Author: The Author

A wonderful picture taken immediately after the war at Mountblow:   just look at the happiness and joy in all the faces of this impromptu group.

The flash at the bottom only adds to the spontaneity of the moment!

This section is called ‘Typicals’ because it is easier to describe a typical event of its kind than to attempt to recount a decade in any sensible or accurate fashion if I am trying to describe the various aspects as they appeared to a total newcomer.   The list is easy enough:   A typical training night from the ‘Baths’; A typical inter club meeting; A typical winter race meeting; A typical summer training night at the ‘Recce’; A typical summer inter club meeting; A typical highland games competition.  And anything else that comes into my head!

A typical training night in winter took place from Bruce Street Baths, or in Clydebank parlance ‘the New Baths’.   The ‘Old Baths’ were in the adjoining street (Hall Street) across from the Police Station and the club had formerly trained from there in winter.   The Baths were the Public Swimming Baths although they also had private baths and showers, Turkish baths and best of all from our point of view, there were two large halls downstairs with adjoining showers.   The Harriers had the use of one of the halls for stripping purposes and it was the winter headquarters.   When I first went along after taking up the sport doing National Service between 1956 and 1958, I didn’t know what to expect.   I went with a friend down to the Baths, went in the main door and paid my three pence.   I was asked if I wanted a towel (they could be hired for a penny) and then went past the entry to the swimming pool and turned right down some stairs to the stone floored basement.  The bank of showers was on the left but we went to the right for about forty or fifty yards before turning right again into a large wide brightly lit hall with coat hooks around three walls.   On the wall in the left was the notice board, in the corner on the right was a table (used for the occasional massage) and all round the room just below ceiling height were two hot pipes.   The older guys hung their towels over them when they went out so that they had warm towels for the showers.   There were guys of all ages from Under 15 to over 60 sitting, standing, jogging about, doing exercises (high knees was a favourite), blethering or just getting changed.   There was no modesty about that either, folk just stripped off and then put on their running gear with the odd pause in the proceedings to exchange a bit of gossip or complain about the current injury.    On the door was the note of ‘Tonight’s Trail’ which had been put up by the club captain.    The route and distance were marked and departure times for the various packs listed.   The slow pack left at 7.00 pm – that was a given.   The slow pack always left at seven o’clock.   The medium pack – usually the biggest – went next, and the fast pack – usually the smallest! – was last to leave the premises.   Not everyone did the pack run but most did relying on the judgment of the captain to get the training right.   Some did their own thing and went for a run on their own but there was always someone left in the Baths – maybe someone carrying an injury doing a bit of light training, maybe a former member down for the warmth, the company and the memories.

On the first night, I was asked what pack I wanted to run in but, not having a clue, opted for the slow pack.   The run went by comfortably enough but I was slagged off a lot for going with the slows when I was clearly (to their eyes) better off in a quicker group.   So for most of the first year I went with the mediums gradually picking up information about the club and experience of running in the club.     On the return from the run, it was everybody stripped, towel over the shoulder or round the waist and wander the forty yards or so along the corridor to the showers.   The showers helped make the Baths what were described to me as the best winter accommodation in Scotland – not by a club member but by a member of Dundee Hawkhill Harriers who came to the venue for the Balloch – Clydebank Road Race every year.    In the showers once the jostling for position was over the ‘Clydesdale Choir’ started up.   With Pat, Frank, and company in full voice all the Scottish tramping songs were belted out with gusto and everyone who knew the words joined in.  Meanwhile Cyril soaped his vest and shorts and tramped them into a state of cleanliness!  It was a fantastic end to the night’s exertions.

After one night I was totally hooked on all this and couldn’t wait until the next session on the Thursday.   Most guys these days in all clubs turn up already changed, run, get back into their car and go home again.   I can’t help thinking

“They’re not so good as they used to be in OUR young day!” 

A typical inter club run in winter started with the guys meeting up on the Saturday outside Bruce Street Baths at about 12 noon.   Inter club runs were basically pack runs with another club or clubs.    At a time when there were not too many races on the calendar and the cost and difficulty of transport had to be taken into account before travelling to a race in Dundee or wherever, inter club runs added variety into the training, increased our circle of running friends and there was also a wee bit of competition in these friendlies.   Our usual inter clubs – held on a home and away basis – were with Springburn Harriers, Greenock Glenpark Harriers, Vale of Leven AC, Garscube Harriers and Victoria Park Harriers (the second was usually at Milngavie with VPAAC and Garscube on the Saturday before the National Championships).   We also had the occasional inter club with Dumbarton AAC and there were others with Forth Valley and Shettleston.

We would meet, those with cars would bring them, the runners would be allocated to a car and the procession would set off.   For the Glenpark outing the procession would go over the Erskine Ferry at the start.   It was on one of these in the 60’s that we were told that Ian Donald of Shettleston Harriers, who had been training with us for some months and living in Old Kilpatrick, had handed in a club membership application form.   It started the afternoon off on a good note as he was one of the very best and already well liked in the club.    The journey to the Orangefield Pavilion was full of anticipation of the coming run – at Greenock they usually took us up over the Lyle Hill and past the Free French monument – and memories of past meetings.   Once there, it was get changed look at the ‘opposition’ and decide which pack would be the right one.   The packs would set off and after the massive climb to the monument and back down to the main road the last mile or so was a bit of a race to the showers.   Back in, shower and then there was the ‘purvey’ to be attacked.   At inter clubs, there was always a cup of tea, a burnt sausage roll and a sandwich plus some cakes which were usually home baked and invariably had a collection of Empire biscuits included.  All inter club runs were different, for instance:

1.  At Greenock, they were served up at tables for four with table cloths on the tables.   This never happened anywhere else and made the trip a wee bit special.   The run itself whatever course it followed always included a run up to the Free French Monument on Lyle Hill;
2. Springburn Harriers hut, for instance, had a big plunge bath that everyone shared, and the trail usually went out round the Gadloch at Lenzie;
3. The Vale of Leven AC clubhouse had showers that didn’t always work (more of a fine mist that descended rather than actual water) and it often came down to a scrub down in the freezing cold  Murroch Burn.   This made the trip a wee bit special!
4. The run with Victoria Park was held from the Milngavie Community Centre.   It was always the week before the National Championships.   (Incidentally, the practice then was not to issue race permits for the week before the Nationals or for the week end of the event.  Now permits are issued not only for the week prior but even for the day after the National Championships itself which to me is a disgrace.)   The run itself was over four golf courses and was a three club affair with Garscube Harriers being the third squad.

Further back, the ‘Clydebank Press’ tells of one occasion in the 1930’s when the club had an outing to Garscube Harriers hut at Westerton and many workers had been laid off in John Brown’s Shipyard and work halted on the Queen Mary, the rain was pouring down and the runners had to walk to Garscube.   Out came Tommy Arthur’s mouth organ and they san songs all the way to the venue – one of the songs was to the tune of ‘John Brown’s Body’ and went:

John Brown’s Cunarder lies a-mouldering in the stocks,

John Brown’s Cunarder lies a-mouldering in the stocks,

John Brown’s Cunarder lies a-mouldering in the stocks,

While we go unemployed.” 

They arrived, ran, got dressed in the wet clothes and walked back home again.   But they enjoyed the inter clubs in their day as much as we did in ours.   In many ways it is a pity that there are so many races now with so little opportunity for socialising and doing runs just for fun.

Home inter clubs started a week beforehand with arrangements being made for the ‘purvey’ and the trail being confirmed.   The inter club was an event where hospitality was extended to the visitors and that meant tea, sausage rolls or pies, maybe some sandwiches and buns and there were always cakes!  Either home made Empire biscuits or fairy cakes or even boxes of four or six fancy cakes from one of the local bakers.    The sandwiches and buns were normally baked at home by the wives of members who also made the tea on the Saturday and served it in the basement of the Baths.   The trail for the run was decided by the club captain and on the day three, or at times four, packs would leave at intervals.   Each pack had a pace at the front and a Whip at the back.   The pace had to do just that – set the pace of the pack and know the exact trail being used.   The others in the pack had to remain at least two yards back and not force the speed of the pack.   The Whip at the back had to keep an eye on the pack and keep it together.   If any member was suffering too much or dropping too far behind the pack, then the Whip had to communicate this to the pace who would slow down a bit.   In the beginning the club whip used a hunting horn to communicate with the pace.   The theory was that all packs would arrive at the Baths at the same time and by and large that was what happened.   Everybody showered and while they were doing that the women were upstairs getting the tea organised.   No choice of tea, coffee or whatever: it was tea.   The sausage rolls and pies were warmed up and by the time that was ready, the runners were ready for it as well.   It was a fine social occasion and many friendships were made or cemented at these gatherings which were exclusively male and almost exclusively adult.   If there were any sandwiches or cakes left over they were sold for club funds.

