IN March he could finish only 129th in Edinburgh but yesterday, despite cruel conditions variously described as "horrendous", "like being sand-blasted" and "a war of attrition", he was first and in the money!
Paul McNamara (Athenry AC), a 32-year-old Irish cross country internationalist from Roscommon, won the Albert Bartlett Edinburgh Marathon and the first prize of £1000 in his first serious attempt at the distance.
McNamara, whose only previous visi
t to the Capital had been for the World Cross Championships two months ago when he finished 129th, covered the wind-blown 26-mile course from the city centre to Musselburgh Racecourse in two hours 25 minutes and six seconds to beat surprise runner-up Nathaniel Williams (North York Moors) by 27 seconds, with the favourite, Alabama-based Michael Green (Blackburn) third in 2:26.18. I was hoping for around 2:20.00, I feel I was in shape for that," said McNamara, who has a best 5000 metres track time of 14:06.93 and had once "jogged round" the Dublin marathon.
A stiff and cold easterly wind, which whipped up sand in the competitors' faces as they ran along Portobello promenade, was a daunting addition to the normal rigours of the classic distance and was a problem right up until the turn at the 18-mile point at Gosford House, near Aberlady.
Green was more forthright about the conditions: "To be honest the wind made it into an eight-mile race with an 18-mile run-in," he said.
"I took the lead a couple of times but then decided to sit in. As soon as we hit the 18-mile mark the race was on but I wasn't 100 per cent fit," said Green, who has a PhD in exercise physiology and has lived in the USA for 11 years.
"We'd all have liked times in the very low 2.20.00s."
Williams was competing in his third marathon and, despite the conditions, broke his personal best by a remarkable five minutes: "I'd have been delighted with 2:28.59," said the former tri-athlete, a graduate in human biology from Loughborough University.
"I did London (on April 13) and that was terrible so I wanted to run another one as soon as possible.
"That was a war of attrition out there, but Paul deserved to win as he led the whole way."
Chris Wilson (Cambuslang) was first Scot home in sixth place clocking a time of 2:29.57 and picking up a cheque for £500.
"It was a struggle," he admitted afterwards.
"My aim was to get to 13 miles, then hope to get to 18, but then it was great and I passed two guys who had got quite far ahead of me, one at 22 miles and the other at 24. My target was 2:29.0 and I got 2:29.57," said the Kirkcaldy-born nuclear physicist, now studying for his PhD at the University of the West of Scotland.
Pauline Powell, a 35-year-old Blackburn AC runner who has her own cleaning business in Nelson, Lancashire, captured the women's £1000 first prize in her first race as a veteran, finishing more then two minutes clear of a very tired Karen Hazlitt (Winchester) in 2:47.57, with Gill Laithwaite (St Helens), another veteran, third in 2:52.24.
"I'd probably have run a personal best time if it hadn't been for that wind but it's a great course, I really liked it," said Powell.
Hazlitt was: "Just delighted to finish, nice course though."
Lothians and Borders policewoman Dianne Lauder (Gala Harriers), was in ninth place in 3:02.01 and took the £500 for the first Scot and also won the British Police title.
"It was my first marathon and I was aiming for 3:15.00 so I'm delighted," said the 31-year-old WPC. To run such a time in such conditions suggests the gal from Galashiels has real talent for the event.
New league gives young athletes less hassleDESPITE having a new sponsor, Livingston-based Heating Appliances and Spares Limited (HASL), the new Lothian and Borders Athletics League could easily be called the "No-Hassle league".
The brainchild of veteran coach Bill Walker and administered by Edinburgh Athletic Club, the league is designed to provide a stepping stone for young athletes from the Lothian and Borders to develop in less severe and formal competition than in the normal inter-club meetings.
Athletes represent either Midlothian & Borders, Edinburgh, West Lothian and East Lothian and the better athletes, who may already be affiliated to a club, revert to competing for their area.
A cheque for £1000, which has been matched by Sportscotland, was presented at Meadowbank Stadium yesterday by HASL managing director Gordon Pringle.
Among the leading performances was a 63.4 seconds 400 metre hurdles debut by Edinburgh AC sprint hurdler Stephanie Walker.
The full article contains 827 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
