Introduction

Jo Zakrzewski has accepted the new role of Ladies Club Captain. This means that for 2010 Dumfries Running Club will have new club captains of Jo Zakrzewski (ladies) and Paul Hart (men's). The main role of the club captains will be to organise DRC teams for such events as the Vets relay championships, cross country championships, road relay championships and any other suitable events.

A reminder that Richard McDougal will be hosting a New Years day run from Heathfield Farm, Johnstone Bridge nr. Lockerbie assembling at 11:00 in the morning on New Years Day. Dumfries Running Club members who are interested in taking part in this run - which is generally held at a very relaxed pace followed by refreshments - are invited to come along. Given the potential weather conditions and ice on roads this may be an off road run on part of the Annandale Way so please bring a pair of off-road shoes (if you have them) as well as road shoes.

29th December - Alan Baxter and Les Hill run in Cambuslang cross-country race (normally a 10K road race!)

On Sunday 27th December Alan Baxter and Les Hill travelled to Cambuslang for a 10K road race but were not too surprised to discover that it had been cancelled due to the bad weather conditions. However the journey was not a waste of time as the organisers, Cambuslang Harriers, had marked out a loop around the park that surrounded the rugby pitches and the race was changed to a cross country event. This loop was 0.7 mile in length and had top be traversed six time to give a 4.2 miles total. The organisers had given warning on their website of this fall back option and suggested bringing studded shoes which Les had done while Alan had turned up with only his road shoes. The numbers were down for this race compared to those that turn up for the road race but 53 hardy souls entered for this alternative with the organisers bearing the costs as entry was free but with a full prize list as advertised for the 10K. The road shoes did not appear to hinder Alan as he ran well to finish 10th in 29.06 with Les not far behind in 15th place and 29.54. Alan took a couple of laps to settle in to his running and was only one place ahead of Les at that point but picked up the pace and worked through the field while Les maintained his position throughout although he picked the pace up towards the end of lap five to just cross the line to start his last lap before the winner, John MacNamara of Cambuslang Harriers, lapped him and so save his dignity. Both lads enjoyed the event and the hospitality of the organisers and were grateful to get a race rather than be turned away without a run at all.

The Christmas handicap race on the 5mile Holywood course was held in cold but dry conditions on Sunday 13th December. The handicap race winner for 2009 was Mike Trant who ran clear of the field and finished well ahead of Sian Finlay in 2nd and Bob Quin in 3rd. Fastest run on the day was 29:56 by both Kevin Conchar and Dougie Brown.

8th December- Start the New Year in DRC style! New Years Day Club Run

Once again Richard McDougal will be hosting a New Years day run from Heathfield Farm, Johnstone Bridge nr. Lockerbie assembling at 11:00 in the morning on New Years Day. Dumfries Running Club members who are interested in taking part in this run - which is generally held at a very relaxed pace followed by refreshments - are invited to come along. Please ask at the club on Mondays, Tuesdays or Thursdays for more details. All speeds and distances and levels of banter will be catered for.

8th December - Dumfries Running Club places for the Virgin London marathon 2010

Dumfries Running Club have been allocated three guaranteed club places for the Virgin London marathon 2010 on Sunday 25th April. If you are interested in one of these places please put your name on the sheet on the club notice board at Nunholm or let club secretary Susan Graham know. We need to know by the end of January. If places are over subscribed then well established criteria will be used to allocate the three places. Amazingly, interest so far has been limited for these guaranteed places so if you fancy it you may be lucky!

8th December - Updated results for Winter 4mile handicap series following 3rd race

The 3rd race in the 4 mile winter handicap series was held on Thursday 3rd December. Handicap winner on the night was Alan Manson who really did show his improvement in 2009 to finish in 29:40 with a massive winning margin of 4-5 minutes. It looks like the handicapper will be reviewing his start time for the next race! Marian McPhail produced another good run to consolidate her leading position in the series with 69 points, a total that will be hard to beat. In 2nd place is Maureen Dickson with 65 points, well clear of the rest of the field. However, Frank Skachill with 49points from two races so far may be in with a chance. Results are available here.

Les Hill and Sian Finlay travelled to the Guy's 10 mile race near Garstang in Lancashire on Sunday and both produced good runs. Les finished in 1:04:05 with Sian just over the 71min barrier in 1:11:07. On the same day Steve Mohan ran in the Ulverston 10K race crossing the line in 43:54.

6 members of Dumfries running club ran in this 10k race on Saturday 28th November. Finishing times are below:

Les Hill is once again administering the club standards scheme for bronze, silver, gold and gold plus awards. Certificates for achieving a standard in 3 races are presented at the annual club dinner dance on Friday 5th February. The times needed for each distance and each age category are shown on the 'Standards' page of the website, accessed using the 'Members info' button.

You have until the end of 2009 to get a last race or two in if you still need a time in order to gain a Standards Award. If you think you have already done what is needed then please submit your claim to Les Hill using the attached claim form so he can verify it.

21st November - Brampton to Carlisle ....provisional results for shortened course due to flooding (roughly 9.1 miles)

Results for DRC members summarised below. Some great performances throughout the field, and it looks like Frank and David will have to have a re-match when they are both not injured!

Another great performance by Marian to finish as 3rd FV55 in this high quality race.

Brampton - Men -- TEAM RESULTS
7 Dumfries Running Club
                                16 Steven Smith
                                37 Micky Breen
                                45 Jonathan Dale

Brampton - Men (Vets) -- TEAM RESULTS
4 Dumfries Running Club
                                18 Jonathan Dale
                                20 Paul Hart
                                35 Les Hill

Brampton - Ladies -- TEAM RESULTS

   3 Dumfries Running Club
                                 2 Joasia Zakrzewski
                                 4 Lisa Finlay
                                34 Sian Finlay

Brampton - Ladies (Vets) -- TEAM RESULTS
4 Dumfries Running Club
                                 2 Lisa Finlay
                                23 Sian Finlay
                                35 Maureen Dickson

Following the very positive feedback from this years event, the dinner dance will again take place at Dumfries Rugby Club, Park Farm on Friday 5th February, 2010.

Arrive 7pm for 7:30pm start including 3 course meal, tea/coffee, presentation of club prizes and awards, and live music by Peter Kirk band until 1a.m.. There is also a free drink on arrival at the door and free raffle. This year the club are introducing a change to the annual club prizes to reflect the growing numbers within the club - further details on this to follow.

Tickets only £16 per person available from David McNaught at Nunholm on club nights. Due to the increase in club members numbers are limited to 2 tickets per member and overall numbers are limited so early booking is advisable.

Mike Trant has updated the 2009 Grand Prix results. The final race in the 2009 Grand Prix is this weekend at the Brampton to Carlisle 10mile race.

16th November - Christmas handicap 5mile race date confirmed as Sunday 13th December.

The 2009 Christmas handicap will take place on Sunday 13th December and all members are invited to take part. The race takes place over the Holywood 5mile route.

Please let handicapper Les Hill KNOW IN ADVANCE if you intend to take part. If you turn up on the day and have not told him in advance you are likely to get a tough handicap!

Let Les know by email or add your name to the list on the club notice board at Nunholm.

16th November - Updated results for Winter 4mile handicap series following 2nd race

The 2nd race in the 4 mile winter handicap series was held on Thursday 12th November. Handicap winner on the night was Frank Skachill with a time of 28:34 and fastest was Kevin Conchar who crossed the line in a very good time of 24:35 on this tough course. However, it is Marian McPhail who has moved into pole position after two races claiming 24 points (and running 30secs quicker!) to add to 22 points from the first race. Results are available here.

As previously mentioned, the Dumfries Running Club annual AGM will take place on Thursday 19th November at Dumfries Sports Club starting at 8:15p.m. Everyone is invited and food and refreshments will be served. The agenda for the AGM is attached here.

15th November - Vicky Hart gets a PB hat-trick at Preston 10mile race Sunday 15th November

Three PB's at three different distances in three weekends! Vicky Hart achieved this feat on Sunday 15th November when she added a 10mile PB to half marathon and 10K PB's over the previous two weekends. Vicky ran in the Preston 10mile race and smashed her previous 10mile PB by 4mins30secs to finish in 75mins8secs. Race conditions were dry and cool and Vicky enjoyed the course which consisted of two loops of 5miles.

15th November - Paul Hart and Les Hill run in Burley Bridge 21mile trail race Saturday 14th November

On a day of storms over the UK Paul Hart and Les Hill travelled down to Yorkshire undeterred to take part in the Burley Bridge 21mile trail race near Ilkley. This was the 4th consecutive year Paul and Les have taken part in this race and having placed 2nd last year Paul was delighted to finish in 1st place this year in a time of 2hr53mins. With a new finishing section that has some tricky navigation Paul was relieved that a training run on the route two months ago meant he got this section right. Les ran steadily from the start and finished strongly in 3hr25mins for 21st place, having lost 5mins on the last section when missing a turning onto the new route. The weather on the day was better than expected but underfoot conditions on the moors made for very tough running through streams of water and mud in places. Also making an excellent return to competitive running was Bill Watson who was very pleased to finish in 3hr5mins considering his time out of running through injury earlier this year.

9th November - Simon Mortlock runs in Tinto hill race Sunday 8th November

As the DRC club member who has probably completed more hill races than anyone else in 2009, it was no surprise that Simon travelled to run in the Tinto hill near Biggar on Sunday 8th November. In a large field of nearly 300 runners Simon finished the race in 42:41 to take 103rd place overall.

