Craig clinches West title
Published 19 Jan 2011 10:00
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INVERCLYDE AC's Craig Ruddy won his first West District cross-country title at a windy Irvine on Sunday.
Craig, pictured, was always in the leading group of runners, sitting just behind the leaders in the first of three laps making up the senior/junior mens' 10k distance.
The race took place over a mainly-firm course at Irvine, with just a few patches of the trail holding some surface water from the previous day's heavy rain.
It was Shettleston Harriers' Eritrean internationalist Tewelde Mengisteab, top junior man Lachlan Oates and Cambuslang's Stuart Gibson that set the pace early on, with Gibson deciding to make a break at the end of the first lap.
Craig still sat back when the break occurred, but halfway through the next lap he reeled in the leaders and passed them to take the lead.
After this, Craig produced a sustained effort that saw him open a gap on the chasing pack, with Mengisteab and Gibson now starting to pay for the break.
These two were passed by Shettleston's Paul Sorrie, who began leading the chase after Craig.
Entering the third and final lap, Craig had a clear lead on his own and worked hard, increasing the pace. This proved decisive as he began opening a gap over the chasing Shettleston duo of Sorrie and Oates.
With a sustained effort, Craig continued to extend his lead right to the finish and comfortably won, clocking a winning time of 30.38 to finish ten seconds ahead of Sorrie, with Oates a further two seconds back in third place.
This was a very smart tactical race by Craig, who used all his experience to time his move to the front just right, without getting involved in the early breaks that Gibson and Mengisteab ultimately paid for late on.
Craig's excellent hard work over the last few months and his training form is now beginning to show.
With the Scottish 4k
cross-country championships at Bellahouston Park on Sunday week, and the Scottish national cross-country championships over 12k on Saturday 19 February followed by the season's finale, the UK inter-counties in Birmingham on Saturday 5 March Craig is hitting form at just the right time.
Andrew Campbell was the club's top junior man in a time of 36.25. Jude Boulton, Robert Shaw and Robert Gray can also be pleased with their runs, despite the lack of races recently.
Kilbarchan AAC's Elspeth Curran, from Langbank, comfortably won the womens' 6.4k race over two laps of the Irvine course.
Elspeth led from gun to tape, and like Craig, this was also her first West District title.
She produced an impressive performance as she completely dominated the race, easily winning by 52 seconds clocking a winning time of 22.57.
This was her first race since winning a European team gold medal in her first GB vest in the under-23 race at the European
cross-country championships in Portugal last month. She also led Kilbarchan to team gold.
Elspeth will now compete in the national 4k championships on 30 January, where she is the defending champion.
Both Craig and Elspeth are coached by Inverclyde AC's excellent elite coach Lawrie Spence.
Thanks to all the club's supporters on Sunday.
This Saturday, the club hold their Elliot/Cunningham 5.2-mile conceding handicap race starting at 2pm.
Please note, due to a burst pipe within the clubhouse after the recent cold snap, members should come along in their running gear as no showers will be available.
Inverclyde times: 1, C Ruddy 30.38; 70, A Campbell 36.25; 87, J Boulton 37.21; 145, R Shaw 41.38; 149, R Gray 42.18.
This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 19 Jan 11
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