Tough events tackled by determined trail group

The opening meeting of three of the East District Cross Country League took place at Stirling University on Saturday where the men’s team had a magnificent turn out of eleven members who competed over the muddy three lap, 9000 metre course.

The team finished a creditable 12th overall from 31 teams gathering 577 league points along the way.

With the first six finishers scoring the points, first home was Nick Brew finishing 96th in 34 mins 21 secs, followed by recent recruit Chris Russell, 75th in 34.45.

In the womens’ 6000 metres race Zoey Johnston, competing in her first ever cross country finished 24th in 26 mins 23 secs.

Derek McDonald competed at the Tartan Warrior event in Linlithgow where he finished fifth in the Elite Wave.

FTR secured two major prizes at the second annual Lochore Meadows race.

Following the trails around the loch the runners completed a two loop course Mark Webster, fresh from competing at Stirling the previous day, finished in second place in a time of 37 mins 40 secs just behind race winner Alan Budd 36.43.

Alison Sutherland took third female prize finishing 25th overall in 43.46.

The Aviemore 10k turned out to be a bit of a disaster when a marshall went AWOL and the runners ended up running two kilometres less.

Some of the club’s Skwerlz finished the 8k course with Jason Sharp sixth in 19 mins 33 secs.

Three FTR members competed at the Loch Rannoch Marathon with Calum Beaton and Sandy Adam finishing together in 4.25.37 with Scott Fraser in 4.30.29

Further afield, Malcolm MacTavish was a lone Skwerl when he took part in the Amsterdam Marathon where he finished in 4hrs 35 secs which placed him 9659th overall from 16,500 finishers