CARNFUNNOCK HANDICAP 2021 – 21 DECEMBER 2021
Bryan Magee, the winner of the Carnfunnock Handicap, the second race in Larne AC’s 2021/22 handicap series, hit the handicappers and the other runners with a triple whammy on Sunday morning. The combination of an overly-lenient handicap, Bryan’s cracking performance and his fell running pedigree meant that, in hindsight, he was almost a nailed-on certainty for the race even before the first runner set off.
The race itself was run in conditions best described as awful, which miraculously didn’t deter too many of the brave/foolhardy souls who had put their names down for the run in the lead-up to Christmas or the timers and the marshals dotted around the course.
Irene Beattie led the field off with Jordan Heron, the last runner to be released by the timers, setting off some twenty-two and a half minutes later. At this point, to add some spice to this report, I could invent some fictitious details about how the race was playing out but, suffice to say, Bryan crossed the finish line almost one and a half minutes ahead of Helen Stirling in second place, who nevertheless won the bragging rights in the Stirling household by beating husband Lee into third place by ten seconds. Ten seconds might not seem like much in the great scheme of things, but if Helen has any sense she should take every opportunity that presents itself to rub her success in Lee’s face. Helen and Lee’s daughter, Evie, also put up an excellent performance for one so young, especially over such a gruelling course
Full results are as set out in the following accompanying table, but it’s worth pointing out that Jordan’s time of 29:02, the fastest of the day, was achieved despite him adding an extra few hundred metres on to a course that he claimed before the start he was familiar with. John Agnew foolishly accepted the blame for Jordan’s error thereby enabling Jordan to fall back on the clichéd excuse of a workman blaming a tool for his mistake. Second fastest in 31:21 was guest runner Paul Hutchinson with Alan Lockington third quickest in 31:57. Guest runner, Erin Beattie. was the fastest female finisher in a time of 34:49
Finally, without naming names for fear of leaving someone out, thanks to all the handicappers, timers, marshals, prize-buyer and refreshment-providers without whose efforts it would be nigh on impossible to organise and run the club handicaps.
| Place | Name | H’cap | Race Time | Corrected Time |
| 1 | Bryan Magee | 10:20 | 45:10 | 34:50 |
| 2 | Helen Stirling | 06:20 | 46:35 | 40:15 |
| 3 | Lee Stirling | 09:00 | 46:45 | 37:45 |
| 4 | Gemma Davies | 09:50 | 47:06 | 37:16 |
| 5 | Drew Girvan | 11:00 | 47:39 | 36:39 |
| 6 | Paul Hutchinson | 18:20 | 48:41 | 30:21 |
| 7 | Evie Stirling | 08:20 | 49:22 | 41:02 |
| 8 | Emmett Woods | 15:20 | 49:27 | 34:07 |
| 9 | Alan Lockington | 17:40 | 49:37 | 31:57 |
| 10 | Sean McAllister | 16:00 | 50:03 | 34:03 |
| 11 | Mark Todd | 14:30 | 50:14 | 35:44 |
| 12 | Helen Kane | 03:40 | 50:33 | 46:53 |
| 13 | David Johnson | 13:50 | 51:05 | 37:15 |
| 14 | Jordan Heron | 22:30 | 51:32 | 29:02 |
| 15 | Michelle Woods | 03:00 | 51:34 | 48:34 |
| 16 | Alan McCullough | 14:40 | 51:37 | 36:57 |
| 17 | Erin Beattie | 17:00 | 51:49 | 34:49 |
| 18 | Paul Tilson | 13:40 | 52:34 | 38:54 |
| 19 | Tommy Linton | 11:50 | 52:46 | 40:56 |
| 20 | Irene Beattie | 00:00 | 52:59 | 52:59 |