Good runners in their droves came from such training and runs – on one occasion Mike Ryan of St Modan’s in Stirling came along to the Baths for an interclub run with us and enjoyed the experience.   He later emigrated to New Zealand and won a Bronze in the Olympic Marathon in their colours.   The inter clubs took place every year and made and cemented friendships as well as  providing continuity for all clubs for decades.

As far as racing was concerned there was a typical winter fixture list which started with the McAndrew Road Relay on the first Saturday in October at Scotstoun, followed a week later with the County Relays at whatever venue was hosting it this year – it went round the four member clubs of Vale of Leven, Garscube, Dumbarton and ourselves – and then the Midlands District Championship.    That was all there was before the Edinburgh – Glasgow Relay on the third Sunday in November.    Like most clubs we had a trial to select the team for the McAndrew over a course in Clydebank and the four or five four man teams would be selected by the five wise men of the selection committee.   After the trial on the Tuesday before the race, the selections would be written out and pinned to the notice board inside the door at the baths.   Usually the first four were the first team, the second four the second and so on but occasionally one of the top men would miss the trial for some reason such as having to work late and a decision would have to be taken about whether he would go in or not.   For the County relays there were other problems – for instance Peter  Ballance was a very good road runner who was often in the first team but not a good country runner so he would often have to give way to someone who had run less well in the McAndrew.   Getting the team right for the Midlands was the important thing and both early races were used for that selection.   On the day of the race, it was usually a matter of arranging a lift from one of the guys with a car and every attempt was made to get guys in the same team into the same car.    And this was the pattern for most races over the country or on the roads between October and the end of the following February.   The single exception was the Edinburgh – Glasgow eight stage road relay race. 

The lead up to the race:  From the McAndrew trial – and maybe before – the focus was on the Edinburgh-Glasgow Relay Race, also known as the ‘News of the World’ because it had been sponsored by that paper from its inception in the Thirties.   And right well supported it was too with limousines supplied for the officials and nine buses for the runners which was one for each stage plus one that was used at the start of the event to take stragglers through to the start.    The probable team was discussed at length on training runs, at inter club meetings, at committee meetings and in fact anywhere that two or more Harriers were gathered together.    Soundings were taken from every possible team member about what leg he wanted to run.   Then the trial was held over 5+ miles and the selection committee deliberated on who would be in the team and which stage they would run – with distances ranging from 7 miles for the longest (sixth) stage to 3 miles+ for the shortest (third) stage, with the road being flat at one point or undulating at others, with  decisions about who had the temperament for the first stage and who could face the heavy traffic at the Glasgow end, it was difficult to please everybody but it was without doubt the big race of the winter.   Only 20 teams would be selected to contest the race, medals were given to the first three clubs to finish and there was a special set for the team which in the opinion of the judges had produced the most meritorious unplaced performance.   There was the additional incentive for the first two teams of a place in the London-Brighton against the winners of the other regional relays sponsored by the paper.   The Southern London to Brighton was the biggest, with others in the Midlands, the South West, the North West and the North East.   Sadly we were not concerned with this in my time – our concern was to make the race and to have a go at the most meritorious medals.   We were invariably successful in the first, not so often successful in the second. 

A typical Edinburgh to Glasgow Relay Race.   Once the team was picked, the pressure on the team members was fairly intense.   Having spoken of nothing else, with the results of every E-G race since 1930 on the club notice board and a special supporters bus hired to follow the team it couldn’t have been anything else.   The News of the World had nine coaches leaving Cunningham Street in Glasgow fairly early in the morning – one for each stage and one which would leave a bit later for the stragglers.   The theory was that each runner would go in the coach labelled for the appropriate stage of the race which would ensure that he got to the start in time for a warm up before the race.   The reality was that we usually waited for the stragglers bus so that we knew Cyril O’Boyle had turned up!   The buses travelled through to Edinburgh and lined up at the side of the road.   There were several Bentley and Rolls Royce limousines for the officials there as well – all provided by ‘The News of the World’.    Teams were declared and numbers collected and distributed.   Those running further down the line had something to eat and drink while the first stage runners started their warm up.

Buses with second and third stage runners left for the start of the appropriate stages.   Supporters cars, the club bus and members of other clubs were there asking how the team was doing, how particular runners would do, runners were finding out who the opposition was on their stage and generally the already high atmosphere became so tense that you could almost feel it in the air.

The race was invariably started by the Lord Provost of Edinburgh or his representative and a special baton containing a message to the Lord Provost of Glasgow given to the first runner of the winning team from the previous year.   If the runner with the baton were passed then he had the baton exchanged for a normal one while the special one went to the leading runner.   For individual runners the focus had to be on their own race.   While they were trying to do that, their team mates, club supporters and others who had come along were stopping their cars and the team bus in lay byes, on grass verges,  in farmers’ gates and even on pavements to shout their runners on.   Often if there were a duel between two clubs the opposition would be out at every opportunity with the stop watch checking if the gap was growing or diminishing.   Runners would finish their stage, put on their track suit from the selection in the official bus, transfer as soon as they could to join club members and do their share of shouting at team mates and a continuing analysis of their own run would be conducted for the length of the race with every club member they came across.

During the race, results were typed out and roneo-ed for distribution at the end of the succeeding stage – results from the first stage would be available at the end of the second and so on.   Strangely enough this was not done latterly when computers and printers were available and they had to be collected at the presentation.  After the race, there was an official meal and presentation for runners and team managers in the Ca D’Oro restaurant in Glasgow.   When the NoW stopped sponsoring it, sponsorship was taken over by Barr’s Iron Brew and the post race meal was in Strathclyde University Staff Club organised by Alex Johnstone.   Medals were awarded after the meal – gold, silver and bronze plus the big bonus for most clubs – the award to the most meritorious unplaced performance.   This caused a lot of disagreement with the judges as does any subjective award of prizes.   Then it was out into the streets of Glasgow and head for home.

The race was usually covered in some depth in both the ‘Glasgow Herald’ and ‘The Scotsman’ which always had a picture of the start across the whole width of the page above the report and of course the ‘Athletics Weekly’ also had a stage by stage report in which, if you were lucky you might even be mentioned individually.

  A Typical National:   The National Cross Country Championship was always held at Hamilton Race Course in the 50’s.   Again we would travel down by bus – all ages this time and when I joined the club, they were all male.   The women in the club at that time were all track and field athletes and in any case their championships were held separately.   Runners, parents and supporters were all there and it was a day out as much as a serious race – in almost all respects the E-G was a bigger race – the only real difference (and it was a REAL difference) was that this was the National Championship of Scotland which the club had won fourteen times in the early days and it was treated with respect.   Everyone who was anyone would be there – several of the better runners missed the E-G because their club wasn’t strong enough to be invited in, but nobody missed the National.

The course at Hamilton was a horrendous big kind of double button hook.   The race started with a long downhill slope on the good grass of the actual race course before meeting the ends of the first button hook (a big loop!) where the climb seemed to be gradual at first but seemed to get steeper and the going seemed to get heavier up the long, long hill before starting to turn back and drop down to the bottom of the loop and join the main straight that had been downhill at the start.   It was a seriously long uphill drag this time and by the time the start was reached nobody was really enjoying it.   If they were, they weren’t trying!   The trail went straight through the start and into a small buttonhook round to the left before coming back to the main stretch again.   The Senior Men did three and a half or four laps here and it was a very difficult course to judge.

On the race day, the runners warmed up while the younger boys’ races were taking place and many supporters had brought binoculars with them because although the distances were great, there was nothing to obscure the view.    After the race it was back into the bus, have a post mortem on the way home.   And another post mortem on the Sunday run, and on the Tuesday and Thursday runs as well!

A typical training night at Mountblow Recreation Ground was totally different with people that hadn’t seen each other since last summer meeting and sharing a changing room again.   Catching up on gossip, arranging teams for track inter club meetings and so on.   The changing accommodation was in a 1930’s type pavilion with four dressing rooms, a shower room with three showers and three sinks on each of two floors.   The men used the downstairs provision and the women were up stairs.   Club equipment was kept in a large basement Boiler Room – smaller items in the Club Box and bigger items (eg high jump stands) parked wherever there was space.   In charge were two groundsmen – Ben Ward was the top man with his colleague Charlie (I never found his surname) who had a cleft palate.   Anything you wanted, they usually had it.

