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From “I Was Or Am A Runner”

IBBO – ‘THE FOUR MINUTE SMILER’
MILE WORLD RECORD 60 YEARS AGO

‘Surely Ibbotson’s run is the greatest mile of all time.’ 1957 commentary.

It was around 1960 that Ibbo gave me my first athletics memory. His career was in limbo with injuries. He visited Northumberland Park in North Shields. I was probably 6 years old and I remember him wearing a white shirt. My father recalls that he ran away from the autograph hunters and drove off in his black car!

Whether I inspired him, I’ll never know – but he came back on the track with a vengeance!

So Sebastian Coe wasn’t the first Yorkshireman to set a World Mile record. 22 years before him, Derek Ibbotson set the track alight.

Yorkshire grit? Yes, that’s Derek Ibbotson. Wry sense of humour? Yes, that’s Derek Ibbotson. Born in Huddersfield in 1932, his most famous race was his world record of 3:57.2 in what was billed as the ‘Mile of the Century’ in 1957.

In true Alf Tupper style, Ibbo would ‘eat a big fillet steak with all the trimmings before a race. Pasta wasn’t on the menu back then and we didn’t have any coaches ‘up north’. We just ran for the love of it. We’d run in two inches of water on a cinder track with fixed spikes and end up covered in black residue. It was fabulous!’

Ibbotson trained hard and raced hard. Years of cross country running helped give him his super-powers. Track training with Alan Simpson in Yorkshire and at Tooting Bec track with Gordon Pirie. His philosophy was that racing helped fitness and he ran 70 races in 1957 before setting his world record.

• Early Days and Early Championship Wins

A member of the famous Longwood Harriers and with not much training, he won a Youths mile race in 4:30.5. Showing further early promise, he won the Yorkshire Junior mile championship in 1949, 1950 and 1951. He went one stride further, winning the AAA Junior title in 1951.

The following year, Ibbo won the Yorkshire Three Miles title, gaining selection for the Inter-Counties, where a personal best of 14:06.8 gave him 5th place. That was a significant race as Gordon Pirie made sure that the Sydney Wooderson days were over, beating the great Man in Black’s British record by 9 seconds.

Injury curtailed his 1953 season, however the coaching, a winter’s cross country and interval training during national service in the RAF helped him to 3rd in the Yorkshire, 4th in the RAF and 8th in the Northern cross country championships.

Derek suddenly exploded back onto the scene with a win in the 1955 Inter-counties 3 miles in 13:34.6 followed by 2nd place to Chris Chataway in the AAA race. He beat Chataway the next year to earn him selection for the Olympic 5000m.

• Olympic Bronze

On Melbourne’s big stage, USSR’s Vladimir Kuts was out to defend his title… which he did in an Olympic record of 13:39.6. With Kuts in the lead at half way, Ibbotson, Pirie and Chataway were well ahead of the other runners. The silver medal was fought out between two Brits, Gordon Pirie and Derek Ibbotson. They finished in that order in 13:50.6 and 13:54.4.

• The Big Build Up

An Inter-Counties 3 Miles win in 13:34.6 and a 28:52 six-miler were followed by third place in the National.

Fitter, faster and stronger, Ibbo faced Chris Chataway in the AAA 3 miles on the White City’s rain-sodden cinders. With a fierce battle over the last half lap, Ibbo edged his way to breast the tape in 13:32.6 (4:32.8, 4:32 and 4:27.8). He ran faster in an international against Czechoslovakia for a personal best of 13:28.2. He followed this to show his speed training had paid off when beating Herne Hill Harrier Ian Boyd in the Emsley Carr Mile in 3:59.4 – an improvement by over 7 seconds.

He had a 5000m race in Budapest, finishing second to Chataway (13:59.6) but ahead of Sandor Iharos, world record holder earlier that year before Pirie

Returning to the UK, Ibbo took a job in London and joined South London Harriers. With Gordon Pirie as its figurehead, the club was one of the most outstanding in the country at cross country and road. He was 6th in the 1957 National (and first team with SLH). He retained his AAA 3 miles title in a British record of 13:20.8. He also ran some fast early season 1500m/mile times. These included a mile race in 80F at Ibrox in Glasgow, the cheers of thousands of Scots pushing him to a European record of 3:58.4, just 0.4 outside Landy’s World Record!

• ‘The Race of the Century’

On the evening of Friday 19 July, Ibbotson lined up with a top class field for an Invitation Mile at the London v New York fixture at the White City, including Olympic 1500m champion Ron Delaney of Ireland. His first wife Madeline was in the crowds with their 5 week old daughter, born while he was competing in Glasgow. ‘I knew I could do it. The pacemaker was Mike Blagrove, who was just back from his honeymoon, but that did not stop him going through the half in a very quick 1:56. I knew then I could take the sting out of Ronnie Delany’s sprint finish.’ With laps of 55.3, 60.5 and 64.2, Ibbo was third at the bell, reached in exactly 3 minutes. He made his move on the back straight and kept on going to set a World Record of 3:57.2. He set a British record of 3:41.9 for 1500m en route.

Just 2 weeks before, he had run an easy 4:10 to win the Yorkshire title at Bingley!

• ‘A mistake. A major mistake’

Ibbo ran 48 track races in 1957, winning 37 and finishing in the first three in 47. These included a British 3 miles record of 13:20.8. However, his training and cross country races did not go well over winter. His track performances in 1958 weren’t encouraging either – 4:05.4/8:47.6/13:46 for 1, 2 and 3 miles and a disappointing mile in the Commonwealth Games in Cardiff… but he did manage to set a world record for 4x mile relay in an England team against Finland at the White City on 27 September 27. Mike Blagrove, Peter Clark, Derek Ibbotson (4:08.6) and Brian Hewson combined to win in 16:30.6.

He won the Emsley Carr Mile in 4:03.6 and manage 2 miles in 8:43.2 but such wins were rarities in 1959. In 1959 he was 7th in the AAA 3 miles, ran for Britain against Poland and Finland, and had bests of 3:42.9 for 1500 metres, 4:03.1 for the mile, 8:00.0 for 3000 metres and 13:32.8 for 3 miles. His times were slower in 1960 due to injury but he still managed 4th in the AAA 3 miles in 1961.

He moved indoors where he won British titles and set World Indoor bests for 2 miles with 8:47.8 and 3 miles (13:44.8).

