Kirkcaldy Parks Running Festival: Half marathon winner sets course record
Kirkcaldy’s streets and parks were once again filled with runners at the weekend as the Kirkcaldy Parks Running Festival cemented its place as a major fixture in the town’s sporting calendar.
The successful event featured three races, with 5K and 10K trail races at Dunnikier Park on Saturday before Sunday’s Kirkcaldy Parks Half Marathon took runners through all three of the town’s parks.
In the half marathon, Fife Athletic Club’s Jamie Lessels produced a sensational run to win in 1:12:56. His blistering performance not only secured victory but also established a new course record.
Lessels’ latest success was particularly impressive given the demanding nature of the Kirkcaldy course, which is regarded as one of the more undulating road half marathons on the Scottish racing circuit.
Fife AC runners claimed five of the top 10 places. Yulian Vasiliev finished fourth in 1:17:37, while junior Marcas MacFarlane was fifth overall and first male junior in an excellent 1:19:54. Simon Annetts was seventh in 1:21:32, with Bruce Myles ninth overall and first male 50 in 1:22:35.
The competitive male 50 category also saw Graeme McDowall take second place in 1:23:09 and 14th overall. Jamie Greig and Ryan Gray were involved in one of the closest finishes of the day, separated by just one second, with Greig 20th in 1:26:47 and Gray 21st in 1:26:48.
Janet Dickson added another age-category victory for Fife AC, finishing first female 50 in 1:29:02. Other notable performances included Graeme Syme’s 1:27:20 for 24th and Tim Kinnaird’s 1:28:45 for 29th.
The Kirkcaldy Wizards were led home by Gary Whitton in 1:35:51, followed by Gordon Rae in 1:37:26 and Matthew Paul in 1:38:02. Hilary Lalande also claimed an age-category podium, finishing third female 40 in 1:38:13.
There was further success in the half marathon for Fife AC’s Jane McGirk, who was second female 60 in 1:54:18, while Eliza McLachlan won the female 70 category in 2:01:52. Wizard Carly Coombes was second female junior in 2:09:59.
The 10K trail race produced another strong showing from the Wizards. Panashe Kwajiya secured third place overall in 38:40, while Colin Ritchie finished inside the top 10 in 44:12 and took third male 40.
Margaret Martin won the female 70 category in 52:02, with Innes Bracegirdle second in 54:08. Janet McWhinnie was also on the podium, finishing second female 60 in 59:13.
The 5K saw Fife AC juniors make their mark, with Felix Watters finishing fourth in 24:06 and Oliver Cairns sixth in 26:51. Susan Thores added another age-category podium for the local club, taking second female 60 in 40:03.
Fife runners also travelled to Leven for the General Sosabowski 5K beach race. Kirkcaldy Wizard Kasia Szafarz recorded a strong 24:22, with Louise Provan, Shirley Bremner, Diane Selkirk and Jennifer Hodgson also completing the course.
Across all three Kirkcaldy events, the performances underlined the depth of local running talent, while the large turnout once again highlighted the festival’s growing importance to the town’s sporting community.