IT’S not every Sunday morning that the spectators rousing themselves early enough to line the start of a race can include a few curious giraffes and a visibly interested llama. Still, all – man and beast alike – were welcome to soak up the spectacle of the inaugural Stirling Scottish Marathon, the latest addition to the domestic calendar that will now aim to take root from these unusual origins in the midst of a safari park.

Some roamed more freely than others. Simply nature’s natural pecking order with the strong picking off the weak and even ageing predators commanding due respect. Assumed by some to be extinct, the once-dominant trio of Liz McColgan-Nuttall, Zola Budd-Pieterse and Rosa Mota stampeded into the fray once more to land a touch of nostalgic class to the herd, their charge around the course – although a little slower than in their exquisite pomps – earning an unstinting barrage of applause.

At the head of the pack was another Olympian of yore, Andrew Lemoncello, who had flown in from his new base in Oregon to join the hunt. Now 34, and fresh from taking up a role for a certain German shoe manufacturer that may limit his competitive odysseys, the Fifer returned to the city where he spent three years as a student before heading Stateside, treating the course as a 26-mile trip down memory lane.

Even as drizzle turned to downpour and the need for an ark seemed ever more urgent, he sailed onwards, shaking off an increasingly uncooperative hamstring and the threat of cramp to grind out victory in 2:25:01, well clear of closest challengers Iain Reid and Robert Gilroy. “The crowds on the second-to-last lap might have made me get a little bit carried away,” he revealed. “They were shouting like crazy and I probably sped up too much with five miles to go which meant I slowed down toward the end.”

A month after illness during the London Marathon ruined his world championship ambitions, it remained a welcome win. Small gains, especially on home soil, taste a little sweeter. “Anytime you can win a race it feels phenomenal,” he added. “So to come back here and get another marathon win in the books is really good because I’ve not won many races recently.”

It is unlikely he will try for one final hurrah at next year’s Commonwealth Games, at least not in the marathon. Family and career have become more pressing causes. “I’d rather go for the 10,000m,” he added. “But there’s not really another opportunity unfortunately. I was trying to get the time in the build-up in London but they made it hard to get into the race I wanted. But we’ll see. The time is not too difficult. It’s just getting to the start in one piece and in good shape.”

Glasgow Victoria Park’s Lesley Pirie won the women’s race in 2:47:36 with Jill Smylie and Julie Champion adrift in second in third. Yet the spotlight, if not the skies, shone on the three past masters. 58-year-old Mota – Olympic marathon champion in Seoul in 1988 –came a remarkable fourth in the adjoining 5km but the Portuguese titan’s accomplishment was arguably surpassed by the former Miss Budd, now 50, who was ninth female overall in the women’s marathon in an entirely respectable time of 3:12:24. “It was tough at the end, but it was really a great race,” the former multiple world record holder offered. “It was really lovely to be out here. The support was amazing all throughout.”

McColgan was 19th, six minutes behind, after overcoming the obvious impediment of not training quite as arduously as she once did. Yet, the 52-year-old mused, “It was really enjoyable in a funny sort of way. I’ve had a lot of problems since I retired so I never thought I’d be able to run a marathon again. So I’m chuffed.”