The Union St Mile, held on the 22nd of August, brought together a number of athletes of varying ages and running disciplines. 

The biannual race attracted 75 competitors on a warm day in conjunction with the Celebrate Aberdeen Festival. One of these runners was in particular good spirits having won a competition with Sport Aberdeen.

We asked the public to tell us via social media where they love to run in Aberdeen and why, in tone with the days theme of appreciating the city and its history. Kevin Murray, having told us he loves to run at Seaton Park to escape the rat race, was the lucky winner bagging himself entry to the race, free Personnel Training sessions and a number of running goodies from Run 4 It.

At the finish line a very tired Kevin explained the challenges of preparing for a single mile race as apposed to half marathon distances, but thoroughly enjoyed the occasion.

After taking up running in 2000 following injury problems from football, Kevin took part in the Baker Hughes 10K finishing below his sub 50 time. He now competes in the race regularly and has brought his PB time down to 45:00. He continued to take part in a number of 10K races before trying the Stonehaven Half Marathon and discovering his new favorite distance to train for and take part in. Adding the London and Loch Ness Marathons to his repertoire, he would then add triathlons to his schedule including a grueling time of 14 hours 57 mins in the Uk Ironman. 

Training for such distances involves running 2-3 10K distances per week with a long run at the weekend. However training for just a single mile race proved a significant challenge! An entirely different discipline, the race demands a different work rate and training schedule, something Kevin found hard to adopt. Kevin made 6 attempts to run the mile but only successfully perfected his timing once, having previously gone too slow or too fast.

However Kevin managed a great performance on the day of the race and is now looking forward to the future and the benefits his new found pace will give him. The Huntly Standard Triathlon is next on the agenda as is the next London Marathon. With a host of other races in between Kevin will have to conquer his most difficult of challenges, his wife’s approval!