Inverness runner sets new personal best over 800 metres in Glasgow
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Stephen Mackay completed his preparations for the British Indoor Championships in Glasgow by posting a new personal best in the 800 metres.
The Inverness Harrier ran one minute 51.40 seconds at a guest event at the Scottish Universities championships in Glasgow.
It was Mackay’s last race before he competes in the 1500 metres at the British event next weekend.
His performance also comes five weeks after his silver medal in the Scottish 3000 metres championship in which he was the top Scottish competitor with a personal best of 8:13.19.
He now regards his competitive preparations as complete.
“I have to be pleased enough with that time because it took quite a bit off the fastest I’ve ever run indoors,” he said.
“The big aim for this winter season is the 1500 metres at the British Indoor Championships in Glasgow and I feel I’m getting into the right place for that.
“After the 3000 metres, I could see that the longer endurance is OK and Saturday showed that the speed is on target as well so I’m hopeful that the bit in the middle will be fine too.
“I know I came from quite a long way back in the last 200 and only hit the front with 20 metres to go.
“But that was more because the runners in front of me were coming back to me than me speeding up which I actually wasn’t.
“If I’d gone any faster earlier in I’d certainly have got myself into trouble.”
Inverness Royal Academy pupil Luke Davidson won two bronze medals at the Scottish Schools indoor championships at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow last week.
He finished third in the over-16 1500 metres in 4:05.29 and in his fourth race of the championships, matched that in the 800 metres with 1:58.51 which was a personal best.
Anna Cairns, who was fourth in the under 16 girls’ 1500m, set an overall best of 4:44.11.
Jenny Bannerman competes at the Armagh Women’s International 3K on Thursday.
The event features a host of top international distance stars from across Britain and beyond to the city.
The event has grown enormously in quality in recent years with 50 women, led by Olympian Steph Twell, breaking the 10 minute watershed in 2019.
These included Bannerman who finished 26th in a personal best of 9:39 which was 12 seconds faster competing in 2015.
