Category: Uncategorized

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

Several of the most popular athletes are here with Eddie Knox and Lachie Stewart on the extreme right.

The website has been running for several years now and the number of visits has increased year on year.  A kind of Oscars for the site – the DotScot Awards.  The biggest number of hits on a single day was over 700 but this year the highest number was almost exactly 600.   There have been 98,471 page views over the last 12 months, the highest monthly total was 5,549 in April 2019 and the top 10 categories were as follows:

1.   Who’s Who of Distance Running – 2, 409
2.   Marathon Stars – 1,392
3.   Elite Endurance – 1,382
4.   The Milers – 951
5.   The Fast Pack – 702
6.   A Hardy Race – 625
7.   The Veterans – 582
8.   The Chasers – 522
9.   Marathons – 493
10.   The Professionals – 451

These are the categories but we can look at them more closely.  Bear in mind however that the pages with most links on them will, or should have, most views.    eg Elite Endurance has many more names on the page than The Milers and that would probably cover the difference of less than 400.  Bearing that in mind, the relatively high position of The Chasers is perhaps a bit surprising.   Who’s Who is comparatively recent in appearance so it’s dominant position says something about what the readers want to see.  The most popular individual page for the Who’s Who was the letter C with 542 visits, followed by B (486), Mc Alinden to McParland (429) , VWY (390) and S (389).   The most popular Marathon Star was Leslie Watson with over 1,000 views with Donald Macgregor 400 behind (640) , Donald Ritchie (559) and Jim Dingwall on 557.   On the Elite Endurance page, it was Eddie Knox top on 684, followed by Lachie Stewart at 664 and Liz McColgan on 356.   Most popular miler in the overall rankings  was 800m runner (?) Tom McKean with 735 views.   Carol Sharp and Graham Williamson were second and third most popular over the year.

Lesley Watson wins the Luddon Strathkelvin Half Marathon.

Individuals:

1.  Leslie Watson – 1,034
2.   John Freebairn, Coach – 753  
3.   Tom McKean –  735
4.   Eddie Knox – 684
5.   Lachie Stewart – 664
6.   Donald Macgregor – 640
7.   Stuart Hogg, Sprinter – 599
8.   Donald Ritchie – 559
9.   Jim Dingwall – 557
10.   Mel Edwards – 535

Leslie Watson is by far the most visited of the individual profiles, almost 300 more views than John Freebairn and Tom McKean.   A good athlete as a teenager with SWAAA titles and international vests, she came into her own when the marathon boom started and she became probably the most prolific of the top class runners produced by Scotland at that time.   Like all the others, just click on her name above to go to the page and see just how good she actually was.

Number two among the individuals is an interesting.   John Freebairn was a very good athlete indeed as a youth but he was blacked as an amateur when he chose to play professional football because as a student he really needed the money.   After several years as a pro athlete he was re-instated as an amateur and became an international coach and veteran athlete.   A really outstanding athlete he would probably have competed for GB had it not been for the rupture between Pro and Amateur athletics.  His pages were all well visited with his next most popular page being  John Freebairn – In the Beginning which had 485 visits.  There were three other pages – As a Professional (107), As a Veteran (125) and As Others See him (201).

Stuart Hogg in seventh place was another who wanted as a boy to run in the Olympics but had to race as a pro because he lived in an area known as a hotbed of professional athletics and because he lived three bus journeys away from the nearest club.   It is kind of strange that three of the professional athletes that we profiled – and the three which were most viewed – had not wanted to be professional in the first place.   Be that as it may, Stuart’s other pages were visited as follows : As A Coach (243),  Career Achievements (127),  Athletes (159), Talking About Stuart (71) and To the Top (56), 

Tom McKean topping the Milers was a bit of a surprise, I think, because he was an 800 runner.  However wherever he was placed he was the subject of a lot of interest as a runner – and as a runner he was much better and more successful than many suspected.   Six of the top ten are no longer with us, having died in the past year Eddie Knox, Donald Macgregor, Don Ritchie, Jim Dingwall and Mel Edwards as well as John Freebairn.   All top class athletes, all highly respected and all really missed from the scene.  Lachie of course, El Lachie to our Spanish friends, is one of the most respected athletes of all time and we were all saddened to hear of his recent amputation of part of his left leg.   The good news is that he is progressing well and his recent video on BBC testified to that.

