It was a special training session for athlete Cameron Herring and his guide runner Euan Sloan when Alison Patrick and her fiancé Jack Peasgood dropped into Pitreavie Athletics Centre to say hello and offer some sprinting advice at the request of Disability Sport Fife.
Alison won silver in Para triathlon in Rio when the sport was introduced for the first time to the Paralympic Games. Alison has World and European titles to her name and is an established member of Team GB. Before committing to Para triathlon she was a hugely successful runner but now excels on the world stage in three disciplines.
Alison is based and trains south of the border but on a recent visit to her home town of Dunfermline she was delighted to offer some tips to Cameron and Euan. The Fife athletes who attend the session and coaches Pamela Robson and Gayle Sloan, were delighted to handle a Paralympic medal.
Jack is also a world class triathlete and he willingly offered advice to Euan about guide running. Alison shared some of her sprinting technical knowledge as a visually impaired athlete and even offered Cameron a short a 60m sprint challenge. There is complete silence within Fife about the outcome of that first race of many to come. Alison is already a very special role model for Fife’s very promising young blind sprinter.
Thank you Alison and Jack for your support and all the very best to you in 2018 when hopefully Commonwealth Games involvement is a consideration?
Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife