Run Balmoral

2 months ago

Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!
Make sure you grab your 2020 RUNBALMORAL entry before 12 noon on Monday 8th July for a chance to WIN a £50 RUN4IT VOUCHER to splurge on running gear!

Everyone who registers at www.runbalmoral.com before 12 noon on Monday 8th July will be automatically entered into a free prize draw for 2 x £50 Run4It vouchers. 2 winners will be announced on Tuesday 9th July. GOOD LUCK!

@runbalmoral
@RUN4IT ... See MoreSee Less

Run Balmoral

3 months ago

2020 RUN BALMORAL DATE CONFIRMED

The 2020 Run Balmoral races are to be held over the weekend of 18th-19th April and will, for the first time in many years, avoid clashing with the London marathon.

More than 5,000 runners signed up for our races this year but we have responded to feedback from local competitors who were unable to take part because the London marathon was on the same weekend.

Run Balmoral chairman James Knowles said:"The 2020 London marathon is on 26th April so we have brought our event forward to the weekend before that.

"We know that significant numbers of runners in recent years have been disappointed to miss Balmoral either beacuse they were taking part in the marathon or were watching it on TV.

"We have responded to that and hopefully this will allow these runners and their families to come to Balmoral and perhaps use one of our races as a final workout before tackling the marathon."

"We will soon be announcing when entries for RunBalmoral 2020 will open." ... See MoreSee Less

Run Balmoral

4 months ago

Another amazing day of racing at Balmoral with some fantastic performances in the Apollo duathlon and the Bristow 15 mile and three mile trail races.The weather was excellent too with some warm early summer sunshine.

And what an awesome couple of days it has been for Aberdeen's Alan Semple who won the Repsol Sinopec Devil of Deeside Challenge for the third year in a row.

He kicked the day off in fine style by winning the Apollo duathlon. Aberdeen's Andy King led from James Adamson at the end of the first 6km run but Semple wasn't far behind in a chasing group which included previous winner Dan Whitehead (Ballater) and Paul Knight (Metro Aberden).

Semple, who had finished 14th in the previous day's 5km and eighth in the 10km, powered into the lead on the 16km mountain bike stage and extended his advantage on the final 5km run to complete the duathlon course in 1hr 20min 15sec.

King took second position in 1:21:30 while a weary Whitehead took third position in 1:22:38.

Semple went on to complete the Devil by finishing fifth in the Bristow 15 mile trail race in 1:35:29 to achieve a total time of 3hr 48min 58secs for the four races - a Devil record.

Veteran Deeside athlete Ruth Mackenzie came through strongly to win the women's duathlon in 1:44:26. Kathrine Thomson (Fleet Feet) took second position in 1:45:07 while Vicky Burtt (Spey Runners), who led at the end of the opening run, was third in 1:45:22.

Thomson went on to pip Mackenzie for the Devil of Deeside women's title with a combined time of 5:00:15.

Great Britain orienteering international Alexander Chepelin flew to victory in the Bristow 15 mile trail race. The Edinburgh University student,who broke clear of his rivals in the early stages,looked relatively untroubled as he navigated round the hills and tracks in 1hr 24min 39secs.

Chepelin got the better of GB ultra trail running international Kyle Greig (Metro Aberdeen) who was competing just a few weeks after taking bronze in the British 100km road running championships.

Greig, who was also second in 2018, completed the route in 1:26:38 and just managed to hold off his clubmate Jason Kelly was was only 10secs behind.

Marie Baxter won the women's race in 1:44:17 less than a fortnight after completing the Boston marathon. The JS Kintore club member was delighted to have recvered so quickly and admitted to being surprised by her victory.

Kerry Prise (Metro Aberdeen), a former Devil of Deeside champion, was second in 1:47:26 with Shetland ultra distance specialist Charlotte Black third in 1:48:20.

Braemar's Angus Wood set a record time of 19min 23secs when winning the Bristow three mile trail race after having finished runner-up behind twin brother Fergus for each of the previous two years. Angus completed the testing course in 19min 23secs with Fergus finishing 26secs behind.

Ross Chalmers (Newburgh Dunes Running Club), who was second in the previous day's secondary schools 2.5km, took third spot in 20:32.

