The Retired Runner

Cover photo – Couch to 5k practice at Ravenscraig Park

Beveridge Park 5k

Race results:

• Matthew Miller – 42nd 23:58

Alloa Half Marathon

There was another large turnout of Leven Las Vegas Running Club members on Sunday morning at the Alloa Half Marathon. The race had been postponed from its original date in March due to snow and ice but on this occasion the participants were greeted by warm sunny weather for the event. The race route starts in Alloa and heads out to Tillicoultry for a long straight section along the Hillfoots road in the shadow of the Ochil Hills to Menstrie before turning back to Alloa for the finish.

Among the 1600 runners taking part were 16 from LLV. First of the club to finish was Kevin Hughes who was a few seconds ahead of clubmate Iain Wallace with both runners crossing the line in around 90 minutes. Further finishers were Robin Pate, Bryan McLaren, James Scott, Gordon Christie, Douglas Clews, Stewart English, Grant Stevenson, Karen Richards, Annie Gibson, Lynda English, Davie Hogg, Bex Oakenfull, Tracey Millar and Lorna Hughes,

Special mentions go to Karen Richards who was taking part in her first ever half marathon and Stewart English who also ran the Edinburgh half marathon the previous week and used both events to raise a substantial sum on behalf of Levenmouth Foodbank.

Race results:

• Kevin Hughes – 91st 1:30:13
• Iain Wallace – 97th 1:30:23
• Robin Pate – 149th 1:33:58
• Bryan Mclaren – 212nd 1:37:23
• James Scott – 262nd 1:39:30
• Gordon Christie – 532nd 1:49:36
• Douglas Clews – 954th 2:02:45
• Stewart English – 984th 02:03:45
• Grant Stevenson – 1141st 2:10:09
• Karen Richards – 1263rd 2:15:34
• Annie Gibson – 1294th 2:16:50
• Lynda English – 1388th 2:23:31
• Davie Hogg – 1389th 2:24:02
• Bex Oakenfull – 1498th 2:32:58
• Tracey Millar – 1533rd 2:40:31
• Lorna Hughes – 1624th 3:17:57

Chariots of Fire Beach Race

Another mass participation running event also took place on Sunday when the iconic Chariots of Fire beach race saw around 600 participants racing across the West Sands in St Andrews. Representing Leven Las Vegas were Mark and Paula McLean, Jemma Guild and Colin Aitken. It was a tremendous effort by Colin in particular as he is one of LLV’s current Couch to 5k trainees and he was able to demonstrate what can be achieved by application and determination.

Race results:

• Paula McLean – 256th 19:07
• Mark McLean – 257th 19:07
• Jemma Guild – 346th 20:53
• Colin Aitken – 529th 27:22

 Upcoming Events

• Hill of Tarvit (Fife AC Midweek Series) – Wednesday 6 June
• Couch to 5k parkrun at Craigtoun Park – Saturday 9 June
• Errol 10k (rescheduled date) – Sunday 10 June

Further ahead:

• Jog Cowdenbeath Black Rock Charity Run for MND – Monday 11 June 7pm
• Glenrothes 10k – Sunday 17 June
• Ravenscraig Park Mile – Wednesday 20 June
• Midsummer Nightmare – Friday 22 June
• West Highland Way Race – Saturday 23 June
• Benarty Gala – Sunday 24 June
• Sandy Slither – Wednesday 27 June
• Balbirnie Duathlon – Thursday 28 June
• Chacefield Trail Race – Thursday 28 June
• Trail Busters Series Race 1 – Sunday 1 July
• Beveridge Park 5k – Friday 6 July
• Crieff 10k – Sunday 8 July
• Tour of Fife – Wednesday 11 July to Sunday 15 July
• Donkey Brae Run – Sunday 29 July
• Trail Busters Series Race 2 – Sunday 5 August
• New Gilston 5k – Sunday 12 August
• Trail Busters Series Race 3 – Sunday 2 September
• Scottish Long Coastal Relays – Saturday 6 October

Cover photo – LLVs Couch to 5k group on a Sunday morning training run on the coastal path above Earlsferry beach

Tuesday night training and Couch to 5k

Jog leader Bex took the main group to East Links at the golf courses for a pyramid drill where they were joined by jog leader Ross and the Couch to 5k group.

Chacefield Trail Race

In midweek at Chacefield Wood near Denny in Stirlingshire, Chris Russell and Annie Gibson returned for the second event in a three-race series of trail runs. Chris had already been victorious in the first event last month and prevailed again on this occasion to maintain his lead in the series.

Race results:

• Chris Russell – 1st
• Annie Gibson

Black Rock 5

On Friday evening over 1000 runners descended on the town of Kinghorn for one of Fife’s most iconic races, the Black Rock 5. Starting in the middle of the town, the runners head towards Kinghorn harbour where they descend onto the beach at low tide and traverse the sands in the direction of Burntisland, their destination being the Black Rock which lies approximately one mile offshore. Runners circle around the rock through shallow water and return to the finish in Kinghorn for a well deserved prize of a bottle of beer.

