Huntly Quines and Loons running group take on Strathdon Stag 10k trail race and Berlin Half Marathon
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Last weekend saw the Huntly Quines and Loons running group in action in the hills of Strathdon as well as in Germany, writes Phil Dawson.
Both runs were on the Sunday with a good group heading to the more local race where the Strathdon Stag 10k trail race took place.
Taking her running much further afield was Fiona Cherry, who crossed the continent to take part in the Berlin Half Marathon along with 30,000 other athletes.
The Strathdon Stag is a new race on the calendar and is located at the Strathdon Ranch in the grounds of Culquoich Estate on the edge of The Cairngorm National Park.
With an elevation gain of almost 300 metres the route takes the runners to the highest point of the estate with some spectacular views across the Cairngorm Mountains, traversing the ridge, down through Scots Pine forests and the Monument Valley before following the River Don to the finish line.
Mark Law was the first of the Huntly group across the line in a time of 57:00 with Andrew Raeburn running his first race not far behind in 57:34.
Other Huntly runners finishing were Linda Silcocks 64:21, Claire Allan 66:14, Kath Munro 73:01, Mary Armstrong 73:01, Carol Fraser 74:48, Rachel Cameron 74:48 and Rhona Dent 77:16.
Everyone enjoyed the event but agreed that it was a hard race.
Silcocks said: “It was one of the most beautiful but undoubtedly one of the toughest hill races in a long time,” while Rachel Cameron said it was the toughest run she had ever done.
Cherry’s German adventure saw her mix with a massive field of competitors from 121 nations who registered for the event.
The field included a number of top Kenyan runners who dominated the leading pack.
The race starts and finishes near the Brandenburg Gate. Fiona’s fiancée Brodie Cluness was there to support her and he popped up at various locations on the route to cheer her on.
She rounded off her day with a personal best time for the half marathon distance crossing the line in one hour, 40 minutes and 43 seconds.
