The rain clouds parted just in time for the Jimmy Irvine 10k, blessing runners with near-perfect conditions at Bellahouston Park. The sun even made a brief but welcome appearance, setting the stage for an exceptional race day.
This year, “The Jimmy” served as our 2024-25 season 10k Club Championship, with Kevin Campbell and Natalie Somerville claiming the titles of open and female champions respectively. Huge congratulations to both for their outstanding performances!
For me, the day started on a hectic note as I was running late for the race. Thankfully, Finn came to the rescue by picking up my race number, allowing me to just make it to the start line in time! Kenny Henderson also deserves a shout out for taking my phone so I could run without carrying it and cycling over to cheer us on and capturing some great moments from the day.
The course itself proved to be quite the challenge, with its long, grinding hills testing everyone’s stamina. I had an excellent start to the race, but the hills soon took their toll. By the 6k mark, James (delivering what I’d call the performance of the day) overtook me with a brilliant effort, and a few kilometres later, Josh powered past me as well. Despite the struggles, I was thrilled to come away with a personal best, as did James and Josh – well done to both!
The event wrapped up with the usual post-race festivities, including caramel wafers, an amazing spread of cakes and sandwiches, and lots of camaraderie. We even managed to gather nearly 20 club members for a fantastic group photo, showcasing the strong turnout and team spirit!
Unfortunately, I couldn’t stick around to enjoy the treats, as I had to make a quick exit after the photo to catch the Scotland vs. South Africa rugby match. Sadly, the day ended with a tough loss for Scotland, but the race itself was a highlight to remember.
A massive thank you to Bellahouston Road Runners for hosting another fantastic race and here’s to another memorable Jimmy Irvine 10k – already looking forward to next year!
Maryhill Harriers results (chip time):
41st Kevin Campbell 37.53
55th Finn Boyd 39.36
102nd James Prior 42.33
110th Josh Thornburn 43.02
114th Ross Trearty 43.20
119th Stephen Tomasso 43.32
134th Natalie Somerville 44.19
145th Derek Muirhead 44.56
206th Cat Nisbet 47.57
217th Andrew Cummings 48.34
235th Claire Glancy 48.54
252nd Maria Mott 49.41
266th Heather Stevenson 50.05
350th Gwen Keenan 54.05
368th Chris Hever 55.11
379th Linda Sinclair 56.02
406th Margaret Peebles 56.56
408th Susan Gunn 56.59