A non-Scot of interest is Bobbi Gibb, the first woman to run in the Boston Marathon.   When they were writing up Kathy Switzer as the first woman to run in the event, and the Press was almost vilifying Scot Jock Semple, it seemed about right to point out that it was Gibb not Switzer who was first – and was congratulated by Jock afterwards.   That particular post has been read hundreds of times and continues to be read several times each month.

John Freebairn

Having had a look at the various categories there was a vast range of events in which the athletes competed = road, country, track, hills, etc and the preferences seemed to go with what might be expected with three long distance road races in the top four.

Events:

1.   Glasgow Marathon – 1,283
2.   Two Bridges – 815
3.   The Rangers Sports – 552
4.   Aberdeen Marathon – 393
5.   Dundee Marathon – 453
6.   Edinburgh to Glasgow – 417

Just click on the link – the name of the event you want to see – above for the story of each event.   It is probably true to say, though, that the one which produces most correspondence is the Two Bridges Race although it is a close run thing with the Rangers Sports.  

Glasgow Marathon 1985

The next page to go up will be the top three in each category – the top three Milers (men and women separately), the top three Steeplechasers (men only – the website deals with the period 1945 to 1990 and there was no women’s steeplechase at that time), the top three marathon runners (men) and top three marathon runners (women).

Graham Crawford

Lyn Harding

Don Ritchie, left, winner of five of the first six Moray Marathons

The oldest still running marathon in Scotland, the first Moray Marathon was held in 1982 and since then it has developed into a 3 in 1 running event incorporating the Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K Road Races. In 2014 the venue was changed from the Cooper Park to the Glen Moray Distillery, and was run on a different course.

The 2006 event celebrated the 25th anniversary of the marathon with Simon Pride (Forres Harriers) finishing in 2:39:53 to win the event for the 5th time and Kate Jenkins (Gala Harriers) first woman home in 2:58:29 to win her 8th Moray Marathon. (Kate went on to win this marathon an amazing 14 times!)

Kate Jenkins: 14 times winner of the Moray Marath0n

The marathon was part of a real festival of running wit associated 10K and half-marathon events.   The marathon results are below and the results of the other two races are available at these links:     The Moray 10K                     The Moray Half-Marathon

Course records (Finish at Cooper park 1982-2013)

• Marathon
  • Men – Simon Pride – Keith & District – 2 h 21 min 17 s
  • Women – Trudi Thomson –Pitreavie AAC 2 h 49 min 43 s
• Half marathon
  • Men – Graham Crawford – Springburn Harriers – 1 h 06 min 09 s
  • Women – Lyn Harding – Houghton AC – 1h 14 min 58 s
• 10 K
  • Men – Chris Hall – Aberdeen AAC – 29 min 46 s
  • Women – Lyn Harding – Houghton AC – 33 min 58 s

Course records (Finish at Glen Moray Distillery since 2014)

Marathon

Men – Wayne Dashper – Forres Harriers – 2 h 45 min 40 s (2014)

Women – Debbie Moore – Unattached – 3 h 16 min 12 s (2015)

Half marathon

Men – John Newsom – Inverness Harriers – 1h 12 min 55 s (2015)

Women – Sarah Liebnitz – Inverness Harriers – 1 h 22 min 10 s (2014)

10 K

Men – Gordon Lennox – Forres Harriers – 33 min 10 s (2014 & 2015)

Women – Sarah Liebnitz – Inverness Harriers – 38 min 16 s (2016)