‘Geoff Dyson, the leading coach, and other people told me to have a rest, take two or three months off, to recover from the hectic season I had. They said it would recharge my batteries. And for the first time ever I listened to other people and did what they said. It was a mistake, a major mistake, and a very costly one because when I started training I got a carbuncle on my neck because my system reneged, and so I missed three months’ more training. By taking the time off and living the high rich life with parties and dinners and do’s, I let myself down. I did not train, and I should have done because I loved running and racing. If you don’t do the training through the winter you don’t have the basis for the summer. By the time I made it back again about a year and a half had gone and I got down to quite good times.’

• A Comeback in his Thirties

He won the 1962 European Indoor 2 miles championship in 8:47.8 followed in the summer by third places in the 3 miles races at the British Games and the AAA Championships. He also finished 8th in the Commonwealth 3 miles in Perth. He kept going courageously, running 3:44.4 for 1500m and 4:01.6 for the mile. Aged 30, he finished 3rd in the AAA 3 miles championships and had a season best of 13:21.6, plus 8:41.4 for 2 miles and 4:03.6 for the mile. ‘Not bad for a “has been”.’

‘When people write me off and say I am finished I have tremendous determination ‘I’ll show the beggars!’ This is why I succeed to get back when people think I am more or less finished.’

He also won the UK indoor two miles in 1965, representing his country and had bests of 8:42.6 and 13:51. He finished 8th in the Commonwealth Games 3 miles in 1966. In 1967, aged 35, he ran 2 miles in 9:01.8.

He started to play squash, becoming Yorkshire veterans’ champion – twice. After retirement from his role as promotions executive for Puma Sports, he continued to enjoy golf… and jogging!

• Inspiration and Advice

Top athletics journalist Alistair Aitken asked Ibbo who inspired him. ‘Nobody really, I have inspiration from thoughts of breaking World records. I always wanted to become a World record holder, a lot of drive inside me. I have never had a coach. I have admired lots of runners but have never been inspired by them. I have always wanted to become the best in the World.’

Alistair also asked what advice he would give to an aspiring, young runner. ‘The main thing when you are young is not to be worried by reputations and size because World Champions come in all shapes and sizes. When you are young you think a big lad is bound to beat you. This may be true when you are 16,17 or 18 but when you get older there are lots of things that come into it. It’s what you have in the heart and in the mind that counts because mind can plan a race well, to make up for the little lack of physique.’

‘I wouldn’t have missed a day of it’

• Career History

1956
International Cross Country (46th)
AAA 3 Miles (1st)
Olympic 5000m (3rd)

1957
AAA 3 Miles (1st)

1958
Commonwealth Games 3 Miles (10th)

1962
UK Indoor 2 Miles (1st)
Commonwealth Games 3 Miles (8th)

1965
UK Indoor 2 Miles (1st)

UK Internationals
18 (1955-65)

• Personal bests

880 yards 1:52.2 (1958)
1500m 3:41.9 (1957)
1 mile 3:57.2 (1957)
2000m 5:12.8 (1955)
3000m 8:00.0 (1959)
2 miles 8:41.2 (1957)
2 miles indoors 8:42.6 (1965)
3 miles 13:20.8 (1957)
5000m 13:54.4 (1956)
6 miles 28:52.0 (1955)

• George Derek Ibbotson: Factfile

Born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire on 17 June 1932. Height 5’9½” (1.76m ) and weight 10st6lb (66kg).

His Olympic 5000m bronze is only 1 of 6 won by Brits at the event. In fact, no British athlete had bettered bronze until Mo Farah’s first gold medal in 2012.

Derek’s Longwood Club Record, a World Record at the time has been broken subsequently by an even grittier Yorkshireman, Walter Wilkinson, with 3:56.60.

Ibbo finished 4th in a mile race won by Australian Herb Elliott in 3:55.4 at the White City on 3 September 1958. Nothing remarkable in that – except that he became the first man to run a mile in a time of exactly 4 minutes. There’s one for any quiz compilers!

He was awarded an MBE for services to athletics in 2008.

In 2011, he was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame.

The YouTube video of his World Record Mile is linked in the first comment.

C Paul Fitton

Tom Jack, Edinburgh Harriers

In season 1961/62, several Edinburgh harrier and athletic clubs came together to form one club which was to be called Edinburgh AC.    In order of appearance on the scene, the first Edinburgh Harriers club was called Edinburgh Harriers and they were Scotland’s second oldest club.   Founded on 30th September, 1885, after Clydesdale Harriers on 4th May of that year, they actually held their first cross-country run from’ The Harp’ in Corstorphine.   You can probably guess from that (the Corstorphine venue) that they were mainly a west of Edinburgh club.   Edinburgh Northern Harriers came along next – in 1889 – and were remarkably successful.   They won many championships, produced a lot of good athletes and promoted many successful meetings.   Edinburgh Southern Harriers was established in 1897.   Much later Cannon AC was formed and that became Edinburgh Eastern Harriers.   The city was pretty well quartered by the clubs.   Braidburn AC, the fourth club that went to make up EAC, had started out in life as the Rover Scouts but the name was changed in the 50’s.

It is interesting to look at the various constituent clubs that went to make up the Edinburgh AC in 1961/62 plus the Braidburn club which joined after the club had been going for a year – in the 1961 Edinburgh to Glasgow relay the EAC team finished eleventh (most of its runners that year were from Edinburgh Northern) and Braidburn was 20th.    We can look at the clubs separately and in chronological order.   Two points first:

1. There is so much history attached to each of the clubs involved that  each would require a book-length rview of their history to do them justice.   We can only make a brief survey of the constituent clubs here leading in to the amalgamation into Edinburgh AC.
2. The emphasis throughout will be on the endurance running activities of the clubs involved – much more detail on the track and field actrivities can be found at Arnold Black’s statistical website  www.scotstats.net.

Now for the tale.

EDINBURGH HARRIERS

Edinburgh Harriers winning team in the inaugural Scottish Cross-Country Championship of 1886: 1 Tom Fraser, 2 David Colville Macmichael, 3 David Scott Duncan, 4 William Mabson Gabriel, 5 John William Lodowick Beck, 6 Peter Addison, 7 Robert Cochrane Buist, 8 John M. Bow

Photo from Alex Wilson

Established as we said in 1885, the club won the first two Scottish cross-country team races ever held – in 1886 and 1887 – and went on to be first in seven races in all – 1886, 1887, 1891, 1895, 1903, 1904 and 1911.  They were second seven times and third six times withe last national medals being won in 1912.

