Author: The Author

MOTHERWELL PEOPLE’S MARATHON

1983: 15th May. The event started and finished at Wishaw Sports Centre. 956 finished.

The Glasgow Herald reported briefly: “Tony Bird (Greenock Wellpark Harriers), a missionary home on leave from Africa, defeated a field of over 1300 runners to win the inaugural Motherwell People’s Marathon yesterday in a personal best time of 2.27.01. On a hilly route described as the toughest marathon course in Britain, he finished half a mile ahead of David Fairweather (Law and District AC) who recorded 2.29.38, with Brian Carty (unattached) taking third position in 2.32.57. Ian Moncur (Forres Harriers/Clyde Valley AC) was fourth in 2.34.50. Lynda Stott (Aberdeen AAC) won the women’s prize when finishing 25^th in 2.46.47, becoming the third fastest Scotswoman over the marathon distance.”

The Wishaw Press and Advertiser reported in greater detail.

The headline was: THE EARLY BIRD CATCHES MARATHON VICTORY.

“First to cross the line was University teacher Tony Bird who completed the extremely tough course in just 2.27.01. Tony, a member of the Greenock Wellpark Club, did not look like a man who had just run over 26 miles and, within seconds of crossing the line to great cheers, he was able to talk freely about the race and the course. At 33, Tony was running in only his second marathon, having finished in a respectable 28^th place in last year’s Glasgow event. A keen cross-country runner, Tony had regularly been covering 60 miles each week in training and he was delighted with his success.”

He commented, “I am really pleased. To finish in first place after only my second trip over the distance is much better than I had hoped for. I am really delighted.” Tony thought the course was very tough and hilly but he thought that the organisation was first class. He said, “Everything went smoothly and I felt there were enough refreshment stops. Although I thought there were too many hills for a marathon, I am still very pleased with my time.”

Lynda Stott said, “I just felt really good and relaxed today and everything went well. The course was quite tough with a lot of strength-sapping hills but I just kept going and it is great to be first woman home. The organisation has been very good and there were enough drink stops and plenty of people to cheer us on. It really encourages you to keep running when you get very tired.”

Under her married name of Lynda Bain , she ran for Scotland in the 1985 World Cross and for GB in a 1984 marathon in Czechoslovakia, then set an outstanding Scottish National Record of 2.33.38 in the 1985 London Marathon. In 2020, Lynda remembers that the Motherwell Marathon, “was a bit up and down. It was a very friendly event and I spoke to a few folk as we ran round. A bizarre thing which I remember was the drinks – they had water and orange squash on offer all the way round and I took turn about of each. I really enjoyed getting the squash as I am not a lover of water (still try to avoid it even now).”

David Fairweather remembers, “The inaugural Motherwell Marathon was held on 15 May 1983, starting & finishing at Wishaw Sports Centre, sponsored by Ian Skelly Motors.

The race started at 9 a.m. and Jim Rowley (Law & District) quickly went into the lead on the road to Bogside.  From there we went by back roads to Allanton, Bonkle and Newhouse. Jim had stayed in front on his own, but we caught him before Newhouse, and a small group including Tony Bird (Greenock Wellpark), Brian Carty (Shettleston H), Ian Moncur (Clyde Valley AC) and myself sped downhill through Holytown to Mossend.

Tony broke away, and I found myself on my own along Calder Road. I struggled a bit up the road through Forgewood to Motherwell, but with a police motorcycle escort and encouragement from the crowd, including my family, I kept going to Wishaw, finishing over 2 mins behind Tony, and over 3 mins in front of Brian Carty. The race was well-organised, and the weather was quite good, but it was a pretty hilly course and hard going in some places. Actually, most of the course was easier than expected, until the last four miles, when a combination of the uphill run and the headwind made it difficult.”

1984: 20th May. The Wishaw Press and Advertiser reported.

“At exactly 9 a.m. on Sunday morning, Provost John McGhee, assisted by Chief Judge Robert Peel, started the second Motherwell District People’s Marathon. Hundreds of spectators lined the start at Alexander Street to see the runners set off on the 26 miles 385 yards long circuit. Conditions were ideal as the fastest men lined up at the front with the women, slower athletes and fun runners bringing up the rear. Right at the back of the field were two wheelchair competitors Alex Paton and Michael McReadie.

By the time that the first runners had reached the one mile stage at Wishaw Cross, a pack of four runners, which included the eventual winner, had already made a significant break….. All of these men had done well in the race last year, so they all knew what to expect and had probably picked their attacking spots in advance……”

By 14 miles, Andrew Stirling dropped back and looked like he was feeling the pace. The toughest part of the course was approaching. After the Newhouse climb and a chance to recover slightly, there was a three miles gradual uphill which suited the strength of Ian Moncur (Clyde Valley AC) and it was here that he made a decisive break. David Fairweather (Law and District AC) ‘hit the wall’ and did well to fight on and finish fifth in 2.34.18. (David recalls, “I don’t remember much about the race, except that I was a marked man, and had to do a lot of work at the front, eventually ‘hitting the wall’ at 22 miles in 2:02:05.”)

As Ian Moncur entered the arena with a substantial lead, he received great applause from the spectators and managed to put on a spurt for the finish. His time – 2.26.29 – was a course record by 32 seconds. He was almost two minutes clear of Billy Dickson (Law and District AC) in 2.28.11, with Andrew Stirling (Bo’ness Runners) in 28.57 a further 45 seconds behind in third. Pat McErlean (Aberdeen AAC) was fourth in 2.31.45.