8th November - Vicky Hart keeps the PB form going at the Lancaster half marathon Sunday 8th November

With clear skies overhead Les Hill may have been looking forward to dry underfoot conditions after the long sections of waterlogged road in the Derwentwater 10mile race last weekend. These expectations were not realised as the 5 members of DRC who tackled the Lancaster Half Marathon on Sunday were faced with a diversion onto a single track mud path at 3miles and a 150metre long section of flooded lane after 8miles. This year the course has also changed from previous years following the Wagon and Horses 10mile route for most of the race. Despite this Les produced a good run to finish in 1:25:40 for 55th place overall and 3rd MV50. Following on from the Stranraer 10K the previous day Paul Hart was pleased to finish in 1:21:11 for 25th place. Both Les and Paul then offered encouragement to Vicky Hart as she entered the athletics track alongside Frank Skachill with less than 400metres to go. With Frank's support Vicky crossed the line in 1:42:04 for her 14th PB this year, knocking 1min44secs of her previous PB for the distance set in August this year. Frank Skachill had been worried that the shin deep flooded section would aggravate an old injury but luckily he came through it unscathed and was pleased to report that it was the most he had enjoyed a race in quite some time. Also making a welcome return to running was Chris Adams who finished in 1hr48mins in his third race in 3 weeks after a period away from the running scene.

8th November - Dumfries 1st men's team at Stranraer 10K Saturday 7th November

Thankfully the 11 members of DRC who had driven through frequent rain showers on the way to Stranraer had dry conditions for this tough 10K race.

Alastair Turnbull took the family honours in 52:16 ahead of Judith Turnbull in 58:27. Finishing between them Alan McKean crossed the line in 57:16 enjoying the race, weather and underfoot conditions compared to Derwentwater the previous weekend. Bill Love was next to finish in 58:53 followed by Christine Clemie in 1:00:51.

2nd November - Vicky Hart sets another PB in Strathaven 10K Sunday 1st November

On Sunday morning DRC members Paul and Vicky Hart travelled to Strathaven to take part in the 3rd running of their 10K race. The conditions for racing were poor with runners not only having to contend with the rain on a water-logged route but they also found themselves running into a strong headwind on the uphill sections of the race. Vicky produced yet another PB run finishing 11^th lady in a time of 44:46minutes, breaking her previous PB set at the Gallovidian 10k in September by 34 seconds. Paul started strongly but faded in the second half of the race as he expected due to his legs still recovering from the Tooting 24hr race two weeks ago. Despite this he crossed the line in 36:55 minutes for 12^th place overall and claimed the prize for 2^nd Vet40.

2nd November - Lisa Finlay 2nd lady in Templeton 10mile race Sunday 1st November

On Sunday morning Lisa Finlay ran in the Templeton 10mile race in Dundee. She finished in a time of 67mins20secs for 32nd place overall and 2nd lady, 32seconds behind the 1st lady.

2nd November - Dumfries Running Club claim three 2nd team prizes at Derwentwater 10mile race Sunday 1st November

On Sunday morning a total of 22 DRC members ran in the tough Derwentwater 10mile race in Keswick. 1st home from the club was Steven Smith in an excellent time of 59:02 for 8th place in this competitive race. Continuing his good form of late Dougie Brown then finished in 1:02:49 to take the 1st MV50 prize. Close behind was Jonathan Dale in 1:02:58 and 2nd MV45. These three performances were good enough for Steven, Dougie and Jonathan to finish as the 2nd men's team. Running the course for the first time Kevin Conchar recorded a time of 1:03:54 with Alan Baxter hot on his heels in 1:04:09 followed by Sandy Shankland in 1:05:22. With these times Dougie, Jonathan and Sandy claimed the 2nd men's vets team position. Jo Zakrzewski ran strongly to finish in 1:05:49 for 4th lady overall. Next to finish was Les Hill in 1:08:36 a few seconds ahead of Adam Dickie who ran very well to finish in 1:08:45. Peter Hill then crossed the line in 1:11:33 for 3rd MV55, next in was David Breen in 1:14:05 well in front of race rival Frank Skachill in 1:19:02. Between them Sian Finlay recorded a time of 1:15:06 and with Maureen Dickson running well in 1:19:34 this gave Jo, Sian and Maureen 2nd female team honours. Mike Trant was next in 1:19:35 slightly ahead of training partner Jim Grierson in 1:20:39. Marian McPhail stopped the clock at 1:21:27 and 3rd FV55 in a close battle where the top 3 FV55 were separated by seconds. Close behind was Richard McDougal in 1:21:40, then Dawn McDonald in 1:26:00 and Liz Smart in 1:26:29. Completing the tough course next was Alan McKean in 1:39:31 and then Susan Graham in 2:10:12.

28th October - Norman Neilson runs in Dublin marathon Monday 26th October

Monday’s Dublin marathon saw over 10,000 taking part over the classic 26.2 mile distance and with Val Vince having to withdraw in the past month due to injury, Norman Neilson eased himself back into form after his run over the West Highland way in June finishing in 3 hrs 24mins.

The date has been set for the club dinner dance and is a date for your diary - Friday 5th February. We will once again be using Dumfries Rugby Club at Park Farm following the successful 2009 event. Further details to follow.........

24th October - Date for Annual General Meeting - all club members welcome

The Dumfries Running Club AGM will take place on Thursday November 19^th at 8.15pm at Nunholm after our run. Everyone is invited and food and refreshments will be served. One of the reasons why the club is so successful just now is that people are prepared to help out and to organise things. We specifically need a new membership secretary and there will be vacancies for ordinary committee members and we want our committee to represent the full spectrum of our membership. There will be a couple of motions to vote on including a proposal to have separate mens and womens team captains.

We have booked a 33 seater bus for this race which will leave Dumfries in plenty of time for the 12.30 start at Brampton , will take everyone’s bags and transport us home again. The cost for this will be £5 a head. Places will be limited but let Steve Mohan know as soon as possible if you intend to travel on the bus. This will save you the early start to travel to Carlisle to then get the race buses out to Brampton!

24th October - Paul Hart runs 140.95 miles in Tooting Bec 24hour race 17th/18th October

On the weekend of 17^th/18^th October Dumfries Running Club member Paul Hart travelled down to London to take part in the Tooting Bec 24 hour track race.

24th October - Lisa Finlay finishes 2nd in Aviemore Highland half marathon Sunday 18th October

On Sunday 18^th October Dumfries Running Club member Lisa Finlay travelled up to Aviemore to take part in the Aviemore half marathon, a route which is ran mainly on trail paths.

24th October - Marcus Scotney wins Round Rotherham 50mile trail race Saturday 17th October

On Saturday17^th October Dumfries Running Club member Marcus Scotney put the disappointment of the Commonwealth 100K championships behind him to win the Round Rotherham 50mile race in a time of 6hr42mins. Marcus quickly went into the lead during stage one and was never challenged as he went on to win by 28mins despite never having run the route before, which can be difficult to navigate in places.

Les Hill suffered from a fall during stage six which slowed him to finish in 11th place in 7hr52mins.

There were also male and female relay teams from Dumfries Running Club. The men's team of Sandy Shankland, Frank Skachill, Richard McDougal, Steve Mohan and Alan McKean finished as the 9th team in 7hr5mins only 25mins ahead of the ladies team comprising Dawn McDonald, Marion McPhail and Vicky Hart.

All agreed that the weather and underfoot conditions were much improved on previous years when the race has taken place in December.

24th October - Jo Zakrzewski produces outstanding run at Leicester marathon on Sunday 11th October

On Sunday 11^th October Dumfries Running Club member Jo Zakrzewski travelled down to Leicester to take part in the Leicester marathon.

24th October - Coniston trail race, Loch Ness marathon and Dalbeattie Hardrock challenge weekend 3rd & 4th October

With the Dumfries Half marathon out of the way, the thoughts of Dumfries Running Club members turned to events further afield and no fewer than 4 different races were tackled on the weekend of 3rd and 4th October.

Loch Ness Marathon - On Sunday morning, debutants Paula Neill and Alan Manson lined up with 2,200 others for the Baxter’s Loch Ness marathon. With an undulating start the route traverses Scotland’s most tourist friendly loch with a finish in Queens Park in Inverness. Both Paula and Alan were understandably nervous but listened and acted on advice given by their club mates to start slowly, build from there and hopefully have a little bit of energy left for the difficult final stages. Alan was delighted to finish in 4 hours 13 in 1,202^nd place as was Paula in 4 hours 32 in 1,546^th place. Eleni Barbetsea made a welcome return to running recording a time of 4hr4mins. Well done to them!