Outside the Pavilion were two grass football pitches, one on each side of the path, then the cricket square on the right and the track was red blaes round another football pitch.   It was nearly four lanes and was 330 yards round.   The jumping pits were between the path and the cricket square and the area was very adaptable.   The perimeter was good  flat grass and approximately half a mile round; there was a hill behind the pavilion that could be incorporated into laps or just used for hill reps.   It was also possible to get a straight 300 yards on the grass if you wanted it.   In the mid 60’s two pole vault pits were constructed with a tar run up between them enabling the vaulters to use the prevailing wind.   The pits were filled with rubber off-cuts from the Dunlop factory which were stored in the Boiler Room when not in use.   Everywhere you looked there were athletes – men and women, boys and girls– running on the track, doing reps round the perimeter, throwing the javelin or putting the shot or even high jumping or pole vaulting.   Were the club to have a single venue again the scene would not be much different today.

Much of the equipment was by the inadvertent courtesy of the Singer factory – starting blocks for instance were manufactured locally.   That which any athlete needed was readily produced by the club.   I remember Ian Logie looking for one of the new fibre glass vaulting poles and by SAAA Regulation we could not buy one for him.   A Committee Meeting was held at Mountblow and the decision was that the club buy a pole for club use and that Ian was to be the club custodian of the pole!

Almost everyone walked to the track and walked home.   However they came, the conversation and fellowship was one of the main attractions of the Harriers.   This social dimension is one of the aspects of the club which is absent at present largely because of the prevalence of the car as the favoured mode of transport..

Ithe twenty first century athletes are very conscious of what gear to wear for every conceivable climatic condition and also of the possibility of obtaining a sponsorship contract from one of the major athletics clothing suppliers.   It is a fair question to ask what the typical runner of the Fifties wore – what was available and how it was modified or added to.

So what did the typical Harrier wear for training and racing?   The advice was to have three tops and three pairs of shorts – one on, one in the wash and one to wear tomorrow.   Of the tops one had to be club uniform.   The uniform was worn much more than today for training purposes: possibly because there was much less in the way of athletics clothing for sale in the shops and possibly because there was more pride in the club vest.   These were the days when T-Shirts had no writing on them and not many athletes were fortunate enough to have one.   Plain athletics singlets were the most common form of top layer and they were often topped by a plain or patterned jersey – see the one George White is wearing in the picture below!   Some athletes (including Victoria Park’s Andy Forbes) used to wear a single sheet of brown paper below the singlet or between the singlet and jersey on very cold nights.   Shorts were slightly longer than at present and were square cut.   Several clubs had the club shorts trimmed with a distinctive colour and the Clydesdale shorts were black trimmed with white braid.   Shorts were part of the uniform and specified in the constitution of the club.    Ankle socks of any colour and then the shoes!    When I joined the club most runners trained in sandshoes or plimsolls or gutties – they were different words for the same thing: a thin layer of rubber topped by a thin layer of cloth.   Fine and light, they helped you feel every stone  on the road.   Most road runners used them for racing purposes.  Spikes were usually leather with the actual spikes part of a solid plate in the sole.   Once the spikes were worn or damaged, the shoes had to be replaced.   Very few runners had more than one pair of spikes at a time and the length of the spikes – well the length of the spikes was the same for cinder track and all conditions of cross country.   There was no writing on them either.   Makers included Foster’s, Walsh’s and Reebok with the Adidas and other foreign brands just coming into vogue.   Walter Ross used to sell the Finnish ‘Hirvi’ shoes from the offices of his ‘The Scots Athlete’ offices in Glasgow – runners came from all over the UK for the Hirvi spikes whose spikes were made of copper.   They wore out quickly but they were in demand by those who liked light and comfortable shoes.   Many runners of course used Dunlop tennis shoes and anything else that was light and pliable enough to run in.

The famous Millington Track suit was also in the shops and what an item it was.   Baggy and bulky made of wool with a cotton top layer – the wool to keep you warm and the cotton to keep the wool reasonably dry.   You can see Peter Balance wearing one in the picture of him cheering on Pat Younger in the E-G.    Not everyone had a track suit – you can see some Track suit tops in the picture above with a very proud George White wearing the full set.

Where did we get the equipment?   There was a shop in Glasgow – Harris’s in Exchange Square as it said on the label – which kept stocks of all the club uniforms for Glasgow clubs.   And the vests were made to last.   I remember running behind a clubmate on a training run and noticing that the vest was so old that the black had turned to a lovely deep green colour, shiny and reminiscent of a rhododendron leaf in colour and texture.   They were made of some heavy material with the huge black C made of felt and sewn on.   When it got wet it became very heavy inducing a serious forward lean to the running action in the finishing straight on a wet afternoon.   There was also Roberts’ Stores in the Trongate which sold athletics singlets, shorts, Millington track suits and a variety of shoes.    It was so far from Central Station that going there almost counted as a training run in its own right.

It is a small group of runners taken at a Club Cross Country Championships at Braidfield Farm in the very late 50’s or early 60’s.   On the left are John Maclachlan with sweater over his club vest and square shorts tucked up for more freedom of movement and Eric McMahon similarly clad; then comes Jimmy Young in a football jersey (another common item of dress) and club shorts trimmed with white;  George White who had probably won the race in a Fair Isle kind of top over his running vest and black untrimmed shorts; David Bowman in a long sleeved jersey no doubt over a club vest because David always, always wore club uniform, and trimmed club shorts; Andrew McMillan properly dressed for the occasion with his cap on and Billy Hislop dressed as an official should on a cold afternoon with coat and scarf (probably worn over his suit) and real leather shoes on his feet.   The young chap in the duffel coat was young Ian McMillan, Andy’s son.   There is quite a range of outfits in this picture – and an absence of track suits which, if you had one, was being kept for bigger meetings.

And that was the gear – first and foremost club uniform, then anything that was suitable for the job in hand wherever you could lay hands on it.   Days were changing fast though and Adidas was on the market with the Adidas ‘Rome’ shoes (leather road running or training shoes) becoming a big seller after the Rome Olympic Games and for some time thereafter.   When the Tiger Shoe Company (now Asics) of Onitsuka, Japan produced their Tiger Cubs at £1:2:6 (£1:25 in today’s money) they were a revolution – good quality canvas shoes with a tight fit at the heel, a wider toe compartment and a thing but fairly good sole – and everybody wore them.   To start with they had a label tied to the laces of every pair which said “These shoes is the fruit of the effort of the workers of the Tiger Shoe Company of Onitsuka, Japan”.   That would be the start of the ready availability of mass produced quality athletics clothing and footwear.

Of course the point of the whole year was the competition and the results and trophy winners were celebrated at the Annual Presentation and Dinner Dance.   The typical Presentation Social as it was known to some of the older members was always a very formal affair and organised well in advance.   The venue was usually somewhere away from Clydebank which also added an element of distinction to it.   Like wearing club uniform, like social evenings to the theatre or even the Edinburgh Tattoo, it was part of the emphasis on togetherness and club spirit. Alex Hylan remembers two in the late 40’s in particular: the first was at the Masonic Lodge near the old Caley Railway Bridge in Clydebank, just along from the foot of Kilbowie Road.   Biscuits, cake and tea were served.   The other was in Whitecrook at the old Orange Halls which had started life as John Brown’s canteen. These were just after the War and money was scarce.     In my first few years in the club the presentation was held in the Balloch Hotel, the Blane Valley Hotel in Strathblane (now a housing development), the Kingsclere Hotel in Helensburgh (later the Commodore) and the Loch Lomond Hotel.   A large bus (on one occasion two buses) was hired, the tickets were properly and professionally printed and sold for weeks in advance.   They often cost about the £12 mark – a significant amount in these days – and no one complained about the cost.   Young members of 15 and under who had won prizes could come for half price.   All who could come, usually came.   The formality was emphasised by having a top table with members of the club executive, their wives and partners and any guests.   There was always at least one guest of honour to make the awards.   These were well known sportsmen (Andy Forbes and his wife, Lachie Stewart in 1970 and others in between), local politicians (Jimmy Malcolm, Malcolm Turner and others), local school teachers who had contributed something to the club (Joyce Hume from Vale of Leven Academy, Jack Fearn from Braidfield High School) and former members whom the club felt should be honoured (Alex Cameron, Charlie Middler for example).   The club trophies and other awards made a superb sight glittering on a side table which was large enough for them all to be seen to best advantage – many a guest of honour commented with surprise and admiration for the quality and quantity of silverware on display.   The menu was always presented on a proper menu card and distributed round the tables – at the end of the meal, members would often collect signatures from fellow guests as a souvenir of the occasion.

