The second race in the Babcock 10k Series had already broken records before the starting horn was pressed with 804 entries, 601 starters and an impressive 598 finishers adding to a magical night of athletics on the roads and cycle paths of Dumbarton.
Bright and breezy conditions met the runners as they lined up near Dumbarton Academy with Great Britain international Luke Traynor from Giffnock North looking in great shape as he warmed up.
Last year’s Babcock Helensburgh 10k winner Craig Ruddy, a resurgent Sean Fontana who boasts a personal best of 29.16 to his name as well as the usual clutch of talented young athletes were the main competition with Paul Sorrie, twice winner in Helensburgh, also starting.
The woman’s race was also fully loaded with top international talent with series record holder and Irish international Fionnuala Ross looking like she meant business.
Annabel Simpson, winner in Helensburgh last week, was looking for two in a row while last year’s winner Katie White from Garscube was returning to racing following an injury niggle.
Within 100 metres of the start in the men’s race, Traynor was already a few yards ahead and powering along at an impressive pace as he chased Tewelde Mengisteab’s 10-year-old course record of 29.40 and the bonus prize money of £300 if he broke the record in celebration of Dumbarton Athletic club’s centenary.
Read more: IN PICTURES: Hundreds of runners turn out for 2018 Dumbarton 10KRuddy, Fontana and the young Shettleston duo of Lewis Raeburn and Jamie Burns gave chase but Traynor was not hanging around for anyone, relentlessly stretching his lead to more than 90 seconds before stopping the clock in 29.55 - just 15 seconds shy of the elusive course record,
Ruddy was clear in second while Raeburn was third for the second week in a row as Fontana finished back in fourth.
In the women’s race, Ross was chasing Jennifer Wetton’s course record of 35.28 to secure the bonus. After early forays by Simpson and Elspeth Curran, Fionnuala took control and pulled away confidently to come home in exactly 34 minutes to hack 88 seconds from the course record and 25 seconds from her own series record.
She was chased home by Curran in second who was also a minute inside the old record in 34.27 and Simpson in third in 35.14 who leads in the series.
The Babcock Series now moves to its climactic conclusion with the Babcock Shettleston 10k on Sunday, May 26 at 10am.
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