Morven Booth led home the women's field in 27:00 with veteran Rosey Leiper (Metro Aberdeen) second in 27:53 while Kirsteen Donald was third in 29:00 ... See MoreSee Less

Run Balmoral

4 months ago

What a fantastic opening day at Run Balmoral 2019.

The overcast conditions and occasional showers didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the large and enthusiastic crowd of spectators, or the thousands of runners of all ages.

And we had some outstanding races to watch.

The action got underway with the MPH 1.5km runs for primary school pupils.

Aberdeen's Hugo Denniel, a pupil at Albyn school, was first to finish, completing the course in 5min 45secs to win the boys' race by two secs from Luc Macleod of Banchory Stonehaven AC.

Luc's clubmate Wynn Mardall, from Ballater, was third in 5:54, followed by Alford's Liam Harper in 5:58.

Beth Collins came within five secs of the course record when winning the girls' race for the second year in a row.

The Dundee Hawkhill Harriers club member recorded 5:59, 10secs quicker than her 2018 winning time. It's the fourth fastest time in the 14 year history of the race.

Elspeth Cruickshank, from Premnay in Aberdeenshire, was runner-up in 6:21 with Isla Burns (Inverness Harriers) third in 6:23, one second ahead of Rhian Birnie (Youngmeldrum Runners).

Then came the Harrogate Spring Water 2.5km secondary schools race. Banchory Stonehaven AC's Kane Noble led from the start to win in 7:51.Ross Chalmers (Newburgh Dunes Running Club) finished strongly to take second position in 7:53, one second ahead of Archie McRonald (Perth Strathtay Harriers), while Thomas Mackenzie (Aberdeen AAC) was fourth in 8:08.

Fife AC runners dominated the girls' race with Hayley Brown taking top spot in 8:25 while her clubmate Jaden Lenny was runner-up in 8:33.

Caitlin Christie (Falkirk Victoria Harriers), who led in the early stages, finished third in 8:35 with Aberdeen's Jessica Beaton (Harlaw Academy) fourth in 8:52.

The big guns came out in force for the ConocoPhillips 5km - with three Scotland internationals battling it out at the front.

At the end of a thrilling contest, Metro Aberdeen's Cameron Strachan sprinted clear of his rivals to complete the route in 14min 44secs, just two secs adrift of the record set by Moray's Kenny Wilson twelve months earlier.

Wilson, winner for the previous three years, was left trailing in Strachan's slipstream, eventually finishing third in 15:05 while Ali Hay (Central AC), the 2012 and 2014 race winner, took second poosition in 14:51.

There were more Scotland stars in the women's race won by Morag Millar (Central AC) who, for the second time in three years, relegated two-time previous winner Jenny Bannerman (Inverness Harriers) to the runner-up position.

Larbert-based Millar zipped round in 16:19, a time bettered by only nine men,and almost 40secs quicker then she posted on her previous visit to Deeside in 2016.

Bannerman was second in 17:17 while her clubmate Gemma Cormack,the 2015 winner, finished third in 17:54.

The day came to a close when almost 1800 runners lined up for the Stena Drilling 10km which was dominated by Great Britan mountain running international Andy Douglas.

The Ednburgh-based Caithness man sped to an impressive victory in 31min 37secs, just seven secs outside Robbie Simpson's 2014 course record.

This was his third Balmoral 10km win since 2012 and he has also twice won the 15 mile trail race, including a course record-breaking performance in 2015.

Heriot Watt University mechanical engineering student Hamsish Wolfe was runner-up in 33:59 while Edinburgh's Rowan Boswood,an ultra distance specialist in training for June's West Highland Way race, was third in 34:56.

Metro Aberdeen's Claire Bruce retained the women's title when finishing 24th overall in 39:59 while her clubmate Ali Matthews was runner-up for the second year in a row, clocking 41:46. Aberdeen's Tracy Brogan was third in 42:40.

And the final result of the afternoon came through when Cops and Joggers were named Stena Drilling-ConocoPhillips Corporate Team Challenge champions for the fifth time in seven years. The team included Patrick Wolfe and his son Hamish (10km runner-up), Russell Willox, Matt Thompson,Jonathan Murray,Tom Jenkins and Ali Matthews. ... See MoreSee Less