Strathclyde policeman Jim McMillan won the Veteran’s prize in 2.42.30. First woman to finish was Kay Dodson (Law and District AC) in 3.25.

Marathon winner Ian Moncur was a teacher and worked in Elgin, although he came originally from Holytown. In 1982 he became the North District Cross-Country champion. His time in the Motherwell Marathon was four minutes slower than his personal best (2.22.09) achieved at the 1982 Glasgow Marathon, but he felt that the local marathon was a more challenging event because of the hills and consequently was pleased with his time.

He commented, “Last year I had tackled a very hard race just a couple of weeks before the marathon and I suffered for it. This time I was better prepared and it all went according to plan. I was feeling good at the 20-mile stage and thought that, if I could put in a little more effort I could draw away from the other lads and that is exactly what happened. The last six miles were very tough but I managed to keep going and it is great to win.”

In 2020, Ian remembered, “Motherwell was the only Marathon I actually won. I was second twice in the Moray Marathon at Elgin behind Don Ritchie and Alastair Wood; lost narrowly to Don McGregor at Loch Rannoch; and also finished second in the 1985 Motherwell.

However, Motherwell was my local marathon, and the course went through my village of Holytown, so family and friends would gather to encourage me as I went past. I ran the Motherwell marathon 3 times finishing 4th, 1st and 2nd. In the 1984 race I was determined not to set the pace as I had faded badly over the last few miles the previous year. Davie Fairweather set the early pace followed by his Law and District clubmate Billy Dickson and I tucked in behind. The three of us soon broke away and established a sizeable lead. I made my move on the long hill up from Bellshill to Motherwell (one of my regular training routes) and finished strongly this time. Billy Dickson was 2^nd but Davie faded to finish 5th. Andy Stirling (Bo’ness Runners) ran a well-judged race to take 3rd. with Pat McErlean (Aberdeen AC) 4th.”

1985: 19th May. 475 competitors started. Charlie McDougall (East Kilbride AC) won in 2.26.53. Last year’s winner, Ian Moncur (Clyde Valley AC) was second in 2.27.34. David Fairweather (Law and District AC) was third in 2.27.43 and won the award for first Veteran. Kay Dodson was first woman home once again, this time improving to 3.11. Veteran Jim McMillan (Strathclyde Police AC) finished in 2.38.20.

                                                 Left to right: Ian Moncur, Donald Ritchie, Davie Fairweather, Charlie McDougall, with Ernie Walker behind.

                                                                                        Ian Moncur about to move away from Davie Fairweather

The Wishaw Press headline was “TRUE GRIT CHARLIE IS 1985 MARATHON DARLING”. The report started as follows: “Sheer contempt for pain gave Charlie McDougall victory in Sunday’s Motherwell Marathon. For the 36-year-old East Kilbride runner waited until some tough hills at the 21-mile mark before he made his break for glory.”

Charlie McDougall remembers: “Before I became a runner, I raced on a bicycle for 16 years. I trained with Robert Millar twice a week and our cycle team was very strong. [Robert Millar was the first man from Scotland (and Britain) to win the King of the Mountains jersey in the Tour de France.] My cycling background was very useful in becoming a good runner.

I got really fit by running many long hard miles. When the Motherwell Marathon came around, I told three people that I was going to win it. Now I had never said anything like this before. But the power of the mind really kicked in. I did not know who else was there till I arrived at the race. Okay, I saw Ian Moncur and Don Ritchie there, but I said I’m still going to win it. During the first few miles I heard someone say to Don, “How far ahead will you be today when you win it?” Anyway, a long time and many miles later, there were only a few runners left and we came to a short but steep hill. I went to the front and I could hear everyone else really breathing hard. I thought that there was a longer steeper hill around the corner and, when we got there, I was away! I did look back to see Ian trying to close me down but no chance. I was off on my own to win it. Afterwards, Davie Fairweather said that he thought I was mad when I surged away like that. I replied, “Who won the race, then?” A few weeks later, I went down to Blackburn in England and won that marathon too, on another very hilly course.”

Donald Ritchie wrote in his training diary: “The weather was pretty unpleasant, with slight rain and a headwind. For a while I felt fine and the pace seemed easy, but it began to pick up at around seven miles and our group thinned to five as Mike McCulloch and Dave Taylor dropped behind. After Newhouse roundabout we started running quite fast on the downhill stretch through Bellshill and Holytown. At about 18.5 miles Charlie McDougall surged away and our group began to split up. Ian Moncur and Davie Fairweather went after Charlie, but I began to feel weak and had to ease back. I managed to get back to them on the long downhill past Ravenscraig into Motherwell, but I was dropped soon after. From then on it was just a question of plugging away and hoping that I might feel stronger again. I was reasonably pleased with my run, as it was not a do or die effort. I was not distressed after finishing; I just could not run fast enough. Probably I was running marathons too close together (London; Dundee a week later; and Motherwell three weeks after that!) I finished fourth in 2.28.04.”

David Fairweather recalls. “This race was memorable for the freezing conditions and the strong leading group, who worked very well together. Charlie McDougall broke away near Mossend, by which time it was snowing! He did really well to stay clear, but was obviously the strongest runner. The finishing times were pretty good, considering the conditions and I did my best time for the race. The late Don Ritchie MBE from Moray Road Runners was 4^th not far behind me. Only 4 weeks earlier, in London, he had run a near PB 2:21:26, aged 40! A week after London he had run 2.26.35 in the Dundee Marathon. He was a truly great runner and I was proud to be in his company in the Motherwell race.”

