The final race of the 2025 Babcock 10k series took place last night at the Helensburgh 10k and there was success for Shettleston Harriers and Taha Ghafari as he clinched the overall title for the three race series.
The series started three weeks ago on Sunday, May 11th where the club hosted the Shettleston 10k at a warm and sultry Glasgow Green. The Shettleston race was part of the RunThrough UK Top Flight series and attracted a top quality field. Wolverhampton and Bilston AC’s Omar Ahmed and Dundee Hawkhill’s Natasha Phillips were the class of the field, both breaking the course record on their way to victory. Taha finished in sixth place in Glasgow.
The next race in Dumbarton saw Taha dominate the field leading from the start of the race and winning by over a minute and a half in a season’s best time of 30:22. The win put him into the lead in the overall series ahead of the last night’s race in Helensburgh.
On the night Calum Johnson from East Kilbride won with an impressive time of 29:10, the only athlete to run under 30 minutes. Following Johnson home in second place was Ghafari – 31:34 which was enough to secure the overall series win.
There was further success for Taha in the men’s team competition. Along with Calum Harrington-Vogt (6th) and Cameron Sharp (25th) they finished second to Bellhoustion Road Runners. Sharp himself ran a personal best time of 35:21.
In the women’s race Brogan Wallace was unable to take to the start. After her third place in the Shettleston race and first in Dumbarton, Brogan was leading the women’s overall standings coming Helensburgh, however, it was Nynke Mulholland-Stümmer who took the title after winning last night’s race.
Ruth Ross was the highest placed Shettleston athlete in the women’s race, finishing fourth. Emma Choudhry had an impressive run, finishing 25th in the senior women’s competition and setting a new PB – 48:16 – a minute under her previous best.
RESULTS
Thanks to Daren Borzynski for the images from all races in the series.
Attention will now turn to the track for the weekend. Glasgow Athletics Association are hosting the Miler Meet for middle distance athletes tonight, Friday, which includes the Scottish Athletics U17/U20 3000m championships, and their second Sprint Gala at Crownpoint on Saturday. The club will then be in action on Sunday at the Ayrshire Athletics Arena in Kilmarnock for Match 2 of the Central and Southern Scotland Athletics League.