St Leonards athlete Jamie Connor hopes to make use of subsequent week’s London Mini-Marathon to observe within the speedy footsteps of Jake Wightman, Laura Muir and Eilish McColgan.
The 15-year-old has set his sights on an expert profession in athletics, and is delighted to be representing Scotland within the 2.6km occasion on Saturday, October 1.
Having performed properly in latest 10k and cross-country occasions, mum Carol-Ann reckons East Kilbride Athletics Membership runner Jamie has the dedication and the expertise to succeed.
She mentioned: “Jamie has performed very well over the previous yr.
“No person has been picked from East Kilbride for a wee whereas – it’s often groups like Giffnock North, Kilbarchan and Glasgow College of Sport.
“However East Kilbride has two, with Angus Wilkinson within the staff as properly.
“Their coach, Neil Walker, has performed phenomenally properly with them, notably over the previous yr, I’d say.
“Jamie actually needed this break, as a result of folks like Jake Wightman, Laura Muir and Eilish McColgan did this mini-marathon and it helped them progress additional.
“I feel he’s hoping it'll put together him for the cross-country season, too.
“Jamie needs to do that full-time and that’s the place he’s sort of heading. Clearly he’s protecting in together with his faculty work, as a result of it's essential have one thing to fall again on.
“However he did a 10k and gained £50 for profitable the under-17 class. That was the primary time he had performed a 10k, however he ran it in 34 minutes, so he’s going to attempt to progress with that, and completely different occasions as properly.”
That is the second main occasion St Andrew’s and St Bride’s Excessive pupil Jamie has been chosen for, and Carol-Ann says there was a giant enchancment over latest months.
She mentioned: “He was chosen by scottishathletics to run the cross nation at Loughborough final yr, however that was his first yr of ever doing something.
“He got here 82nd, which was nonetheless fairly good out of 300. However since he’s turned 15 in January he has performed so significantly better and I feel it’s actually good.
“He has been attempting to run for St Andrew’s and St Bride’s, and his PE trainer has been nice, doing the occasions in school to arrange him.
“He gained the Lanarkshire Cross-Nation as properly. However he’s decided. Jamie has been doing it since he was 9 and trialled out for the East Kilbride membership.
“It was a extremely unhealthy evening, weather-wise, and he was informed his time wasn’t ok – however that made him extra decided, so he went again, re-trialed and acquired in. He has been progressing so properly ever since.”
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