                                                                                                                        Part of the 1985 race report

1986: 18^th May: This was the fourth and last occasion that the Motherwell Marathon was raced.

 Andy Stirling (Bo’ness Runners) won clearly in 2.31.21. He went on to be a very good ultra-distance runner, winning the 36 miles Two Bridges race (from Donald Ritchie) in 1991 and again in 1993. He won the Scottish Veterans hill running title four times.

Davie Fairweather (Law and District AC) was second (and first Veteran again) in 2.34.20 – this very competitive athlete – outstandingly good as a Veteran – had completed with distinction all four Motherwell Marathons. Third place went to James Malone (London: 2.40.42), followed by H. Ilgunas (2.42.07). Davie Kirkwood (Wishaw) was first Veteran. Kay Dodson, strong and consistent as ever, finished first woman for the third year in succession, with a time of 3.09. Only 134 finished.

Davie recalls, “I don’t remember much about this race. I think Andy Stirling and I ran most of the race together, but I was dropped well before the finish and it was my slowest time for the race.”

(24th May 1987)

From then on, the race became a Half Marathon. Unfortunately, on this occasion, the course was short (12.25 miles)

1 Alan Robson (Edinburgh Southern H)  63:42

2 Martin Coyne (EAC)                                 63:58

3 Billy Dickson (Law & District)                  66:11

4 David Fairweather (Law & District)        66:33)

1958

The Glasgow Herald report on Saturday’s events is because there are quite good reports on several events, the Friday report was not available so the complete results in order – printed by Walter Ross in The International Athlete (Vol 1, issues 1 and 2) – are as follows:

Following the championships, the team for the Empire Games in Cardiff was selected and the selectors put their faith in the following athletes:

Sandy Sutherland modelling the light blue blazer

Being awarded a Blue for your sport at University was a very high honour indeed with very few being awarded each year.   Wikipedia comments that “A blue is an award of  sporting colours earned by athletes at some universities and schools for competition at the highest level. The awarding of blues began at Oxford and Cambridge universities in England.”  All sports which represented the University were able to award a Blue.  The practice was almost immediately adopted by all four of the “ancient” universities of Scotland it is a signal award for any sportsman.   Usually awarded for general excellence in the chosen sport over a period, very few are awarded in any one year.   eg in Glasgow there was one awarded by the Hares & Hounds in 1962-63 (Allan Faulds) and then one awarded in 1964-65 (Brian Scobie).    Former GU H&H secretary John McCall tells us that “A Blue was awarded , eg for being Scottish university champion, running in British university championships etc. Jim Bogan, Doug Gifford, Brian Scobie, Allan Faulds, Calum Laing etc were all blues. I think Hares and Hounds would nominate to GUAC.”

The GUAC team from the early 1960’s with several blues included – notably WM Campbell, C Laing, J Bogan and RD Baillie

The road to the Blue went through another vetting    Sandy Sutherland (a double blue himself – athletics and weight-lifting – was President of the GUAC and at one time in the 1960’s chaired the Blues Committee.  He had signed the certificates when he was Secretary.  He says: “In my day the main criterion was that you had to have represented Scottish Universities or better – a full internationalist would almost certainly be awarded a full BLUE but forms had to be filled in and the club committee had to propose and second him or her.”   On the question of whether an athlete could receive a Blue for the same sport in more than one year, he was quite clear –  “at Glasgow University once a Blue always a Blue and you were eligible to wear the Blue apparel – in the past there may well have been additional stripes or colours or whatever! But if you succeeded in a different sport then you could become a DOUBLE Blue as I was in athletics (track & field) and weight-lifting.”   So – not possible to get a Blue a year with added bars or dates to the blazer at Glasgow University. 

This was corroborated by Douglas MacDonald who was on the committee 20 years later.   He says:    “My first spell on the blues committee was in my role as GUAC president in the early 80s. As far as I can remember, the process was that the different GUAC clubs nominated candidates for Blues to the Blues committee who considered the supporting material prior to awards being made at the annual Blues dinner. At this dinner, the prize for best club and best sports individual was also made.   The Blue was awarded for one season only: not for achievements over a student’s university year.   I don’t remember many clubs nominating athletes for half blues but it was within the power of the blues committee to award this if they hadn’t been fully persuaded by the club’s presentation.     He went on to say that “There were no formal guidelines for Blues nominations so the committee was often faced to make impossible comparisons between sports in trying to establish comparable merit. The situation was made more difficult by some clubs whose committees thought that speculative nominations were legitimate (inflated claims of merit, etc.) ”   There will be some comments about the difficulties faced by the committee at the end of this article.

The card above was awarded to international diver and British Champion James McBrayne at Glasgow.    In 1964 McBrayne had been second in the British Universities Springboard Championship but in 1965 he won the Scottish Springboard and Highboard Championships, and the British Universities Springboard with a third place in the Highboard.   Superb achievements.   

The athlete was usually allowed to buy blazer and tie, with the appropriate insignia.  Most bought the tie but were reluctant to splash out on a blazer – especially if the award was in the final or even penultimate year. Once the announcement of the award was made, the athlete was given the accreditation to purchase the relevant items.     The Glasgow Blues tie is shown below, and Sandy Sutherland models the blazer at the top of the page.   

Douglas MacDonald refers above to the annual Blues Dinner.   This was more than just an annual club knees-up as Wikipedia says “The Glasgow University Sports Association provides financial, administrative and representational support to individuals and groups involved in sport and recreation at University of Glasgow.   There are currently over 40 clubs affiliated to the Association.   The highlight of the  Association’s year is the GUSA Ball (or Annual Awards Dinner and Dance) in February, a black-tie affair at which Blues, Half-Blues and Awards are presented to successful athletes and teams. “

One former Blue said apologetically that he was a bit obsessive-compulsive and had kept all his stuff.   He was sorry that he couldn’t afford the blazer but he had everything else.   There was no need for him to be apologetic – it was an honour awarded at a time when University sports were respected and highly regarded at national level, and  the chosen sport could be indulged in freely and with great pleasure.   Many former Blues keep the precious awards safely tucked away after leaving their alma mater.   

It was also a matter for debate which sports could award Blues – not all sports were equal in the eyes of sportsmen.   We obtained some extracts from the Glasgow University Athletic Club Committee and the first comments refer to this aspect.   A range of sports are mentioned here in the context of Blues being awarded.

The EUAC team with the honours won by the members noted with the key at the foot.

In Edinburgh, the situation was similar .   Alistair Blamire  was a member of the superb cross-country and track team in the 1960’s and has written a ‘must-read’ account of the period in his book ‘The Green Machine’.    He says: 

“In our day each sport put forward a list of people each year for consideration (for ‘blues’ and ‘greens’, which were ‘half blues’). A sub-committee of the Edinburgh University Athletic Club, which represented all sports and is now called the Edinburgh University Sports Union, then interviewed a representative (e.g. Captain or Secretary) from each sport, and a decision was taken on each nominee. I was on the committee in 1966-67 and I recall that we didn’t leave the room when our own sport came up, which was a bit ‘Non-U’ I suppose.”

When our team were doing really well the whole first team, and on one occasion a second team member too, were awarded blues.   People bought blazers and ties depending on inclination (I had a tie). Quite a few runners had ambitions beyond the ‘blue’ so didn’t consider it a particular honour.   I suppose Cambridge and Oxford ‘Blues’ carried more kudos.”

Just as the Glasgow University Athletic Club became the Glasgow University Sports Association, the Edinburgh University Athletic Club became the Edinburgh University Sports Union.

Ian Young who was also at Edinburgh in the 1960’s adds to the story when he says:   “Edinburgh Blues were awarded for all round excellence rather than a single outstanding performance.  Commitment to the team was paramount.  I was particularly aggrieved in my first year when I was awarded a half blue, or ‘Green’ by the EUH&H despite having represented Scotland (ICCU Champs, Ostend, 1965), Scottish Universities, etc in my fresher year, but I was not awarded a Blue because I had not shown enough commitment to team events during that season, so it was not individual excellence which counted, it was a high level of performance throughout the season.”

The comment about continuous performance throughout the season is backed up by the comment  “Awarded to those who have performed at a consistently high level for their club” on the University website in 2020.   He goes on to speak of the actual award and what was involved:   

“In my case I had 6 Blues awarded during my 5 year university career, I think 4 from EUH&H and 2 from EUAC for track performance.  In no case did I apply for or promote myself for the award.  I believe the names were put forward to the EU Sports Union by the respective club captains and if accepted, the recipient got a note of the award which he or she could then take to the official University Outfitters to get the appropriate blues clothing.  This consisted of the Blues blazer, tie and ‘Wrap’ which was a heavy scarf of blazer-type material which would have the initials of the recipient, sports section and award dates embroidered in white on the blue material.  The blazer was an expensive piece of kit with the university crest, the sports section initials and the award dates all embroidered with real silver wire thread on the breast pocket.  Again, subsequent dates could be added.  The blues tie was blue silk with a diagonal silver stripe and no wording, so was the most commonly visible sign of that status.”   There must have been at least a perception of a significant award when we look at the trappings: Ian’s description of the blazer and of the ‘Wrap’  are of  items of real significance.   

Ian Young’s Blues blazer with the crest and the wrap round the shoulders with crest on the left (both blues emvroidered)

and his initials woven into it on the right.

The two photographs of the University teams are notable for what they highlight.   Ian tells us that “There was also the additional kudos in the end of season team photograph where individual names were followed by a list of symbols which denoted whether you were a blue or a green, Scottish internationalist, Scottish University representative, SCCU representative, etc and there was always great interest to see who had the most symbols!”

Another aspect of the Edinburgh scene was that there was a club called the Spartans, an elite social sports club which only recipients of Blues were entitled to join.  This also had its own club tie and was a platform for Blues recipients across all the university sports clubs to meet as a common social grouping.

Note the starred athletes.

From Aberdeen we have Colin  Youngson’s ‘Blues’ card, and some other memorabilia, shown below.   Note that the tie is also there.

There was other paraphernalia associated with the award – Colin’s Aberdeen collection is below. 

He also has his athletic club cards, a different colour each year to make it easier to see who’s up to date with the sub!

The card contained many things including the year’s fixture list

When we asked Colin about the Aberdeen University procedures, he said

“Aberdeen University based Cross-Country Blues on average positions against other universities in each fixture.   For example if there was an AU v GU v EU match and I finished third overall, with two Edinburgh runners  in front, my Blues score would be 3 + 1.    If it was a 7 university fixture then AU v GU, AU v Strath, AU v HW etc would have to be worked out individually.   To be even considered for a full blue, your Cross-Country race average for the whole season had to be under 3.    Then performances in BUSF Cross-Country and the Scottish National might be considered by the AU Sports Committee, plus representing Scottish Unis against the SCCU or English Universities in BUSF.    Decision (for a nomination for any sport) might be no award, half blue or full blue. Once a full blue, always a full blue- it could not be awarded twice.