Dalbeattie Hard rock challenge - This event has grown in numbers in the short time it has been in existence and over 170 people lined up for the 26 mile duathlon in the beautiful Dalbeattie forest. The event is split into a 10 mile run with a climb of over 250metres and a 16mile cycle run on trails that are guaranteed to test the biking skills of even the most experienced. In all 17 Dumfries Running Club members took part with Simon Mortlock tackling both parts of the route. In all 10 of the top 20 places after the run were filled by club members with several relishing the chance to show that regular forest training runs in Mabie and Dalbeattie had paid off. Best performance of all came from Alan Baxter in 3^rd place in 65.24 who had an epic race with Doug Brown and headed him by only 3 seconds at the end. Norman Neilson and Sebastian Pflanz who train regularly on the route were 7^th and 8^th with Norman 4 seconds in front in 66.24, just ahead of Sandy Shankland in 66.46. First woman Lisa Finlay had an outstanding run in 11^th place in 67.10 ahead of welcome returnee Jonathan Dale in 68.34. Second woman Mhairi Duff had an excellent run in 68.49 and gained revenge on Lisa by winning the mixed team prize with biker Francis Rae. Adam Dickie was delighted with a time of 69.40 as was third woman Jo Zakrzewski in her second race in 24 hours in 69.54. Simon Mortlock knew there was no need to hold back on the run and ran strongly in 72 minutes followed by 111 minutes on his bike and he gained bragging rights over Bob Green and Craig Malcolmson in 73 and 74 minutes respectively. Maureen Dickson in 80 minutes had a storming debut run ahead of Stephen Mohan who picked up a calf injury a mile from the end and was forced to walk to the finish. Sandie Donald, in her 6^th event in the past 5 weeks thoroughly enjoyed her run in 89 minutes, especially as she will now get a few weeks rest and relaxation and Christine Clemie combined with her son Martyn in a combined time of just over 3 hours 30.

Round Rotherham - With the 50 mile round Rotherham relay moved forward to October after last year’s quagmire, 7 club members travelled down to recce the route. This year there will be two relay teams as well as Les Hill tackling the whole race and this gave newcomers a chance to get better acquainted with some of the trickier sections which should help when the race is run on October 17^th. On the way back home, Les Hill and Frank Skachill decided to tackle the Foston 10k, Run on a fairly flat double loop close to York, Les was 28^th out of 140 in 41.44 and Frank 62^nd in 46.49.

This year’s Dumfries Half marathon, the 28^th, lived up to the standards of past races with a bumper field, 20% more finishers than last year, tackling the 13.1 mile rural route that showcased the beauty of the scenery of South West Scotland. With a new start in the Crichton 220 runners lined up for the start.

24th October - Dougie Brown and Jo Zakrzewski win class in 2009 RAB mountain marathon 26th/27th September

The weekend of 26/27^th September saw Dumfries Running club members Jo Zakrzewski and Doug Brown take part in the Rab Mountain Marathon, centred this year at Sedbergh in the Howgill fells area of North Yorkshire. The undulating terrain provided challenging checkpoint locations, with some hidden at the base of gullies, whilst others were based on peak summits. The 2 day mountain marathon is set out in such a way that there is no obvious route to follow, competitors choose their own course to navigate themselves between the numerous checkpoints and courses are set up on a score basis with a time limit; therefore route planning and navigational skill is the key to success. Competitors have to be self sufficient for the two days, carrying everything they need for a remote overnight camp.

This year’s event attracted 500 entrants, with Jo and Doug competing in the veteran mixed pairs class.

Conditions were good for the Saturday morning start, but both were slightly nervous about the prospect of 6 hours running on the steep slopes and of making the correct decisions for route choice in the somewhat featureless terrain. However despite their early misgivings they settled in well and were soon making good progress gathering points. Arriving tired at the midway camp site they felt that the day had gone well but were absolutely delighted when the day one results were posted and they found themselves to be leading the mixed pair category.

After grabbing as much rest as the overnight camp could afford, Jo and Doug began day 2 with the added pressure of being the team to catch. The day started in misty conditions, but after the first hour or so this cleared, restoring the good visibility. Knowing that they could not afford to play too safe, they had set themselves a fairly tough course in order to maximise their point score and although running well could not be sure if they were doing enough to protect their position. Any reservations they had proved to be unfounded though, as when the final results were announced they were thrilled to find they had increased their lead to finish in top place in their category.

Back in early September Paul Hart ran for Scotland in the Commonwealth 100K championships in Keswick and claimed a bronze team medal. Unfortunately Marcus Scotney had to pull out due to stomach problems.

The Dumfries half marathon proved highly successful with a record entry in recent years of 220 runners.

Dougie Brown and Jo Zakrzewski won their class in the Dark Peak mountain marathon.

Several DRC members took part in the Hardrock challenge in Dalbeattie forest with Mhairi Duff finishing as the 1st mixed team.

Eleni Barbetsea, Allan Manson and Paul Neill ran in the Loch Ness marathon recording times of 4hr4mins, 4hr13mins and 4hr32mins respectively - well done to them!

And how about this - on Sunday 11th October Jo Zakrzewski produced a truly outstanding run in the Leicester marathon to finish in 3hr1min and 3rd lady.

Unfortunately no race reports on any of the above have been received yet to add to the website so apologies if anything of your achievements have been missed while the website co-ordinator has been on holiday. Now back into full working mode - so feel free to email your race reports.

24th October - Paul Hart wins bronze medal in Commonwealth 100K championships 19th September

The Commonwealth Mountain and Ultra distance championships at Keswick was the pinnacle of many months of hard training for Paul Hart and Marcus Scotney of Dumfries Running Club. Each had been selected to represent Scotland and England respectively in the 100k in a rare chance to test themselves against the very best in the Commonwealth on home soil.

With a kick off at 9am on Saturday at Fitz park in Keswick the runners had to negotiate a 10 km loop around the Lake District past Thirlmere reservoir and back to the park a total of 10 times which was guaranteed to test the fitness, preparation and mental capacity of the teams from Canada, New Zealand, Australia as well as the home nations.

Supported by several of their club mates both Paul and Marcus settled into the rhythms of such a long event and made steady progress over the first half of the race. With pre race favourite Jez Bragg of England only narrowly finishing ahead of Marcus in last year’s Devil o’ the Highlands race, Marcus was well aware that he had to run at his very best in order to be a counter for England and by halfway he was in second place overall. However, at this level the margin between success and disappointment is very thin and as Marcus pushed on he suffered from an upset stomach which had serious consequences as he was forced to drop out after 70 kilometres.

Paul however, stuck to his pre race plan with a steady start and pushed on through, finishing in 8 hours 4 minutes helping Scotland to a magnificent third place overall in the team competition. As an indication of the speed and staying power of race winner Jez Bragg who crossed the line in 7 hours 4 minutes, this would be the equivalent to a half marathon pace of under 90 minutes!

24th October - Club activities weekend 12th & 13th September - Annandale Way, Calderglen 10mile race, Fleetwood marathon, Lake Vyrnwy half marathon

Never ones to miss out on a new running route, 20 members of Dumfries Running Club joined 200 others to celebrate the opening of Scotland’s newest footpath, the Annandale Way. Covering the catchment area of the River Annan, the way covers 55 miles from the Solway via Annan and Lochmaben to Moffat and the Devil’s Beeftub and showcases the beautiful scenery of South West Scotland, especially when bathed in belated late summer sunshine. For the inauguration one group of runners started at 9am to tackle the section round Moffat southwards to Lochmaben and another began at 10.30 for the shorter but no less scenic northwards journey from the Solway. With Richard McDougal on home territory leading one group and Jim Grierson and Mike Trant the other, the idea was to run various sections but not treat the event as a race. With numerous pit stops for refreshments, both groups synchronised their arrival on Lochmaben High Street for 3.30 in plenty of time for enjoying the barbeque before the opening ceremony by Lady Annandale at 4pm

On the same morning, Susan Gallagher travelled to North Wales for the Lake Vyrnwy half marathon close to the English border at Oswestry. In another strong run Susan finished well in 109minutes in 482^nd place, well into the top third of the field in a very popular event.

On Thursday 10th September the final race in the summer handicap series was held on the 4mile Holywood route. The final race was won by Gerry Edgar with a clear winning margin. The overall series was won by Vicky Hart who at least twice this series has produced a PB to help build up a healthy tally of 71 points. Doug Brown did exceptionally well to finish 2nd. It is not easy to score high points when starting so far back in these events but Doug almost snatched it from Vicky. In fact, had Vicky stayed away longer on her honeymoon she would have been stuck with her previous total of 67 and Doug would have scored one more point tonight because she wouldn't have finished in front of him. Doug would then have had 68 points and would have been the winner! This just shows how it is worth fighting for every point during these runs. Rab Wilson finished in 3rd place overall with 65 points.

11th September - Race update from DRC members in Glasgow 1/2 marathon, Budapest 1/2 marathon and a lake district triathlon!

The weekend of September 5^th and 6^th has been a key date for Paul Hart and Vicky Little as they celebrated their wedding in front of friends and family and fellow Dumfries Running Club members and as a result seeking out races was not top of the agenda.

Despite this, Stephen Mohan and his brother Brian joined the 7760 in the field for Scotland’s largest mass participation race, the Glasgow half marathon. Run in cool, overcast conditions ideal for running Stephen paced his brother round in 98mins a time which placed them both well into top 1,000 of the field. An hour earlier 7,226 entered the Glasgow 10k with sister Angela running strongly in 60 minutes well ahead of club member Julia Rankin completing her debut race in 74 minutes.

On the same morning Danny and Sarah Queen sought out a more exotic venue by running in the Budapest Half marathon. In warm and sunny conditions both took the sensible option of running steadily and enjoying the event in 112 minutes.

Sandie Donald chose a different event to make her sporting debut and entered her first ever triathlon and travelled to Cockermouth for the sprint race with 400 metres of swimming followed by 20km on the bike topped with a 5k run. She thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of such a complex event and was under 90 minutes for the race and is looking forward to bettering this now that she has made her debut.

