THOUSANDS of women battled through driving rain to complete the Women's 10k race yesterday.
10k race raises £1m for charity
THOUSANDS of women battled through driving rain to complete the Women's 10k race yesterday.
After months of hard work, 10,700 women arrived, some to raise money for a chosen charity, others to put themselves to the test and achieve a personal goal.
While the elite athletes pounded the streets of Glasgow's South Side chasing first place glory, for the majority the goal was simply to cross the finish line.
Runners of all ages, shapes and sizes sprinted, skipped and staggered across the line at Bellahouston Park - dressed in everything from Wonder Woman costumes to charity T-shirts bearing the image of lost loved ones.
Thousands more spectators lined the route to cheer on family and friends and enjoy watching potential Commonwealth champs strive for a personal best.
The sun broke through the clouds as the elite runners lined up under white balloons shortly before 10am to a rousing soundtrack by The Proclaimers.
Bryan Burnett, host of the 16th annual Ignis Asset Management Women's 10k, urged runners to take a moment to consider who they were running for.
The rain stayed off until around noon, when the heavens opened and the last runners were hit with a torrent of hailstones.
The runners collectively raised more than £1million for charity.
Joan Whittingham, from Dornoch, was among the oldest participants at the age of 74 and she completed the race in just over a hour.
She said: "This is my seventh race. I wonder if there is a prize for the oldest entrant? I think there should be!"
Joan Muir, 48, from Balloch, raised more than £3000 for Macmillan Cancer Support with six work colleagues, finishing the race in an impressive 51 minutes.
She said: "It was really hard, this is my hardest race, I must be getting too old but we have raised a lot of money for a good cause. Cancer affects all of us."
The Bishopton Belles, a team of tartan-clad women with signs on their backs proclaiming "Worth coming home to?" were paying tribute to Scotland's Homecoming Year celebrations.
Teacher Laura Lewis said: "We're all friends, from different walks of life, all running to raise money for St Andrew's Academy in Paisley, which is sending a group of children to Uganda to help build primary schools in one of the most deprived areas."
Lord Provost Bob Winter, who started the race, said: "Yet again the Women's 10k has proved to be an unforgettable day.
"The atmosphere is thrilling and it is easy to see the sense of achievement the women rightly feel on crossing the finish line."