The St Andrews University website simply says about the Blue that:  Full Blues are awarded to athletes with senior international representation.  and  Half blues are awarded to athletes who have displayed exceptional sporting achievement that is not at the level of a Full Blue.   This is a bit different again but there have been many athletes from the University of senior international standard – Don Macgregor being the outstanding one.    The route to a Blue was similar in all Universities and with the award of a Blue at St Andrews you were entitled to purchase a tie, a scarf and a blazer. The photos below illustrate all of these for 1956-7 as awarded to Ian Docherty.   He was in the St Andrews team that won the National Junior and also had a Track and Field Blue. (He is also known for beating Ron Hill in a 3 mile race on the grass track in 15.05. )   For those who received the award, there was a dinner where the Blues were awarded and where you could wear the gear.   Ian is pictured below wearing the appropriate clothing.

Scarf and tie

 Given the standard however there will not be too many in any one year.   The Photograph below is of the St Andrews Cross-Country Team of 1959.

*

Strathclyde University in Glasgow also has its own Blues system and Graham Getty who has full Blues for Track as well as for Cross-Country in 1979. 1980 and 1981 has sent us some interesting material from his personal archive.   A picture of the scarf first.

He tells us “On one side you see the SU badge and the years I was awarded Blues. From memory, I had to purchase the scarf from Rowans in Glasgow and then when I was awarded the 2^nd Blue in the following year, I had to take the scarf back to Rowans so that  the 2^nd year could be sewn onto it).   Scarf is made of a thick wool with a blue braid round the edges.   On the other end of the scarf , you see my initials  (G.R.A.G).”   

The scarf is similar in style to the St Andrews and Edinburgh versions and it is interesting to see that sport people at the university could have more than one Blue.   The procedure is also of interest.   The first intimation that he had been successfully nominated for the award came in a formal letter from the University Athletic Club.   The award would be presented at the Annual Dinner/Dance.   The one below is for cross-country running.

The athlete replied saying that he would be at the function in question and received the formal invitation.

The function would take place on the due date and the menu contained details of the performances which had earned the reward.

There you have it – the full citation for Graham Getty.    And that still was not all.   There was the presentation and he has a copy of the official  photograph of the presentation being made by Mrs Frank Clement.

There was a Blues certificate which, apart from being a mini-treasure in its own right, allowed the holder to buy the official scarf  and tie plus access to other benefits that fell to a Full Blue of Strathclyde University.   

There are more of Graham’s Blues documentation at the link.

Despite the casual dress code of the 21st century, it is perhaps surprising that so many former Blues still have at least the Blues tie.   There are also quite a few with the certificate or authorisation card.   

There are however issues associated with the awarding process and its, often apparently unfair, results.    Sandy Sutherland tells the following tale.  

“Regarding the actual Blues award itself I assume we all copied it from Oxbridge where it was initially awarded to those who had actually competed in the annual Oxford v Cambridge match in what ever sport and not all sports were considered worthy.   We had a great example of this in basketball when one member, now nearly 90 and a distinguished  student of the stars – he was i/c the Royal Observatory at Hurstmonceaux  n Sussex I believe – – went to Cambridge and actually captained them to victory over Oxford round about 1953-55 he told me!   He was only awarded a HALF Blue as the Blues committee at Cambridge did not consider Basketball a sport worthy of a FULL Blue.  Why? Because not all the players on the bench at one time were on the court!!  Only the rowers in the BOAT are awarded full BLUES! And to this day – and much to his irritation he has never received his FULL Blue.”

As a graduate of Glasgow who did not run for the University, I knew many of their runners, met them in the Union and at races, there were some issues that present themselves.   One of those was the question of how the Blues Committee compared the relative merits of those recommended.   I asked Douglas McDonald about this and his comment was that “In the early to mid 90s I was invited back onto the Blues committee as an ex-president external member. Many of the same problems mentioned above were evident. Over the course of two years I encouraged the committee to invite clubs to submit objective standards for what they thought would be an appropriate level to award a blue, arguing that this would mean that the award would not be about personalities and would have consistency beyond the life span of rapidly changing club committees. It would mean that the blues committee would have to invest more time considering the initial proposals but that the subsequent awards could be done with very much less fuss. (obviously the committee would be open to any club that wished to adjust their objective standards at a point in the future). I believe that work started on this but I don’t know if it was ever achieved “.   In the course of writing this, I have followed up his point and it is doubtful if his recommendation has been followed through.   It would seem to me to be very difficult to compare the various activities that St Andrews was awarding their Blues for in 2019.   eg how do you compare the relative merits of Dance and football?   Is a Senior International appearance for lacrosse equally valid to one for rugby?   Is a 10th place in the national cross-country less worthy than a GB representation at Frisbee?

Blues in the 21st Century

This may be totally irrelevant in the 21st century however when it may be that the Blue has lost a lot of its significance.   When I took up the sport in 1957 and was talking to another runner about Bobby Calderwood of Victoria Park I was told that he was the first runner not to run for his university but to go on representing his club.   That was a time when the Inter-Varsities was a major meeting and the University clubs were well represented at the SAAA Championships and in international teams.  Bobby’s decision had been an eye-opener for many.   Record  holders and champions like David Gracie were representing their Universities (in his case, Glasgow) and not their clubs (Larkhall YMCA).   International teams had University athletes turning out in numbers – Douglas Edmunds, Adrian Jackson and many more wore the dark blue.   