Their first national individual champion was RA Hay in 1895 and he was to be the only Edinburgh Harrier to hold that distinction.   When the International Cross-Country Championship started, the club produced several runers for the Scottish team: A Kinnaird in 1903, TC Hughes in 1903, RE Hughes in 1906, JD Hughes in 1911 and 1912,  and T Robertson in 1905, ’06, ’07, ’08.   In the District Championships, they won the title in 1899, 1902, and 1909, providing winners in the form of Kinnaird (1902), and Robertson (1905).

The club organised many an open meeting, at times in conjunction with the Heart of Midlothian Football Club and later some of these meetings were three way affairs with Edinburgh Northern Harriers adding their expertise and manpower – an example of this is the meeting at Tynecastle on 30th June, 1915.   They were still a functioning athletic club in the 1950’s but operating at a much lower level.

EDINBURGH NORTHERN HARRIERS

Edinburgh Northern Harriers was founded in 1889 – only four years after the Harriers appeared on the scene and just when the sport was starting to take off among the general population.    Edinburgh Harriers glory days were largely behind them and the baton of Edinburgh’s athletics was passed to Northern.   Although they had to wait until 1935 for their first victory in the National Championships, they had four seconds (1893, ’94, ’97, 1927) and two thirds (1914, ’34).   They won the Eastern District Championships in 1908, ’10, 14, 24, ’26, ’31   and the relay in 1926, ’27, 30, 31, ’33, ’34, ’35, ’37, ’38.   In the Edinburgh to Glasgow relay (which only started up in 1930 when, arguably, the club’s best days were behind them) they won in 1935 after being second in 1934.   Looking at the above, 1934/35 was clearly their best spell when they won the E-G, the National and the East relays in 1935, with second in the E-G, third in the National and winners in the East relays in 1934.    The quality of their runners at that time was not too poor either with international vests being won by members: 

T Glancy in 1924 (47th in the international race), W Hinde 1933 (29th), 1934 (26th), 1935 (30th) and 1937 (32nd), and JP Laidlaw 1934 (27th).

And on the track, one of the club’s runners – Gerry Mortimer – finished runner-up in the East District AAA’s Three Miles championship three times in consecutive years – 1950, ’51 and ’52 – and in recognition of this feat achieved when the standard was relatively high, he was presented with a silver trophy which is pictured below.

Suttie Smith (left) wearing the Canon vest

EDINBURGH EASTERN HARRIERS

Canon Athletic Club was formed in 1922 and changed their name to Edinburgh Eastern Harriers in 1934.   The club was never placed in the national or Edinburgh to Glasgow but in the 1950’s a good group was coming together and in 1956 theyy actually finished sixth in the eight stage relay and were awarded the medals for the most meritorious unplaced performance.     In fact they finished first Edinburgh club in the race twice in the six years leading to the merger in ’61/62.

BRAIDBURN AAC

The Braidburn club had red, yellow and green hoops and had possibly the best all roung team of the four.   They had evolved from the Edinburgh Rover Scouts AC who had been in existence since before the 1939/45 war.   In the last national championship before the war, they had one senior man running, G Strachan was second in the Youth Championships and a check of their involvement in the National back as far as 1930 found individual runners entered under the club’s name back to 1931 when J Mitchell ran; the only senior team in that period was in 1936/37 when they were 14th.   After the war, they ran a Youths’ team in the second national (1947/48) which finished third behind Kirkcaldy YMCA and St Modan’s but well ahead of the other Edinburgh clubs – Edinburgh Southern was tenth, 61 points adrift.   The runners were CR Jones 5th, R Pearson 10th, W Henderson 35th and E Gray 52nd.   Other team men who finished the course were D Hall 68th and I Milton 89th.

They were a solid middle distance club with good quality runners but they also had some good field events athletes.   One of their best runners – ranked in the national top ten over 880 yards, medallist at the SAAA championships and a frequent prize winner at the highland games circuit, Neil Donnachie says:

“The Edinburgh Rover Scout Club came into existence just before the 1939/45 war and it evolved around this time from the scout movement to be well established by the time I joined in 1948.   We were not particularly competitively successful at the time but even I, as an also ran, quickly saw the potential for a good cross-country team as we had a group of youngsters; a little older than me, and they were very enthusiastic.
There were several older athletes in the Club and although very few were capable of finishing in the first twenty in the “East League” races there were enough to be noticed. All age groups ran together in the “League” and I did my best to avoid being last.   Claude Jones, a Scottish Champion boxer, who you may remember as a coach, was the first one to show any prowess but that was a little before my time.   Everyone came from a Scout background before I arrived at the Club and then some BB boys joined with others who were not from any particular group although several had Rugby as an alternative sport .

The Rover Scouts were a winter club at this time but I suppose with the aid and encouragement of the rugby set, and the connection and availability of their training grounds for use in the summer, we started to develop a Track team.   The fee paying schools in Edinburgh had F P athletic teams and those who did not play rugby in the winter joined the Rover Scouts Club for cross-country and we evolved even further. “Would be” runners like Bill Linton, who, like me, came from West Calder, joined the Rover Scouts Club and we quickly became a force to be reckoned with as Bill proved to be a fine sprinter in addition to developing his significant middle distance prowess.   Our Rugby players generally strengthened the team including in the “Field” events while some athletes were very versatile.

Our success annoyed at least one member of the long established clubs  of that time, the early fifties, and he raised the fact that we were not all Rover Scouts with the East Committee.   As a result, the committee required us to change to a less misleading name.   You will appreciate that I was very unaware of athletic politics of the time.   At the Club’s AGM, a school boy from George Watson’s called David Laing suggested that as we did runs through an area where the Braid burn flowed in addition to our using Braidburn House for changing purposes we should call ourselves Braidburn and this was accepted.

Braidburn continued to improve as a club over the next few years until we were probably the most consistent Track team in the area whlle some of the other older clubs had began to struggle.   We won most of our inter-club contests against the “FP clubs” and the “Harrier” clubs. We had several fine sprinters and an extremely strong pack of middle distance runners who contributed to a successful road/cross-country team.   I know that I preferred the short relay races on the road but I also improved as a middle distance runner.