This year there was a large turnout of 24 Leven Las Vegas members at the event. First LLV to get back to the finishing line was Bryan McLaren who achieved an excellent position in the top 50 in a highly competitive field. Bryan was followed by clubmates Alan Davie, Iain Wallace, Kevin Hughes, Robin Pate, James Scott, Matthew Miller, Willie Goodfellow, Jim Dunstan, Douglas Clews, Jeff Taylor, Davie Hogg, Karen Richards, Donna Rodger, Gayle Moran, Sarah Ives, Susan Kerr, Bex Oakenfull, Claire Doak, Lynsay Bell, Dawn Watson, Kelly Nicolson, Josephine Lenachan and Lorna Hughes.

Race results:

• Bryan McLaren – 43rd 28:09
• Alan Davie – 61st 28:43
• Iain Wallace – 90th 29:33
• Kevin Hughes – 128th 30:34
• Robin Pate – 136th 30:45
• James Scott – 175th 31:45
• Matthew Miller – 193rd 32:04
• Willie Goodfellow – 278th 33:54
• Jim Dunstan – 443rd 36:51
• Douglas Clews – 513rd 38:05
• Jeff Taylor – 567th 38:55
• Davie Hogg – 688th 41:18
• Karen Richards – 821st 44:39
• Donna Rodger – 823rd 44:43
• Gayle Moran – 835th 45:00
• Sarah Ives – 844th 45:09
• Susan Kerr – 876th 46:01
• Bex Oakenfull – 880th 46:10
• Claire Doak – 924th 47:14
• Lynsay Bell – 1017th 50:55
• Dawn Watson  – 1018th 50:56
• Kelly Nicolson – 1065th 53:20
• Josephine Lenachan – 1086th 56:29
• Lorna Hughes – 1094th 59:55

Edinburgh Marathon Festival

The Edinburgh Marathon Festival took place in glorious weather at the weekend, with thousands of runners taking part in events ranging from 5km to the full marathon distance. Leven Las Vegas Running Club was represented in the marathon by Mark McLean, Alan Davie and Anna-Marie Dalziell, with Mark and Alan both posting personal best times for the distance. Participating in the half-marathon were LLV’s Stewart English, Teresa Guild, Heather Keddie, Lorraine Davie and Tracey Millar, with Teresa also achieving a new PB for the distance.

Race results (Marathon):

• Mark McLean – 532nd 3:16:37 PB
• Alan Davie – 581st 3:18:16 PB
• Anna-Marie Dalziell – 7619 6:31:18

Race results (Half-marathon):

• Stewart English – 4032 1:56:22
• Teresa Guild – 4060 1:56:29
• Heather Keddie – 4172 1:57:07
• Lorraine Davie – 6727 2:10:05
• Tracey Millar – 8660 2:24:04

Dunblane 12k

Race results:

• Vhairi Walker – 329th 1:20:48
• Angela Small – 330th 1:20:48

Upcoming Events

• Beveridge Park 5k – Friday 1 June
• Alloa Half Marathon (rescheduled date) – Sunday 3 June
• Chariots of Fire Beach Race – Sunday 3 June

Further ahead:

• Errol 10k (rescheduled date) – Sunday 10 June
• Jog Cowdenbeath Black Rock Charity Run for MND – Monday 11 June 7pm
• Glenrothes 10k – Sunday 17 June
• Midsummer Nightmare – Friday 22 June
• West Highland Way Race – Saturday 23 June
• Benarty Gala – Sunday 24 June
• Sandy Slither – Wednesday 27 June
• Balbirnie Duathlon – Thursday 28 June
• Chacefield Trail Race – Thursday 28 June
• Trail Busters Series Race 1 – Sunday 1 July
• Crieff 10k – Sunday 8 July
• Tour of Fife – Wednesday 11 July to Sunday 15 July
• Donkey Brae Run – Sunday 29 July
• Trail Busters Series Race 2 – Sunday 5 August
• New Gilston 5k – Sunday 12 August
• Trail Busters Series Race 3 – Sunday 2 September
• Scottish Long Coastal Relays – Saturday 6 October

Cover photo – club members training on Leven beach

Tuesday night training and Couch to 5k

Jog leader Ross took the main group onto Leven beach for a session on the sand while jog leader Allen led the Couch to 5k group on a 25 minute continuous jog.

