London Mini Marathon; RunBalmoral

Friday 21st April 2017

Scotland U17 Men at the Mini Marathon a couple of years ago

Four Scotland teams will compete in the British Athletics Junior Road Race Champs on Sunday 23 April at the London Mini Marathon.

It is wonderful experience for our young athletes as they step into races featuring very strong fields indeed as teenagers from across the length and breadth of Britain take part prior to the main event.

As well as teams at U17 and U15 level, there are five Para athletes selected for the Wheelchair Races to make the Scotland contingent almost 30-strong. Since we announced the teams, Corstorphine AAC’s Jessica MacLeod has been called up for the U17 Women’s team – where Scotland do look very strong.

Good luck to all these athletes and their families and coaches headed to London for what hopefully is a special weekend and one which proves helpful in their development.

Scotland U17 Women:

Erin Wallace (Giffnock North AAC); Naomi Lang (Aberdeen AAC); Clare Stewart (Banchory Stonehaven); Lauren Dickson (Lasswade AAC); Kate Gallagher (Central AC); Jessia Macleod (Corstorphine AAC).

Scotland U17 Men:

Freddie Carcas (Edinburgh AC); Ryan Gray, Cameron Watson (both Inverclyde AAC); James Gillon (Law and District AAC); Andrew Love (Giffnock North AAC); Robbie Smith (VP-Glasgow).

Scotland U15 Girls:

Lily-Jane Evans-Haggerty (VP-Glasgow); Heather Barnes, Helen Chong (both Giffnock North AAC); Cera Gemmell (Team East Lothian); Isla Calvert (Livingston); Sarah Coutts (Pitreavie AAC).

Scotland U15 Boys:

Hamish Armitt (Giffnock North AAC); Chris McLew (Cambuslang); Sunny McGrath (Deveron Harriers); Kane Elliott (Falkirk Vics); Joe Ewing (Edinburgh AC); David McNair (Kilbarchan AAC).

In the Mini Marathon, Para athletes with Scottish clubs (wheelchair racers) competing are: Kyle Brotherton, (Red Star AC)and Callum Sloan (Disability Sport Fife), and Shauna Bocquet (Red Star)

+++

Scotland international Jenny Bannerman knows she faces a major challenge in her bid to retain the women’s title in the RunBalmoral ConocoPhillips 5km on Saturday.

The Inverness Harriers stalwart won last year’s race in 17.03s but even an improvement on that time may not be enough to earn her a win as this year’s lineup is led by former Commonwealth Games runner and current Scottish women’s cross country title-holder, Morag MacLarty (Central AC).

Bannerman, who is to represent Scotland in a half marathon in Denmark next month, said: ‘Morag is a top class athlete and she should do really well. I’m glad she is doing it because it makes it a much more competitive race and that will be good for me.’

MacLarty,31, hopes to get close to the women’s course record of 15.55 set in 2014 by GB international Rhona Auckland, a member of Banchory Stonehaven AC who is currently based at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

Kenny Wilson is favourite to retain the men’s title. The Moray Road Runners club member won last year in 15:14 but has improved his best time to 14:51 which he achieved at Armagh in February. That suggests he might be capable of challenging the course record of 14.46 set by Olympian Andrew Butchart in 2013.

Three former champions are expected to battle for the women’s title in the Stena Drilling Tartan 10km at Balmoral Castle on Saturday; Central AC’s Jenn Wetton, who set a women’s record time of 36.20 last year; Aberdeen AAC’s Nicola Gauld, who was runner-up in 2016 but won in 2013; and Central AC’s Fiona Thompson.

Aberdeen AAC’s Scottish 10,000m track champion Will Mackay bids to retain the men’s title if he has recovered from a fourth-place finish in the Manchester marathon. Forfar’s Brian Bonnyman is among the favourites to win the Trac 15 mile trail race on the second day of the RunBalmoral meeting on Sunday.

Any one of the adult races on the RunBalmoral programme poses its own challenges, but some people have signed up to tackle all four of them and take on 31 miles of running and nine miles of cycling over two days of competition.

The Repsol Sinopec Devil of Deeside Challenge has been introduced to mark the 20th year of the events and has attracted more than 100 hardy individuals.

With thanks to Fraser Clyne