Roon the Toon 10k, well what can I say.  A really impressive first running of the event which attracted well over a 1000 runners in its first year.  The organization was superb, with a great start / finish venue at the Ayrshire Athletics Arena, closed roads throughout, fantastic crowds round the whole course, a samba band and gospel choir and Nutz the Squirrel(Kilmarnock FC’s Mascot) .  It really did have the feel of a big race event that has been going for years.  Well done to Kilmarnock Harriers for such a brilliant race, I’m looking forward to next year already.

As I was born on part of the course (old maternity hospital sadly now a pile of rubble) and brought up just outside Kilmarnock I was really looking forward to running round the roads that I knew so well and it didn’t disappoint.  Queens Drive was completely closed to traffic as we headed out of the start making our way towards the town.  We then headed out towards Holmes Road and into the countryside for a short spell where there was a few wee hills that really took it out of the legs (so much for it being flat).  We came back into town along Dundonald Road passing by the Mecca of Rugby Park where the water station was.  It was on up to the Kilmarnock Sherriff Court where interestingly Strava shows the next mile was Fraser McPhail’s fastest mile, he must have previous experience running away from there.  We headed up John Finnie Street which had two lanes closed to traffic, the inside lane did have traffic in it but all were stopped at the top so people were all hanging out of cars cheering and shouting us on as we climbed to the train station at the top of the hill.  

It was then round the one system passed the Bus Station and back onto Queens Drive to finish off with half a lap of the running track where we collected our medal and goody bag which contained a well deserved empire biscuit.

Paul Deas