But by the 1980’s the situation was a lot more mixed.  The situation developed until in the 1990’s top quality athletes like  Alistair Douglas, Victoria Park, were running for their clubs for almost the entire year but turning out for the University in inter-university events.   Alistair Johnstone who was in a similar frame of mind, ie studying at Strathclyde University but running mainly for his club, only racing for Strathclyde in the Scot Unis and BUSF championships said when asked:  “I wasn’t eligible for a Blue unfortunately because I maintained VPAAC as my First Claim club and therefore  competed against Strathclyde in Open competition.   However I thoroughly enjoyed training with and competing for them in confined university races and helped them a lot – 3rd team place in Hyde Park Relays 1969 , 3rd individual Scot Univs. c c champs. 1969 , 16th. in BUSF c c champs 1969 ( and counted along with Edinburgh University’s lads in winning Scot. Univ.’s team to beat UAU’s team) – also I was usually first or second to John Myatt in various inter university. c c events.”   The fellow feeling was there but having come up through the ranks with Under 15’s, Under 17’s and Under 20’s with a club, having many friends at the club, it was the allegiance that was strongest for the runners mentioned.    

This led to the obvious questions, “What is the current situation regarding the award of Blues at Scottish Universities?   Does the modern student in the 21st century value the award as much as their predecessors did?”   Given the the four ‘ancients’ still make the awards, a look at some University websites revealed that many of them do and that they are part of a structured programme of sport.   For instance, the University of the Highlands and Islands says 

What are the Sporting Blues?

• Colours – To receive a Colour, athletes, where applicable, need to serve and play for their club and to be regular 1st team members, representing the team in at least 65% of the eligible matches, recording at least one victory.
• Half Blues – Awarded to athletes for playing well above the average standard for a University 1st team (where applicable) or represent the University as an individual in national level competition.
• Full Blues – Awarded to athletes of outstanding ability judged by standards applicable to students’ different sports.
• Sports Person of the Year – This is an award for truly exceptional athletes, the panel will decide annually whether to award it, with the decision following the same criteria as that for a Full Blue
• Honorary Blue- Honorary Blue – awarded to athletes that have won medals at World Championships, World Cups, Commonwealth Games, Olympic Games or equivalent relevant to their sport. The award may also be made to a person connected with UHI with an outstanding contribution to University, Scottish, British or world sport.  

This is very similar to the other systems noted above but is slightly wider in the formal recognition of an Honorary Blue.  

One of the first ‘new’ universities to join the established four universities in the early 1960’s was Dundee University and their website in 2020 says:

“The Blues and Colours Awards celebrate the finest in student sport at the University of Dundee, across the country, and recognising achievements by students for their competitive success or club commitments as a volunteer. From our athletes competing nationally on the world sporting stage representing Scotland or regionally representing the university, to those who have gone above and beyond in their chosen sport giving that extra time to advance the development of their club.”

It is also possible to read about Blues and their awards at several other universities such as Strathclyde, Stirling and Heriot-Watt but the most recent additions to the 19 degree awarding institutions in the country do not as yet have a sports structure which supports these awards despite having several courses dealing with sports or sport related topics.   The situation seems to be then that most universities award Blues to their outstanding sportsmen and women.   Most also follow the traditional method of individual sports making a nomination to a central blues and awards committee for approval.   The criteria are institution specific, and the criteria for the award are set at that level.   

 There are some differences though.

The range of sports is much wider, over 60 sports are recognised for Blues awards across the country and this makes the evaluation of nominations more difficult.    As an example, we can perhaps look at the 2020 Blues awarded by St Andrews University.   The totals were 8 full blues, 38 half blues with 16 sports represented and 22 sports awarding Colours.   These receiving the awards include Boats, Cheerleading, Cricket, Dance, Football, Netball, Pool, Sailing, Shinty, Tennis, Trampoline, Triathlon, Ultimate and Waterpolo.    I am reliably informed that Ultimate (originally known as Ultimate Frisbee) is a non-contact team sport played with a flying disc.   I am further informed that St Andrews has a highly organised coaching system for the sport with serious training done throughout the week.   

The Universities, then, continue to award Blues as before in the 21st century albeit for more sports.   Blues winners are now entitled to their certificate, usually a medal and the right to buy a tie.   The days of Blazer and scarf/wrap are largely things of the past.   One thing that hasn’t changed however is the Awards Ceremonies.   The award entitles the winner to attend the Ball or Dinner, depending on the institution which is a real social highspot.  The awards themselves have a great deal of cachet and the sports clubs that have winners gain some prestige by doing so.     The Blues live on.

Colin Young: alumnus of Glasgow and Edinburgh Universities and a regular competitor for the Atalanta Club has  provided some programmes from his days at these Universities and they can be seen at the links below.

1959 (Westerlands)   1961 (Aberdeen)   1962  (Craiglockhart)

1962’s Championships were held in Edinburgh at Craiglockhart.   Again it was a slim programme of eight pages but the meeting itself was as good and as competitive as ever.   The results are at the foot of the page.

The Universities championships had played an important part in Scottish athletics since the end of the nineteenth century.   Every season was different with new athletes appearing on the scene and some old favourite athletes returning to their club, or indeed to their own country in the case of foreign students.   You can read about the seasons of 1961 and 1962 at   this link  .

The programme was only half the size of that from 1959 with many fewer advertisements.   They were held in Aberdeen and again there were many easily recognisable names across the afternoon.  Again the programme was provided by Colin Young.   Results at the foot of the page.

