Edinburgh Athletic runners achieve big things in road racing season

The summer road racing season has drawn to a close with a flurry of big events across the country. Edinburgh Athletic Club runners were prominent throughout these races, achieving numerous feats.

The Stirling 10km saw 14 Edinburgh AC athletes starting. Noah Howlett and Ewan Cameron battled to be the club’s first finisher, with Howlett clocking 31:43 for eighteenth overall to edge Cameron at the finish line by just one second. David Cross recorded a fine 37:50 in the V50 category, while Leanne Calder and Sinead Gallagher competed well in the ladies’ race.

The Scottish Half Marathon was held in East Lothian, finishing in Musselburgh, doubled as the East District half marathon championships. Ewan Cameron took third overall with 69:43. Max Meres earned second with 73:57. Ailie McGowan was the club’s first female, completing the 13.1-mile course in 86:26, with Catriona Probert less than a minute in arrears. In the veterans’ rankings, David Cross ran 82:25 in the V55 category, while Eric Stevenson recorded an impressive 1:48:28 in the M70 category.

The London Marathon attracts tens of thousands of athletes and a number of Edinburgh AC athletes made the journey. Marathon specialist Iain Macdonald was the first Edinburgh AC runner home in an excellent 2:35, with Stuart Johnston 8 seconds behind. Leon Johnson also broke the 2:40 barrier with a 2:39 time for the 26.2-mile course. Glasgow city centre was inundated with some 20,000 runners for the Great Scottish Run. The event, returning to the calendar for the first time since before the pandemic saw Scottish Olympians Callum Hawkins and Eilish McColgan claim victories.

Winning team from the Scottish Half Marathon from left to right: Myles Bax, Callum Reid, John Lenehan.

The Scottish half-marathon championships were incorporated into the Great Scottish Run, and Edinburgh AC’s male athletes were in the running the gold medals. John Lenehan (69:43), Callum Reid (71:14) and Myles Bax (71:54), with backing from Iain Whitaker (72:40), all packed well to land the Scottish team title.

Meanwhile, Danielle Reid had a fantastic run and delivered a 90:19 time, with Isla Scott-Pearce just behind in 91:01. Michael Fullerton ran 35:26 in the 10km, but was involved in a dramatic finish – he had to be assisted down the home straight by two fellow athletes, but thankfully made a full recovery. A multitude of championship and league fixtures are scheduled throughout the autumn and winter will offer plenty of opportunities for racing.