Most ‘Track’ athletes competed in the many handicap races at Games of that time and as everyone thought that they had a chance of a win, these were extremely popular and often we had two buses to take athletes to the Highland Games at Aberfeldy or the Galashiels Gathering or elsewhere.”

The rules said that clubs had a 14 month period of grace before joining a completely new club and Braidburn, having an invitation to the Edinburgh to Glasgow, took advantage of this and had a winter as an independent club before joining up with Edinburgh AC.   Their last year as Rover Scouts AC had been 1951/52.   Braidburn then competed well in 1952/53 – first in the Youths age group in the Eatsern District Championships, seventh and tenth in the District relays, and their Juniors had been second in the national championships.   On the track it was a fairly successful club with good coaches and officials such as Tom Drever, mainly but not at all exclusively a high jump coach, and JT Mitchell who was president of the SCCU in 1953.   As Neil says, their athletes competed everywhere and at a higher level than he suggests.    Of his own racing, Neil is maybe a bit too modest as well.   He was a hard fighter at the end of any race as his third place in the half mile in the SAAA’s of 1955  showed – he and the fourth man were given the same time exactly but Neil got the verdict.

RESULTS FROM 1955 – 60

One member of Edinburgh AC that I spoke to said:  “I always understood it to have come about from a meeting of the clubs Northern, Eastern, Edinburgh Harriers and Braidwood in the face of putting a club together to compete with Southern.”   We can look at the results of the relative Edinburgh clubs in the late 50’s – ie from 1955 to 1960 to see if there was indeed a gap between the south-siders and the others.   Let’s take the National cross-country championships first, and look at the Senior team results, and excluding the University team which was quite strong at this point.

1955:   Edinburgh Southern Harriers 7th; no other club had a team running.   There were individuals from some of them.

1956:   ESH 5th; Braidburn and Edinburgh Eastern had incomplete teams.

1957:   ESH 3rd; No other club had a team finishing.

1958:   ESH 4th; Braidburn had an incomplete team.

1959:   ESH 4th; Braidburn and Eastern had incomplete teams.

1960:   ESH 5th; Braidburn 9th; no other club had a team out.

The picture was less clear in the Edinburgh to Glasgow Road Relay that required eight runners per team.

1955:  ESH 10th, Braidburn 15th

1956:   EEH 6th (they gained the most meritorious unplaced team medals), ESH 9th, Braidburn 13th

1957:   ESH 4th; EEH 9th; Braidburn 17th

1958:   ESH 4th; EEH 10th; Braidburn 19th

1959:   ESH 4th;   EEH 19th.

1960:   EEH 14th,  ESH 20th

In four years out of six they were the top team; Eastern headed them twice and Braidburn was a solid enough team too.   The gap however was

1955:   ESH 2nd;   Braidburn 4th; no other complete senior team from Edinburgh.

1956:   ESH 2nd; Braidburn incomplete; not other team from Edinburgh.

1957:   ESH 1st; EEH 2nd; Braidburn 4th; Edinburgh Northern Harriers 7th.

1958:   ESH 1st; EEH 4th; no other complete team

1959:   ESH 1st; no other complete team.

1960:   ESH 1st; Braidburn 3rd; EEH 7th

Edinburgh Southern was clearly the team to beat.   Edinburgh Harriers, pre-1912, had been one of the top two or three teams in the country, Northern had had their real purple patch in the 20’s and 30’s, Eastern was just coming on to its game.   They won the most meritorious medals in the Edinburgh to Glasgow in 1956.  Unfortunately however they were not turning teams out in most of the major championships.

Southern, on the other hand, turned out teams in everything – in the District Relays there were often four or more teams running, at times there were more from Southern than from the other four put together.   The other clubs looked at the example of Eastern in the E-G of 1956 and 1960 which seemed to show that if the others got their runners out, Southern could be beaten.   They certainly had the talent.   They had good runners with a very good supporting cast.   Why shouldn’t they join forces?

Barry Craighead with Claude Jones, 1983

THE COMING TOGETHER

It may be of course that they were not targeting Edinburgh Southern Harriers, but at least the results from that direction pointed out and emphasised the failings in the other clubs in the city.   Neil Donnachie says:

“In late 1960 I was approached by a near neighbour, Willie Carmichael of Edinburgh Eastern Harriers, (a born organiser who also organised the 1970 C.G.) who suggested to me that several of the Harrier clubs were willing to amalgamate and would Braidburn like to come in on it the formation.   I said that I would put it to the club and with very little opposition the four clubs met in 1961 to inaugurate Edinburgh Athletic Club

We ageed to use the Edinburgh Eastern strip but changed the diagonals from Eastern’s maroon to black as black (with white) were the Edinburgh City colours. The change over proved seamless and we immediately had a very high quality committee. The original four founding teams were Edin. Harriers, Edin. Northern, Edin.Eastern and Braidburn. Initially the new Club used the Edinburgh Harriers Club Room at Fords Road in Edinburgh for all Meetings and Northern sold their Clubrooms at Greenfield Place in Leith Street to the Council, which gave us a solid financial basis.”

You need more than runners and money to run a successfukl athletic club, you need capable officials.    If we look at those available to the new club, we realise that it was well endowed in this department too.   Willie Carmichael  has already been mentioned.   A very capable administrator who had been involved with many athleticxs meetings in Edinburgh including the Highland Games, he was recognised as having played a major role in bringing the Commonwealth Games to Edinburgh in 1970.   For morer detailed information on his part in the Games, see the following article:

http://www.scotsman.com/sport/more-in-sport/glasgow-2014-we-will-never-forget-1970-games-1-3369991

Claude Jones has already been mentioned: a larger than life character, always in a good mood, he spent countless hours involved in the sport on behalf of the club and is well known as an effective team manager in the 80’s and 90’s.   He was President of trhe SCCU in 1983/84   Coincidentally another Edinburgh  AC committee member was President of the SAAA at the same time – Barry Craighead is well known as one of the best starters in the UK but he is also an effective administrator.   Bob Greenoak, mentioned here  as a runner, also served as President of the SAAA (in 1987) but the first member of the club to fill that office was JC Bannatyne in 1962.   In due course others from the club like Neil Donachie, a runner when the club was formed, would become top flight officials and administrators in their own right.   W Hunter Watson, a long time member of Aberdeen AAC started out in Edinburgh as a member of the University club and then Edinburgh Eastern Harriers.   His take on the beginnings of EAC can be accessed  here

They also had excellent coaches – Bill Walker and Tom Drever who came from Braidburn were quite superb coaches and were joined by others covering pretty well all athletic events.