A SELECTION OF RACE REPORTS

Don Ritchie, the legendary ultra-distance runner, wrote the following in his training diary. “On Sunday the 15^th of August 1982, I ran the first ‘Moray Marathon’ in warm and windy conditions. I went into the lead at about 6 miles and pulled away from Ian Moncur and John Robertson, passing 10 miles in 54.30 and 15 miles in 1.21.04. I was running well and felt good. In Lossiemouth I began to feel tired and had difficulty with the strong headwind by the harbour. I passed 20 miles in 1.49.58. Over the last four miles I found the conditions difficult and was getting dehydrated, so my pace dropped considerably and I was glad to reach the finish in 2.29.36. Alastair Wood (former European marathon record-holder) came through for second in 2.35.02, well ahead of Ian Moncur, who finished in 2.43.48.

There was a feeling among the runners that the course was over-distance, so I would have to try to get it measured by a Jones Counter, on a bicycle calibrated over a measured mile. Adrian Stott from Edinburgh, an accredited course measurer, agreed to assess the course so he, Elgin marathon runner Duncan Davidson, who also had a Jones Counter and a calibrated bicycle, and I cycled the course on a summer evening. The measurement indicated that the present course was 315 yards beyond the standard marathon distance, so the route would be modified for the next edition of the race.” (Donald always treated the Moray Marathon as merely a hard training run – but still won it five times!)

Fraser Clyne (Metro Aberdeen Running Club, above winning in Morpeth) was a couple of weeks short of his 37th birthday when he travelled to Elgin for the 1992 Scottish Championship race. The event, held along with a 10km and half marathon as part of the Macallan Moray Festival of Running, was organised by Moray Road Runners. It started and finished in Elgin’s Cooper Park and the course followed a series of quiet rural roads past Burghead and Lossiemouth. This was the furthest north the championship had ever been held.

Although Clyne was taking part in the championship for the first time he still wasn’t taking the event too seriously. His training diary reveals that 90 miles had been run in the seven days before the Moray race so he was hardly well rested for the challenge.

John Duffy of IBM Spango Valley (formerly of Greenock Wellpark Harriers – and later of Shettleston Harriers) got the race off to a spritely start on a bright but breezy day. The stiff climb out of Elgin after two miles resulted in a slowing of the tempo and soon a small group which included Duffy, Clyne, George Reynolds of Forres, Aberdeen-based New Zealander Stuart Mills, Ayr’s Alistair Stewart and the Teviotdale pair Nicol Maltman and Andy Fair settled in at the head of the field. Duffy seized the initiative approaching the 12 mile mark by increasing the pace and quickly pulling away from the group which immediately began to break up. Clyne allowed the Spango Valley man to open a lead of 100 metres before setting off in pursuit. The Aberdeen athlete quickly pulled in his rival and swept past to open up a gap which stretched to almost three minutes by the end of the race. Clyne coasted home in 2.25.38. It was the slowest time he had ever run for a marathon but a course record nonetheless. Duffy collected the silver medal in 2.28.25 and Mills was a clear third in 2.30.16.

‘I just did enough to win,’ Clyne said at the time. ‘I wanted to win the title but I also didn’t want to interrupt my training which is aimed at the California International Marathon in December.’ (Clyne later ran 2.20.5 in the American race).

Trudi Thomson of Babcock Pitreavie AC, who would later become an international class marathon and ultra-distance runner, won the women’s race in 3.14.30. Fiona Nicholson and Clare Slatter were well behind in second and third respectively.

1995 featured a very close race in the Moray Marathon. David Lancaster (York), who won the Moray Marathon in 1993, 1994 and 1999, and was involved in a competitive battle to retain his title. He finished third this year in 2.35.30. Ultra-distance star Alan Reid (Peterhead AAC), with a tremendous sprint, won in 2.34.43 from George Sim (Moray Road Runners) in 2.34.45. Lynda Bain (Garioch Road Runners), a former GB Marathon International, finished first woman in 3.06.49.

The Moray Marathon was the chosen venue for the Scottish Marathon Championship in 1997, so Fraser Clyne travelled to Elgin to bid for a fifth title in 1997 at the age of 42. Interest in the championship had dwindled to an all-time low and even some of the people involved with the organisation of the event were unaware it had been given championship status. ‘When I handed the trophy over to them before the start of the race an official asked what it was for,’ Clyne said.

The race itself was over within the first two miles. On a warm and blustery day Stevie Ogg of FMC Carnegie Harriers kept with Clyne for a little more than ten minutes before dropping well off the pace. Clyne, who had been worried by a foot injury in the preceding weeks, was able to relax and cruised away to win by more that ten minutes in 2.29.39. Ogg achieved his aim of securing a London qualifying time when finishing second in 2.39.39; while Londoner Steven Kovacs seemed bemused at receiving a championship bronze medal after taking third place in 2.45.18 – it was the slowest medal-winning time for more than 30 years.

Kate Jenkins of the Carnethy Hill Running Club was a convincing winner of the women’s race when recording 3.18.07 to finish well ahead of Pat Donald of Deeside Runners (3.44.38) and Val Goldie of Milburn Harriers (3.51.48).

David Lancaster won three times: in 1993 (2.30.10, well clear of the opposition); 1994 (2.33.31); and 1999 aged 42 (2.46.37) on a very hot, humid day which made the marathon ‘a gruelling slog’. He was also third in 1998, behind Simon Pride and Sam Graves from Fife AC. 

The 1999 report had the headline: “Lancaster does it the hard way”. He ‘came home ten minutes clear of the field’. ‘This was Lancaster’s first race as a veteran and he had to win it the hard way by running solo for most of the race. “The main thing,” he said, “is the mental anguish of being on your own the whole way. Mentally it is very hard, but the good thing about the Moray Marathon is that there is plenty to see en route.” For the last five years, David Lancaster has been a regular visitor to the Moray 3 in 1 event, which also incorporates a half marathon and 10k. He combines the race with a family holiday in the area.”

“Despite the heat taking its toll on her legs by the finish, Kate Jenkins clinched her third successive Moray Marathon Ladies’ Championship win in style. She was delighted to run a personal best of 3.03.56, which was good enough for fifth place overall. The Carnethy Hill Runner is the reigning Scottish Ladies’ Hill Running Champion and completed an amazing 40 miles on the hills just a week before tackling the marathon.’

Simon Pride (Keith and District, above) enjoyed his greatest triumph in May 1999, in France, where he won the World title with a UK road best of 6 hours 24 minutes 05 seconds. It was a superb performance which took the ultra-marathon world by surprise. Even more surprising was Simon’s decision a year later not to defend the World title. ‘I need a break from ultras,’ he said at the time. He decided to concentrate on marathons for a while and, when the opportunity to bid for a Scottish title on his home patch presented itself, Pride was in no mood to miss out.

He was determined to win the 2000 Scottish championship – and equally keen to break the Moray Marathon course record of 2.25.38 set eight years earlier by Fraser Clyne. He achieved both with plenty to spare. Running on his own for almost the whole way, he took advantage of perfect conditions to stop the clock at 2.21.17. It was the quickest winning performance in the championships since 1984, the biggest winning margin ever, and was just 14 seconds outside his personal best set in London four months earlier.

Martin Ferguson (City of Edinburgh) was more than two and a half miles behind in second place (2.35.49) and Nick Milovsorov (Metro Aberdeen), who was ‘training for the Amsterdam marathon later in the year’ collected bronze in 2.40.04.

