2011 Grand Prix – The Final Story

 

 

It seems like a long time ago that the 2011 Carnegie Harriers Hill Running Grand Prix kicked of way back on the 12th of February with the Carnethy Five Hill Race. Who could have predicted then what a brilliant year it was going to be! The Titles won by our Over 60 men, the fight right to the end for the final positions and the fantastic numbers of runners that represented us at most of the hill races.

We also welcomed a few new faces to the hills this year that might have previously claimed that they only did road running! Well we converted them   Roger Clark, Calum McGraw, Ross and Lisa Carrie, Annette Rae, Allan Branigan and Angela Dixon all dipped their studded shoes and as for Jo Wilson, you can hardly keep that girl away from the hills these days!

But lets have a look at how the Grand Prix finished and all the prize winners. There are 15 races in the grand prix and its your best 9 races that count towards the final positions, the races for this year were:

1	12/02/2011	Carnethy 5 Hill Race (AS)
2	06/03/2011	Bishop Hill Race, Scotlandwell (AS)
3	26/03/2011	Birnam Hill Classic, Dunkeld (AS)
4	16/04/2011	Hunters Bog Trot, Edinburgh (BS)
5	23/04/2011	Normans Law Hill Race (AS)
6	21/05/2011	Slioch Hill Race, Kinlochewe (BL)
7	05/06/2011	Yetholm Hill Race (AM)
8	25/06/2011	Eildon 2 Hills Race, Melrose (AS)
9	02/07/2011	Dollar Hill Race (AM)
10	30/07/2011	Ben Rinnes Hill Race, Dufftown (AL)
11	21/08/2011	Lomonds of Fife Hill Race (AM)
12	27/08/2011	Ochil 2000′s Hill Race (AL)
13	01/10/2011	Ben Venue Hill Race (AM)
14	05/11/2011	Dumyat Dash Hill Race (AM)
15	12/11/2011	Tinto Hill Race (AS)

There were 28 men and 9 ladies who competed in atleast one of the Grand Prix races and with 8 men and 2 ladies completed 9 or more races. This year both Kevin Dave and Melanie Sinclair managed to complete all 15 of the grand prix races which definitely required a bit of madness and alot of petrol!

This year the fight for the top spots was on from the word go. In the Ladies, Lynne Bennett and Melanie Sinclair played cat and mouse for much of the season but Lynne proved to be the much stronger runner, powering away from Melanie at many of the races as the year progressed and was certainly a worthy winner of this years Ladies Hill Running Grand Prix.

Melanie fought hard though and came in a very happy 2nd place, one spot up from 2010 with Morna Fleming finishing in a very respectable 3rd place.

The Men’s Grand Prix has to be where all the excitment was this year though. Kevin Davie worked hard to gain some excellent points throughout the year and sat in 1st place from the 6th race right up until the very last race at Tinto which would be the final decider of who was claiming this years crown. Pete ‘the Awesome’ Simpson who was last years winner had unfortunately suffered with injury this year and had missed a number of key races but he certainly wasn’t going to give up without a fight and Stevie King and Barry Davie were both eyeing up the trophy aswell. All would be decided at Tinto and it was, Pete proved to be too strong for the young’uns and stormed to victory again in 2011.

Kevin Davie fought hard and held on to 2nd place and Stevie King finished in a very close 3rd place. There were only 11 points between Barry Davie who finished in 4th place and Pete in 1st which shows just how tight this competition was and how much talent we have in our hill running men.

 

 

In our Veteran Men category which is 40 – 49, Colin Reynolds finished in 1st place, with Andy Sim 2nd and Sandy Bennet in 3rd place.

 

 

 

 

 

In the Veteran 50 Men’s category our very own Hill Running Captain, Allan Macaulay finished in 1st place, with Stevie Greer in 2nd and Kieran Morgan in 3rd place.

 

 

 

 

Our Men’s 60+ Category this year has also been a closely fought contest with our top 2 contenders Bill Duff and Tom Bowie pushing each other on to victory. Unfortunately Bill Duff has also suffered with injury this year so Tom Bowie romped to victory and claimed 1st Place, with Bill Duff taking 2nd and Bill Fairley finishing in 3rd place.

 

 

 

 

 

Both Tom and Bill have also won other Top Titles this year, with Tom Bowie winning the 1st Male 60 prize in the SHR Long Classics Series 2011 and Bill Duff winning the 1st male 60 prize in the SHR midweek Bog and Burn Series 2011. Congratulations to them both!

 

Every year the club awards 5 special prizes and one of those is to the ‘Most Improved Hill Runner’ and this year that was presented to Bill Fairley. The club was impressed with the way Bill performed this year, his Scottish Hill Racing percentaged improved and he competed in and finished the notoriously difficult Ben Nevis Race and all this from a man who is well over the age of 60 and has only been running for a few years. Very well deserved Bill

Now as many of you will remember, I have on occasion mention the Scottish Hill Runners Mug! This is one of the those highly coveted items that many will strive to get but only the determined few will actually achieve. Each year SHR have their Senior Championship races which consist of 2 short, 2 medium and 2 long races and competitors have to complete 1 of each category plus one other so 4 in total and they will then recieve their prize, an SHR Mug which will take pride of place on many a mantle piece.

This year only 5 Carnegie Harriers managed to claim one of these:

Allan Macaulay

Kevin Davie

Tom Bowie

Lynne Bennet

Melanie Sinclair

Congratulations to them all!

So thats how the story ends for 2011. Pete Simpson and Lynne Bennet are both victorious in the Hill Running Grand Prix and some big achievements for others aswell. Quite a few new faces on the hills and as always lots of fun and laughter whereever the Harriers are aswell.

Will 2012 be as exciting? I certainly hope so!

 

Until then, Happy Hill Running Folks!