Annan and District Athletics Club

Nov 20 2009 Dumfries Standard Friday

WHILE England’s gales were making headlines in the south, our corner of Scotland quietly endured more torrential rains that coincided with Annan and District Athletic Club’s opening event in the “M6 Joint Venture Winter Championship”.

The five-mile ‘Crooked Road Race’ is held on a hilly mix of tarmac but mostly steep muddy paths just to the north west of Beattock and Saturday morning’s run proved to be the wettest in memory where swimming gear would have been more appropriate than trainers at times.

Twelve runners from the district managed their way around diversions for flood closed roads ready for the 10.30am start and with nobody expecting fast times in the pouring rain and heavy going underfoot, times were down a couple of minutes on previous years.

After wringing out clothes and changing to dry gear the runners enjoyed warming soup and pudding at Jim and Margaret Buchanan’s house in nearby Moffat – grateful thanks to them for the hospitality.

Times were as follows: Adam Anderson 34.40; Joe Boardman 36.14; Roger Irving 36.40; Andy Fairgrieve 38.27; Gordon Vivers 38.44; Ross Dolder 38.54; Kevin Plummer 41.16; Andrew Kennedy 41.21; Louise Hopper 46.20; Caroline Legg 48.28; Jean Robson 53.36; Liz Myatt 80.00.