March 11 2026
Promoting Athletics in Orkney
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Competition help needed!
In order for our Championships on the 28th to go ahead smoothly, we have a number of volunteer roles on the day that we need to fill. If you've already spoken to Kay about officiating, then thank you and we definitely do need you, but these are additional to that. Please let me know below or in DMs in you can help at all.
Field duties: Our field teams need a few extra bodies in the afternoon between 12:30 - 2:45. These will be light duties such as operating the scoreboard or raking the long jump pit, you will not be asked to do anything 'official'. We need three people ideally.
Field duties (shorter): We need two further people for field duties for the final groups between 2:00 - 2:45.
Set up: Before the competition, helping us get everything out of the container and athletics cupboard and into the right place. There will be a shift on the morning of the competition, 08:00 - 09:30 so ideal for early risers, and weather permitting we'll get the gazebo out on Saturday afternoon at some point. We'll need at least four for each job.
Refreshments table: We will have a refreshments table open 09:30 - 3:00pm approximately. This is an indoor role and just involves keeping the tea urn topped up and chatting to folk for the most part. If you can cover any part of that time please let me know - and if anyone can take the first shift and set up the tables, urn etc. especially
DJ: We need someone to play music (and pause it while sprints are taking place) through the Picky PA system - this could just be off a phone/Spotify playlist so may suit a non-competing athlete?
Announcer: Someone to read out race start lists, results, medal ceremonies and sponsor shout outs. Full information and microphone provided!
This is quite a long list of roles, so if anyone can help out - especially people who aren't already doing something - please let us know!
p.s. entries still open: data.opentrack.run/en-gb/x/2026/GBR/oarcjun26/
My lot can all help with the take down - there will be six of us. If Baz isn’t working he can do field duties but won’t know until the day before.
If there's an opportunity for a 5,000m I'd like to compete but outside of that I could help with set-up or take down or do a stint on the refreshments stall. 🙂
Mark Flett?
Entries for our Garden Square Home Championships on 28th June will close a week today. Thanks to fantastic support from OIC Sport and Leisure's Summer of Sport, entry costs are heavily reduced to just £1 per event so if you've ever fancied having a go at anything across track and field, there's never been a better time.
Entries are welcome from anyone aged 9 or over, and you do not need to be a member of OARC.
PB and Orkney Record for Emily in Loughborough
Emily McArthur's time in England drew to close on a somewhat windy night in Loughborough with gusts reaching 30mph - nothing like the nice calm sunny evening up here in Orkney - at the British Miller's Club Grand Prix.
Running in the 800m E race, Emily had plenty of traffic to contend with all eight athletes proving well matched and finishing within just over five seconds first to last. Running in the middle of the pack, Emily kicked hard with 200m to go and came through into fourth position, gaining on the top three but not quite fast enough to catch them before the line. In a fast race, this was enough to shave a few tenths of a second off her outdoor and one off her overall PB, finishing in 2:11.58. As her PB was already the Orkney record, that's another small improvement on the record - one day I'll have to sit down and work out how many times she's broken the record with Mondo Duplantis levels of iteration, but it's a testament to Emily's hard work and continual improvement as an athlete.
Looking back at her silver medal winning 800m performance at the Island Games last year, Emily is now running consistently almost two seconds quicker than that - at the time a PB. Well done Emily, get yourself back to Orkney to enjoy some nice weather!
Somewhat grainy footage of the race!
Pauline Milton for Con.
Woop woop 💪🏼 well done Em 🔥
Congratulations, well done 👏👏
Emily McArthur you just keep smashing it girl 🫶🏽
Woohoo 🙌 brilliant running Emily x
🥳 Amazing!! Well deserved x
Well done Emily 🚀💪💪
Brilliant!!! Congratulations Emily. . 👏👏👏x
Go Emily!!!! Whoop whoop!!! 👏🏻👏🏻🎉🎉💪🏻💪🏻
Well done Em 😍👏
Woo hoo, well done Emily! 👏🏃🏼♀️💪🏻🤩
Amazing! Well done Emily 🤩
Well done Emily.
Well done Emily 👏 🤩
Well Done Emily 💪⭐️🤩x
Fantastic well done Emily 👏
Scottish Schools Championships Day Two
Just the two competitors on the second day of the Scottish Schools Championships as Elsie Hutchison had to pull out of the 800m after aggravating a back injury yesterday. Get well soon Elsie, hopefully nothing too bad after an outdoor PB yesterday.
That left Nuala Webb and Freya Kemp in the 200m this afternoon. After rain yesterday it was a brighter day but still a little windy - although Chris Webb reports surrounding your track with 30ft conifers is a good idea for ensuring wind legal times. Take note Picky!
With 24 athletes competing today the decision was taken to have just heats and final rather than the planned semis, so only the top two in each of three heat and then two fastest times across the three would qualify for the final, so it was a tough ask!
Freya went in the first heat and finished second, securing automatic qualification for the final in a PB time of 26.76s.
Nuala went in the second heat and also ran a PB time of 27.60, fifth in the heat. In this strong field the fastest time qualifiers were both under 27s, so no advancement for Nuala but great to have a PB.
Freya ran again 90 minutes later in the final, qualifying fifth fastest with the four fastest qualifiers all ranked in the top 10 u18s in Scotland in this event. She acquitted herself really well in a fast race, finishing fifth in a time of 26.88, also under her previous PB.
Well done to Nuala and Freya and get well soon Elsie!
Freya final
Freya heat
Nuala heat
Freya and Nuala's heat, ft. a cheering squad supplied by Shetland Amateur Athletics Club
Great run by the lasses ❤️❤️
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As well as providing regular athletic instruction and training sessions, one of the key aims of OARC is to promote pathways to performance and as part of this, the Club organises and participates in a range of home and away competitions throughout the year.