Congratulations to Derek Rae from Kirkcaldy and Fife AC who has just won the T45/T46 category at the 2018 World Para Athletics Marathon World Cup in association with the Virgin Money London Marathon.
This is undoubtedly Derek’s major achievement to date in Para athletics and is a fitting reward for all the work he has put into training at home in Fife and during warm weather training in Kenya and Tenerife. Derek’s competition preparations have gone so well this year and he has been looking in particularly good shape recently.
Derek is coached by Ron Morrison at Fife Athletic Club and supported by a team of experts at the Scottish Institute of Sport at the University of Dundee. Family and Fife AC club members have been his rock throughout his career to date.
There will be great celebrations within Disability Sport Fife, Scottish Athletics and Scottish Disability Sport at this superb victory for the IPC world ranked number three in the class. Derek has repaid UK Athletics Performance Director Paula Dunn for the faith she has had in from the first time he ran in a GB vest in 2015.
Derek’s time of 2:36:13 was not a personal best but the conditions in London this year were not conducive to record times as was clearly shown in the men’s and women’s elite races. Derek went through the half marathon in 01:15.21.
Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife