Fanni Gyurko (Ochil HR), Alison McGill (Fife AC) and Jennifer Wetton (Central ) head a strong, Scottish contingent in the women’s race.

The Perth event is being coordinated by Sri Chinmoy AC, with help from Scottish Athletics. Volunteer support, as usual, from the Scottish ultra-running community, will ensure the event runs smoothly.

The 100km race starts at 7 am, with leading men expecting to finish inside 7 hours and the leading women inside 8 hours. The 50km race starts at 10 am.

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Scottish 100km runners compete for the Don Ritchie Cup

To honour Scotland’s pioneering ultra-distance record holder, who passed away in June 2018, Sri Chinmoy AC, the organisers of the Perth event, together with Scottish athletics, will once again present the Don Ritchie Cups.

Don, in an illustrious career spanning over 20 years at the top level in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, set Scottish, GB and World records at all the classic ultra distances from 30 miles through 50 miles and 100km up to 100 miles. Several of these records still stand today. He was inducted into the scottishathletics Hall of Fame in 2018.

2024 will be the fifth year that the trophies will be given to the Scottish Men’s and Women’s 100km champions.

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