Chilly Willy Trail Race

Race results:

• Chris Russell – 1st 24:03
• Annie Gibson – 45th 38:42
• Vhairi Walker – 53rd 42:17
• Angela Small – 54th 42:18
• Josephine Lenachan – 58th and 1st F55 51:07
• Lorna Hughes – 59th 52:41

Kinnoull Hill Race

Race results:

• Chris Russell – 7th and 2nd MV 27:24
• Annie Gibson –

Parkruns

Robin Pate PB at Edinburgh

Angela Wood and Annie Gibson PBs at Kirkcaldy

Upcoming Events

• West Lothian College 5k Road Race – Wednesday 23 May
• Livingston AC Open Graded Track Meeting – Wednesday 23 May
• Ravenscraig Park Mile – Wednesday 23 May
• Chacefield Trail Race – Thursday 24 May
• Black Rock 5 – Friday 25 May
• Edinburgh Marathon Festival – Saturday 26 May and Sunday 27 May

Further ahead:

• Beveridge Park 5k – Friday 1 June
• Alloa Half Marathon (rescheduled date) – Sunday 3 June
• Chariots of Fire Beach Race – Sunday 3 June
• Errol 10k (rescheduled date) – Sunday 10 June
• Jog Cowdenbeath Black Rock Charity Run for MND – Monday 11 June 7pm
• Glenrothes 10k – Sunday 17 June
• West Highland Way Race – Saturday 23 June
• Benarty Gala – Sunday 24 June
• Sandy Slither – Wednesday 27 June
• Balbirnie Duathlon – Thursday 28 June
• Chacefield Trail Race – Thursday 28 June
• Trail Busters Series Race 1 – Sunday 1 July
• Crieff 10k – Sunday 8 July
• Tour of Fife – Wednesday 11 July to Sunday 15 July
• Donkey Brae Run – Sunday 29 July
• Trail Busters Series Race 2 – Sunday 5 August
• New Gilston 5k – Sunday 12 August
• Trail Busters Series Race 3 – Sunday 2 September
• Scottish Long Coastal Relays – Saturday 6 October

Cover photo – club members at Scoonie Golf Course for Tuesday night training

Tuesday night training and Couch to 5k

Jog leader Tricia took the main group to Scoonie for a session of sprint hills while jog leader Ross led the Couch to 5k group on a 25 minute continuous run as they began week 6 of their training programme.

Strathkinness to Blebocraigs (Fife AC Midweek Series)

Race results:

• Bryan McLaren – 18th 28:17
• Alan Davie – 25th 28:58
• Iain Wallace – 35th 29:34
• Jeff Taylor – 102nd 36:05
• Peter Rieu-Clarke – 137th 44:50

Beveridge Park 5k

Race results:

• Iain Wallace – 13th 19:28
• Barry West – 38th 21:54 PB
• Jim Dunstan – 45th 22:37

Parkruns

At the Saturday morning parkruns there were personal best times for Stephanie Barclay at Beveridge Park in Kirkcaldy and Kenna Orkney at Craigtoun Park in St Andrews.

Loch Leven Half Marathon

This mass participation event took place on Saturday morning when over 450 runners gathered at Kinross for the Loch Leven half marathon. Representing Leven Las Vegas were Kevin Hughes, Iain Wallace, Mark McLean and Robin Pate with all four putting in excellent performances to finish within the first 50 competitors. Annie Gibson was representing Falkland Trail Runners on the day.

Race results:

• Kevin Hughes – 24th 1:28:59
• Iain Wallace – 34th 1:31:53
• Mark McLean – 36th 1:32:13
• Robin Pate – 43rd 1:33:58 PB
• Annie Gibson – 362nd 2:14:23

Smokies 10

On Sunday morning a group of lady runners from Leven Las Vegas Running Club travelled north to Arbroath for the Smokies 10 mile race. With entries restricted to ladies only, the event is a popular fixture in the running calendar and was celebrating its 30^th anniversary with a large field of 300 runners in attendance.

First of the Leven runners to finish was Jemma Guild, followed by Karen Richards, Lorraine Davie, Bex Oakenfull, Tracey Millar, Claire Doak, Lynsay Bell, Dawn Watson, Josephine Lenachan and Lorna Hughes. For Lynsay and Dawn in particular it was a tremendous achievement as the race was their longest distance event so far since graduating from the Leven Las Vegas Couch to 5k jogging course in October 2017. Both ladies continue to provide tremendous inspiration to all the joggers taking part in the current beginners’ course with LLV.

Race results:

• Jemma Guild – 99th 1:30:10
• Karen Richards – 155th 1:36:27
• Lorraine Davie – 167th 1:38:31
• Bex Oakenfull – 200th 1:43:37
• Tracey Millar – 203rd 1:44:25
• Claire Doak – 205th 1:44:52
• Lynsay Bell – 206th 1:45:09
• Dawn Watson – 232nd 1:48:43
• Josephine Lenachan – 278th 2:01:58
• Lorna Hughes – 291st 2:22:27

Dalkeith Country Park ​Bluebell 10K Trail Run

Two of LLV’s recent recruits, Vhairi Walker and Angela Small, took part in a 10k trail run around Dalkeith Country Park in aid of MYPAS, a charity which provides support to young people in the Midlothian region.