The club had all it needed to make at least a genuine attempt to be one of the very top clubs in Scotland – officials, administrators, athletes and a sound financial base.   Nevertheless starting from scratch against clubs that were already motoring along is always a notably difficult task.

Lindsay Robertson

THE FIRST FIVE YEARS: 1961/2  –  1965/66

If we look at the diustance running side of the club, the first big race of their first season saw Edinburgh AC finish eleventh in the Edinburgh to Glasgow Relay Race.   The team was made up of R Prior (from Edinburgh Harriers), J Foster (Edinburgh Southern), R Greenoak (Edinburgh Northern), T Chalmers (Edinburgh Eastern), F Neillings (ENH), W Ramage (EEH), H Watson (EEH), and NJ Weir (ENH).   They ran well in their first outing but Edinburgh Southern Harriers was second team.   In the National championship their first finisher was F Neillings in 35th place, with A Carse in 36th, D Hamilton 72nd, WH Watson 79th, T Harrison 90th and N Donachie 102nd.   They also had C Clarke 109th, R Greenoak 112th, A King 125th, W Henderson 182nd, and C Jones 185th.   After several years with hardly a complete team finishing, they had eleven runners in the race.   Out of the medals, butit was a first attempt.   In addition their Junior team was ninth and there were competitors in both Youths and Boys races.   Things could only get better.

One year later and the team of Prior/Foster/Walker/Watson/Carse/Henderson/Donachie and Weir finished seventh – Southern was second.   In the national, the club was sixth with Ramage (28th), Henderson (47th), Watson (52nd), Prior (55th), Donachie (60th) and (Foster 74th).    Other finishers included Harrison (92nd),  A King (127th), M Innes (143rd) and C Jones (146th)   200 finished that year   In 1963/64 they were ninth n the E-G and in the national, but in the national. they started to make their presence felt   Anglo Jim Alder finished second to Fergus Murray and he was followed home by RG Clark (46th), Harrison (52nd), Carse (54th), Carcas (55th), and Watson 66th.   This counting six was followed by Henderson (75th), Donachie (91st), J Convery (117th)

Eighth in the E-G in 1964/65, they were again seventh n the national.   Alder again led the team home in second, Carse had come from 54th the previous year to twelfth this time,  Ramage was 58th and the team was completed by the runners who had served the club so well in the past few years. Then on 21st November, 1965, the team was up with the leaders in the E-G when they finished fifth – one place behind Southern.   Carse had fastest time of the day on the difficult second stage and the team was made up of Fairgrieve, Carse, Convery, Carcas, Steele, Alder, Gillon and Donachie.   They won the medals for the most meritorious unplaced performance.   In 1965/66 they were sixth in the national   Led home by Jim Alder in third, he was followed by A Leitch in fifteenth.   After only five years, they were getting closer to the medals.

Weatherhead to Charleston, Edinburgh to Glasgow, 1983

The club went on from there to many successes at Scottish, British and international national level      The very peak was in 1974 when they broke the world record for the world record for the 24 hour 10  x  1 mile relay.   They won League matches, cross country and road championships, and provided Scotland and Britain with international athletes across the spectrum.   However, since this is a Scottish distance running site, we should maybe get back to the domestic scene

Within Scotland in the E-G relay they were second 7 times, fourth 6 times,fifth 5 times, sixth 3 times,  The lowest places (12th and 13th) were in the early 90’s after the formation of Racing Club and just before the City of Edinburgh AC  was formed.   Whereas they never actually won the road relay, the teams were more successful in the national cross country championships – 5 victories, 4 seconds, 2 thirds, 4 fourth  2 fifth and 3  sixth places.   The really outstanding team performance was in the national of 1975  when Jim Dingwall in thirteenth place was not even a scoring runner for the club   The winning team was made up of Alistair McKean 1st, Adrian Weatrherhead 2nd, Jim Alder fifth, Alex Wight 8th, Doug Gunstone 10th, and Jim Wight 11th   22 runners represented the club that afternoon with eight men home before second placed Southern’s sixth man, and thirteen before third placed Shettleston’s sixth and last counting runner.   They also won gold, silver and bronze in the six stage road relay and the four stage cross-country race

Given that the club had a short life span of thirty years (until the City of Edinburgh club was formed in 1996/97), the record was remarkably good indeed

The track and field team was also very good, competing successfully at all age levels in the British Men’s Athletics League and in the Scottish Men’s League.   They were the first and only club to have two teams in the Scottish five division league and that required changes to the rules and regulations of whole structure.   They won the First Division in seasons 1976, ’77, ’78, ’79, ’80, ’81, ’85, ’86, ’97, ’88, ’89, ’90, ’91 and ’93.   In the British Athletic League, their record was excellent.   Look at the table below

 Many of their athletes are still highly ranked in the national all-time lists from Drew McMaster and Drew Harley in the sprints through to Jim Dingwall, Jim Alder and Lindsay Robertson – marathon runners of quality.   There were several prodigious young talents unearthed too – just look up the careers of Ross Hepburn in the High Jump and Peter Little in the sprints as well as the slightly more seasoned middle distance runners  Paul Forbes is fourth and Peter Hoffman is eighth (Hoffman is also in the 400m at tenth.

WHY DID THE TWO CLUBS MERGE?

Edinburgh AC merged with Edinburgh Southern Harriers in 1996.   Doug Gillon of ‘The Herald’ gave the main reasons at the time as  “A steady haemorrhage of talent to England, precipitated by the athletics clubs’ decline through the UK leagues, means that only united can they stand any chance of preventing further fall.”    The clubs had indeed competed in the British Athletic League and a strong rivalry had built up there as EAC worked their way up through the Divisions to join ESH who had been at the top tier of UK track athletics well before them.   Doug’s article can be read in full at

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12043763.Merger_ends_an_era_in_athletics/

The one thing that is not mentioned in the article as a reason for the ‘decline’ of the two clubs is the arrival on the Scottish scene of Racing Club – at various times Edinburgh RC, Reebok RC, Leslie Deans RC and Mizuno RC – in the 1990-91 season.   The club was composed mainly, at this point of former members of ESH and EAC.   Tom Hanlon, John Robson and others from Southern and Brian Kirkwood and some others from EAC.   It was not a popular club – clubs of champions seldom are whenever they appear – Dunky Wright’s Caledonia AC in the 1920’s only lasted one season.   But popular or not, it attracted some outstanding runners from both clubs.    It later spread its wings and Peter Fleming from Bellahouston, Frank McGowan from Shettleston and others jpoined from the West.   One of its effects was to weaken both clubs, poissibly ESH more than AC.