On the previous Tuesday Les Hill went to Gosforth in the Lake District to tackle the low key 10k race run by Blengdale Harriers. In an encouraging sign that he is running back into form he was 1^st super vet in 39.42 in 13^th place out of 137 and hopefully a late season surge will see him back to his very best.

A magnificent total of 46 members of Dumfries Running Club ran in the Dumfries 10K on an evening which produced torrential rain for most of the race. Despite the weather there were some fine performances throughout the field. At the sharp end Lisa Finlay won the women's race in a time of 38:51 leading the team of Sian Finlay (44:04) and Vicky Little (45:20) to the 1st ladies team prize. In the men's race Marcus Scotney demonstrated that the high mileages he has been clocking for the past few weeks in preparation for the Commonwealth Championship 100K event have not slowed him down finishing in 3rd place in 33:30. Combined with the performances of Steven Smith who finished in 9th (34:54) and Kevin Conchar who finished in 15th place (37:24) this gave them 3rd place in the men's team event. Congratulations to everyone who braved the weather and achieved their targets.

The final stages times and maps for the Annandale Way have been made available. The plan is that Richard will be in charge of the Moffat to Lochmaben part and Mike Trant will look after the Annan to Lochmaben route, with all runners meeting up at Lochmaben around 3.30pm. If members of Dumfries Running Club are planning to run or will lead and backstop a section then please contact Mike Trant by e-mail- mike.trant@dghp.org.uk or phone. He will be at the club on Tuesday 8th September to discuss the run, times etc with any member. The main requirement is to find leaders for each section and we need minimum of two runners on each stage. We will have to look at transport and movement of people but we need names in the frame.

Map of route can be found here.

Details of stages, distances and descriptions can be found here.

Final stage plans issued by Mike Trant can be found here.

The committee of DRC have decided that the final race in the 2009 Grand Prix series will be the Derwentwater 10 mile race to be held in Keswick on Sunday 1st November starting at 12 noon.

This race has always proved popular with Dumfries Running Club members and costs £8 for Scottish Athletics members and £10 for if you are not a member of Scottish Athletics.

Race entry forms as well as on line entry can be found on the Keswick AC web site - follow this link........http://www.keswick-ac.org.uk/

The results of the summer handicap series have been updated following the 5th race in August on the 4 mile Holywood Stroll route. Finishing in 1st place was Peter Hutchinson followed by Paula Neill in 2nd place and Kevin Conchar in 3rd. Fastest time on the night was 22:25 by Steven Smith. With one race left to go there there are still 7 people who can win the overall series. Currently Vicky Little leads the way on 67points followed by Adam Dickie on 63 points. Other contenders who can still challenge for the overall series win are Alan Baxter, Dougie Brown, Rab Wilson, Kerry Willacy and Paula Neill. The final race will take place on Thursday 10th September. Updated results are here.

Richard McDougal is organising a recce run of part of the Annandale Way next Thursday 13th August.

Meet at the Ram in Moffat at 6:45p.m. for a sociable run followed by pub food/drinks afterwards.

To the best information available it looks like a repeat of the 2008 5K viaduct run planned for Saturday 22nd July 2009 is cancelled.

It falls on the same weekend as the Dumfries men's run4health which takes place on Sunday 23rd July.

On Saturday 31st July Dougie Brown 'celebrated' the week of his 50th Birthday by successfully completing the Joss Naylor round in the lake district.

Dougie treated the watching Dumfries running club support team to a nerve wracking finish with an epic descent of Middle fell and sprint to the finish at Greendale Bridge in a time of 11hrs59mins, JUST inside the allowed time of 12hours. Well done Dougie, a tremendous performance - especially considering the terrible weather conditions for the early part of the day and soggy underfoot conditions.

The remaining club grand prix events for 2009 has been revised. Two races have been removed from the grand prix calendar:

(1) Steve Unwin 10K (as previously reported) - The revised date for this race is now Sunday 30th August, only 2 days before the Dumfries 10K. Therefore, the Steve Unwin 10K has been removed.

(2) Calderglen 10mile race - This race now clashes with the opening of the Annandale way on Saturday 12th September. See separate news entry on the Annandale way opening.

1st August - Annandale Way opening on Saturday 12th September - Invitation to all club members and friends

The Annandale Way will be officially opened on Saturday 12th September at 10a.m. The way is a walking trail going from Moffat hills to the Solway coast following the valley of the Annan. Richard McDougal is organising a relay race that will cover all of the 55mile route.

Showers and changing will be available at Lochmaben and the Annandale Way organisers are arranging music and a BBQ as lots of walkers and other local groups are also expected to take part.

Please put this date in your diary and follow the instructions in the invitation to contact Mike Trant to confirm your availability and what distance you would like to run.

The 2009 grand prix points scores have now been made available with 6 races completed so far.

If you spot any errors please contact Mike Trant (using email address in Annandale Way invitation attachment above).

An indication of the wide variety of races undertaken by Dumfries Running Club members was shown on the weekend of July 4th & 5th by Jo Zakrzewski who undertook her first ever Saunders Mountain marathon along with partner Russ Ladkin.This massive 2 day event involves hundreds of teams in 8 different categories with navigation as well as running ability tested to the limit in the Lake District. Each team had to carry all their own equipment, tent and food and were strictly monitored under the safety requirements of the Fell Runners association. Each team set off at 5 minute intervals early on Saturday morning with no chance to preview the course map with any kind of sat nav system banned as they covered over 15 miles of hilly ground attempting to get the orienteering style controls within the time constraints. Jo and Russ were in the Bowfell class for serious mountain navigation experts and quickly showed their ability to cover the ground rapidly. At the end of day 1 they were third place overall in 5 hours 19 minutes and settled into the giant midway campsite where sunburnt and tired runners were fortified by milk and beer the only refreshments to supplement their own meagre rations. On Sunday Jo and Russ really pushed on and completed the second part of the race in 4 hours 40, the second fastest overall with Jo’s running strength complemented by Russ’ navigation and the two of them won the prize as the first mixed team in a magnificent 9 hours 59 over half an hour in front of the next team. Former club member Rachel Metcalfe, running with her sister Ruth, who are both very experienced at this event, won the prize as the first female team in the same event but were fully 2 hours behind Russ and Jo.

Based on the latest information available it looks like the Castle Douglas 5 mile race is taking place on Tuesday 21st July, starting at 7:00pm at Kelton loch.

Dumfries Running Club triumphed in both the mens and womens race on Tuesday 14th July on this tricky 9.3 mile course. Well done to Marcus Scotney who had a good lead at the top of the hill and went on to win the race and retain his title in 52min16secs and Lisa Finlay who was 1st woman in 61mins16secs. Further down the field there were many fine performances by DRC members including Jo Needham who finished in 77mins5secs knocking an incredible 12minutes off her time from last year and well done to Richard McDougal for tackling his first race for many months following injury. Photographs taken at the top of the hill have been uploaded to the Dumfries Running Club Flickr page.

The 4th race in the summer handicap series was held on Thursday 2nd July in hot conditions on the 4 mile Holywood Stroll route. The run away winner was Chris Neill with an excellent run well below the handicappers estimate! There are now only two races remaining and things are very tight with Adam Dickie currently holding onto top spot by only one point from Vicky Little followed by Dougie Brown, Rab Wilson, Kerry Willacy and Alan Baxter. All to play for!!!! Updated results are here.

On 28th June, Les Hill took part in the Toad Hall 10K, based in the village of Witchurch Hill, near Reading. It was a mixture of road and trail, 50/50 and had some very serious climbs. Les showed he is fast recovering from injury to finish in a time of 43mins58secs for 17th place overall and first V50 from over 400 entrants. Only the race winner broke six minute mile pace which gives an idea of the severity of the route.

Following the completion of 4 Monday night timed 2 mile runs over the last 4 months the times recorded for everyone taking part have now been updated to include the run on the 22nd June.

Congratulations to Marcus Scotney and Jo Zakrzewski who are the new men and women's hill race champions!

On a hot summer evening on Tuesday 23rd June Marcus retained his title in a time of 26mins2secs followed by Dougie Brown in 27mins19secs and Alan Baxter in 29mins10secs for third place.

In the women's race Jo reached the summit of Lotus Hill in third place overall and went on to cross the line in 29mins56secs. Mhairi Duff took second place in 30mins54secs followed by a fast finishing Vicky Little who knocked over 3mins off her PB for the course to finish 3rd in 34mins13secs. Well done to all 25 runners who took part.

Read Steve Mohan race report including report on Womens race for health 5K at the Crichton Campus report here.

Starting at 01:00a.m. on Saturday 20th June three members of Dumfries Running Club - Paul Hart, Sebastian Pflanz and Norman Neilson - took part in the West Highland Way race. This
involved covering 95 miles along the West Highland Way route starting at Milngavie and finishing at Fort William within a 35 hour time limit.
As if this wasn’t challenging enough, there is over 4400 meters (14,600ft) of ascent to be negotiated. The trail itself is very uneven underfoot and runners can find themselves scrambling over rocks and tree roots as well as climbing up a hill section known as the Devil’s Staircase!
Paul, Sebastian and Norman were among the 122 who were successful in finishing the race. Paul finished 5th in 17 hours and 12 minutes (a time that in other years would have won the race and puts him 12th fastest on the all time list), Sebastian finished 17th in 20 hours and 40 minutes and Norman finished in 44th in 23 hours and 38 minutes.
Read their full report on the race here.