The evening began with the bus run down to the chosen venue, the men all in lounge suits and the women in semi formal dresses and fancy jewellery and the atmosphere was always electric with anticipation.   Some time in the bar or looking at the trophies then in to the tables.   The top table all had their places marked on card but everyone else sat where they liked.   The meal was enjoyed and then the presentation started.   The President called the gathering to order and the speeches started.   There weren’t many.   The President welcomed the company and especially the Guest of Honour, the Guest of Honour made his contribution (some did it better than others) and then the prizes were awarded.   Cross Country first to all age groups and then Track and Field to all age groups before the President thanked the Guest for his part in the presentation.   The tables were cleared and then the dancing started.   There was always something more or less spontaneous.   For instance one year at the Loch Lomond Hotel someone asked for a rendition by the Baths Choir: Pat, Frank, Charlie, Eric, Allan and company needed no real encouragement to give us ‘The Road to the Isles’, ‘The Mingulay Boat Song’ and a variety of tramping songs which were all well received with others joining in to make a super sing-song.   On another night, when Bobby Bell and his wife Lily were there after a long absence, they gave a demonstration of ballroom dancing – They were professional dancers.

Presentation Group: Brian McAusland, Jim Crawford, Buster McCall, Malcolm Buchanan, Bobby Shields, John Maclachlan and Jim Shields

These were only some of the features of life in the Harriers when I started there in the 1950’s and many of the features that made athletics so magical and magnetic are no longer in existence.   Some literally so (club headquarters such as the various Public Baths have been knocked down or transformed into Leisure Centres, cross-country trails have been built on in whole or in part and road courses have been altered because they are ‘too dangerous’.    That has meant lots of traditions going.   In addition society has changed, in some ways not for the better – eg club social life and bonding has to be artificially created where in former days we would walk to the headquarters, meeting other club members along the way, exchanging gossip, arranging future meetings, now most members just turn up on four wheels and go home on the same four wheels.    As far as I can see the only ‘typical’ today is the four or five 10K road races every weekend!

The official ‘News of the World’ picture of the Maryhill E-G winning team in 1939

Back Row: Bob Bell, Donald Robertson, unknown, Gordon Porteous, Mr Murdoch (Club President), Andy Coogan, Peter Hanlon and AH Blair

Front: Bobby McPherson, Emmet Farrell, Willie Nelson and Archie Peters.

Not all names were known but most of those were identified from Andy Coogan’s autobiography, referred to below.

That the Second World War disrupted athletics and the sporting careers of many fine athletes in many countries and sports is generally accepted: but the fact that it created an artificial stop/start point for historians is perhaps neglected.   For instance, the starting point for this website is generally 1945 although in several cases where athletes or clubs had successes that straddled the war.    In the case of Maryhill Harriers, to start celebrating the success of a particular generation of runners in 1945 is to miss the rich vein of success that ran from the end of the Twenties right through to the early 50’s and the careers of men such as Donald Macnab Robertson, John Emmet Farrell and Dunky Wright must be looked at across the divide.   These men have all been profiled elsewhere on this website but they were only the very tip of the club in which they needed many other good men to have the success they achieved at club level.   If we look at the Edinburgh to Glasgow Road Race and start just before the War, in 1937, we get a able like this (bold indicates fastest time on stage).

Looking at the National Cross Country Championships for roughly the same period and only looking at the first six (scoring) runners we get this table.

If it is clear that they preferred the country – and Emmet Farrell was quite clear that he did – they were no slouches on the road either.   If we speak of a fast pack, then the runners above did constitute such a one.

Some of the men’s records:

AH Blair:   1 gold and 2 silvers in the E-G   and   1 gold and 2 silvers in the National

D McLean:   2 silvers in the E-G and 1 gold and 2 silvers in the National

R McPherson:   1 gold and 2 silvers in the E-G   and   1 gold and 3 silvers in the National

W Nelson:   1 gold and 2 silvers in the E-G   and   1 gold and 3 silvers in the National

Gordon Porteous  1 gold and two team silvers in the E-G and 1 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze from the National

These are in addition to the many medals won by Emmet Farrell, Dunky Wright and Donald  Robertson who are the subjects of separate profiles.  Six different men ran fastest times on their stages of the E-G at one time or another.   Andy Coogan has not been mentioned here but he was a really good runner and his autobiography “Tomorrow You Die” tells of his time with Maryhill Harriers and love of the sport as well as his time in Japanese hands during the War.   Well worth a read – buy it, the money will be well spent, if you can’t buy it, get your Library to buy it and let others get the benefit.   Gordon Porteous has written a short history of the club, with the help of Robert Stevenson, and you can read it  here  .. 

Victoria Park AAC, 1951

The Victoria Park AAC team of the 1950’s was all-conquering on the road and over the country – serious opposition was received from Shettleston and Bellahouston Harriers provided stern challengers but the Scotstoun club reigned supreme.   The teams of the late 40’s and 60’s were good but this group was, by any stretch of the imagination, great.   Ian Binnie and Andy Forbes were the big names and their deeds are known all over the UK and eve wider afield: did Andy not win a silver in the Commonwealth Games and Binnie not set British and Commonwealth records?   But there were others of a very high calibre backing them up and even defeating them on occasion and some of them will be portrayed here.

DUNCAN MACFARLANE was a genuine stalwart, who helped Victoria Park to gold in the 1950 Edinburgh to Glasgow Road Relay (and two silver medals earlier); as well as counting towards Senior National Cross Country Championship team gold in 1951 (plus two silver and one bronze earlier). There is a link to his detailed and interesting obituary (written by his daughter Anne, a good veteran racer) at the end of this Fast Pack section; and also by clicking on his name in Who’s Who.

I have concentrated on two races – the National and the Edinburgh-Glasgow Relay – as a measure of their talent simply because space would not allow detailed examination of their entire careers: most of them were very good on the track as well – check the records!

When I started in the sport RONNIE KANE was running well enough but past his prime and running on the roads.   Speaking to him in dressing rooms and tents at Highland Gatherings, I knew him as a fine man, very friendly and easy to get on with but I had not the faintest notion of how good he had been.   What I will do is simply list some of his achievements and let them speak for themselves.   First the Edinburgh to Glasgow.

There are several excellent performances there but the one that catches the eye is that of 1952 when, in only his second run in the event, he took on the very difficult second stage, pulled his team into first place and turned in the second quickest time on the stage.     His running in the National Cross Country was even more impressive.

In 1954 he was not only fourth across the finishing line but first club runner with the second VP man in thirteenth.   Again a wonderful set of results in Scotland’s premier cross-country event.

I can’t give all his results here but the above is an indication of how good a club man he was.  He ran well into the 1960’s before starting to coach the Victoria Park youngsters and men like Alastair Douglas and Peter McGregor passed through his hands.  He also had very good women athletes with Lynne MacDougall, Fiona McQueen and Judith Shepherd being among them.  It was a real blow to the athletics community when he died tragically early.

The other man in the photograph at the top is JOHN McLAREN from Shotts.   John had a withered left arm but this did not seem to stop him – remember cross-country had fences, barbed wire and the lot in the 50’s.   John was a bit younger and he overlapped two very good club teams in the second half of the 50’s and ten years later was still a key member of the team.   He first came to notice as a Junior when he won the Scottish Cross-Country Championships in both 1954 and 1955 running for Shotts.   By 1956 he was a member of Victoria Park and was their first counter when he was fifth in the National – four places ahead of another first year senior, Bobby Calderwood.   In 57 he was third, in 58 he was fifth, in 59 second, in 60 ninth, he did not run in 1961 but a year later he was seventh.   Not surprisingly he picked up six international cross-country vests – in 1955*, ’56*, ’57*, ’58, ’59* and ’62.    The starred years were when he was first Scots counter in the event and his best performance was twelfth in 1957.   A  staunch Scottish Nationalist his war cry of “Guid Aul’ Scotland” as he crossed the finishing line was one of his trademarks and after his running career was over, he took up local politics and was often seen at Highland Games meetings in Shotts wearing his kilt.

On the road he ran in eleven E-G’s between 1956 and 1968.  He ran only on Stage Four up until 1966 and in his first run he set a stage record and followed up with stage best times in ’57, ’58, ’59 and ’61 before being second fastest to Andy Brown of Motherwell in ’62 and ’63.  In ’64 he was fourth fastest with Andy Brown again quickest on the stage and then, after missing 1965, he was third fastest on stage four with Andy’s wee brother Alex having the fastest time!  In 67 he ran on the sixth stage and in 68 on the third but although always a battler and a good man to have in your team the years had taken their toll and he was not the runner of yore.   With young Turks like Johnston, McMeekin and company he had to yield his place.   There are men in the sport today who are not remotely in his class as shown between 1954 and 1960 who are picking up international vests – let’s not forget the John McLarens.