Race results:

• Angela Small – 146th 1:07:43
• Vhairi Walker – 147th 1:07:43

Upcoming Events

• Self Transcendence 2 mile race @ Edinburgh Meadows – Wednesday 16 May
• University of Dundee Botanics 5k – Wednesday 16 May
• Kinnoull Hill Race – Thursday 17 May

Further ahead:

• West Lothian College 5k Road Race – Wednesday 23 May
• Livingston AC Open Graded Track Meeting – Wednesday 23 May
• Ravenscraig Park Mile – Wednesday 23 May
• Chacefield Trail Race – Thursday 24 May
• Black Rock 5 – Friday 25 May
• Edinburgh Marathon Festival – Saturday 26 May and Sunday 27 May
• Beveridge Park 5k – Friday 1 June
• Alloa Half Marathon (rescheduled date) – Sunday 3 June
• Chariots of Fire Beach Race – Sunday 3 June
• Errol 10k (rescheduled date) – Sunday 10 June
• Glenrothes 10k – Sunday 17 June
• West Highland Way Race – Saturday 23 June
• Benarty Gala – Sunday 24 June
• Sandy Slither – Wednesday 27 June
• Balbirnie Duathlon – Thursday 28 June
• Chacefield Trail Race – Thursday 28 June
• Trail Busters Series Race 1 – Sunday 1 July
• Crieff 10k – Sunday 8 July
• Tour of Fife – Wednesday 11 July to Sunday 15 July
• Donkey Brae Run – Sunday 29 July
• Trail Busters Series Race 2 – Sunday 5 August
• New Gilston 5k – Sunday 12 August
• Trail Busters Series Race 3 – Sunday 2 September
• Scottish Long Coastal Relays – Saturday 6 October

Cover photo – the Couch to 5k Sunday morning session at Shell Bay

Tuesday night training and Couch to 5k

Jog leader Allen took the main group to King George V Park in Leven for a variable speed session while boss Ian led the Couch to 5k group on their first 20 minute continuous run along Wellesley Road in Methil.

Scottish 5k Championships

A high quality field of around 500 runners gathered at Silverknowes in Edinburgh on Friday evening for the prestigious Scottish 5k road championship race. Representing Leven Las Vegas Running Club at the event was Bryan McLaren of Windygates who was looking to improve on his performance in the 2017 event. And the speedy youngster did just that by setting a new personal best time for the 5km distance and finishing ahead of some well-known athletes from Scotland’s top athletic clubs.

Race results:

• Bryan McLaren – 192nd 17:49 PB

Parkruns

There were several impressive performances at the Saturday morning parkruns.

Chris Russell achieved first place at Pittencrieff Park in Dunfermline to add to his recent record of race victories.

At Beveridge Park in Kirkcaldy Donna Rodger and Gayle Moran set new PBs. For Donna it was her fourth successive PB over the course and for Gayle it was her third PB in a row, with both ladies showing that their commitment to training is paying off.

Also posting the latest in a string of six successive personal best times at Craigtoun Park in St Andrews was Dawn Watson. Dawn was a graduate of an LLV Couch to 5k jogging course for beginners only a few months ago and along with several of her fellow graduates is providing tremendous inspiration for the new class of beginners who are currently midway through their fitness journey with Leven Las Vegas.

Upcoming Events

• Strathkinness to Blebocraigs (Fife AC Midweek Series) – Wednesday 9 May
• Beveridge Park 5k – Friday 11 May
• Loch Leven Half Marathon – Saturday 12 May
• Smokies 10 – Sunday 13 May

Further ahead:

• Kinnoull Hill Race – Thursday 17 May
• West Lothian College 5k Road Race – Wednesday 23 May
• Chacefield Trail Race – Thursday 24 May
• Black Rock 5 – Friday 25 May
• FTR Dirty Weekend – Friday 1 June to Sunday 3 June
• Alloa Half Marathon (rescheduled date) – Sunday 3 June
• Chariots of Fire Beach Race – Sunday 3 June
• Errol 10k (rescheduled date) – Sunday 10 June
• Glenrothes 10k – Sunday 17 June
• West Highland Way Race – Saturday 23 June
• Benarty Gala – Sunday 24 June
• Sandy Slither – Wednesday 27 June
• Balbirnie Duathlon – Thursday 28 June
• Chacefield Trail Race – Thursday 28 June
• Trail Busters Series Race 1 – Sunday 1 July
• Crieff 10k – Sunday 8 July
• Tour of Fife – Wednesday 11 July to Sunday 15 July
• Donkey Brae Run – Sunday 29 July
• Trail Busters Series Race 2 – Sunday 5 August
• Trail Busters Series Race 3 – Sunday 2 September
• Scottish Long Coastal Relays – Saturday 6 October

Cover photo – Ding ding it’s the Highland Fling! (photo by Monument Photos)

Tuesday night training and Couch to 5k

Jog leader Bex took the main group along to Action Zone on Leven prom for a pyramids drill while Ian took the Couch to 5k group through their week 4 programme.

