Giffnock North’s Duncan Robinson made history at the second edition of Stride Athletics’ Flat ‘N Fast 5K at the West Lothian Cycle Circuit in Linlithgow, charging to victory in a time of 13:53 – a native best performance.
This means it is the fastest time a Scottish man has ran five kilometres on the road, on Scottish soil.
It also puts Robinson ninth on the Scottish all-time list behind 1500m world champion Jake Wightman, who ran 13:52 in Leicester in March.
In the women’s race, Dundee Hawkhill Harriers’ Natasha Phillips smashed the course record to take top prize in a time of 16:17.
Junior winners were crowned for the first time at Flat ‘N Fast too, with racing bibs by Laura Muir signed for the young athletes who topped the podium.
Men’s Elite Race A – Sponsored by Covell Matthews Architects
From the gun, Duncan Robinson led the charge and after a kilometre had made a break between him and the rest of the chasing pack. His solo run was incredibly measured, with all his splits within five seconds of each other. A wall of noise from the hundreds of fans in cheered the 21-year-old home to a new personal best and a new course record, first held by Inverclyde AC’s Ben Potrykus.
In fact, seven athletes would better the former course record last year. While last year’s Race A was a tactical affair that saw Potrykus get the better of Andrew McGill and Giffnock North’s Ross Good in a sprint, the pace of Robinson this time dragged others to fast times.
For a long period of time, Fife AC’s Ben Sandilands – the world champion in the T20 1500m – occupied second place, followed by Aberdeen AAC’s Mohamed Warsame. The pair seemed to establish themselves in their positions, but were followed by a group of three athletes including previous podium sitters McGill and Good and Garscube Harriers’ Finlay Ross-Davie. However, that electric pace started to set in, helping others move up the field. The podium looked all but sealed – Sandilands would cross the line in second in a time of 14:17 for a colossal personal best managing to pace his race to perfection, however Warsame faded into the final stretch.
McGill had gone, as had Ross-Davie and Good who crossed in fourth and fifth, but instead it was the fast-finishing Aberdeen AAC athlete Max Abernethy who had slowly worked his way up from just inside the top 10 at the halfway stage to finish third in 14:24. Warsame was sixth ahead of Central AC’s Luca Fanottoli, who was also inside the old course record.
Duncan Robinson said: “It was a great experience, first time doing Flat ‘N Fast and it didn’t disappoint.
“I thought let’s just go for this no excuses, it was amazing weather, an amazing crowd and I just went for it from the gun – it was the best 5K I’ve done so far.
“I was thinking I could hold this pace and be confident. I was thinking I need to run a fast time and set the standard high for them so they [younger athletes] have something to reach for.
“You can’t be too complacent at Giffnock with all these young guys trying to beat your times.
“I’ve never ran anything as flat or fast – it’s true to the name.
“I really like the five-lap setup and I was just ticking them off in my head and I much prefer that than being away from everyone except for the start or the finish – it was like a speed boost every time I came around.”
Women’s Elite Race C – Sponsored by Kevco Logistics
Natasha Phillips’ 2023-2024 winter season saw her crowned National Cross Country Champion and finish in the top 30 at the World Cross Country Championships. With the transition to the summer season, the Dundee Hawkhill athlete celebrated with a new course record and a total prize fund of £200.
A front three emerged in the women’s race, with the Under-20 athlete being joined by the returning Morag Millar of Central AC and Edinburgh AC’s Beth Ansell. By the halfway stage, Ansell had lost contact with the pair, and Phillips put distance between herself and Millar on the fourth lap.
The gap remained at four seconds in the last kilometre and Phillips would take the tape in 16:17, just shy of her personal best, as Millar – who recently gave birth to her second child – clocked a time of 16:21 – her fastest time in three years. Ansell smashed her personal best in a time of 16:36.
Five athletes broke the course record of 17:08 set last year by Edinburgh University’s Niamh Carr. Emily McNicol from Law and District would edge out Corstorphine’s Kara McKenzie-Tait, to go under the time too. Anya Maclean from Garscube Harriers was sixth, Cambuslang Harriers’ Holly Little was seventh and Under-17 athlete Ruth Walsh from Giffnock North, set a new personal best of 17:17 in eighth.
Junior 3K – Sponsored by Outsider Events
Airdrie Harriers had a 1-3 finish in the Under-15 Girls’ 3K, as Millie Gairn claimed the win in a time of 10:34. It was a great back-and-forth between Gairn and Lasswade’s Lucy Ward, who were separated by just three seconds. Both recorded large personal bests, with Ward crossing the line in 10:37 ahead of Eihlinn Gillespie in a new best of 11:04.
Aberdeen AAC’s Emily Taylor was impressive in the Under-13 Girls’ 3K, taking the tape in 10:57. Brooke Walker from Cambuslang Harriers was second in 11:40, just ahead of Aria MacFarlane from Harmeny, in a new personal best of 11:43.
It was a successful day for the MacMillan household as twin brothers Rory and Harrison of Central AC completed a 1-2 in the Under-15 Boys’ 3K. It was close going into the final lap between a few athletes, but Rory would pull away from his brother to take the tape in 9:19 ahead of Harrison in 9:23, recording personal bests. Victoria Park City of Glasgow’s Rhuaridh Laing held off Connor Campbell from Garscube Harriers for bronze in a time of 9:28.
Falkirk Victoria Harriers’ Ben Upfold took the Under-13 Boys’ title in a time of 10:12 for a new personal best, ahead of Rory Beattie of Harmeny in 10:19 and Falkirk teammate Thomas Mitchell in 10:22.
Stride Athletics will return in September for Flat ‘N Fast #3.
A race: 1) Duncan Robinson 13:53 2) Ben Sandilands 14:17 3) Max Abernethy 14:24
B race: 1) Alasdair Coupar 15:29 2) Sam O’Neill 15:29 3) David Mackintosh 15:33
C race: Women: 1) Natasha Phillips 16:17 2) Morag Millar 16:21 3) Beth Ansell 16:35
Men: 1) Brendan Carey 16:21 2) Kris Robbins 16:25 3) Stuart Gibson 16:49
D race: Women: 1) Ines Goncalves 18:14 2) Isabella Ogg 18:26 3) Suzi Blake 18:38
Men: 1) Andrew Waugh 17:52 2) Christopher Main 17:57 3) Simon Millage 17:57
E race: Women: 1) Daphne Rousselot 20:06 2) Charlotte Smith 20:11 3) Anna Bennett 20:13
Men: 1) Ross Williams 18:14 2) James Nicol White 19:13 3) Justin Flannigan 19:27
U15 Girls: 1) Millie Gairn 10:34 2) Lucy Ward 10:37 3) Eihlinn Gillespie 11:04
Boys: 1) Rory MacMillan 9:19 2) Harrison MacMillan 9:23 3) Rhuairdh Laing 9:28
U13 Girls: 1) Emily Taylor 10:57 2) Brooke Walker 11:40 3) Aria MacFarlane 11:43
Boys: 1) Ben Upfold 10:12 2) Rory Beattie 10:19 3) Thomas Mitchell 10:22
With thanks to our sponsors: Achilles Heel, Covell Matthews Architects, Diack & MacAulay, Kevco Logistics, McTaggart Constructions, Pack Performance and Outsider Events and our charity partner Athletics Trust Scotland.
With thanks to our suppliers: Tunnocks and ROKiT Fuel.
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