Chic Forbes passing the baton to Ian Binnie

Andy Forbes was maybe better known but his brother Chic was one of the most valuable team members in the 1950’s.   He latterly moved to Irvine and joined the local club and was a familiar figure at cross-country races for many years.   Unlike most of the team though he did not get his Scottish international cross-country vest despite finishing seventh (1950) and fifth (1952) in the National Cross-Country Championship.   He was nevertheless an athlete of quality unfortunately overshadowed by his big brother.   Again, I’ll let his achievements speak for themselves by setting them out in tabular form.

The figures in black are for the national cross-country championships and those in red are for the E-G.

Chic ran after 1960 of course but his best years were undoubtedly those of the 50’s when he contributed to seventeen team medals, ten of them gold and his three fastest stages in the relay plus three second fastest and two thirds speak volumes for his consistency.

Jimmy Ellis to Bobby in the London to Brighton

BOBBY CALDERWOOD was roughly contemporaneous with John McLaren and a very fine runner indeed as can be seen by his two runs in the International Cross Country Championships in 1956 and 1957 – in ’56 he was first Scots counter when he finished in 41st position..   Like his good friend Ronnie Kane, he took up coaching after he had finished running competitively as was very highly regarded.   Bobby was one of the first athletes to continue racing for his club after he started at University – the practice before the War and just after was for club runners to turn out for the ‘Varsity’ while they were students.   The practice was starting to change when he went up to Glasgow University and he was one of the first to break with that particular tradition.

After running as a Youth and Junior Bobby’s first run in the Senior National was in 1956 when as a first year in the age group he was second club counter when he crossed the line in ninth place – four places behind another of the same age, John McLaren – in the winning team.   In ’57 he was eighth and again in the victorious squad, in ’58 he was nineteenth to be a counter in the gold medal team for the third consecutive year.   There were medals in the following three years but not as bright – ’59 saw him in thirty fifth and second team, ’60 saw another thirty fifth place and bronze and in ’61 it was seventy third for more bronze.

As for the Edinburgh to Glasgow, there were another four golds and three bronzes for Bobby.   In 1952 a very young Bobby was second on the first stage in the winning team and although he missed the event in 1953, he made up for it with finishing first on the first stage in 1954 to set the team on its winning way.   He missed out again in 1955 and then in 1956 he was again second on the first stage as part of another gold medal team performance.    1957 was to be his final gold medal when he again ‘won’ the first stage for the second time.   In ’58 he ran the first stage in the team that finished third but unfortunately the records don’t show the individual times below the winning club.   In 1959 he was third fastest on the long sixth stage to see the team finish third.   The team started to disintegrate at that point and although the team of the 1960’s would prove to be very good by 1960 the team could only finish twelfth with Bobby sixteenth on the first stage that he had dominated six years just a short time before.   He ran in more Edinburgh to Glasgow races but because we are focusing here on the teams of the 1950’s, it is maybe appropriate to stop here.    Picture below is before the relay in 1953.

JIMMY ELLIS, pictured above, was one of three brothers who all did sterling work for the club over the period and between them they won 8 medals in the Edinburgh to Glasgow Relay.   Although all three were never in the same team, there were two of them in 1951, 1953 and 1956.   He himself ran in six between 1949 and 1953, NORMAN took part in six between 1952 and 1960 and Sid ran in 1951 and 1956.    All three are listed in the table below:

Jimmy’s results are in black, Norrie in blue and Sid in red and the whole represents a wonderful record of club service from one family – I can’t think of another example.   They did not appear so often on the country though – like several of the Victoria Park runners, they kept off the uncertain surfaces and avoided the ditch jumping and fence vaulting that prevailed at the time.   Again, Jimmy was the most active – 15th individual and 3rd counter in the team that tied with Bellahouston Harriers for second place in 1949, 5th and 2nd counter in the winning team in 1951, 7th and 4th counter in the winning team in 1952, 12th and 5th counter in the winning team in 1953 and 13th and 2nd counter in the second placed team in 1954.   In this latter year Sid also ran and was 6th counter in 34th place: this was his only run in the Senior National.   Norrie ran as a Junior being 9th in 1954 and that was the only year when all three competed at the same National.   Norrie was also in action in 1956, his only appearance in the Senior team, when he was a non-counter in the winning team with his 34th place.   Jimmy was the only man to gain a cross-country international vest and that was in 1951: in the actual event he was one of Scotland’s scoring runners when he was in 46th place.   Sid died in October 2019 and a very good appreciation of his life and contribution to the club was put up on the club facebook page at :

https://www.facebook.com/groups/VPGlasgow/permalink/10162362317905565?sfns=mo

Sid, Jim and Norrie Ellis

Bobby Calderwood

The Victoria Park team of the 1950’s is legendary for their performances on whatever surface although they were generally reckoned, despite their win in the English National, to be better on the road than on the country.   The teams of the 60’s and 70’s were also very good indeed and both will be discussed.   First of all, Colin Youngson has done the following club profile for the latter day runners.

Victoria Park AAC senior men always enjoyed the Edinburgh to Glasgow relay and many of the club’s best runners excelled on the road, although some did very well on the country or track as well. This website includes several VP profiles already, including Ian Binnie, Hugh Barrow, Pat Maclagan, Alastair Johnston, Davie McMeekin and Alastair Douglas. However a scan of the E to G results from 1962 to the late 1980s reveals a number of athletes who thoroughly deserve to be celebrated. These are: Albie Smith, Joe Reilly, Des Austin, Innis Mitchell, George Meredith, Bobby Blair, Laurie Reilly, Willie Sheridan, Frank Brown and Andy Girling.

Unless sarcasm was involved, no one ever called Albert Smith (born 18/1/1943) by his proper Christian name – it has always been Albie. He continues to be a real character – challenging, witty, insulting, and yet great company. He trained and raced very hard indeed, especially in the Edinburgh to Glasgow Road Relay. The speed he showed in that great race had its origins in his track career. A key training session was 20x200m, with the first 200m in 30 seconds, followed by 45 seconds for the ‘recovery’ 200m = each lap 75 seconds. That’s five-minute mile pace! According to scotstats, he ran 1.55.8 for 800m (although Albie thinks it was closer to 1.54, but he has kept no records), 3.50.2 for 1500m and 4.16.19 for one mile. However scotstats are wrong, since he won the West District one mile title in 1966, outsprinting the holder Hugh Barrow with 4.13.6. Albie also won the inaugural Glasgow Mile Championship and the Dunbartonshire 1500m. He raced on numerous occasions during the Scotland v England football match at Hampden, in front of 80,000 spectators. He often took part in the Charity Shield Mile at Ibrox, which had 70,000 spectators and his best run there was being outsprinted by Ian McCafferty, but defeating Graham Everett and Hugh Barrow. Another good race was a narrow defeat by Lachie Stewart at Helenvale, when Albie ran two miles in 9 minutes two seconds. In addition, he represented Scotland in a match against the Combined Services, he believes in 1976, winning the 1500m in 3.50.6, after running the last 800m in 1.58 and outsprinting the speedy Jim Dingwall. He regrets that, in those ‘cost-conscious’ days, the SAAA only loaned Scottish vests to athletes and suggests that he won without difficulty because the vest he borrowed must have been worn previously by Ian Stewart!

Albie Smith made the final of the SAAA Championships 1500m on ten or more occasions. His best position was fourth in 1973, which was a slow race. With 280 metres to go, he sped into a 35 metre lead and stayed in front until about 20 metres from the finish. Ron MacDonald was the winner. Albie competed for VP in the Scottish League Division 1 on many occasions, doubling up 800m/1500m frequently, as well as breaking 2 minutes/4 minutes easily. Once he also did the shot putt and javelin. While at Strathclyde University, he was awarded his Blue for Track and Field for season 1968-1969, after winning one mile races and finishing second to Dave Logue in the three miles at the 1969 Scottish Universities Championship. He ran 1500m for Scottish Universities in the Combined Universities event at Crystal Palace.  Albie was knocked out in the 1500m heats at the 1973 British Universities championships but clocked 3.53. When he turned forty he was victorious in the Scottish Veterans championships at 800m and 1500m. He also came second in the British Veterans 800m. Apparently the guy that won had been a professional and may have been disqualified. Certainly, Albie broke 2 minutes for 800m, which is still a fast time for a vet. In addition, he did a lot of coaching and his best memory involves Ian Archibald and the 1983 SAAA 1500m championship. Ian phoned Albie on the morning of the contest, and a race plan, which worked a treat, was formed. The tactics involved: accelerating hard into the lead at 300m to go; throttling back, while maintaining first position, until 200m; speeding up again for fifty metres and then coasting once more; before giving it everything in the last hundred metres. Ian won going away, outsprinting not only Nat Muir but also John Robson!

