Lothian running club athletes among the prizes at Loch Lomond

Jul 22 2010 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

LOTHIAN Running Club athletes were once again among the prizes competing at the Loch Lomond Games at Balloch on Saturday and Thornton Highland Games on Sunday.

Despite underfoot conditions at Balloch being spongy, Darren Thomson had a most successful afternoon.

Firstly he contested the 80 metres Scottish Championship (Grass) where he finished third. He then lined up in heat two of the Backmarkers 90 metres Handicap which he won in 10.03 seconds, in a hotly contested final.

Darren maintained his form in the 200 metres handicap, winning his heat in 21.73 second before finishing third in the final in another blanket finish.

In the Frontmarkers 90 Metres father and son John McStewart and Alan Stewart both won through to the final where Alan just missed out in making it a hat trick of club wins by finishing runner up with John in eighth.

Robert Inglis was also in winning form. Running from the 80 metres mark Robert worked his way through the field before taking up the running on the last lap and going on to cross the line in 4 minutes 36.62 seconds.

Along with sister Mhairi he contested the 3200 metres and in strength sapping muddy conditions Robert came through to finish in the runners up spot behind winner and backmarker Michael Gillespie. Mhairi ran a brave race to hang in for fifth place.

There was a big field for the Youth's 800 metres Handicap in which Lauren Arbuckle filled the final prize place in sixth.

At Thornton, Robert Inglis came from the backmark to win the Open 800 metres Handicap breaking the tape in 1 minute 56.78 seconds. He then ran fourth in the Open 1600 metres before going on to land a double in the 3200 metres handicap.

Darren Thomson was also in double winning form, after finishing third in the 90 metres handicap he went on to win both 200 metres and 400 metres handicaps.

In the Youth's events Nicola Kellock was fifth in the final of the 90 metres and third in the 200 metres.

In the 800 metres Hannah Stewart was runner up.

Sarah Inglis was competing at Pitreavie Stadium in Fife over the weekend where she contested the Women's 1500 metres at the Scottish Senior Championships.

On the Saturday she qualified from her heat in third place then the following day in the final, when for the second successive week the conditions put paid to the chances of good times Sarah came home in fifth place in 4 minutes 32.34 seconds.