Babcock Building Upon 35 Years of Success 10k Series
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Helensburgh 10k Thursday 4th of May 7:30pm Babcock
RESULTS
Breezy Evening for Babcock Helensburgh 10k A chilly and persistent breeze put paid to any hope of fast times in the first race in this year’s Babcock 10K Series at Helensburgh on Thursday 4th May. There were 408 finishers from an entry of 598 runners. Shettleston’s Daniel Bradford was immediately to the head of the field churning out sub five minute miles with his closest challengers being Inverclyde’s Gregor Yates and clubmates Fred Davies and Fergus Donnelly. Bradford who as a V35 ran 30 minutes 11 seconds in the Scottish 10km track championships on 28th April was never seriously challenged and eased home 33 seconds ahead of Gregor Yates in a repeat of their result in the Jim Dingwall Round the Houses 10K on 16th April. Bradford clocked 31 minutes and 7 seconds to Yates’ 31.40 with Fred Davies completing the podium in 32.54. The women’s race was by comparison much closer with local girl Sophie Canty prevailing over Kristina Greig of Bellahouston Harriers. Canty a former Lomond School pupil and now Helensburgh police officer was cheered on by her colleagues as she came home in 38 minutes and 45 seconds just eleven seconds ahead of Greig, in the colours of Dumbarton AAC. The previous week Canty had triumphed in the Dumbartonshire AAA track 5,000m championships. Victoria Riddell of Shettleston completed the podium in 39.45. Shettleston ran out easy winners in the men’s team race with three runners in the first four places, forty points clear of Inverclyde and seventy two points ahead of Cambuslang in third. Canty led her Dumbarton team mates to victory too, backed up well by Hollie Rae in twelfth and V50 Melissa Wylie in fourteenth. Garscube and Cambuslang were second and third. Andrew Osborne of Greenock Glenpark in tenth overall was first over forty in 34.35 just five seconds ahead of Stuart McGeachy from Cambuslang and twice former winner, Paul Sorrie not far behind on 34.51. Rob Soutar was first over fifty in 37.06 only just ahead of Dave Thom from Cambuslang who ran 37.22 to win the over sixty prize. Lewis McGuire was first male under twenty in 41.27 and first female was Mary Senior of Garscube was first over fifty but managed to beat all of the over forties too. She ran 40.15 whilst Sharon McNicol of Giffnock North just held off Helensburgh’s Emma Wilson for first over forty in 42.09 but Emma gained the consolation of being first local woman after Sophie Canty. Erica Christie was first over sixty woman in 45.58. First Team Clyde runners made up of Babcock employees, Royal Navy and Ministry of Defence colleagues were Alan Blair running in the colours of Garscube Harriers who finished eighth overall in 34.14 and Fiona Balfour in 48.59.
SHETTLESTON 10k Sunday 14th May 10.00am Babcock
RESULTS
Natasha Phillips Storms to Best Under-Twenty 10K in Nearly Forty Years at Babcock Shettleston 10K Natasha Phillips stormed to the fastest 10K by an under-twenty athlete in nearly forty years when she destroyed the course and series’ records at yesterday’s Babcock Shettleston 10K on Glasgow Green. Phillips, who in recent weeks has won the Scottish ten mile and half-marathon titles, was always at the head of proceedings, as she completed the first lap of 5K in a shade under 17 minutes before powering around the second circuit almost a minute quicker, to come home in 32 mins 57 seconds – nearly a minute ahead of second placed Kirsty Walker, who ran an impressive 33 mins 49 seconds. Naomi Lang of Carnethy Hill Runners completed the podium in 34:46. Natasha’s run was rewarded with another Scottish Athletics Championship gold medal, as she earned her third title in just over a month, but – perhaps more importantly – her run was the fastest 10K by an under-twenty UK athlete since barefoot runner, Zola Budd, fresh from the Los Angeles Olympics the previous year, ran 32 mins 20 seconds in 1985. Calum Johnson of Gateshead Harriers was determined to secure victory after a long journey up from Tyneside. He bided his time with the leading group for the first lap in around 14:56, which included Inverclyde’s John Bell and Alastair Hay from Central, before cutting loose and coming home in a course record of 29 mins 45 seconds, with a 44 second margin over John Bell, who picked up his third Scottish medal but first title in recent weeks, and Alastair Hay, who was runner-up in the Scottish title race, with Cambuslang’s Ryan Thomson in third. There were more than 750 entries for the second race in the 2023 Babcock 10K Series and a further 130 runners in the Babcock 2.3K Family Fun Run. Equally impressive was Fiona Matheson’s UK over-sixty record of 38 mins and 8 seconds. Fiona, from Falkirk Victoria, has been breaking age group records for more than twenty years and is showing no sign of slowing down. She was almost two minutes quicker than Mary Senior of Garscube, who won the over-fifty category. Sara Green of Gala Harriers ran an impressive 35:09 to prevail amongst the over-forties. In the men’s age groups, Darrell Hastie of Gala, in twelfth overall, was first over-forty in a speedy 31:21. Robert Harrison, who has yet to join a club, squeezed out Alan Cunningham of Corstorphine by 4 seconds to take the over-fifties title in 34:24. Dave Thom of Cambuslang was a comfortable winner of the over-sixties in 36:36. Fraser Gilmour of Kilbarchan was first male under-twenty in ninth overall with a very promising 31:15. Kyle Brotherton of Red Star impressed by winning the wheelchair category in the Scottish Championships in 36:03. Leading Team Clyde runners were Alan Blair in 33:57 and Fiona Balfour in 49:08, both for the second race in a row.