Albie Smith also achieved success in cross-country. As a Youth, he won team gold with VPAAC in the 1961 SCCU Championships; finished eleventh (well in front of Pat Maclagan) when his team won silver medals in the 1964 Scottish Junior; gained another silver in the 1966 Senior National, when he was a very respectable 22^nd; and obtained bronze in 1967.

He is one of very few competitors who managed to run the E to G on twenty occasions. His first race was in 1962; his final appearance in 1985. Albie ran every stage except Six. He made an immediate impact in 1962, with third-fastest on Stage Five, when his team were fourth, which unfortunately was a place they ended up in nine times in twenty-one years. Yet during that period they also won three silver and three bronze medals and were never lower than eighth. This is evidence of Victoria Park’s consistency in retaining a place among the very best Scottish teams.

Albie himself won three silver and two bronze medals with VPAAC and also ran for Strathclyde University in 1968 and 1969. On Eight, he was fastest in 1972 (equalling Henry Summerhill’s stage record after chasing Scottish 1500m champion Craig Douglas and closing in by 69 seconds), second-fastest in 1971 and third-fastest in 1974. However he was undoubtedly a Stage Three specialist, coping very well with four steeply undulating miles, often into a headwind). When Edinburgh University’s Ian Hathorn broke the Stage Three record in 1966, Albie was second-fastest, only fifteen seconds slower than Hathorn and speedier than Norman Morrison. Albie was fastest in 1967 (eighteen seconds better than Andy McKean) and 1978 (at the age of 35). Add to that second-fastest in 1966 and 1975 and third-fastest in 1970 and 1979. He remains a Vicky Park legend!

Joe Reilly (born 8/7/1945) first took part in the E to G in 1964, after a track season when he ran 3 miles in 14.23, as well as winning the Scottish Schools one mile title. He reduced his three miles time to 14.05 in 1965, the year he finished the SAAA Championship 6 miles in 29.09.2 and won a bronze medal. During the next few seasons, Joe also tackled the steeplechase (1967 West District Champion) and produced times of 4 minutes exactly (1500m), 14.50.2 (5000m) and 30.47 (10,000m).

He was a good cross-country runner, winning team silver in the Scottish National Youths CC in 1961. Joe produced a splendid performance in 1964 when he ran the ICCU Junior CC for Scotland, finished ninth and his team won silver medals. The fantastic Ian McCafferty won the race, Alec Brown was seventh, and the Scottish team was only one point behind England. This was to be Scotland’s best attempt to win the International title. Previously Joe Reilly had been fourth in the Scottish Junior, not far behind Mel Edwards, Ian McCafferty and Lachie Stewart. Victoria Park were second in the team contest. Then in 1966, VP won the team title in the Scottish Junior National, with Joe eighth.

Soon after that, Joe’s family moved to Liverpool and then Manchester and he didn’t come up for the National but concentrated on travelling to Victoria Park’s favourite race (after the McAndrew Relay, naturally) – the E to G. He competed in this seven times. After his debut in 1964 (on Stage 7), he ran in 1965 (fourth-fastest on Two, VP bronze medals), in 1967 on Five (gained two places), and ran strongly on 6 in 1968, with his team fourth, which was the place they obtained again in 1969, when Joe did Stage 7. His last two attempts produced two more medals. VP were third in 1970, with Joe tackling the long Stage Six again. Then in 1971, which featured a terrific battle between Joe’s club and Shettleston, he was second-fastest on Stage Five, overhauling International runner Norman Morrison and moving into the lead, although eventually VP finished a valiant second. Overall, Joe Reilly had proved to be a really good runner. In addition he must have been an inspiration and an adviser to his younger brother Laurence, of whom more later.

Des Austin (born 26/10/1943) showed talent as a Junior, with team bronze in 1965 and gold in the SCCU Junior National CC in 1966, when he led the team home in fourth place, with Joe Reilly 8^th and Alastair Johnston 11^th. In 1966 he ran six miles on the track in a good time: 30.37.6.   Des ran in the E to G for VPAAC six times, over a 16 year period! He was third-fastest on Stage Seven in 1965, when his club won bronze medals. A year later he improved to second equal fastest on Seven, and VP secured second place. Then in 1970 it was bronze once more, after Des ran Stage Four.    By then, he had moved south to work, running for Manchester, Invicta in Kent and eventually Highgate Harriers in London. However Des Austin became serious about his running once more in the late 1970s. He returned to the E to G in 1978 and promptly won his fourth team medal – silver, this time, with Des tackling the exposed Stage Five, straight into a blizzard, retaining second place and ending up third-fastest, only ten seconds off fastest. Five medals in five attempts was his record in 1980, when VP were third and he ran Stage Six. It is not true that, after Des’s Scottish club could only manage fourth place in 1981, despite his exertions on classy Stage 6 (sixth fastest), Des Austin refused to compete in the race again, since he had finally failed to win a medal!   By then, the main focus for Des had become the marathon, although he finished a good 14th for VP in the 1978 Senior National CC at Bellahouston Park. At this time he was the owner of ‘Runners Need’, a specialist sports shop in Camden, London. In 1979 he ran 2.24.58, as well as 10,000m in 30.44. 1980 produced 2.19.30 and in 1981 he was even faster, with 2.19.19. This time was achieved wearing a Scottish International vest: Des finished fifth in the Glasgow International Marathon. Jim McGlynn from Eire was less than a minute in front of him, with Alan Coles (Wales) second, and Rod Stone (Northern Ireland and Cambuslang H), Colin Youngson, Des Austin and Alastair Macfarlane, representing Scotland, finishing closely together. Scotland won the team race and received specially inscribed SAAA gold medals.    Des Austin continued to record marathon times in the 2.20s for some years and as a veteran did very well in Chicago (2^nd Master), London (third Veteran) and Boston (6^th Master). In 1988, he became the owner of ‘Runners Need’, a specialist running retailer in Camden, London. By the time he sold the business, in 2010, there were seven branches and it has continued to expand, so in retirement Des should be able to afford even the most expensive trainers!

Innis Mitchell (born 2/2/1948) is an Aberdonian who ran in the Edinburgh to Glasgow Road Relay for a number of clubs: Aberdeen AAC (once), Strathclyde University (four times), Victoria Park (four times) and Glasgow University (twice). He went on to run for Inverness Harriers, then take part in Eventing (with horses!) and now to compete as a racing cyclist.    Innis went to Aberdeen Academy when there were a number of good young distance runners who had been influenced by Alastair Wood and his wife Jean through Aberdeen AAC. Innis remembers with gratitude the encouragement he received and the frightening trips to races when Wood was driving.    Although Innis Mitchell broke the school record in his Sixth Year, when he ran one mile in 4.31.8, this strong, stocky, determined character had previously shown considerable talent for cross-country. In the Scottish Schools senior championship he was fifth in 1965 at Dalziel High School, Motherwell. Then in 1966, on a course at Perth High School, after a close battle he became Scottish Schoolboys Champion. He followed this with eighth in the Scottish National Youths at Hamilton Racecourse.   Innis always reckoned that he had natural stamina, which gave him the edge for a while, but when others started training hard, some of them caught up with him. Nevertheless he continued to run well at University, while acquiring two different qualifications. Innis relished racing in tough conditions and had the unusual distinction of being awarded full blues for cross-country at both Strathclyde and Glasgow. He ran for Scottish Universities on several occasions and one of his best races was when he finished second in the Scottish Universities CC Championships in 1975. Innis also ran on track (5000m in14.58 and 10,000m in 31.07)  and road (ten miles in 53 minutes) while at Strathclyde, which had a very lively, sociable group of runners, including Albie Smith, Alastair Johnston, Bobby Blair, Mike Hall, Ron Paton, Murray McNaught, Frank Clement and the sensible and talented captain, John Myatt. Later at Glasgow University, Innis enjoyed the company of several other reprobates who could still run, like Willie Sheridan, John Gunstone , Willie Fothergill, Dave Logue and Raph Murray.