Kate Jenkins (Carnethy), who earlier in the summer had set a women’s record for the 95 miles race along the West Highland Way, in which she finished second overall, added another title to her growing list of endurance achievements, by taking the Scottish Women’s Championship in 3.04.21. Carol Cadger (Perth) won silver in 3.12.24 and Averil Dudek (Perth) struck bronze in 3.18.34

(Simon Pride’s concentration from 2000 onwards on the marathon distance paid dividends. He recorded an excellent personal best of 2:16:27 in the 2001 London event and represented his adopted country, Scotland, in the Manchester Commonwealth Games marathon in 2002, finishing 16^th.)

The 2001 Scottish Marathon Championships, for both Men and Women, started and finished in Elgin, as part of the Moray Marathons series on September 2nd. The Athletics Weekly report by Fraser Clyne was as follows.

“Simon Pride (Metro Aberdeen RC) retained the Scottish marathon title with a comfortable victory over a field of 162 runners, but women’s champion Trudi Thomson was in tears at the finish after missing the Commonwealth Games qualifying standards in tough conditions.

Pride, who clocked a Commonwealth qualifying time of 2.16.29 at London earlier this year, eased round the windswept course to finish in 2.28.34, well ahead of Martin Ferguson (City of Edinburgh – 2.32.50), who collected the silver medal for the second year in a row.

Ferguson had bravely tried to hold on to the former World 100km champion for much of the race but Pride proved to be much too strong over the last six miles. Robert Davidson (2.42.55) was third, while fourth placed Terry Coyle (2.43.48) was top M40.

The result virtually guarantees Pride a place in the Scottish team for next year’s Commonwealth Games in Manchester. He said, ‘I felt quite comfortable but there was a very strong headwind in the closing four miles which made things difficult. The time was unimportant. I just wanted to win and I’ve achieved that, so now I can relax. I’m happy.’

Pride also led Metro Aberdeen Running Club to the team title on a day when the North-East outfit also won the half marathon and 10k team trophies.

Trudi Thomson (Pitreavie AAC, above) became Scottish Women’s Marathon Champion, but came to the Moray race hoping to get the Games qualifying standard of 2.40 and the strong winds ruined any hopes she had of achieving that mark. She said, ‘I so wanted to get the standard. It was very hard in the first ten miles but, despite that, I was still on schedule at 20. Then it all fell away. I am so disappointed. I cannot believe how tough it was at the finish.’

Thomson, who was beaten by only six men, took little consolation from the fact that her 2.49.33 broke the course record of 2.51.09, set by Belgrave’s Frances Guy in 1987. Carol Cadger (Perth Strathtay) was second in 3.20.57 and Scarlett Courtney (Milne’s) took third spot in 3.21.54.”

Carol Cadger was a durable athlete who won the Scottish 50km title four times, in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2002.

In 2003 Jamie Reid reduced his ten mile time to 48:51. Then on 31st August in the Elgin Moray Marathon in Elgin, over a much slower course, he retained his Scottish title in 2:34:08, still three minutes ahead of his closest rival James Snodgrass (Kilbarchan AAC – 2.37.20), with Andreas Merdes (Lothian RC 2.39.58) third.

2007: In Elgin, at the Moray Marathon, the Scottish Women’s Marathon title was won, for her fourth and final time, by Kate Jenkins (Carnethy HRC – 3.10.43); in front of K. McKinnon (Carnegie H – 3.16.27); and L Schumacher (3.18.09).

Jamie Reid (Cambuslang – 2.33.11) won his third Scottish Marathon title, gaining revenge on Simon Pride (Forres H – 2.33.46). Bronze medallist was David Gardiner (Kirkintilloch – 2.38.07).

