Kirkcaldy Wizards' Craig Stokes outstanding at 42-mile Highlands ultra marathon

In showery, sticky conditions, Stokes completed the course in 8 hours, 24 minutes and 4 seconds to finish 90th overall. After earlier reaching the first checkpoint at Bridge of Orchy in 56mins 32secs, he was 52nd, a placing which had deteriorated to 79th by the time he reached Glencoe Ski Centre in 1:58:29.

He then navigated the next section to Kinlochleven in 2:08:39, sitting in 89th, before reaching the fourth and final checkpoint in Lundavra in 6:57:12 and navigating the final section to the finish line in 1:26:52.

Stokes’s Wizards clubmate Paul Frape, competing in his first ultra in 11 months, was 239th in 10 hours and 36 seconds.

A third Wizard, Sean Brown, made a valiant effort to compete at the event despite struggling with injury in the build-up but wisely chose to withdraw at the 17-mile mark at the second checkpoint at Glencoe ski centre.

Earlier in the week on the Tuesday evening, Kevin Wallace was the fastest Fife Athletic Club runner in the Ceres 8, an eight-mile circular route which alternates direction every year. He finished fifth with a time of 47:04.

Other Fife AC results at Ceres were: 11 Daniel Hale 50:20, 17 Janet Dickson 52:37, 19 Rhona Van Rensburg 53:46, 25 Gary Whitton 54:55, 29 Andy Harley 55:50, 31 Rory Sandilands 56:32, 32 Hendrik van Rensburg 56:41, 34 Tony Martin 57:25, 39 Gerhard Van Zyl 58:14, 47 Neil Millar 59:32, 55 Paul Leishman 1:00:27, 57 Stuart Williamson 1:00:56, 66 Greg Stevens 1:04:09, 71 Margaret Martin 1:06:01, 76 Paul Sutherland 1:08:06 and 88 Jim Scobie 1:13:59.

Meanwhile, young Fife AC athlete Reiss Marshall finished eighth in the men’s 3000m at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

There was also a bronze medal for Pitreavie AAC's Caleb McLeod, who ran 1 minute and 53.38 seconds in the 800m. Marshall and McLeod are training partners in a group led by Steve Doig.

And Jenna Hilditch cleared 1.65m in the high jump to finish sixth and Amy Teasdale was ninth in the women's 3000m in 10:22.

Back on these shores at the Arbroath Half Marathon, Kirkcaldy Wizards’ Cara Murdoch finished in 1:58:16 to place 38th overall.

At the home Kirkcaldy Parkrun, Ben Kinninmonth won in a course PB of 16:36 and Fife AC team-mate Colin was fifth in a course PB of 19:59. Craig Thomson ran a PB of 24:59.

Thomas Gambino was second at Loch Leven Parkrun in 18:53, where Rhona Van Rensburg (19:56) was first female and fourth overall.

Greg Wilson (PB of 23:03), Mark Gowans (27:42) and James Paterson (32:22) all ran at Lochore Meadows.

At Dunfermline Parkrun, Fife AC’s Daniel Hale was fourth in a PB of 18:35, with Bryce Aitken ninth in 20:28.

And Calum Reid achieved a landmark first sub-21 5k PB at Victoria Parkrun in Glasgow, finishing in 20:53.