NHS worker proves to be silver darling for Inverness Harriers
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AN NHS worker helped her athletics club claim second place in a national running event after completing a shift at a hospital in Inverness.
Julie Wilson (52) of Inverness Harriers was part of a six-women team who competed in the event organised by Scottish Athletics.
With the rest of the women having already uploaded their results, the Inverness team needed Wilson to run her 5k leg in 20 minutes and 42 seconds in order to overhaul Fife Athletics Club and take second place behind Aberdeen Metro.
Wilson, who won over-45 steeplechase bronze in the world veteran championships in Australia in 2016, completed her shift at New Craigs Hospital and proceeded to run 20:13 to earn second place.
Jenny Bannerman got the Inverness team off to a flying start with a 10k of 35:01, just nine seconds outside her best and the second fastest in the entire women’s event. Gemma Cormack backed this up with a strong 37:40, in advance of Catriona Fraser’s 18:45 over 5k.
Former 400m runner Lesley Hansen produced a personal best 10K of 38:46 and cross country cap Mhairi MacLennan, restricted to 5k due to a recent bout of bronchitis, had the third fastest short leg of 17:04.
Meanwhile, the Inverness men’s team took eighth place in the national competition.
There with 5k contributions from Cameron Young (15:26), John Newsom (16:24) and Stuart Gardiner (16:48).
While in the 10k legs, Muir of Ord athlete Donnie MacDonald was fastest with a time of 33:02, Graham Bee (34:13) and Jonny MacLeod (37:26).