The Universities championships were hard fought and the ‘four ancients’ were still to the fore in the 1950’s and early 1960’s.   The championships of 1959 were held at Westerlands  in Glasgow, pavilion above) and the standard of competition was very high indeed right across the card.   For a glimpse of the universities track and field  season 1959season follow this link .  

Hurdler Colin Young showed us the programme.   Bigger than many programmes, it ran to 16 pages and included many (paid for) advertisements.   Results at the foot of the page.

Unlike the handbook for 1962/63, this version recognised the women’s side of the sport – note the ‘new’ affiliation to the SWAAA on the front cover where the previous one had only the two men’s governing bodies.   There are other differences that will be obvious as you go through it.   The handbook is courtesy Colin Young.

..

This handbook was passed on by Colin D Young who was a noted sprinter and hurdler with Victoria Parl Glasgow University, Edinburgh University and the Atalanta Club.   The booklet is interesting mainly because of the detail involved , the definition of amateurism (which required a high degree of literacy to be understood) and the omission of anything to do with the ladies side of the sport – note the affiliations on the front cover.

…

Is Lawrie Spence (above) the best all round endurance runner the country has ever produced?  Look at the statistics below and reach your own conclusion.     But we should take things in order and we all know who we like – Dave McMeekin, Frank Clement, Hugh Barrow, John Robson, Graham Williamson, Graham Everett, etc.   Half milers are included here too because many of them were also 1500m runners and the milers had to run the half mile too.   So who were ranked?   There is a wee problem in that so many talented distance runners (a) need to run below distance and over distance on occasion; and (b) many enjoyed and performed really well at distances other than their perceived specialism.   We’ll come back to Lawrie in a moment but Ian Stewart, for instance, was a sub 4 miler as well as national and international medallist at 5000m.   Here is the order in which you viewed the pages.  NB: It is not a merit ranking.   It is the pages that have been read most.    Three are seen mainly as 800m specialists, one as a 5000m man and the rest were top class milers.

Men first

1.   Tom McKean – 738
2.   Frank Clement – 463
3.   John Robson – 448
4.   Graham Williamson – 343
5.   Ian McCafferty – 320
6.   Paul Forbes – 289
7.   Hugh Barrow – 284
8.   Peter Hoffmann – 279
9.   Ian Stewart – 270
10.   Alan Gordon – 240

Frank Clement, John Robson and Graham Williamson

It is difficult to see why Tom is so far ahead of the others in the event: he was certainly a very successful athlete indeed with medals at national, GB, international and Games levels and his career is marginally fresher in the minds of current generations but the trio above were so good at what they did – Frank’s victory in the Europa Cup at Meadownbank and his run in the Olympic final were outstanding, John Robson has so many top class times to his credit, Graham was one of Scotland’s best ever 1500/Mile specialists and also one of the most unlucky, not only in terms of injury but several times at the hands of Scottish or British selectors.   The two childhood friends who became world class 400/800 runners – Peter Hoffmann and Paul Forbes, both coached by the wonderful Bill Walker – are still high on the Scottish all-time ranking lists.   It is also gratifying to see Hugh Barrow up there – his pages on the website are all very interesting reads and there are several links from his profile page to other items of interest.   Many thought he would be the first Scot to break 4 minutes for the Mile, Graham Everett (whom I would have liked to see up here) was one of them.   The only Scot ever to hold a world record for the mile, Hugh held world age bests as a youth and Junior.   Alan Gordon is a very interesting character who has never really received the credit that was his due.  Please have a look at his profile – his running in and just after Bannister’s acclaimed four minute mile was of the very highest order.

Lawrie Spence was a sub four minute miler and a 2:16 marathon man with every distance between  of a similar standard.   He also captained the SCCU team in the world championships as successor in the role to Jim Alder.   All he needed to cement his position was a single outstanding performance in a Games or international championships.   One of our best ever in terms of times.   Click on his name at the top for the whole story.

Carol Sharp (61)

Women:

1.   Carol Sharp – 340
2.   Palm Gunstone – 320
3.   Yvonne Murray – 236
4.   Moira O’Boyle – 205
5.   Lynne McDougall – 134
6.   Rosemary Wright – 132
7.   The McMeekin Twins – 124
8.   Ann Purvis – 100
9.   Margaret Coomber – 94
10.   Molly Wilmoth – 91
11.   Dale Greig – 90

This is possibly one of the most fascinating for me.   The list is led off by Carol Sharp who was a top class 800/1500m runner who ran for Scotland and for GB, mainly at 800m.   A popular athlete who is now a very good coach in her own right catering for some talented athletes.   By far the quickest highest rise of any newcomer was that of Palm Gunstone ,  ‘way up there in second place.   Palm won medals in the SWAAA Mile and cross country, ran internationally on track and cross-country before becoming a top class road runner. Her total was given a boost when her club posted a link to the profile but there were still numerous visits when it appeared.  It also includes the remarkable Lynne McDougall – Olympic 1500m finalist in Los Angeles and a 2:36 marathon runner.   All the distances between were national top ten ranking times for her.   Excellent athlete.   Christine and Evelyn McMeekin were two very good athletes indeed  with excellent times from 200m up to 1500m.   They had separate careers with Christine doing really well at 800/1500m and Evelyn at 400m/800m.   Unfortunately Evelyn’s career was cut short by injury but it’s clear that there is still a real interest in them.   Molly and Dale were followed in the ‘readings’ by Aileen Drummond – three women who dominated the sport through the 50’s and into the 60’s.