DUMBARTON 10K Thursday 25th May 7.30pm Babcock
RESULTS
Iranian Kurdish Refugee Wins Babcock Dumbarton 10K in Fine Style Taha Ghafari of Shettleston Harriers, an Iranian Kurdish refugee who recently relocated from London to Glasgow, scorched the roads and cycle paths of Dumbarton to record the second fastest ever time for the event, finishing in 29 mins and 54 seconds to come within 14 seconds of Tewolde Mengisteab’s course record, which dates back to 2009. Ghafari represented the international refugee team in both the World Cross-Country in Australia and the European Cross-Country in Italy. He certainly has an impressive pedigree which allowed him to put 68 seconds between himself and his closest pursuer Ryan Thomson of Cambuslang, who was second, and Gregor Yates of Inverclyde in third. Shettleston Club Secretary, John Mackay, has developed something of a reputation for recruiting and supporting an array of international talent. This began after the 2008 World Cross-Country Championships in Edinburgh when several of the Eritrean team sought political asylum in the UK and joined the club. Most notable of the former Eritrean club members has been Tsegay Tewelde, who represented Britain in the 2016 Olympic Marathon in Rio. More recently, Weynay Ghebresilasie finished first Briton in last year’s London Marathon. Weynay holds the Babcock 10K Series record at 29:32. Shettleston Harriers boasts more than twenty nationalities. Nynke Mulholland of Inverclyde comfortably won the women’s race in 35:47, 65 seconds ahead of ‘super vet’, Lesley Bell who, as an over-forty, claimed second place by 13 seconds from Rebekah Russell of Bellahouston Road Runners. Sophie Canty from Dumbarton claimed the Series title, with 5th, after winning the Babcock Helensburgh 10K on May 4th. The ultra-consistent Fred Davies of Shettleston won the men’s Series title in sixth. Shettleston predictably won the men’s team race, with first, Mark McKelvie fifth and sixth from Bellahouston Road Runners and Greenock Glenpark. Lesley Bell led Garscube to the women’s team title from Shettleston Harriers and hometown favourites, Dumbarton Athletics Club. The event also included the Dunbartonshire AAA Championships, which were won by Garscube’s Colin Whitby in 33.08 and Sophie Canty in 39:25. Alan Blair and Fiona Balfour swept the board in all three races to claim the Team Clyde men’s and women’s titles. That concludes this year’s Babcock 10K Series with almost two thousand runners taking part across the three races. Babcock’s sponsorship continues next year and into 2025.
The Series will continue to feature: • More Mile technical t-shirts for all series entrants • Unique commemorative medals for each event • Goody bags at each race • Chip Timing • Over £6000 in cash prizes and Start Fitness vouchers • Professional race organisation
These brands are joining us as our running retail partner and brand. They will bring great technical expertise and generous support for our runners.
 Enter all three races for £49.00 (club members/affiliated runners) Enter all three races for £52.00 for (unaffiliated series entrants). £23.00 per race for (club members/ affiliated runners). £25.00 per race for (unaffiliated runners).
Enter now at runABC