It was not universally popular within the two clubs concerned either but iut went ahead anyway and so far – March 2017 –   it seems to be doing well.

Nigel Jones to Brian Kirkwood, 1983  6-stage road relay

The start of the winter season was always the relays – four man relays on the road and then over the country  as a lead-in to the season.   All endurance runners ran in them.  They gave the track specialists over a mile or two miles a chance to up the distance gradually, and also helped the marathon and longer road runners get the pace for the winter season.   Usually over anything from two and a quarter miles to three and a half miles, on surfaces varying from week to week (two miles cross-country in Ayrshire was vastly different to two miles round a Glasgow park) and stage to stage (the trails on the country were heavier for the last leg runners than for the first), nothing could be read into the times other than as they compared with each other on the day.   After the war in 1945, the start was usually the McAndrew Road Relay at Scotstoun, followed by the Dundee Kingsway Road Relay and then the county relays in the west and the District Relays the week after that.    They were great club events with great team spirit, hard fought out races and the friendliest of club rivalries.    Least known to the present generation of runners is the Dundee race.   The story of its conception and development is told in the November, 1946 issue of Walter Ross’s marvellous ‘Scots Athlete’ magazine and we can start by reproducing it here.   The picture is of Eddie Knox in the 1966 Kingsway Relay.

STORY OF THE “KINGSWAY” RELAY

by D.M. THOMSON

Firmly established in the West of Scotland as the official “curtain raiser” to the cross-country season, Victoria Park’s popular “McAndrew Relay” is an event with which cross-country enthusiasts have long been familiar.   The “Kingsway” can make no claim to such mellow vintage and to members of clubs now resuming operations after years of enforced inactivity, and, to others whose only knowledge of it is what appears in the Press, the mention of the Kingsway Relay must bring to the mind quite a crop of whys and wherefores.   True, it did not exist pre-1939, yet, since its inception in 1941 it has enjoyed the ever increasing support  of the leading Glasgow clubs whose entries this year were augmented by those of the revived Edinburgh Northern and Southern clubs, and Kirkcaldy YMCA, though unfortunately the Northern were unable to travel.  

Undoubtedly inadequate competiton during the war years had much to do with the success this event has achieved and so far as I am concerned, I am content to leave it at that.   As one who had what might be termed a fatherly interest in the birth of this war-time babe, your Editor, in what must be one of his rare moments of indiscrimination, has asked me to relate how the Kingsway Relay originated, and to give a resume of its subsequent history.   To do so, I shall have to draw on the strings of memory for some time, and, I trust, any resultant discords in the form of inaccuracies will be pardoned on the grounds that, at the time and place of writing, I have but the scantiest of records on which to work.

At the outset let me inform you that, when the race was first mooted by Jim Brannen, Alec Mudie, Peter Henderson and myself, any thought that it would become one of the leading road races in the country never occurred to us.   Such a possibility was never even considered.   All that we were concerned with then was arranging what, we hoped, would be an attractive opening fixture for the 1941-42 cross-country season.

In Seasons 1939-40 and 1940-41,  you will doubtless recollect, there were pretty drab and uninspiring events everywhere, but nowhere, do I think, as dismal as in Dundee.   Of the score or so clubs affiliated in the Eastern District Committee, NCCU, in 1937-38, all but Thistle and Hawkhill were, through force of circumstances, obliged to close down for the duration.   Rapidly depleting memberships, owing to the call-up, scarcity of recruits, and lack of competition, resulted in a not-unnatural waning of interest in the ranks.  

HAWKS AND THISTLE UNITED

During this period of athletic depression, Hitler & Co decided to “eliminate” Thistle’s headquarters.   The obvious solution was followed.   Hawks and Thistle amalgamated for the duration, and proceded to operate from the former club’s premises under the name “Dundee Harriers”.    

  About the same time there came into being the Dundee Central Council for the Entertainment and Welfare of the Forces.   Jim Brannen, who was in the process of making a “come-back” after 10 years of retirement, became athletics convener, in which capacity he, more or less, had a free hand and was successful in obtaining the ready and willing co-operation of the Sports Officers of the various officers in the District.   Towards the end of seasion 1940-41 things were moving nicely, so much so, that plans were made for the formation of an Eastern Cross-Country League for season 1941-42.The League was to comprise units from Service units in the District, St Andrews University, where cross-country running had found a number of enthusiastic adherents, and Dundee Harriers.

The programme was to consist of a series of team races, but, as a sort of get-together, it was decided to hold a six-per-team relay race, in Dundee, early in October 1941.   In close proximity to Hawkhill’s clubrooms stretches the Kingsway by-pass road which skirts Dundee from west to east.   Used regularly as training territory by Hawkhill since they first established themselves at Fairfield Street, the Kingsway was accepted by club members as nothing more than that.   But to Alec Mudie, the Club Secretary, this highway, with its trim carriageways, had long suggested great possibilities as a relay course.   Its beauty lay in its simplicity.   It was straight, flat and required the minimum of stewarding.   His suggestion that the league relay race be held on the Kingsay course was accepted unanimously and, accordingly, the constituent clubs were duly notified.   The course mapped out was over a mile stretch of the highway, the runners starting at the midway mark, running for half a mile along the west-bound cariageway, before turning to the eastbound, of which they had to cover a mile before turning back on to the west-bound carriage for the half-mile to complete the circuit.   That was all there was to it.   Nothing to it at all, or so we thought in September 1941.

However the preliminary canters with the Service Units at the end of the past season had whetted the competitive appetite of our fellows, and, as the new season approached, they were impatient to get into action once more.    So new ground was trodden, and a team entered for the 1941 “McAndrew”.