The Scottish cross-country team in Monza, 1974: Palm Gunstone on the left, Margaret Coomber next and Moira O’Boyle second left

As with the men there are several runners who were known for longer distances – Moira O’Boyle was the outstanding example of that.  Yvonne was very good at all distances from 800m up and will be dealt with in another page.   A Scottish internationalist as well as an Irish internationalist later in her career she was a top athlete over the country too.   The generation before that one is well represented by Molly and  Dale who are known throughout the UK with Dale being the first ever women’s world marathon record holder.    The two 800m runners – Rosemary Stirling and Ann Purvis – are well worth their place in the top ten and their careers are well known to the athletics supporters of the 21st century.   Margaret Coomber , who started out as Margaret McSherry, ran for most of her top class career in the United States and was one of Scotland’s best ever milers.

Longer Track Distances:  Women

1.   Leslie Watson – 1,036
2.   Liz McColgan – 398
3.   Karen MacLeod – 257
4.   Yvonne Murray – 236
5.    Christine Price – 140
6.    Karen Hutcheson – 184
7.    Sandra Branney – 100
8.    Judith Shepherd  – 80
9.    = Hayley Haining – 74 , Penny Rother – 74
10.     Susan Partridge – 59

Every one a Scottish international, at least six GB internationals, one an internationalist on track, road and cross-country who later opted to for the triathlon and distances from 1500m to marathon covered.   Click on the names for the full story – Olympians include Liz McColgan, Yvonne Murray and Karen Macleod,  The amazing career of triathlete Penny Rother  really needs to be read as does Sandra Branney’s tale of running at home and abroad.   Hayley Haining really should have had an Olympic vest – after she had ostensibly qualified, the selectors gave Paula Radcliffe who had been injured the choice of whether she went to the Games or not.   Who’s going to turn down Olympic selection?   And Hayley missed out.   Karen Hutcheson has been almost forgotten by Scotland – after starting with Jimmy Bryce’s Lochgelly, she moved to England and was a Scottish international with a great run in the Commonwealth Games 10000m.   Susan Partridge was a very good marathon runner who represented Scotland and GB and was of a very high standard.   Judith Shepherd was a Glasgow AC runner who went on a scholarship to the USA and developed from a very good standard athlete who excelled at 1500 and maybe especially at 3000m events.  

Nat Muir, SAAA 5000m, 1983

Men

1.   Eddie Knox – 681
2.   Lachie Stewart – 667
3.   Jim Dingwall – 558
4.   Jim Brown – 392
5.   Ian McCafferty – 328
6.   Allister Hutton – 306
7.   Tommy Murray – 303
8.    Nat Muir – 302
9.    Ian Stewart – 270
10.    Robert Quinn – 260

Another interesting collection of runners reflecting the interests of the site visitors.   As you would expect from 5000/10000m men they are all versatile with most running on track, road and over the country with at least two of them being hill running internationalists too.   Nat was unquestionably the country’s best cross-country runner for a considerable time; as a track runner he took on the best and often enough defeated them.   He was unfortunate in that he never won a medal at a major Games which would have sealed a wonderful career.     Eddie Knox and Jim Brown were both world cross-country champions as Junior Men and both were also very good track and cross-country runners indeed.   Lachie Stewart, Ian McCafferty, Ian Stewart and Allister Hutton were all Commonwealth Games runners and all represented GB .   Allister is probably best known for his London Marathon win in a very fast time, but he was also a track runner of note and competed in the 10000m at Edinburgh in 1986.   Jim Dingwall won the SAAA Marathon Championship in a record time but he had a top class career as a track runner (one of the class known as ‘Head Waiters) before taking to the roads).   Tommy Murray and Robert Quinn were great rivals on the track, on the road and over the country before they both ran in the World Hill Running Championships.   

Gordon Rimmer

Steeplechaser

1.   Gordon Rimmer – 172
2.    Tom O’Reilly – 151
3.    Tom Hanlon – 134
4.      Ian Gilmour – 133
5.     Alistair Blamire – 126
6.     Gareth Bryan Jones – 90
7.     Graeme Croll – 80
8.    =  Bill Ewing  54;   =  John Linaker  54
9.     Bill Mullett – 30

There is quite a range there too – TP O’Reilly (Springburn) appeared on programmes for track meets, cross-country events, hill races and road races for decades.   Winner of the very first SAAA 3000m steeplechase championship Tommy was a credit for any team he ran for.  He was also the man who got Danny Wilmoth into the sport!    Tom Hanlon coached by Ebglishman Gordon Surtees was possibly the best ever steeplechaser and a regular in GB teams for a spell.   They were all very versatile and top men over a range of distances with RAF man Gordon Rimmer being most read. Graeme Croll was his team mate at Cambuslang after starting out with East Kilbride and was a very good domestic Scottish runner – with no advantages that were not enjoyed by any runner in the country, he was the top ‘chaser for a number of years.     Gareth Bryan Jones Alistair Blamire and Ian Gilmour were of the same generation and all widely respected – Bryan Jones went into orienteering after his running career was over and Alistair Blamire had been a member of the BMC and one of the Edinburgh University Hare and Hounds squad in the 1960’s.   His book ‘The Green Machine’ covers the period and should also be read.    

That’s the top ten steeplechase runners but note that an Irishman’s page has been visited more than any of them:  Peter McColgan – 340 visits.   

Lawrie Soence (78), Lachie Stewart (127) and Alistair Blamire