In the E to G, Innis was plunged in at the deep end in 1966 when, at the age of eighteen, he ran the final stage for Aberdeen AAC. By only four seconds, he was edged out of the bronze medal position by an experienced racer from Motherwell YMCA. However on his debut for Strathclyde University in 1967, when he ran the First Stage, although the team finished 12^th, they were awarded medals for the most meritorious performance. Strath improved to ninth in 1968, with Innis on Four; were eighth in 1969 (Innis on Four again); and up to sixth in 1970 (Four again).  After graduating, Innis Mitchell started work in Glasgow and competed for Victoria Park AAC, joining the Fast Pack on the Tuesday and Thursday burn-ups round traditional routes on lamplit pavements near Scotstoun Showgrounds. In addition he developed speed endurance by taking part in those legendary lunchtime repetition sessions on Westerlands grass, with the likes of Lachie Stewart, Alistair Blamire and Dave Logue.  Innis was part of the first team that finished second in Vicky Park’s own McAndrew Relay in 1971, although he could hardly have relished trying to fight off Shettleston’s Lachie Stewart on the Second Stage. In 1972 Innis, despite an untied shoelace, played his part in the VP outfit that won the Dunbartonshire CC Relays. Then he ran well in the E to G on Stage Three, gaining four places and recording the third-fastest time. After that, he featured in the team that came second in the 1973 Midland CC Championships. Since the previous record-holders (Reading AC) were not aware of Scottish first-claim rules, in April 1973, Innis qualified as one of the Aberdeen AAC team that fought their way to a new record in the gruelling 850 miles John o’Groats to Land’s End Relay.

Then Innis Mitchell studied at Glasgow University, running the E to G for them in 1973 on Stage Four, when they were ninth. In 1974, GU came twelfth, with Innis on Stage One. In the 1975 Senior National CC, he achieved his best position – 35^th, and Glasgow University did well to finish fourth team. However that winter, Innis was competing for VP once again: on Stage Four in the E to G, with VP sixth. They improved to fourth in 1976 with Innis retaining that place on Five. Previously he had been 38^th in the National CC. His final run for Vicky Park was in the 1977 E to G, on Five again.

Innis Mitchell next moved up north, to Dingwall, and ran for Inverness Harriers. He did especially well in hill races, like ? Innis also ran the North District Cross-Country League, North Championships and CC Relays.

Achilles tendon injuries brought an end to his serious running career, but Innis Mitchell kept his fitness through speedy Munro-bagging and walking long-distance paths, often with his old friendly rival Colin Youngson. Then he devoted himself to horse-riding and eventing, with considerable success. Having tried mountain-biking and cycle touring, he discovered one-day sportifs, time-trials and handicap road-racing. Innis Mitchell, despite his education and thoughtful nature, will no doubt persist in being daring, fit and tough until he drops!

George Meredith (born 14/11/1948) seemed talented enough, if a little casual, in the early 1970s, but had difficulty getting into the good VPAAC senior team. He turned out to be a late bloomer, however. George ran 10,000m in 31.52 in 1969 and made his first appearance in the E to G that year, when he was third-fastest on Stage Five and VP finished fourth. However his next appearance was not until 1978, on Stage Eight, when they won silver medals. George was equal second-fastest after battling into a blizzard. (Later it became clear that he always coped well with bad conditions, caused by weather, steep hills or heavy mud.) In 1979 Meredith was given the responsibility of tackling Stage Six and VP ended up fourth. Yet they won bronze medals in 1980 after George bashed through the exposed Stage Five into a brutal headwind. On the country, George Meredith’s best race was in the 1979 Senior National, when he finished 22^nd and was second-counter in his third-placed team.

By now, George was living and working in England, near Cambridge. He continued to run cross-country and when he turned forty, headed north to prove his strength and ability. In 1990 the Scottish Veterans CC Championships were held in Dumfries, on a windy, muddy, undulating course. With half a mile to go, there were two left. A fence had to be negotiated, taking off and landing on deep sludge. George Meredith proved equal to the task, while his opponent, the title-holder Colin Youngson, did not, and George, sprinting through the mud, triumphed by six seconds. He went on to run consistently well for Scotland in the annual Five Nations Vets International CC, as well as the Scottish championships (M40 bronze in 1992, M50 silver despite a fall in 1999 – six seconds behind the pitiless Youngson, who had made his break immediately after his friend and rival hit the deck.) George ran in British Veterans contests on track and road. Despite virtually all his training being done on grass, he won a silver medal in the 1990 BVAF 10 miles at Oswestry.

However a troublesome knee injury finally stopped him competing – but he found fame and continued fitness in an utterly different sport.  Here is an online quote from an advertising article about the Concept 2 Indoor Rower. “George Meredith is something of a legend in the world of Indoor Rowing. At age 55 he has been winning his age category and setting records at the nationals, and medalling in the world championships since taking to the machine eight years ago. He also represented Scotland at cross-country running, has a 66.48 best at the half-marathon, and a 2.26 for the full distance, set in the early 80s. His introduction to indoor rowing was via the typical runner’s route: he was injured and in need of rehab, ‘I was having trouble with my right knee and one of my toes’ he says, ‘and I was advised to incorporate indoor rowing into my training, so there would be less impact. It’s definitely given me a second lease of life; my upper body’s much stronger, and I wish I’d had it as part of my training earlier in my running career. I have no doubt that it helps when it comes to sprinting towards the end of a race.’

George’s indoor rowing sessions are not dissimilar to his running workouts. The 2000m distance, when raced, boils down to about 80% aerobic work, and 20% anaerobic. That ratio results in a fairly hellish degree of oxygen debt, hence James Cracknell’s collapse after a time trial on the BBC’s ‘Gold Fever’ documentary series. To increase his ability to function when lactic acid is telling him otherwise, Meredith favours indoor rowing sessions such as three times 2000m at close to race pace, with six minute rests between each. As with running training, these are done off the back of long, steady sessions that build up a sound aerobic base.”   Feel the burn! It all sounds rather masochistic, but old runners whose legs don’t move fast enough to produce any lactic acid could well emulate George Meredith by cross-training with an indoor rowing machine.

Laurence Reilly (born 7/8/1954) was an extremely talented runner, which he first proved in 1970, when he ran 1500m in 3.57.6 for second in the AAA Youths at Kirkby, only 0.1 of a second behind the winner, David Glasborrow, whose time was a world age-group record. Laurie won both the Scottish Schools and the SAAA Youths 1500m  titles In addition he covered 3000m in 8.36.2, 5000m in 14.57.2 (UK record for a 15 year-old) and 10,000m in 31.19.2 (a world age-group best, set in a time-trial at Scotstoun) – fantastic times for someone of his age. In 1971 he retained his Scottish Schools 1500m title.

 For the next ten years Laurie continued to produce track bests – his final one was 800m (1.53.2) in 1980. Other fastest times were: 1500m (3.46.8), one mile (4.06.0), 3000m (8.00.4), 5000m (13.54.6) and 10,000m (28.58.75 – tenth on the Scottish all-time list in 1975). He was second in the 1972 AAA Junior 3000m, third in the 1973 AAA Junior 5000m and eighth (running for GB) in the European Junior in Duisberg. Naturally, he also ran for Scotland on the track, as a Senior at 3000m in the 1975 British Cup at Cwmbran, Wales. He won a bronze medal in the 1978 SAAA 5000m.

His record in cross-country was very impressive, since he ran the ICCU or IAAF Championships for Scotland eight times in succession, from 1972 to 1979. This included twice as a Junior, with a best position of 20^th; and six times as a Senior, with his best place 41^st in 1977. Laurie counted for the team six times. In 1974 Jim Brown, Andy McKean and Laurie Reilly defeated England, Spain and Belgium to win the team title for a race over 8000m to celebrate the 75^th anniversary of Barcelona FC. Then in 1975, when Ian Stewart became IAAF World CC Champion, Allister Hutton (38^th) and Laurie Reilly (43^rd), both still Juniors, finished ahead of the other Scottish Senior athletes, when the team obtained sixth place.

On the home front, Laurie Reilly had starred. He won the National Youths title in 1971, leading VP to first team. In the National Junior he was third in 1973 (with VPAAC second); first in 1974, in front of Allister Hutton; and second in 1975 (after a great battle with Hutton). Then in the National Senior, his best positions were 4^th in 1976 and 6^th in 1979 (when VP won team bronze). In addition, to quote Colin Shields, “Laurie Reilly, the slim, pale, scholarly-looking athlete who had nevertheless bettered 29 minutes for 10,000m on the track the previous summer, won the Senior title at the 1976 Western District Championships at Drumpellier Park, Coatbridge. He won the 6 mile race by 23 seconds from Frank Clement (Bellahouston) with Phil Dolan (Clydesdale) in third place.” Oddly, while Laurie was at Strathclyde University, he seems to have joined Shettleston Harriers for the season 1976-77, but only helped them win one race – the 1976 West District CC Relay.

