University athlete set for World Athletics Tour race, hosted on campus

University of Stirling runner Ryan Martin will this weekend pit himself against athletes from around the world as he takes on The Monument Mile Classic, hosted on campus. 

The track mile race – held annually on the University of Stirling athletics track, in the shadow of the National Wallace Monument – attracts competitors from across the globe, including from the United States, Ethiopia, Thailand, Belgium, Denmark and France.

The evening's racing will also include historic and prestigious British Athletics events The Emsley Carr Mile and The Millicent Fawcett Mile - which were last hosted in Scotland 45 years ago.   

Part of the World Athletics Challenger Tour, and with pyrotechnics and pizzazz aplenty, the event is popular with the University’s students and staff, and the wider local community. It is organised by Michael Wright, Performance Endurance Coach at Stirling – Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence – where fourth-year sports scholar Ryan is based. 

Ryan, a 1,500-metre runner, competes in the Monument Mile Classic just weeks after representing Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the Under-23 European Athletics Championships in Norway.

Looking ahead to Saturday’s race, he said: “Having spent the past three years training on the track at the University of Stirling, it is going to be an incredible opportunity for to compete on my home track in a field with such incredible depth from around the world, including an Olympic silver medallist. 

“A goal of mine is to compete strongly in this world-class field, and to run a top five UK, under-23, all time performance in the track mile.”

Ryan, who trains and races for the University of Stirling, and is coached by Michael, will be joined in the IPME Elite Men’s Race by a host of top competitors, including Joel Ibler Lillesø (Denmark), Kieran Tuntivate (Thailand), Robin van Riel and Rick van Riel (both Netherlands), Evan Jager of the USA (an Olympic silver medalist), Waleed Suliman (USA), Yismaw Dillu (Ethiopia), Philip Morran (Ireland), and Henry McLuckie, Cameron Boyek and Kane Elliot (all Great Britain). 

In the ArcticFit Elite Women’s Race, competitors include: Ethiopian national champion Tsige Teshome, Sarah Madeleine (France), defending champion Taryn Rawlings (USA), Christina Aragon, Eleanor Fulton and Colleen Quigley (all USA), and Hollie Parker, Megan Keith, Ellie Leather, Eloise Walker, Sarah Calvert and former University of Stirling athlete Sarah Tait (all Great Britain). 

There will be a total of 32 races across the afternoon and evening, from junior to senior levels.

Event organiser Michael said: “It is going to be an incredible night of athletics, and in my role as the Performance Endurance Coach at the University of Stirling, I am very excited to watch all Stirling University Athletic Club athletes competing in the race, and in particular to watch Ryan compete against world level talent on our home track.” 

The Monument Mile Classic takes place on the University of Stirling athletics track between 4pm and 10pm on Saturday 30 August. All spectators are welcome for a spectacular evening of racing; no tickets are required, and entry is free. More information is available on the event’s Facebook page.

University of Stirling Sport

At Stirling, athletes have access to world-class facilities, including a 50-metre pool, unrivalled outdoor space, and state-of-the-art strength and conditioning suites. In addition to its coaching and facilities, Stirling’s International Sports Scholarship Programme – one of the largest high-performance programmes in the UK – offers athletes funding support, academic flexibility, equipment and kit. It has supported hundreds of athletes since its inception in 1981 – with many competing on the world stage, including at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.

Core sports include swimming, golf, tennis, triathlon, football and curling, while individual scholarships cover all Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sports.

Read more about sports scholarships at the University of Stirling.