Ravenscraig Park Mile

Race results:

• Jeff Taylor – 29th 6:39

Kinross 10k

Race results:

• Chris Russell – 5th and 2nd MV40 35:58
• Alan Davie – 15th 39:59
• Iain Wallace – 22nd 41:23
• James Scott – 43rd 43:43
• Matthew Miller – 50th 44:27
• Jeff Taylor – 79th 47:06
• Gordon Christie – 81st 47:13
• Dan Haran – 86th 47:50
• Davie Hogg – 121st 51:49
• Jemma Guild – 133rd 53:04
• Susan Kerr – 145th 55:51
• Karen Richards – 149th 57:14
• Annie Gibson – 154th 57:42
• Lynsay Bell – 171st 60:22
• Peter Rieu-Clarke – ?? 62:55
• Dawn Watson – 188th 65:53

Highland Fling

One of the most popular races on the Scottish ultra-marathon calendar took place on Saturday morning. A field of 700 runners gathered at Milngavie at break of dawn to take part in the Highland Fling race, a gruelling run along the West Highland Way via Drymen, Balmaha, Rowardennan, Inverarnan and Crianlarich, finishing 53 miles later in Tyndrum.

Three intrepid runners were taking part for Leven Las Vegas Running Club. Carole Mowbray was making her second successive appearance at the event and looking to improve on her 2017 performance. Robin Pate and Jim Dunstan, both experienced ultra-marathon runners, were making their Fling debuts.

First LLV to finish was Carole who had a fantastic run, setting a new personal best time and achieving a podium position by finishing in second place in her age category. Close behind was Robin, followed a little later by Jim. Carole now looks forward not only to repeating the experience but extending it by another 44 miles when she takes on the full 97 miles of the West Highland Way in her next ultra-marathon event in June.

Race results:

• Carole Mowbray – 197th and 2nd FV50 11:02:06
• Robin Pate – 257th 11:32:51
• Jim Dunstan – 533rd 13:27:27

Parkruns

At the Saturday morning parkruns, Lynsay Bell and Dawn Watson set new personal best times at Craigtoun Park in St Andrews.

Normans Law Hill Race

Race results:

• Chris Russell – 6th and 1st MV40 32:46
• Iain Wallace – 53rd 39:56
• Mark McLean – 55th 39:59
• Annie Gibson – 176th 55:31
• Peter Rieu-Clarke – 182nd and 2nd MV70 65:01

Stirling Scottish Marathon

Race results:

• Karen Capewell – 1803 6:21:15
• Anna-Marie Dalziell – 1804 6:21:15
• Kenny Hughes – 1702 5:34:06
• Lorna Hughes – 1831 7:26:15

Upcoming Events

• Scottish 5k Championships, Silverknowes – Friday 4 May

Further ahead:

• Strathkinness to Blebocraigs (Fife AC Midweek Series) – Wednesday 9 May
• Beveridge Park 5k – Friday 11 May
• Loch Leven Half Marathon – Saturday 12 May
• Smokies 10 – Sunday 13 May
• Kinnoull Hill Race – Thursday 17 May
• Chacefield Trail Race – Thursday 24 May
• Black Rock 5 – Friday 25 May
• FTR Dirty Weekend – Friday 1 June to Sunday 3 June
• Alloa Half Marathon (rescheduled date) – Sunday 3 June
• Chariots of Fire Beach Race – Sunday 3 June
• Errol 10k (rescheduled date) – Sunday 10 June
• Glenrothes 10k – Sunday 17 June
• West Highland Way Race – Saturday 23 June
• Benarty Gala – Sunday 24 June
• Sandy Slither – Wednesday 27 June
• Balbirnie Duathlon – Thursday 28 June
• Chacefield Trail Race – Thursday 28 June
• Trail Busters Series Race 1 – Sunday 1 July
• Crieff 10k – Sunday 8 July
• Donkey Brae Run – Sunday 29 July
• Trail Busters Series Race 2 – Sunday 5 August
• Trail Busters Series Race 3 – Sunday 2 September
• Scottish Long Coastal Relays – Saturday 6 October

Cover photo – happy joggers at the Sunday morning Couch to 5k homework session 

Tuesday night training

Jog leader Ross took the main group to Letham Glen for some muddy hilly circuits while jog leader Allen took the Couch to 5k group to the Energy Park in Methil where they enjoyed a paarlauf in addition to their scheduled C25k programme.

Chacefield Wood Trail Race

The first event in the Chacefield Wood Trail Race Series took place on Thursday evening near Denny in Stirlingshire, where Chris Russell and Annie Gibson were representing Leven Las Vegas.

Chris won the race, setting a new course record in the process.

Chris and Annie will be returning in May and June for the next two races in the series.

Race results:

• Chris Russell – 1st 22:26 (course record)
• Annie Gibson – 56th 36:43

Parkruns

For the second successive week Karen Richards posted a PB at St Andrews. In excellent running conditions she beat her previous best by 45 seconds.

At Kirkcaldy Claire Doak set her first PB in over a year, and Barry West also set a personal best in an impressive time of 22:23.

Run Balmoral 15 Mile Trail Race

The hugely popular Run Balmoral festival was celebrating its 21st year this weekend. Taking place over 2 days, the event attracted over 5000 runners competing in a series of races including the Stena Drilling 10K, ConocoPhillips 5K, FOS Group 2.5K, MPH 1.5K, Apollo Duathlon, trac 3 Mile Trail Race and trac 15 Mile Trail Race, and the Devil of Deeside race which is a combined time over the four adult races.

Representing Leven Las Vegas in the 15 mile event were Mark McLean, Robin Pate and John Kay, with Robin using the event as preparation for his attempt next week at the 50 mile Highland Fling race from Milngavie to Tyndrum.

Race results:

• Mark McLean – 88th 1:57:53
• Robin Pate – 118th 2:01:42
• John Kay – 151st 2:05:51

Chilly Willy Trail Race

The latest Chilly Willy trail race took place on Sunday at Pitcairn in Glenrothes. Chris Russell continued his impressive recent form by winning the event. Annie Gibson also ran well to finish first in her age category.

Race results:

• Chris Russell – 1st 26:01
• Annie Gibson – 33rd and 1st F50 41:45

London Marathon

Joining the 40000 runners at this weekend’s London Marathon was LLV’s Matthew Holden. In testing high temperature conditions which saw many competitors struggle to complete the course, Matt finished in just over 4 hours, raising a substantial sum for the Stroke Association charity in the process.

Race result:

• Matthew Holden – position 10991 4:07:16

Upcoming Events

• Ravenscraig Park mile – Wednesday 25 April
• Kinross 10k – Thursday 26 April
• Highland Fling – Saturday 28 April
• Normans Law Hull Race – Saturday 28 April
• Stirling Scottish Marathon and 5k – Sunday 29 April

Further ahead:

• Scottish 5k Championships, Silverknowes – Friday 4 May
• Strathkinness to Blebocraigs (Fife AC Midweek Series) – Wednesday 9 May
• Beveridge Park 5k – Friday 11 May
• Loch Leven Half Marathon – Saturday 12 May
• Smokies 10 – Sunday 13 May
• Kinnoull Hill Race – Thursday 17 May
• Chacefield Trail Race – Thursday 24 May
• Black Rock 5 – Friday 25 May
• FTR Dirty Weekend – Friday 1 June to Sunday 3 June
• Alloa Half Marathon (rescheduled date) – Sunday 3 June
• Chariots of Fire Beach Race – Sunday 3 June
• Errol 10k (rescheduled date) – Sunday 10 June
• Glenrothes 10k – Sunday 17 June
• West Highland Way Race – Saturday 23 June
• Benarty Gala – Sunday 24 June
• Sandy Slither – Wednesday 27 June
• Balbirnie Duathlon – Thursday 28 June
• Chacefield Trail Race – Thursday 28 June
• Trail Busters Series Race 1 – Sunday 1 July
• Crieff 10k – Sunday 8 July
• Donkey Brae Run – Sunday 29 July
• Trail Busters Series Race 2 – Sunday 5 August
• Trail Busters Series Race 3 – Sunday 2 September
• Scottish Long Coastal Relays – Saturday 6 October

Cover photo – LLV at the 300th St Andrews parkrun

Tuesday night training and Couch to 5k

Jog leader Allen took the main group to the Energy Park for an interval speed session while jog leader Tricia headed along Leven Prom with the Couch to 5k group.

Fife AC Midweek Series – St Andrews 5k

The first event of the 2018 Fife AC Midweek Series of races took place this week with a 5k race round the playing fields of St Andrews University. There were eight members of Leven Las Vegas Running Club taking part, with Bryan McLaren and Alan Davie coping well with the muddy conditions to finish highly placed, followed by Iain Wallace, Allen Marr, Gillian Easton, Jemma Guild, Jeff Taylor and Bex Oakenfull.

After the event there was a prize-giving ceremony for the 2017 series where Bryan McLaren received an award for finishing second overall and Allen Marr was rewarded for being the leading competitor in the over-60 age category.

Race results:

• Bryan McLaren – 14th 19:11
• Alan Davie – 24th 19:40
• Iain Wallace – 37th 20:11
• Allen Marr – 63rd 21:44
• Gillian Easton – 83rd 22:40
• Jemma Guild – 111th 25:02
• Jeff Taylor – 112th 25:03
• Bex Oakenfull – 146th 30:11

Parkruns

At the Saturday morning parkruns, Lesley Turnbull and Karen Richards set their best times so far at Craigtoun Park in St Andrews while Willie Goodfellow continued his impressive series of personal bests at Elgin parkrun with a top 10 finish and age category first place.

The Lost Trails Race

Chris Russell, Annie Gibson, Teresa Guild, Jemma Guild, Karen Richards and Mark McLean of LLV headed to Falkland Estate on Sunday morning for The Lost Trails Race organised by Falkland Trail Runners.