Jim Brannen, Culprit-in-chief

As it transpired, it was at Scotstoun that our quiet little league relay took the K.O., and in its stead there emerged the colossal, gigantic, stupendous Dundee “Kingsway Relay”, open to all the world.   I was not present when this bombshell burst, but, knowing Jim Brannen, culprit-in-chief, as I do, I have no doubt that the attractions of the “Kingsway” relay would be painted in  glorious technicolour.    At any rate, the first my colleague and I heard about it was on the Monday following the McAndrew.   To say that we were surprised would beexpressing our feelings mildly.   Garscube and Maryhill were definitely coming, and possibly others.   Jim Brannen informed us.   Garscube we did not mind so much, for, after all, we regarded them as the Glasgow branch of the Thistle Harriers at the time.   But Maryhill!   We were filled with awe.   Just as we were recovering, we were informed that we would have to find a cup.   “What cup?” we asked.   It appeared the cup in question was to be awarded to the winning team, and would be known as  “The Kingsway Cup”.   We also learned first and second teams were to get prizes, and that there was also to be a prize for the fastest lap.

Finding the Cup

The race was formally constituted there and then, and ways and means of acquiring the necessary awards  discussed at length for we had only a week in which to do the needful.   However, the Cup problem was soon solved.   The Hawks had a cup which had become redundant on the demise of their one-time ladies section, and it was decided to rename this trophy “The Kingsway Cup”.   Some hurried lobbying of a few friends of the sport culminated in substantial and tangible gifts being made to the prize fund.   The stage was now set for the first Kingsway Relay.   Our initial misgivings had long since evaporated,  and we looked forward with keen anticipation to welcoming our Glasgow guests on their first visit to Tayside.  

Came the great day.   If I remember aright, we had an entry of about a dozen teams, most of which were from the Services.   It was a great race.   Garscube, right on the crest that season finished worthy winners, with Maryhill a good second.   The winners’ time for the six two mile laps was 66 min 29 sec.   Emmet Farrell had the distinction of returning the fastest lap, his time being 10 min 26 sec.    The Glasgow runners were complimentary almost to the point of embarrassment.   The course, in particular, impressed, and, somehow or other, it became a generally accepted fact that the event would be an annual one.   That then is how the Kingsway   Relay came into being.

Alec Donnet’s Spade Work

So far as the subsequent races are concerned, tribute must be paid to the efforts of Alec Donnet, our new NCCU Vice-President, whose spade-workdid much to maintain and spur further interest in our event.   For the 1943 race, the team composition was reduced to the more orthodox four runners, and the lap was increased to approximately three miles.   By this time the Hawks headquarters had been requisitioned by the NFS, but the fact that we had no home to call our own did not deter us.   Thanks to old friend Jack Quskley, the pavilion at the nearby UCD grounds was put at our disposal for the day.   The entry had increased to about 20 teams for this year and, I think, it was on this occasion that Shettleston made their debut.   It was Maryhill’s turn this time, their winning quartet aggregating 58 min 28 sec.   We locals were more than satisfied with Jim Brannen winning the fastest lap award with a fine  14:14.

In the 1944 race, Maryhill again came out on top, and Farrell again gained the individual award making it a Maryhill double.   It has to be admitted that we blotted our copybook that day.   Bad stewarding turned the first lap leaders on to the home stretch considerably before the appointed spot, while the rest of the field, following the lead and advice of oneof the local runners went on to complete the circuit.   To rectify the position second lap men were to run a long or a short lap, as the case happened to be.  At the end of this lap things had been pretty well ironed out, but, as a spectacle, the race had been spoiled.”

In 1944 it was another double first for Maryhill and Emmet Farrell with new records by both; 1945 saw another double first, but this time for Shettleston and Harry Howard.   1946 however was when, with the war well and truly over, the race really took off.   27 teams competed and the first twelve teams were

1. Maryhill Harriers A   58:18     2.   Bellahouston Harriers   58:50     3.   Victoria Park A  59:07     4.   Shettleston Harriers A   59:39     5.   Thistle Harriers   60:44     6.   Maryhill Harriers B   61:40     7.   Garscube Harriers   61:42     8.   Shettleston Harriers B   61:48     9.   HMS Condor A   61:50     10.   Hawkhill Harriers A   61:58     11.   Edinburgh Southern Harriers   62:33     12.   Kirkcaldy YMCA   62:55.
2. As an indication of the quality of the individual runners, fastest man was Andy Forbes of Victoria Park, whose 14:22 was only 1 second faster than Emmet Farrell’s in second.   Third saw J Clark of Maryhill and C McLennan of Shettleston equal on 14:28 with Alex McLean of Bellahouston (14:31) and Charlie Robertson (14:32) fifth and sixth.

The race had been well and truly accepted by the athletics community.

Kenny Lunn and Duncan Middleton of Springburn in 1966

Colin Youngson took part in this event eight times between 1966 and 1977, and has been  kind enough to contribute his memories of the race.

From 1966 to 1971, when I ran for Aberdeen University Hare & Hounds Club, I raced many times on the road in Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and near Inverness.   There was less traffic in those days, the police granted permission easily and fewer runners took part, since this was well before the jogging boom. Now many of these fine traditional races are long gone, including the fantastic Edinburgh to Glasgow Relay and the very first significant event I took part in – The Kingsway Relays in Dundee.

On Saturday the 15^th of October 1966, only a month after becoming a student, I found myself running for the AU second team in a major competition.   The Kingsways were extremely popular and many of the top Scottish athletic clubs – from Edinburgh and Glasgow as well as Aberdeen, Dundee and Perth – participated.   The Winter Season commenced on 1^st October, followed by a flurry of fixtures preparing for the E to G in late November.   From the direction of Perth, the Kingsway itself is a major thoroughfare which passes the top of Caird Park and then leads into the heart of Dundee. Each team had four runners who raced round the same 2.9 mile loop.   The start was below the park, on a local road parallel to the Kingsway.  A massed start (in those days, about 40 runners) charged off for about a mile, before cutting left uphill, and then left again at the main road.   So far, tarmac had been the surface, but now (due to heavy traffic) the route followed a path between road and park perimeter hedge.    This featured some tarmac, but also bare soil which, in lightweight ‘Tiger Cub’ racing shoes, could be treacherous when wet. Eventually the Aberdeen roundabout was reached, where one turned sharp left onto the pavement and zoomed, almost tumbled, down the steep slope, before another sharp left and a straight sprint to the handover point.

