Aberdeen Amateur Athletics Club (AAC) veteran Catriona Pennet clinched her second world master’s title last month – winning the 100m hurdles for the 35-39 women’s age category in Finland.
Pennet, who turns 40 next year, ran 14.97sec to take gold ahead of New Zealand’s Helena Dinnissen, who took second in 15.70sec.
It is a first outdoor international title for the Aberdonian, who previously won the 60m hurdles world crown indoors and has secured a large haul of Scottish championship medals at age-group and senior level since the late 1990s.
Sport is very much in the blood of the Pennet family, with Catriona’s brother, Grant, a long-serving goalkeeper in the Highland League, most notably for Deveronvale FC.
Pennet bucks masters trend as times speed up
Although Pennet, currently 38, has a packed schedule and works full time for investment firm ABRDN, she has remained competitive in the Scottish hurdling scene and is in no mood to ease up.
Normally, veteran athletes’ times slow down, while the age creeps higher, but Pennet is bucking the trend in impressive fashion.
Her fastest 100m hurdle time this year of 14.70sec – set at the Scottish East District Championships in May – is quicker than any time she has posted since 2016, although her lifetime best of 13.97sec, which is also Aberdeen AC’s club record, was set back in 2004.
Though initially reluctant to embrace the masters’ scene, which is less competitive and sees a smaller pool of athletes compete, Pennet was persuaded to give it a go by her close friend and fellow Aberdeen AAC athlete, Fiona Davidson.
Indeed, Davidson was always likely to make a strong case for masters’ athletics, for she herself is something of a name on the international circuit.
Davidson took a world championship title for the 40-44 women’s age category in the triple jump back in 2015, and Pennet explained it was Davidson’s description of masters’ athletics’ relaxed nature which lured her in.
She said: “I’m good friends with Fiona – she’s done the masters’ scene and always spoken about how fun it is. It’s just something Fiona always made sound fun, even though I am still competitive as a senior and in the mix of things, it gives you that edge and other focus to work towards.
“It is great to compete outwith Scotland, experience different countries, and compete against different athletes.”
Global final and niggle in build-up – but Pennet comes out on top
As well as the New Zealander, Pennet competed against two Iranians in her final, which took place in Tampere’s Ratina stadium last month.
The preparations for the competition were far from smooth, however. A hamstring twinge in Pennet’s final session before travelling to Finland saw her wonder if she would even make the start line.
She explained “I didn’t have the best couple of days leading up to it. I had a small tweak in my hamstring before I went out, so I had to get some physio treatment before I went out there.
“That wasn’t the ideal kind of preparation for it, but I managed to get down in one piece, which was the main aim once I got there – times and performances go out the window when you pick up a niggle.”
Tampere’s athletics stadium is perhaps better known for hosting Iron Maiden, Bruce Springsteen, and Robbie Williams concerts – but with a capacity of more than 16,000, it made an excellent arena for Pennet’s second world master’s title, and her first outdoors.
She said: “The track itself was fantastic – it’s a good stadium, and it’s a fast track.
“The GB masters team is so friendly and they’re so supportive of you, even if you don’t know them. When you finish, there’s always someone there taking pictures or saying congratulations.
“It’s a very inviting atmosphere and place to be. It’s not just the British team, it’s the other nationalities as well. Everyone is so friendly and supportive of you, regardless of where you finish.”
‘I can still do it and I am still competitive’
With the best days behind most veteran athletes competing, there is a sense they have a stronger appreciation for still being able to do the sport they love.
The case is the same with Pennet, who, despite only having missed one outdoor season in her entire career before the Covid-19 pandemic, will keep going for as long as her body lets her.
She added: “As you get older, it does get harder. I can still do it – that’s the thing. And I am still competitive. I don’t know it any other way – it’s just what I’ve always done.
“But I love hurdling, especially when it goes well. There are people round me that would love to still be able to compete or hurdle if they could.
“I’ve just been brought up around sport – we all do it. My brother was a Highland League football player, my sister ran internationally and played netball at high level. My cousin was an international hockey player, my other cousin plays squash. It’s just what we do.”
With Pennet enjoying her strongest vein of form in years, the investor services manager from Bridge of Don will not be winding down her athletics career just yet, especially with this year’s Scottish Championships taking place on home turf later this month.
It may be 18 years since her last personal best in her event, but Pennet is a hurdler for whom age is no barrier.
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