24th June - East Kilbride half marathon and Bellahouston Park 10K, Glasgow

On Sunday 21st June Jonathan Dale, Stephen Mohan, Paula Neill and Val Vince took part in the East Kilbride half marathon and Ross and Danny Queen ran in the Bellahouston Park 10K.

On Sunday 14th June Steven Smith produced an excellent run to win the 2nd Mabie Forest 10K trail race in fast time of 37mins50secs. Other notable performances came from Dougie Brown who once again proved his off-road credentials to finish in 3rd place and claim the male Vets prize, Jo Zakrzewski who finished as 2nd female and Gill Pearcey who claimed the female Vets prize.

Some great photographs of DRC members in running action (88 photos in total) are available at the Dumfries Running Club Flickr webpage. If you do not have access to this page and would like to please email the Membership Secretary.

A small selection of photographs are available here on the photographs page of the website.

A reminder that the Hill Race club championship for 2009 will take place on Lotus Hill near Beeswing and has been arranged for Tuesday 23rd June. Arrive in plenty of time for a 7:00pm race start.

The course will be marked and is approximately 4miles in length. All club members (and guests) are invited to attend.

In preparation for this race, a training run at Lotus Hill has been organised for Tuesday 16th June at 6:45pm. Club members also departing from Nunholm at 6:30pm if you are unsure of the venue.

On Saturday 6th June 10 members of Dumfries Running Club travelled to the Stranraer half marathon. The stand-out performance came from Jo Zakrzewski who absolutely smashed her half marathon PB to finish in 1hr27mins2secs, the first time she has run under the 90minute barrier, and continuing her tremendous run of form! This time gave Jo 3rd place lady which, together with Lisa Finlay taking first place by 26seconds in 1hr25mins30secs and Maureen Dickson finishing in 1hr46mins26secs (and 1st LV50), gave Jo, Lisa and Maureen 1st ladies team prize. Vicky Little returned to the half marathon distance for the 1st time in 8 months and was satisfied to cross the line in 1hr53mins1sec.

The club also claimed several prizes on the men's side with Sandy Shankland running steadily to finish in 1hr24mins11secs, 16th place overall and 1st MV50. Alan Baxter then finished in 1hr31mins36secs for 31st place followed by Steve Mohan in 1hr36mins1sec for 44th place and David Breen in 1hr37mins32secs for 49th place and 2nd MV55. Frank Skachill was next in 1hr39mins28secs just ahead of Jim Grierson who finished in 1hr39mins46secs.

The June handicap series was won by Vicky Little who grabbed the 25 points with a clear lead at the finish.With only three races so far Adam Dickie and Rab Wilson are to the fore but a good few people who have only done two races will climb up the chart once they have done a third race with Kerry Willacy best placed of those runners.

On a very hot day, and with reports of water stations running out of water, a number of Dumfries Running Club runners achieved some personal milestones at the Edinburgh marathon on Sunday 31st May. In particular, well done to Jo Needham for completing her first marathon in a time of 4hrs36mins in such tough conditions. Other results were Steve Mohan in 3hr36mins showing a return to form after injury, Sian Finlay in 3hr40mins and Dawn McDonald in 3hr50mins all breaking the 4hour barrier. Mike Trant finished next in 4hrs13mins and close behind Jo was Margaret Gray who produced an excellent run to cross the line in 4hrs38mins. Bill Love was agonisingly close to the 5hour barrier finishing in 5hrs and 6seconds! Maurice Gilligan ran the early stages with his brother Brendan but found the conditions tough going but wisely settled on getting to the end in one piece in 3 hours 54 with Brendan beating the 4 hour benchmark by a few seconds.

Well done also to Danny Queen (supported by Beatrice and Sarah) who ran a superb 3hrs28mins for a new PB!

Following the completion of 3 Monday night timed 2 mile runs over the last 3 months the times recorded for everyone taking part are now available.

The hill race championship will again this year take place on Lotus Hill near Beeswing and has been arranged for Tuesday 23rd June. Arrive in plenty of time for a 7:00pm race start.

The course will be marked and is approximately 4miles in length. All club members (and guests) are invited to attend.

Following the successful 5K viaduct run to celebrate the opening of the new cycle path over the viaduct to Nunholm in 2008, we will again be holding this 5K fun run in 2009.

The planned date is Saturday 22nd August at 11:00a.m. Further details to follow.

On Saturday 23rd May the Kirkcudbright half marathon took place in mainly dry and breezy conditions. This race was also the club championship for 2009.

Congratulations to Marcus Scotney and Jo Zakrzewski who are the new club champions for 2009.

Marcus finished 2nd overall in a time of 1hr12mins13secs with Jo running yet another huge PB to cross the line in 1hr30mins58secs. There were many impressive performances from DRC members throughout the field with Steven Smith finishing in 1hr15mins38secs, Norman Neilson in 1hr24mins27secs, Simon Mortlock in 1hr26mins50secs, Alan Baxter in 1hr27mins32secs, Stephen Mohan in 1hr32mins30secs, Chris Neill in 1hr36mins42secs, Frank Skachill in 1hr36mins53secs, Jim Grierson in 1hr39mins47secs, Rab Wilson in 1hr42mins5secs, Maureen Dickson in 1hr45mins41secs holding off Dawn McDonald who finished in 1hr45mins43secs by 2secs!, Donald Anson in 1hr50mins30secs, Bob Quin in 1hr53mins28secs, Marian McPhail in 1hr53mins56sec, Susan Callander in 2hr11secs, Gerry Edgar in 2hr2mins23secs, Alan McKean in 2hr5mins50secs, Christine Clemie in 2hr11mins4secs and Jo Pennington in 2hr27mins24secs.

Congratulations also to Norman Neilson who won the Arden House Trophy for 1st local, and to Marcus, Steven and Norman who won the 1st men' team prize.

(1) The Steve Unwin 10K in Carlisle scheduled for 28th June has been moved to another as yet unspecified date. This race will be replaced with another race in the grand prix, to be confirmed shortly.

(2) The date of the Brampton to Carlisle 10mile race was shown as the 14th November. This date is INCORRECT, the confirmed date is the 21st November.

The results of the summer handicap series have now been updated to include the May results. Results are here.

A magnificent turnout of 87 runners took part in the annual 5mile Holywood Stroll Race on Tuesday 12th May. Although it was a fine sunny evening there was a testing headwind for the last mile of the race. Despite this some fine times and personal bests were recorded throughout the field.

The overall race winner was Marcus Scotney (DRC) in a time of 26mins53secs proving that his legs have recovered from his recent Anglo Celtic Plate 100K exploits, followed by Steven Smith (DRC) in a time of 27mins45secs who continues to get faster with every race. The winner of the women's race was Jo Zakrzewski (DRC) in an excellent time of 31mins13secs giving her yet another PB performance.

Many thanks to race organiser Sandy Shankland and all those other members and friends of Dumfries Running Club who organised this race.

As in previous years, a party of 10 club members travelled to Haworth in Yorkshire to take part in a training weekend of off road running in preparation for races later in the season. Expertly organised by Dawn McDonald, the Saturday involved the 20 mile route of the Burley Bridge Hike starting and finishing on Ilkley Moor. The key was to break each days running into small steady manageable chunks as food and drink was available on a regular basis and those who wished to opt out on more difficult stretches could do so. On Sunday, tired limbs were coaxed into doing the Yorkshire man off road route and the party split into 2 groups. The faster group of Sandy Shankland, Doug Brown, Jo Zakrzewski and Frank Skachill attempted the full marathon route supported by mountain biking Stephen Mohan who popped up several times with food and refreshments. Marian McPhail, Paula Neill, Jo Needham and Dawn McDonald, along with superfit Ben and Socks tackled the half marathon backed by Richard McDougall. On Bank Holiday Monday the Wharfedale half marathon was tackled by Sandy, Doug and Jo with Stephen, Frank and Marian completing an 8 mile section. With a simple regime of running, resting, eating and socialising a thoroughly enjoyable training weekend will particularly help Paula and Jo Needham as they aim for their debut in the Edinburgh marathon at the end of the month.

Joining thousands of others on Sunday 10th May on the streets of Glasgow for the womens 10k, Beatrice Queen belied the tough conditions to gain a PB in 56mins47secs with Suzanne Broatch running very well in 58mins56secs minutes.

Lisa Finlay finished as 1st DRC member and Jo Zakrzewski as 2nd DRC member showing this really is a Doctor's run!

Both Lisa and Jo produced excellent runs to leave the DRC men trailing behind, although David Breen was delighted to gain revenge on Frank Skachill after Dentdale!

Les Hill travelled to Switzerland to run in this international 24hr race. Despite very hot temperatures (and a thunderstorm!) Les improved on his Hull 24hr distance from 2008 to set a new PB of 180.54km (or 112.2 miles). Many congratulations in the tough conditions! This performance gave Les 2nd Vet 50 place and 10th place finish overall. Les was supported during this race by fellow DRC member Dougie Brown. Read full report from Les Hill report here.

On a filthy night Jo Zakrzewski and Mark Johnston joined 800 others at the Troon 10k which doubled as the West District championships for the distance. In the first of her three PB’s in a week, Jo was 3^rd woman in 40.36mins and Mark completed his first 10k in three years in 48.49.

Lisa Finlay tackled the Belfast marathon on Bank holiday Monday following on from her recent excellent form over the shorter distances. Despite a steady start Lisa found the headwind tough going after 19miles but she dug in and gained an excellent PB in 3hrs 12mins to finish as 4th woman in 106th place out of 2,200 finishers.

In their first ever race for Dumfries Running Club, DRC members Andrea Stewart and Julia McKie were thoroughly delighted to finish in 67mins17secs. Well done!

Four DRC members took part in this hilly but scenic race. The outstanding performance came from Steven Smith he finished 4th out of 492 runners in a new PB of 79mins 12secs. Simon Mortlock was delighted to achieve a sub-90 minute time on this course finishing in 40th place in 89mins 26secs. Jim Grierson and Mike Trant also ran strongly with Jim crossing the line in 101mins58secs holding off Mike by 30seconds.

Paul Hart took part in the Copenhagen 100K race in Denmark on a very hot day. Trying to make up for the disappointment of not finishing in the Anglo Celtic Plate 100K in Galway earlier in April Paul was determined to finish despite the conditions. He finished in 5th place in a time of 8hr17mins.

A great turn out from the club for this major event in the UK trail running calender. The race route is 53miles long and follows the West Highland Way from Milngavie to Tyndrum.

Four individuals completed the entire distance. Normal Neilson was delighted to finish his first ultra race in a respectable 60th place in 10hr11mins closely followed by Sebastian Pflanz in 10hr28mins for 74th place. Further down the field Marian McPhail produced a typically solid performance to finish in 13hrs43mins for 227th place followed by Susan Gallagher in 14hr22mins for 234th place.

In the team relay event (consisting of 4 runners each running part of the route) the outstanding performance came from the 'Crocks and chicks' team of Jo Zakrzewski, Dougie Brown, Mhairi Duff and Sandy Shankland. Not only did they finish as the 1st mixed team in 7hr14mins they also came 3rd overall in the team relay event.

Two other teams also comprised DRC members of Frank Skachill, Peter Hutchinson, Theresa Defazio, Dawn McDonald, David Breen also produced excellent performances.

At the Lochaber marathon at Fort William on Sunday, Mike Trant, Les Hill and Jim Grierson ran the Lochaber marathon on the warmest day of the year so far with the Highlands bathed in glorious sunshine. With temperatures in the upper teens this added a degree of difficulty on a flat 26.2 mile course. Les Hill, who has experienced all variations of weather in his running career, was a few minutes down on his usual performances in 3hrs 5mins in 27th place. Mike Trant found the heat an added difficulty and ran conservatively in 3hrs 54mins for 195th place. Jim Grierson also found the conditions challenging in 4hrs 13mins and was forced to slow down in the later stages. Jim was also involved in an accidental collision where another runner fell and hurt himself and he lost quite a bit of time while he made sure that this competitor was looked after by the Red Cross.

Jonathan Dale had an outstanding run in the St Georges Day 10k at Great Langdale finishing 4th overall and first vet in 37mins16secs.

The Hill running specialists in the club had the Screel hill race in their sights in April. With a deceptively short distance of 4 miles it has very steep climbs totalling over 400 metres. This year the field was swelled because it was a counting race in the Scottish Hill Race championship and the Dalbeattie members of Dumfries Running Club was well to the fore. Best performance came from Norman Neilson in 36mins, 60seconds in front of Craig Malcolmson with Sebastian Pflanz a further minute adrift. Simon Mortlock challenged well in his run of 39mins30secs followed by Roz Plant.

Showing no sign of tiredness from the Blackpool marathon a week earlier, on Saturday 11th April Simon Mortlock was again in action running in the Anniversary Waltz fell race in the Lake District. Simon finished in a time of 2hrs16mins for 167th place out of 469 competitors over the tough 11.5mile course with 3600ft of climbing.

On Sunday 12th April the Tom Scott 10mile road race was held finishing in Strathclyde Park. On a sunny day 5 DRC members ran in this race with David Breen proving the fastest in 1hr13mins closely followed by Mike Trant in 1hr14mins and Jim Grierson in 1hr17mins. Donald Anson then crossed the line in 1hr23mins with Bill Love finishing in 1hr31mins.

On Sunday 5th April Simon Mortlock tackled the Blackpool marathon. On a dry and sometimes warm day he was very satisfied to finish strongly in 3hrs 21mins. Completing the half marathon Dave Breen crossed the line in 1hr38mins.

On Sunday 5th April 4 members of DRC took part in the Edinburgh half marathon. Peter Hutchison produced a pb performance to run under 1hr 50mins finishing in 1hr49mins followed by Bob Quin in 1hr56mins. Joyce Hamilton and Alison Hall crossed the line together in 2hr31mins.

6th April - Dumfries Running Club Women's team finish 8th in Scottish National road relay championships

The team of Sian Finlay, Lisa Finlay, Jo Zakrzewski and Mhairi Duff produced a fine performance to finish as 8th team against tough competition at the women's four stage Scottish road relay championships at Livingston on Saturday 4th April.

The first of the 2009 summer handicap series was held on the 2nd April on the Holywood route. In truly summer conditions Gerry Edgar just pipped Kerry Willacy and a held off a fast finishing Chas Mellor to take maximum points. April results are here.

The Monday night beginners section of Dumfries Running Club showed that effort and enthusiasm can go a long way. On March 30th thirty newcomers lined up on the Queen of the South viaduct bridge to take part in the first of the monthly 2 mile race aimed at giving newer runners a target to aim for and giving improvers a chance to measure the progress that they have made over the year. For many this was their first race of any description and many opted to run in groups out on the cycle path. The first runners back were Chris Neill, Tom McCaulay and Gerry Edgar closely followed by Kerry Walker and everyone enjoyed the chance to test themselves over a measured route. Many thanks are due to coaches Margaret Gray and Susan Graham who devised this very popular debut race.

6th April - Marcus Scotney produces outstanding debut performance at Anglo Celtic Plate 100K in Galway

In his debut run at the Anglo Celtic plate race in Galway last weekend Marcus Scotney completed an outstanding hat trick by finishing in 3^rd place in the UK 100 kilometre championship as an individual, winning the Gold medal as first Scottish championship runner and helping England to retain the overall team title. Marcus crossed the line in a magnificent 7hrs 16mins to confirm his potential at this event. 2006 Scottish Champion Les Hill finished in a very gutsy 8hrs 36mins and was the third counter helping Scotland to second place overall in the team competition. 2007 Scottish Champion Paul Hart started confidently and was well up with the leaders in the first half of the race but he suffered from severe stomach problems. He struggled on but was forced to drop out at 72 km.

25th March - Three members of Dumfries Running Club ready for international honours in Celtic 100K

In a unique and very prestigious achievement, 3 members of Dumfries Running Club, Les Hill, Paul Hart and Marcus Scotney have been awarded international caps to run in the Anglo Celtic Plate 100 kilometre race in Galway in the Republic of Ireland. Les has been selected to run for Scotland for the 7^th time and Paul for the 3rd time, but this will be the 1st time Marcus has been selected to run for England. For those who still think in pounds, shillings and pence this means the three of them will cover over 62 miles non stop. Starting at 8am on Saturday 28th March, competitors will cover a 2 kilometre flat route on the seafront 50 times fuelled by regular energy drinks and gels. The Dumfries runners will be cheered on and supported by Margaret and Julie Hill and by Jean Rennie who will provide pre and post race massages for the Scottish team. The secret to success in this most gruelling of events is preparation and pace judgement.

Paul has been running a minimum of 70 miles a week for the past 12 weeks and is aiming to beat his PB of 7 hours 44 which averages out at 7:30 minutes a mile all the way. Les has done less mileage than usual with an average of 50 miles a week for the last 14 weeks and he has been experimenting to see whether this will help him in his target of beating his PB of 8 hours 18, an average of 8.02 minutes a mile. His objective will be a 24 hour race in Switzerland in May where he hopes to gain selection for the Commonwealth championships in September. Marcus has done particularly well to gain selection for a very competitive England men's team and he will be supported by Dumfries Running Club’s Carolyn Hunter Rowe who is the England women's team manager for this race. Hopefully all three of them do themselves and their countries proud and produce very good runs on Saturday.

25th March - David Breen jnr and Chris Holmes ready for ultimate marathon challenge!

David Breen jnr and Chris Holmes are set to take on a unique challenge - the ‘Marathon des Sables’ starting this weekend. This 254km run across the Sahara desert in Morocco, which takes place between 29^th March and 4^th April, has been dubbed “the toughest footrace on earth”. Competitors from all over the world compete in the blistering humidity and heat (often over 40 degrees), where the priority tends to be finishing rather than setting a speedy time. All carry their own food, clothing, cooking and sleeping equipment, and even anti-venom kit! They have enjoyed returning to Dumfries since entering the race to take advantage of the training routes at Mabie Forest and Southerness. Over the years, they have been members of Dumfries Running Club, which has become a hotbed for ultra-distance running activity in recent years. David and Chris are raising money for Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), a non-governmental organisation which provides medical aid in war-torn regions and developing countries facing endemic disease. Both of them are doctors themselves (neurology and anaesthetic trainees respectively) and have friends who currently work for MSF and make a positive difference to people’s lives every day. Any donations would be hugely appreciated and can be given via their website (www.justgiving.com/teamnails).

25th March - Results from Cartmel trail race, Alloa half marathon and Criffel hill race weekend 21st & 22nd March

With 3 races on last weekend, the Criffel Hill race on Sunday 22nd March was a priority event for the mountain goats of Dumfries Running Club. This is a particularly challenging race starting from New Abbey, climbing 567 metres to the summit and back down. On a clear and breezy day with dry underfoot conditions, the Dalbeattie group of the running club was well to the fore. Best performance came from Norman Neilson who was 10^th out of 60 in 64minutes and he edged out training partner Sebastian Pflanz by 2 minutes and five places. Simon Mortlock was delighted to get to the summit with dry feet for the first time and finished well in 68mins. In his debut at this event Graeme Cross quickly realised that off road shoes are vital and, wearing an ordinary pair of running shoes was reminded of this as he slipped and slithered his way to a time of 92mins just ahead of Adam Anderson senior and Roz Plant who were both taking part in their debut races of 2009 and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.

On the same morning Gareth McIntyre and Lisa Findlay travelled to take part in the Alloa half marathon. Both had excellent runs, given that miles 6 to 9 were into a strong headwind, and finished well up the field with Gareth producing one of this fastest times in 81mins21secs for 29th place overall, and Lisa finishing as 4th female and 3rd FV35 in 84mins44secs.

On Saturday 21st March three club members travelled to Cartmel in South Lakeland to take part in the Inaugural Sticky Toffee pudding 16 kilometre off road race. The reward for tackling a scenic yet very hilly and muddy route was an individual toffee pudding that would be more than enough incentive for anyone. Best performance came from Peter Hill in 1hr39mins followed by Liz Smart in 1hr51mins and debutant Kerry Willacy in her longest ever race in an excellent 2hrs40mins.

22nd March - New Dumfries Running Club hats (just in time for summer!!!)

Dumfries Running Club hats are now available in the club colours. Costing just £4 each they represent excellent value for money and may still be needed in the coming weeks during cold weather and will certainly be a wise investment for next winter.

Initially ten hats have been made and are available from Kirsten Holt while stocks last.

As more and more Dumfries RC members are attending running races and events a photo sharing webpage has been created to allow all members to share photos taken.

DRC members - download and upload photos from our photo sharing group page and account page on Flickr at http://flickr.com/groups/dumfriesrc/

(note: you have to be signed into Flickr to access this group page via this link)

This site can only be viewed by DRC members with valid email addresses supplied to the Membership Secretary.

There are few things that show the strength in depth of Dumfries Running Club more than the fact that 28 members turned out at the weekend for two of the more difficult races on the circuit, namely the Dentdale 14.1 mile race on Saturday and the Trimpell 20 mile race in Lancaster on Sunday. Read Steve Mohan full race report for Dumfries Standard 20th March here

11th March - Les Hill runs in Little Strickland 10mile race, nr. Penrith

Les Hill was the only Dumfries Running Club member to brave the wintry conditions at the Little Strickland 10 miles race near on Sunday 8^th March. Little describes the size of the village well but is not an adjective to be used for describing the surrounding hills. Ominously, while driving south on the M6 to get to the race there were several electronic warnings to motorists to slow down because of the strong winds and on the high ground where the route runs close to Shap there was no shelter from this during the race. To make matters worse for the duration of event the wind battered hail and snow against the competitors. Adding the combination of the weather and the hills meant that no one expected fast times to be recorded on the day. Despite being close to full fitness again Les was not surprised that this was his second worst 10 miles race time in his 25 years of running at 67 minutes and 5 seconds. However with the winner’s time being only 62 minutes and with him being 10^th overall and first V50 it puts a true perspective on the achievement

Susan Gallagher took part in the 21 mile Meon Valley plod, a 21 mile multi terrain race over the South Downs organised by Portsmouth running club. With 1,500 metres of ascent, twice over Butser Hill this event would provide Susan with excellent training for her real objective which is The Highland Fling ultra race in late April. On a beautiful sunny day Susan thoroughly enjoyed this scenic, well organised event and attracted a lot of attention wearing her Dumfries Running Club vest as one of the few non locals in the race. Covering the first half in just over 100 minutes, the hilly second half was slower even though the rewards for several difficult climbs were thrilling fast descents. With a sensible race plan and a comfortable finishing time of 3 hours 56 minutes, Susan was delighted with the entire event.

Congratulations to Suzanne Broatch who is the series winner!!!! Well done Suzanne.

In a closely fought contest Suzanne triumphed by only one point from Laura Fairbairn (March handicap race winner) and two points from both Sandy Shankland and Peter Hill.

Attention will now turn to the start of the Summer handicap race series beginning in April and also held of the first Thursday of every month.

On Sunday 1st March the Annan River Races took place and was used as the club cross country championship race.

In an excellent double, the club claimed the men’s and women’s team titles with Marcus Scotney winning the race by a clear margin and the club cross country championship for 2009. Maureen Dickson becomes the club women's cross country champion for 2009. The winning men's team was Marcus, newcomer Alan Baxter and Sandy Shankland ahead of Dougie Brown and Peter Hutchison. Claiming the women’s team title were Maureen alongside double debutantes Kerry Willacy and Laura Fairbairn.

Read Steve Mohan report for Dumfries Standard 6th March incorporating reports on Annan Cross Country, Haweswater and Lasswade 10 mile race report here.

The growing strength of ultra running within Dumfries Running Club has been demonstrated this week with three members being selected to represent their national teams in the Anglo Celtic Plate 100K race in Galway on Saturday 28th March. Paul Hart and Les Hill have both been selected for the Scotland team and Marcus Scotney has been selected for the England team. Congratulations and good luck!

On Sunday 1st March ten members of Dumfries Running Club ran in the Haweswater half marathon in Cumbria. The out and back course requires a large hill climb both ways before the last few miles provide a steady downhill finish into the village of Bampton. Lisa Finlay continued her exceptional form winning the ladies race in a superb time of 1hr24mins21mins, a winning margin of over 2 minutes. Next to finish was Simon Mortlock in 1hr31mins 21secs finishing clear of new club member Adam Dickie in 1hr33mins 57secs. David Breen's determined training in recent weeks paid off as he finished ahead of Jim Grierson and Mike Trant. David crossed the line in 1hr44mins 28secs followed by Jim in 1hr46mins 56secs and Mike in 1hr47mins 27secs. Next to finish was Liz Smart in 1hr52mins 52secs closely followed by Paula Neill in 1hr54mins 50secs and Jo Needham in 2hr00mins 43secs. Well done to all on some great times on this tough course!

Craig Malcolmson took part in the most exotic event recently by completing the Hong Kong marathon on Sunday February 8^th. On a whim he foolishly entered the race at two days notice while on holiday and spent a long time wondering how he was going to manage to complete the event in 65% humidity, despite not running a step for the previous month. At 5am on the day of the race however, he was up, Dumfries running club vest on, raring to go. After taking a ferry and a taxi to the 8am start he spent the next 3 hours 54minutes on the hardest road race he has ever done, negotiating an undulating course with at least 4 kilometre long tunnels trapping heat and sapping energy from his legs. In all he finished 1123^rd out of 10,000 marathon starters and with a very well organised 10k and half marathon as well, 55,000 in total took part on the day.

As a carefully chosen event for athletes for upcoming ultra distance races Paul Hart, Marcus Scotney and Les Hill, all members of Dumfries Running Club, travelled to Draycote near Rugby in the English midlands last Sunday February 22^nd to take part in the Draycote 35mile ultra race. The weather was overcast with a strong wind blowing across the reservoir providing testing conditions for the 100 entrants on the 5mile loop around Draycote reservoir which the runners had to circle 7 times.

Paul Hart and Marcus Scotney were in the leading group right from the start and after 15 miles were in 1st and 2nd positions with Paul leading as other runners were unable to keep up with the unrelenting pace. As they passed the 26mile mark Marcus then eased into the lead and maintained his form to win the race in an excellent time of 3hr46mins 55secs followed by Paul finishing close behind in 3hr 48mins 44secs for 2nd place, with the 3rd place runner a full 10mins behind. To put that into some kind of perspective, this meant that both Paul and Marcus were running at 6 and a half minute mile pace for the entire 35 mile distance. Completing the excellent performances by Dumfries Running Club, Les Hill showed a welcome return to form after injury running with steady pace judgement to finish in 6th place for a time of 4hr17mins 40secs winning the first vet 50 prize. These performances would not have been possible without the help of fellow club member Sandy Shankland who braved the cold wind to provide Marcus, Paul and Les with energy drinks and food on every lap.

Nine members of Dumfries running club travelled to Maryport to join 103 others taking part in the hilly Malcolm McDougall memorial 10 mile race. With a testing yet scenic route on a clear and almost warm February morning this would provide a good benchmark to measure progress for races later on in the season. Best performance came from Steven Smith who underlined his promise with an excellent 3^rd place overall in 59.52mins and there is every chance he can improve on this very fast time. Gareth McIntyre also ran well in 11^th place in 65.07 and Stephen Mohan was delighted with a time of 69.48.Frustratingly, if there had been a team prize available, these three would have been in first place overall. Donald Anson, who has been quietly increasing his training was pleased to finish in 85.10 as was Paula Neill in 86.12mins, virtually the same time she achieved at the Brampton race in November. Jo Needham, in serious training for the Edinburgh Marathon in May, knocked 5 minutes off her personal best in 88.33 and Alex Grant ran very well in 91.05.The Star of the show however was the modest Bill Love who knocked a phenomenal 11 minutes off his time from last year in 93mins.As Bill himself commented, ”the older I get, the better I used to be….” Susan Graham, in heavy training for the London marathon used the race for pace judgement and finished very smoothly in 104minutes, looking so comfortable that she could have completed the course twice with ease.