Race results:

• Chris Russell – 2nd and 1st M45 36:08
• Mark McLean – 9th and 2nd M45 42:46
• Jemma Guild – 65th 59:32
• Annie Gibson – 73rd 60:44
• Teresa Guild – 93rd 63:22
• Karen Richards – 96th 64:31

Angus Half Marathon

Also on Sunday morning at the Angus Half Marathon, starting and finishing at Monikie Country Park north of Dundee, Kevin Hughes of Leven Las Vegas put in a tremendous performance to finish as second placed veteran and fifth overall in a field of over 200 runners. Kevin’s time of just under 91 minutes was a fantastic achievement on the challenging hilly course.

Race results:

Kevin Hughes – 5th place and 2nd veteran 1:30:55

Upcoming Events

• Chacefield Wood Trail Race – Thursday 19 April
• Run Balmoral – Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 April
• Chilly Willy Trail Race – Sunday 22 April
• London Marathon – Sunday 22 April

Further ahead:

• Ravenscraig Park mile – Wednesday 25 April
• Kinross 10k – Thursday 26 April
• Highland Fling – Saturday 28 April
• Stirling Scottish Marathon and 5k – Sunday 29 April
• Scottish 5k Championships, Silverknowes – Friday 4 May
• Strathkinness to Blebocraigs (Fife AC Midweek Series) – Wednesday 9 May
• Beveridge Park 5k – Friday 11 May
• Loch Leven Half Marathon – Saturday 12 May
• Smokies 10 – Sunday 13 May
• Black Rock 5 – Friday 25 May
• FTR Dirty Weekend – Friday 1 June to Sunday 3 June
• Alloa Half Marathon (rescheduled date) – Sunday 3 June
• Chariots of Fire Beach Race – Sunday 3 June
• Errol 10k (rescheduled date) – Sunday 10 June
• Glenrothes 10k – Sunday 17 June
• West Highland Way Race – Saturday 23 June
• Sandy Slither – Wednesday 27 June
• Balbirnie Duathlon – Thursday 28 June
• Trail Busters Series Race 1 – Sunday 1 July
• Donkey Brae Run – Sunday 29 July
• Trail Busters Series Race 2 – Sunday 5 August
• Trail Busters Series Race 3 – Sunday 2 September
• Scottish Long Coastal Relays – Saturday 6 October

 

Cover photo – welcome to all our new Couch to 5k members!

Couch to 5k

This week Leven Las Vegas Running Club welcomed a host of new members who were taking their first steps to fitness by embarking on a Couch to 5k jogging programme. The course helps individuals who are relatively inactive to start jogging and over a 10 week period to gain sufficient fitness to be able to run a distance of 5km without stopping.

Beveridge Park 5k

Friday evening saw the return of the popular Beveridge Park 5k race series organised by Fife AC. Several Leven Las Vegas members took part in the event in the Kirkcaldy park, with Iain Wallace first LLV over the finish line followed by impressive performances from Gillian Easton, Jemma Guild, Kevin Hughes, Robin Pate, Matthew Miller, Barry West and Jenni Johnstone who all recorded personal best times for the 5km distance.

Race results:

• Iain Wallace – 13th and 3rd MV40 19:29
• Kevin Hughes – 15th 19:35
• Robin Pate – 17th 20:00
• Matthew Miller – 22nd 20:22
• Gillian Easton – 34th and 3rd Female/1st FS 21:34
• Jemma Guild – 50th 24:49
• Barry West – 22nd 24:59
• Jenni Johnstone – 68th 33:17

Parkruns

Several LLV members took part in the Saturday morning parkruns, with the outstanding performance being from Robin Pate who visited Montrose parkrun for the first time and finished in 4^th place. Mark McLean, Tam Cullen, Jeff Taylor, Gordon Christie, Allen Marr, Karen Richards, Gozde Ozakinci, Terry Cullen and Matthew Miller ran at St Andrews where Matthew and Allen were first in their age categories.

Kilomathon

On Sunday morning Teresa Guild joined the 2000 participants in the Kilomathon race starting at Ocean Terminal in Edinburgh and finishing inside the rugby stadium at Murrayfield.

Upcoming Events

• St Andrews 5k (Fife AC Midweek Series) – Wednesday 11 April
• FTR Lost Trails Race – Sunday 15 April
• Angus Half Marathon – Sunday 15 April

Further ahead:

• Livingston AC Open Graded Track Meeting – Wednesday 18 April
• Run Balmoral – Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 April
• London Marathon – Sunday 22 April
• Ravenscraig Park mile – Wednesday 25 April
• Kinross 10k – Thursday 26 April
• Highland Fling – Saturday 28 April
• Stirling Scottish Marathon and 5k – Sunday 29 April
• Scottish 5k Championships, Silverknowes – Friday 4 May
• Strathkinness to Blebocraigs (Fife AC Midweek Series) – Wednesday 9 May
• Beveridge Park 5k – Friday 11 May
• Loch Leven Half Marathon – Saturday 12 May
• Smokies 10 – Sunday 13 May
• Black Rock 5 – Friday 25 May
• FTR Dirty Weekend – Friday 1 June to Sunday 3 June
• Alloa Half Marathon (rescheduled date) – Sunday 3 June
• Chariots of Fire Beach Race – Sunday 3 June
• Errol 10k (rescheduled date) – Sunday 10 June
• Glenrothes 10k – Sunday 17 June
• West Highland Way Race – Saturday 23 June
• Sandy Slither – Wednesday 27 June
• Balbirnie Duathlon – Thursday 28 June
• Trail Busters Series Race 1 – Sunday 1 July
• Donkey Brae Run – Sunday 29 July
• Trail Busters Series Race 2 – Sunday 5 August
• Trail Busters Series Race 3 – Sunday 2 September
• Scottish Long Coastal Relays – Saturday 6 October

 

Cover photo – Leven Las Vegas Running Club is 5 years of age!