In the E to G, Laurie Reilly ran for VP six times. He was on Stage Two in 1972 and again in 1973, when he gained four places and set the third-fastest time on this ‘fast men’s stage’. In 1974 he was fastest on Two, taking 32 seconds out of Ron MacDonald. Laurie was fourth fastest on Six in 1975; moved up two places on Two in 1976; and ran Stage Six in 1978, when he finally gained a team silver medal in this famous race.

Laurie Reilly ran for Liverpool Pembroke and Sale Harriers in England, but when he retired (still near his best), Victoria Park AAC had every reason to be proud of his top-class performances in the club colours.

Willie Sheridan (born 2/1/1955) was a natural athlete with an elegant stride and, like Aberdeen’s Graham Laing, infuriated those of lesser talent by hardly ever looking in difficulty. He must have trained hard on occasion but on the surface, Willie seemed extremely ‘cool’ before that meaning of the word was prevalent. Yet he incurred no real jealousy, just admiration, due to his modesty and delight in social occasions.   Willie first ran for the VP senior team as early as 1972, when he was a first year junior and they finished third in the Allan Scally Road Relay. Then he made his debut in the E to G, on Stage Seven. In the 1973 National Junior CC, he helped his club to win silver medals.    1974 was an excellent year for Willie. In the National Junior CC, he was third behind two very good runners: Laurie Reilly and Allister Hutton. His Glasgow University team came second. At the IAAF World Junior Championships at Monza, Willie ran brilliantly to finish twelfth, with Paul Kenney 13^th and the precocious Youth Nat Muir 19^th. Unfortunately the Scottish Youth Champion, John Graham, who had beaten Muir in the National, came in 49^th and the Scottish team were pipped by Italy for third place by only three points.   Willie Sheridan did not return to the National until 1976, when he surprised some by running very well to finish 10^th in the Senior race. He had left Glasgow University and formed Westerlands Cross Country Club in 1977. In 1978 Willie was 27^th in the Senior and the new club did well to finish tenth. His best National result after that was 13^th in 1980.

 In the E to G, although road was not his favourite surface, Willie ran for Victoria Park once (1972), Glasgow University H&H four times (1973-76) and Westerlands CCC four times (1978-82). His best runs were: fifth on Stage one in 1974; second-fastest to Nat Muir on Six in 1978 (superior to Allister Hutton) in a successful bid to overtake GU for 19^th place; and fifth-fastest on Six in 1981.

 Although he ran the first Glasgow Marathon in well under-three hours, despite wearing an enormous sombrero, and in 1982 ran the event more seriously to finish in 2.26.33, Willie Sheridan was most successful on the track. His personal bests were: 800m in 1.53.9, 1500m in 3.51.1, 3000m in 8.30, 5000m in 14.29 and – his best event – 3000m steeplechase in 8.54.0. He won the 1972 Scottish Schools 2000m steeplechase title; 1974 AAA under-20 5000m; 1976 and 1977 British Universities steeplechase, plus the 1977 5000m; and the Scottish AAA Championship steeplechase in 1976 and 1977. Oh, and the 1978 West District 5000m.

 Despite being an athlete of considerable class, Willie was always drawn to the social side of the sport, enjoying student activities like the Water of Leith pubcrawl and the ‘Double Hundred’ (100 miles run and 100 pints of real ale downed) on the Isle of Man. He formed Westerlands CC originally for G.U. post-graduates. Look up the club website and click on the amusing profile of the founder – Bill Sheridan. He continues to help out with famous hill races like the Two Breweries and the Greenmantle Dash, and must look back with (occasional and nonchalant) pride on the athletic achievements of his peak years.

 Bobby Blair (born 5/2/1948) was a real club stalwart who could be relied on for many years to deliver good runs in races on any surface. Since he tended to be quiet, he could easily be underrated and surprise more glamorous athletes with tactical awareness and an effective kick to the finish.  Bobby ran for Glasgow Police, Strathclyde Police and Strathclyde University but Victoria Park was his main club and his career is a model for success through perseverance. For example a marathon may have taken him 2.51.07 in 1969 but only 2.30.06 by 1981 – you can often win marathons in such a time nowadays. He ran the steeplechase in 9.45.2, competing in track leagues, and 10,000m in 31.53, although he must have been worth must faster on the road.

His record in the Edinburgh to Glasgow Road Relay was lengthy and unusual. In 1967 he made his debut – for Strathclyde University – and the team promptly won medals for the most meritorious performance in twelfth place. Then he ran Stage Six for Glasgow Police (best position twelfth) from 1972-74. After that he appeared for Victoria Park AAC on a variety of stages and nearly always held his place or gained one. Bobby ran for VP at least ten times and maybe twelve! The confusion comes from the fact that in 1988, the results show R. Blair handing to R.Blair at the start of Stage Four, since Robert Blair Junior was now old enough to take part in the great race. In 1991, one of them gained a place on Eight and the year after, a Blair was on the first leg, which meant that between them, father and son had run every single stage of the E to G! Bobby Senior must have taken part in the event between fourteen and sixteen times.

The highlights for Bobby were in 1978 and 1980. In the former, he defended second place comfortably on Stage Seven and his team won silver medals. In the latter – and this is the performance that spectators will remember to this day – he took over in second place on the final stage, only thirteen seconds in front of ESH’s Ian Steel, who had won the National CC Senior Boys title in 1978 and who, in 1981 and 1982, went on to run twice in the IAAF World Junior CC. So it was rising young star against experienced club Trojan. Neither could do anything about current senior international Gordon Rimmer (Cambuslang) who charged past them both to claim silver medals, but Steel quickly caught Blair and then expected to run off to third place. Alas for the youngster’s hopes. Bobby simply sheltered behind him, avoided the headwind and waited, and waited, until he delivered a devastating burst, Ian wilted and the older man raced home 32 seconds clear to secure bronze. I remember trying to cheer on my ESH clubmate, while knowing very well that Mr Blair was tough and cunning and liable to outfox the classy but inexperienced novice. Bobby thoroughly deserved his success that day and on every other occasion during a long and respectable racing career.

Frank Brown (born 16/5/1955) was a good young runner who did well for VPAAC on a few significant occasions, benefiting from the coaching of Alastair Johnston, and then vanished from the Scottish scene. In the E to G, at the age of only eighteen, he was fastest on Stage Three in 1973, beating amongst others Craig Douglas of the winners ESH. Frank ran the First Stage in both 1974 and 1975, finishing ninth and eighth respectively. His only recorded track bests were 1500m in 4 minutes exactly (1974) and 5000m in 14.58 (1975).

Frank’s best run, as a first-year Junior was in the 1974 National, when he finished fifth and was selected to run the IAAF Junior World CC, where he came 53^rd, only four places behind John Graham. In the 1975 Scottish Junior National, he was fourteenth. What happened after that? Frank seems to be typical of so many young runners who do not continue as seniors.

Andy Girling (born 26/1/1955) was an Englishman who undoubtedly had talent, especially for a brief but very successful period in the marathon. He ran the E to G three times, always on Stage Six: 1982 for VP (fourth-fastest); 1983 for Glasgow University; and 1989 for VP again. In the 1982 Senior National he finished a creditable sixteenth for Glasgow University.

Then in 1984 he flowered as a marathon runner of very good class, coming second in the Glasgow Marathon (2.15.41) after making a great effort to win the event. In the 1985 London Marathon he did even better when recording 2.15.38, which resulted in his selection for the GB European Marathon Cup team. Finally in 1986 he won the Florence Marathon in Italy, with an even faster time of 2.15.17, on a slightly short course. Andy Girling’s main English club has been Invicta AC in Kent, and until 2010 he continued to run in the local cross-country league.

Hugh Barrow has uploaded Alistair Johnston’s video of classic races (McAndrew, E-G, National, etc) to youtube.   It is at  http://www.youtube.com/results?q=burning+up+the+roads+of+scotstoun The quality varies as you might expect in a film 40 years old with some shot in the near dark of the conclusion of the E-G in late November but really worth seeing.  Have a good look.

Victoria Park 1930 – 1939   Victoria Park: 1960s – 1980s

  Stuart Barnett        Duncan McFarlane     Peter McGregor      1952 English CC Championships   Victoria Park: some photographs 

 Club Handbook for 1962/63    Club Handbook for 1972/73    Club Winter Fixture Lists 1965/66 and 1958/59

 1962 magazine (extract)   1971 – 1975 club magazines

Willie McFarlane