The running club are organising a running weekend for the May Bank holiday weekend Sat 2nd - Mon 4th May. These weekends have proved very popular in previous years with the emphasis on friendly, social running in scenic locations (distances and routes to suit a range of abilities) followed by good food and the odd drink. For 2009 the proposed destination is the Yorkshire Dales area. Accommodation will be in a youth hostel at an approximate cost of £30 - £40pp for the two nights.

Anyone interested please contact Dawn McDonald and put your name on the list on the club noticeboard at Nunholm Sports Club.

The Dumfries Running Club races for the 2009 Grand Prix series have been announced. The series starts with the Dentdale 14mile race on 14th March and this year has been extended to include a total of 10 races as well as your best marathon time (from any marathon in 2009) scoring points. The club championship race will be the Kircudbright half marathon on 23rd May.

The winter handicap results have been updated following the February handicap. Continuing his excellent form Peter Hill has now moved one point ahead of long time series leader Sandy Shankland. With one race left to go 8 runners are still in contention to win the overall series. Updated results are here.

The mens and ladies cross country championships will again be held at the Annan River Races on Sunday 1st March. The race is over approx 6k, with a start time not before noon. Details are available here or on the ADAC website

Thankyou to Margaret Gray and everyone who helped make this event a very enjoyable night with over 90 Dumfries Running Club members, friends and family attending.

Congratulations to all prize winners and to Peter Hill who was awarded the club captains prize for his consistent performances as a V55 and completing the Round Rotherham 50 mile race in 2009 after his plans to run in the race in 2008 were thwarted by illness a few days before the race.

A selection of photographs from the annual dinner dance are now on the website see photographs here.

On Saturday 7th February several members of Dumfries Running Club competed in cold and muddy conditions at the Scottish National Masters cross country championships over distances of 6.4K (ladies) and 10K (men).

In the ladies race Lisa Finlay ran strongly in 4th place for much of the race but was unable to hold off some fast finishers eventually settling for a fine 7th place overall in 25:18. In a close finish she was only 19seconds behind 3rd place. Eleni Barbetsea produced a good performance to finish in 55th place in a time of 31:58.

In the mens race highest placed DRC finisher was Johnathan Dale in 50th place with a time of 36:22 (21st V40). Les Hill finished in 73rd place in 38:00 and was delighted to make the top ten V50 finishers (10th V50). Next to finish was Peter Hill in 116th place and a time of 42:01 also making the top ten V55 finishers (10th V55), followed by Jim Grierson in 134th place in a time of 43:53 holding off training partner Mike Trant in 151st place and a time of 46:11. With the first four counters scoring the mens team finished in 20th place.

The all round versatility of Dumfries Running Club was shown last weekend as 13 members of DRC took part in the That’s Lyth off road 23.5 mile trail race in the Southern Lake District, centred on Kendal. Organised by the Long distance walkers association, this very popular event combines runners and walkers on a very scenic and challenging route in the Lyth valley. With 3,200 feet of climbs up Whitbarrow, Witherslack and Scout’s Scar plus the added challenge of navigation round the three checkpoints, there were plenty of opportunities for tired or unwary runners to go off route or get lost.

It was a clean sweep for Dumfries Running Club with Paul Hart the overall race winner in 2hr57mins and Jo Zakrzewski the 1st lady in 3hrs47mins.

21st January - Mike Trant and Beatrice Queen run in the Santa Pola half marathon in the Costa del Sol

On Sunday 18th January Mike Trant and Beatrice Queen (together with husband Danny and daughter Sarah) escaped the freezing and wet conditions of Scotland by flying for a weekend break on the Costa del Sol and joining 5000 others in the Santa Pola half marathon on a flat course in 20 degree heat. Best performance came from Danny Queen opening his season in an excellent 90mins followed by Mike Trant who ran well in 101mins and Sarah Queen in 107mins. Beatrice ran her first ever half marathon, thoroughly enjoyed the event and will be hoping to get close to breaking the 2 hour barrier very soon. .

It is good to see large numbers of DRC members again taking part in a number of races early in 2009.

Jack Crawford 10K - On Saturday 17th Mhairi Duff, Jo Zakrzewski and Sian Finlay headed just North of Glasgow for this race and finished as follows in cold and blustery conditions: Mhairi - 40:38, Jo - 42:16 (another new PB!) and Sian - 43:08. These performances were good enough to finish as 2nd female team competing against several strong Glasgow teams.

Brass Monkey 1/2 marathon - On Sunday 18th Johnathan Dale was in York to take part in one of the first half marathons in the UK in 2009. Jonathan produced an excellent run to finish in 1:19:09 for 34th place overall in a very competitive field.

Scottish Vet Harriers annual road relay race - On Sunday 18th a total of 14 DRC members took part in the Vet Harriers road relay around Strathclyde Park. The relay consisted of 4 x 3.8 miles for men and 3 x 3.8 miles for women. DRC entered a total of 4 teams as follows:

The highlight was another superb run by Lisa Finlay who took the prize for fastest female on stage 1 and 2nd fastest female stage time overall.

Everyone enjoyed the relay experience and lots of positive comments about our running club jackets. We may not have been the fastest but at least we looked the part! Photo of Vets relay teams below:

The icy conditions which forced the cancellation of the January 4mile winter handicap finally relented allowing this race to take place on 15th January. This time runners had to cope with a blustery wind which meant that only a few club members performed better than their expected handicap. Peter Hill produced an excellent run to claim the full 25points and catapult himself into contention for the overall series win. With two races left to go Sandy Shankland still leads the way closely followed by Steve Mohan, Peter Hill, Liz Smart and Dave Breen. Also in contention, with good points but only having completed two races so far, are Paula Neill, Carolyn Hunter-Rowe, Mhairi Duff and Adam Dickie. Updated results are here.

Steven Smith continued his excellent form from the end of 2008 into 2009 by finishing in 2nd place at the Grange Over Sands 6mile race in Cumbria on the 2nd January. Steven finished in a time of 36:30, 28seconds behind the race winner on a very hilly course in the inaugural running of this race.

Portabello Promathon - Well done to Susan Gallagher who takes the club honours as the first DRC member to race in 2009!

Susan ran in the 4mile Portabello Promathon in Edinburgh on the 1st January finishing in a time of 31:06.

Greenmantle Dash - On the 2nd January Craig Malcolmson and Sebastian Pflanz ran in the Greenmantle Dash hill race near Broughton.

Craig and Sebastian finished in equal 35th place from 119 finishers in a very respectable time of 20:44

Lumphanan Detox 10K - On the 2nd January Peter Hutchinson ran in the aptly named Lumphanan Detox 10K in Banchory, Aberdeenshire.

Overcoming icy underfoot conditions Peter finished in 52:27 to place 185th out of 343 finishers.

2009 is only a few days old but DRC members have already been racing at the Nigel Barge 10K in Glasgow on Saturday 3rd January.

Well done to Lisa, Mhairi, Sian and Jo for a great team performance winning the Ladies team prize with plenty of PB performances!

Following the very positive feedback from this years event, the dinner dance will again take place at Dumfries Rugby Club, Park Farm on Friday 6th February, 2009.

Arrive 7pm for 7:30pm start including meal, presentation of club prizes and awards, live music by Pentland Celidh band and full supporting disco.

Tickets only £17 per person available from David McNaught at Nunholm on club nights. Numbers limited!

Any club member who still wants to claim a standards certificate for 2008 please send details to Les Hill as soon as possible.

(NOTE: Not all links to photos, reports, etc in archive material may still be active)

Club News 2009

Brampton - Men -- TEAM RESULTS 7 Dumfries Running Club 16 Steven Smith 37 Micky Breen 45 Jonathan Dale

Brampton - Men (Vets) -- TEAM RESULTS 4 Dumfries Running Club 18 Jonathan Dale 20 Paul Hart 35 Les Hill

Brampton - Ladies -- TEAM RESULTS

3 Dumfries Running Club 2 Joasia Zakrzewski 4 Lisa Finlay 34 Sian Finlay

Brampton - Ladies (Vets) -- TEAM RESULTS 4 Dumfries Running Club 2 Lisa Finlay 23 Sian Finlay 35 Maureen Dickson

Brampton - Men -- TEAM RESULTS
7 Dumfries Running Club
16 Steven Smith
37 Micky Breen
45 Jonathan Dale

Brampton - Men (Vets) -- TEAM RESULTS
4 Dumfries Running Club
18 Jonathan Dale
20 Paul Hart
35 Les Hill

3 Dumfries Running Club
2 Joasia Zakrzewski
4 Lisa Finlay
34 Sian Finlay

Brampton - Ladies (Vets) -- TEAM RESULTS
4 Dumfries Running Club
2 Lisa Finlay
23 Sian Finlay
35 Maureen Dickson