Congratulations to All our runners who took part in the London Marathon at the weekend; there's a couple of race reports below sharing their experiences of the race.
Finish times were as follows:-
Jason Wilson 3:31:36
John Parr 3:42:56
Graham Donaldson 3:17:52


FLM Race Report: Jason Wilson
I came home in 3h 31m 36s. Up to 18 miles I was on for 3.15 but then the rain came down and at the same time my legs started to go. Which is weird as in training it is my back / shoulder that has given me grief. A fantastic event, I could hardly believe the crowd support, just awesome.

Thanks to the club for the opportunity ro run FLM. And apologies - someone from Metro passed me with 600m to go. There was nothing I could do!


FLM Race Report: John Parr
Just a wee note to let you know that I managed to drag myself round London on Sunday in 3:42:56. This was my swansong and although not marathon fit, it was a niggling calf muscle (again) that nearly had me pulling out at the last minute. But I thought that I would give it a go and if it did not work out then I could simply drop out. Although always there, I progressed slowly and things went ok until mile 23. Ouch!. It then took me another 30 minutes to finish! Never having walked in any of my previous 59 marathons I was not going to start... but I sure was very pleased to see the finish line.


Well done everyone!
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Congratulations to everyone who took part in the Garioch 10k on Sunday ('the biggest race in the country' according to race starter Alex Salmond....)
We had a tremendous club turnout; the Garioch vests were prominent across the entire field, including a 3rd vet podium finish for David Blane.
Some long lost faces also made an appearance, most notably GRR founder member John Sharp, who came up from his new abode of Dundee for the event.
Despite the nasty cold headwind and hilly course, there were still some impressivbe PBs posted.

Finishing times were as follows:-
Alison Sutherland 57:09
Gillian Burtwell 1:00:22
Jane Morrison 51:38
Tamsin Morris 48:22 (PB)
Brian Ross 42:23 (PB)
Bruce Taylor 41:47
Cameron Leel 41:21
Craig Kelly 43:06
David Blane 37:30 (3rd MVet)
Dave Roberts 41:49
Duncan Leel 43:24
Grahame Thomson 42:11
Ian Cran 44:34
James McGregor 39:31
John Sharp 54:53
Leigh Summers 51:47
Neil Skene 57:26
Rab (the nite runner) Murray 39:41
Richard Ingram 39:50
Steve Barret 40:09
Steve Waites 51:19
Tom Litterick 40:25

Well Done Everyone!
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Garioch 10k: Story of the Real Winner

I got news this week that brought a lump to my throat, that I just had to share with you.
Without naming names, there was a runner in last weekend's Garioch 10k, who really was struggling to get round the course. The sweep van caught up with the runner at Polnar Dam at the 4km mark, but the competitor was determined to finish the race.
The runner declined the offer of a lift, and so the sweep van passed, but a couple of marshalls joined the runner on the course to keep the competitor company, and it was only then that amazing story of this runner was revealed.
You see this runner had previously been diagnosed, treated for and recovered from a brain tumour; in doing so had piled on a few pounds to tip the scales at 20st. They had then trained like billy-ho to loose weight and get some fitness for this race, and nothing was going to stop this runner from getting to that finish line.....
The crowds had dispersed a good bit by the time the runner got to the finish line, but thankfully the scouts were still on hand in the closing meters of the race route, to perform a mexican wave for encouragement. The finish line was crossed; the time on the race clock was irrelevant, it was simply the achievement of completing that counted. This was a very emotional moment for everyone there who knew the story, and many a tear of joy was shed, as indeed so often happens on a race finish line when what previously seemed impossible was achieved....
Long live the human spirit!

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Good Luck to Jason Wilson, who has been in touch with news of a promotion and posting overseas. Jason writes:
"After receiving the club place for London I am conscious that I haven't been that visible over the last couple of months. Unfortunately, promotion at work meant I had less control over my available time. So, balancing work, family and marathon training became a circus act many of you will be used to.

The main point of my email, however, is to say 'Farewell'. Well at least for a couple of years. I have been fortunate enough to be offered an assignment in Ravenna, NE Italy. So on March 31st I headed out and will be joined by my family in mid-April. Running will continue to feature as there is a very healthy calendar of events throughout the year, including the Ravenna Marathon and Half-marathon in November - although not quite as easy to get to as Groningen.

Finally, I would just like to thank those members of Garioch that have helped me with my training over the last few years. As a complete novice when I joined the Club your help, guidance and advice has been very much appreciated.

Good luck Jason in your travels....sounds like you'll be out running in a beautiful part of the world, with plenty of sunshine beating down on your back (lucky devil).
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