Elite ultra marathon runners and newbies alike mingled among the 92 starters that congregated at Partick train station on a fine Saturday morning for the inaugural running of one of Scotland's new ultra marathons, the Clyde Stride. This race forms part of the Scottish Ultra Marathon Series, a group of nine races ranging in distance from 33 to 95 miles.
A briefing from the race organiser, Lee Maclean preceded a gathering in a Glasgow tunnel where the participants were sent on their forty-mile journey by the Vice Chair of sportscotland, Ian Beattie.
Race favourite, Grant Jeans left the start line as if he was running a 10km race closely followed by Dumfries RC's Paul Hart. The pair led the pack along the route that follows the Clyde for ten miles all the way to Cambuslang Bridge and the first checkpoint. As he left for the next section there was no letting up in Jeans' pace who has won a clutch of recent races and has stated that his aim is to break every world record from 50km upwards. Unfortunately for Paul Hart, his challenge for the front place came to an end shortly after making a navigational error just outside Cambuslang.
Despite a midway challenge from Kirkintilloch's Gavin Harvie, Jeans held on to the lead throughout the race and crossed the line at the New Lanark World Heritage site in 5:08:05. His Garmin GPS read a total distance of 45 miles which is testament to his own navigational error and one wonders what time he might have set otherwise.
Carnethy's Lucy Colquhoun led the female field from the start which included elite distance runners like Gail Murdoch, Claire Shelley and Sharon Law. Lucy's domination of the UK's female ultra scene remained unchallenged throughout and despite stopping to help a lost dog, crossed the finish line in 5:27:20 and in second overall place.
Among the assembled finishers consensus was that this race is a fine addition to the list of Scottish ultras and despite its apparent benign route is one that should be treated with a degree of respect.
Of the 92 runners that left Partick, 85 achieved a finish with Strathaven's intrepid Colin Smith closing the race in a time of 9:34:33 in this, his first ultra marathon.
Written by Dave Waterman Clyde Stride
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