Tuesday Night Training and 5th Birthday Party

It was in March 2013 after the Alloa half marathon at a meeting in Morrison’s cafe attended by Leven jogscotland members Ian, Jeff, Gordon, Ross and Angela that the decision was made by all present to change the name of the group to Leven Las Vegas Running Club, the inspired suggestion having been made by Chris.

Club colours and insignia were soon produced and in the ensuing five years the iconic LLV vests, t-shirts and hoodies have been worn by several hundred runners.

On the occasion of the club’s 5th birthday, members raised money for Sport Relief by dressing as Elvises, super heroes and movie characters.

It was also the final evening of the current 10 week training block when the end-of-block time trial run takes place with members attempting to improve on the previous best times over a 1.8 mile course at the Energy Park in Methil. The biggest improver this time was Donna Rodger who becomes the holder of the Caley Cup.

Parkruns

At Kirkcaldy parkrun Donna Rodger followed up her midweek Caley Cup win by achieving a new personal best time on the Beveridge Park course. Gayle Moran, Lynsay Bell and Lesley Turnbull also had PBs. Meanwhile Willie Goodfellow set a new PB at Elgin parkrun.

John Muir Ultra

On Saturday morning was the John Muir ultramarathon event along a 30 mile route from Port Seton to Dunbar following the John Muir way via Aberlady, Gullane and North Berwick. Competitors have the choice of running the full distance or taking it on as a relay team.

LLV’s Robin Pate has a big year ahead with ultra marathons planned at the Highland Fling race in April and Tiree in September and he showed that his training has been going well by having an excellent run over the full 30 mile distance.

Davie Hogg and Jim Dunstan paired up to run 15 miles each and had the distinction of finishing in second place in the men’s relay. Karen Capewell also took part in the relay with teammate Kevin Funnel of Falkland Trail Runners.

Race results:

• Robin – 55th overall and 36th male 5:02:56
• Davie and Jim – 2nd male team 6:04:02
• Karen and Kevin – 12th mixed team 6:04:02

Tay Ten

On Sunday morning seven LLV members took part in the Tay Ten road race organised by Perth Road Runners. Bryan McLaren and Kevin Hughes both had excellent performances, finishing in 15^th and 22^nd place respectively in a large field of 300 runners. LLV ladies Jemma Guild, Teresa Guild, Karen Richards, Bex Oakenfull and Sarah Ives also ran well.

Race results:

• Bryan – 15th 64:09
• Kevin – 22nd 66:41
• Jemma – 179th 88:47
• Teresa – 195th 90:17
• Karen – 219th 95:02
• Bex – 232nd 97:19
• Sarah – 240th 98:08

Upcoming Events

Friday 6 April is the first Beveridge Park 5k race of the 2018 series.

Further ahead:

• St Andrews 5k (Fife AC Midweek Series) – Wednesday 11 April
• FTR Lost Trails Race – Sunday 15 April
• Angus Half Marathon – Sunday 15 April
• Livingston AC Open Graded Track Meeting – Wednesday 18 April
• Run Balmoral – Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 April
• London Marathon – Sunday 22 April
• Ravenscraig Park mile – Wednesday 25 April
• Kinross 10k – Thursday 26 April
• Highland Fling – Saturday 28 April
• Stirling Scottish Marathon and 5k – Sunday 29 April
• Scottish 5k Championships, Silverknowes – Friday 4 May
• Strathkinness to Blebocraigs (Fife AC Midweek Series) – Wednesday 9 May
• Beveridge Park 5k – Friday 11 May
• Loch Leven Half Marathon – Saturday 12 May
• Smokies 10 – Sunday 13 May
• Black Rock 5 – Friday 25 May
• FTR Dirty Weekend – Friday 1 June to Sunday 3 June
• Allow Half Marathon (rescheduled date) – Sunday 3 June
• Chariots of Fire Beach Race – Sunday 3 June
• Errol 10k (rescheduled date) – Sunday 10 June
• Glenrothes 10k – Sunday 17 June
• West Highland Way Race – Saturday 23 June
• Sandy Slither – Wednesday 27 June
• Balbirnie Duathlon – Thursday 28 June
• Trail Busters Series Race 1 – Sunday 1 July
• Donkey Brae Run – Sunday 29 July
• Trail Busters Series Race 2 – Sunday 5 August
• Trail Busters Series Race 3 – Sunday 2 September