Hundreds turn out for Mey 10k
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Now entering its sixth year, the Castle of Mey 10K was blessed with perfect weather for the runners who turned up in droves to be part of the big race, along with the children’s Mey Mile and a new event for this year, the Mey Meander.
Sunday’s main event featured 294 people taking part, some for the fun of it but some taking it more seriously.
The men’s course record was broken by Andrew Douglas, who took an impressive three minutes off the previous best time.
A total of 121 excited children took part in the Mey Mile and 38 people in the new Mey Meander, a 5km walk designed to make sure there is something for everyone on the day.
Money raised by people taking part in the new walk will go to the event’s chosen charity, Marie Curie Cancer Care.
North Highland Harriers’ (NHH) club coach Sophie Dunnett is delighted with how the day went and that the many new ideas worked so well.
“We moved the start and finish area down to the front of the castle which actually worked really well, keeping everyone together and created a fantastic atmosphere,” she said.
“We were offering pre or post-run massages from two of our members and had a big group warm-up which was really popular, with gymnasts doing a display too.
“We also had four pace runners so people who had target times were able to stick with them.”
With fantastic weather, starting off cooler in the morning and getting warmer as the day went on, only one runner pulled out because of muscle strain and the NHH are proud to have kept up their tradition of getting everyone home within an hour and a half.
Ms Dunnett is delighted that all of the beginner runners the club has been working with since January completed the 10K and she said the club has had a lot of positive feedback.
“We’ve had so many people saying how good it is to run with other people,” she said.
“The kids were so excited, as ever, about being involved and we know the Mey Meander will grow.
“We’ve had a massive swell of interest on social media too, as it’s very much a community event.
“Apart from the three men who came in under 36 minutes, it’s all about the participation and probably our main focus is on the people who are doing the 10K for the first time.”
Next for the NHH is the popular Wick Gala 5K in July and the Turbine 10K in August.
Two videos of the Mey 10K day can be found on the NHH’s Facebook page.
* For full results from the Mey 10k, see the print version of the Caithness Courier.