Jamie Reid wrote very frankly about this race: “My most recent Scottish title was at Elgin in 2007 where I had my first marathon victory over Simon Pride. The previous day, my girlfriend Roisin and I had driven north as she was competing in a a six-a-side shinty tournament near Inverness for her club, Tir Connail Harps from Glasgow. I spent the afternoon watching the tournament, drinking diluting juice and eating large amounts of cake! Afterwards we drove to a B&B in Elgin where we checked in and went out for a meal. We settled for some pizza and relaxed talking about the shinty that afternoon and the race the next day. I wasn’t really nervous as I wasn’t expecting much as recent races hadn’t gone particularly well. I had hit the over-training button again as I had logged a tremendous mileage (maximum of 144 miles per week), switching to this after my best ever fifth place at the National Cross-Country Championships in February. It hadn’t improved me, only made me worse. Never mind, I entered the marathon, hoped for a solid run and then I could look forward to the autumn relays – my favourite part of the season. The morning of the race we had coffee in the hall after picking my number up. I saw that Simon Pride was entered, along with Adam Reid from Peterhead and David Gardiner from Kirkintilloch whom I knew fairly well.

Early pace was slow as the four of us settled down and let the countryside pass by. The day was warming up and there was little wind. I managed to get some drinks from Roisin as the race progressed, with the pace beginning to pick up as we passed Burghead (c14 miles). Simon and David pulled away and I knew it was too fast for me. In the distance I could see Simon moving ahead of David, but as we neared Lossiemouth, I could see I was gaining some ground. The sun by now was shining fiercely and I could sense a silver medal. I managed to pass David in Lossiemouth offering words of encouragement to each other, and I now looked to see how far ahead Simon was. He was out of sight.

Still, always believe – funny things can happen in the marathon. I finally caught sight of him as we entered the woods around 20 miles and I checked his lead in seconds. I can’t remember exactly but it must have been at least a minute. After a mile or so, I checked again – it was now around six or seven seconds less. A quick calculation in my head told me it would be close if we maintained the same pace, so I pushed on. Three miles to go, I could see Simon more clearly now and I calculated I could catch him by the end if we both maintained the same pace. Roisin was at this point in the car and she drove quickly back to the finish.

Every step was taking me closer to Simon now and the Scottish title was back in my head. What will happen when I catch him? How much has he left? Is he tiring or just unaware that I’m coming through? I caught Simon just as we entered the outskirts of Elgin, around a mile to go, and I decided to give it a push on to try to discourage any attempt to try to stay with me. Thankfully for me it worked and I went on to win in 2:33:11 with Simon not far behind and David taking bronze – marathon title Number Three! A slow time for all three of us, and perhaps highlighting the dropping standard, but it was one of the few marathon races I’ve run which had been tactical and a real ‘race’. I knew that, due to injuries, Simon had been past his best (although he had won the Scottish Masters M35 title in 2006), and neither David nor I had been at our peak, but it remained a very happy day for me. The rest was spent celebrating with ice-creams in Lossiemouth before driving south to Aviemore where we spent the night and I stuffed myself with burger and chips, washed down with chocolate fudge cake and ice cream!”

2014: Fraser Clyne reported on the controversial (and very last) race: “Kilmarnock’s Connell Drummond got more miles for his money than expected when winning the Glen Moray Marathon at Elgin. Race organisers were left with a major headache after runners were directed off the proper course in the early stages of the race. Despite the best efforts of everyone involved to resolve the situation, the competitors ended up running anything from two to four miles over the prescribed regular 26.2 miles distance.

Drummond, who has a best time of 2.41.13 set at London in April, reckons he ran closer to 30 miles after completing the route in 3.16.14. He said, “I was hoping to run faster than I did at London but obviously that was never going to happen once we were put the wrong way. I was leading at the time but when they tried to sort things out I found myself behind a whole pile or runners. I reckon I had to pass 15-20 guys to get back into the lead and I’m just happy to win, although the finishing time doesn’t mean anything now.”

Mary McCutcheon (Giffnock North) was second across the line in 3.21.05, while John Goodall (Keith and District) finished third in 3.25.11. Elaine Armour (Bracknell Forest) was second woman in 3.49.23 and Carol Massie (Fraserburgh Running Club) was third, first over-50, in 3.49.45.”