Dundee Hawkhill Harriers organised the senior relay and some shorter ones for boys and youths too. This was the first senior fixture I had attended. I must have been running one of the later legs, because my main memory is of jogging round the course in reverse to warm up. We reached the top of the hill and gazed down the path to watch the first stage runners approaching. To my awe, a lone runner appeared and rapidly came nearer, an incredible distance in front of his pursuers.   This champion, running with power and total control, turned out to be John Linaker of Pitreavie, a great Scottish athlete with (I discovered more than thirty years later) a marvellous personality. He must have run 13 minutes 20-odd seconds; whereas I did 15.26 and could only dream of being anything like as fast as him.    Still, road relay running suited me – the determination not to let the team down, the excitement of sprinting away, hanging on like mad and struggling to the finish, using every available drop of energy.    Tactics were minimal – this was an opportunity for challenge and total commitment. AU finished twentieth.

In subsequent years, my times improved gradually: 1967 14.30 with AU 8^th; 1968 14.19, one second in front of my main club rival Don Ritchie, with AU 10^th (Lachie Stewart from Shettleston ran 13.15!); 1969 14.09, with AU 8^th (Fergus Murray from Edinburgh ran 13.25 to pip Dick Wedlock from Shettleston); 1970 13.57, again one second faster than Don, with AU up to 3^rd, not bad for a student team.

By 1972 I was representing Victoria Park A.C. I have a full set of results for the Kingsway that year.    Edinburgh Southern (Allister Hutton, Martin Craven, Gareth Bryan Jones and Fergus Murray) won in 55.17; with VPAAC (Davie McMeekin, Colin Youngson, Hugh Barrow and Albie Smith) second in 56.15.   However we led until halfway! Third in 56.34 were Clydesdale Harriers (Alan Marshall, Phil Dolan, Allan Faulds and Dougie Gemmell).    Amazingly, my 13.32 was fastest of the day, one second in front of Gareth, and I was presented with the Brannen Memorial Cup. The engraved names of past winners seemed embarrassingly illustrious.   The prize was a Boots token for, I believe, half a crown, and I still possess the Pears Cyclopaedia and Dictionary I bought with it.   Professional Athletics, eh?

My next participation in the Kingsway Relays was in 1975.    After a year teaching in Sweden, on my return to Scotland I had joined the best club in Scotland, ESH, and we had no difficulty in winning the race in 55.25. Our ‘B’ team had the temerity to stick its nose in front at halfway, courtesy of Martin Craven and Nigel Bailey, who edged the ‘A’ team’s Craig Douglas (13.47) and Don Macgregor.   However Alistair Blamire restored propriety with the day’s fastest time (13.39) and I made sure the winning distance was respectable with 13.48. Eventually Edinburgh Athletic Club (Dave Taylor, Danny Knowles, Doug Gunstone and Jim Wight) were second in 57.17, with our ‘B’ team third.    Then in 1977 ESH finished second to EAC, and I was second-fastest, two seconds behind Willie Sheridan (of VPAAC or Glasgow University).    I have no idea when, or why, this fine race ceased but surely, given the low-traffic nature of the course, there is no good reason why it could not be revived.

*

That’s where Colin’s reminiscences end and they indicate the quality of runner attracted to Tayside for the event.    Further evidence is in this copy of the results, sent by Hugh Barrow who still holds the record for the race, from 1964.   Just look at the Aberdeen team for a start and they were down in fifth.  Note also, from the top of the page the fact that me men were running for the sake of the race rather than the money!

 

 

Sub 2 hours?   The winner of the race?

 WG George set a world mile record in a proper race in which there were only two  finishers – but a race nevertheless.   The story of the first sub four mile has been well rehearsed – the tactics had been well worked out and the only issue was when they would put into action.   There were those, some in positions of authority, who felt that the record should not be allowed because of the use of pacemakers.   What would any of those involved have said about the Nike Breaking 2 project to run a marathon under 2 hours?   But times change, what would the best marathon runners of today have said of the ploy?   We asked Colin Youngson, three times SAAA marathon champion, ten times medallist in the event for his thoughts on the matter.

Will it be Desisa?

MUST ATHLETICS KEEP GOING DOWNHILL?

At a time when Track and Field Athletics is fighting to restore a drug-free reputation, is Nike’s plan to break the two-hour marathon barrier unethical? After all, people claimed to have run a sub four minute mile in the 18^th Century – even though it was said to have been achieved either down a grassy slope or on a road time trial with lots of betting involved – but it is Roger Bannister’s feat in 1954 on an accurately measured track that is respected, despite the fact that he had two enthusiastic pacers (a practice frowned upon at the time) in his friends Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway.

Once the Scottish Marathon Championship started in 1946, in true blue amateur days, things were very different, compared with Nike’s sophisticated plans. Footwear was either black gym shoes from Woolworth’s or Dunlop Green Flash tennis shoes. Horrible blisters were almost guaranteed. Vests were water-absorbent cotton and shorts long and flapping. Vaseline had been invented, but did those hard men use it to prevent chafing? Some of them considered it effeminate to drink any water during a marathon, let alone a sugar solution. Steak was considered appropriate pre-race diet.

By the 1970s, racing shoes were much better and kit featured softer synthetic material – or string vests for hot days. The Saltin diet (from Finland) became popular, which involved running a total of 50 miles i.e. 20 Sun, 10 Mon, 10 Tues, 10 early Wed morn before work –

and masochistic avoidance of all carbohydrates from Sunday to Wednesday morning. This resulted in the exhausted runner feeling like a deep-sea diver in lead boots. There followed two manic days of avoiding protein and stuffing down cakes, bread, potatoes and pasta, which produced considerable weight gain and hopefully extra glycogen storage. On Friday a normal diet was reintroduced and the bloated ‘athlete’ went out for an essential digestive jog, finishing with half a mile at race pace. Marathons used to be on Saturday afternoon.  A big cup of extra strong black unsugared coffee was ingested half an hour before the gun, to produce a rapid start. If all went well, instead of hitting the wall at 18 miles, the runner might make it all the way to the finish line without fading weakly.

Very few courses were intrinsically fast, such as the Poly, Rotterdam or the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games one (on days when the headwind was light on the way to the turn and thereafter beneficial). However there was no question of drugs, unless one was a certain East German steeplechaser turned double Olympic marathon winner…

By the time that professionalism was accepted in the late 1980s, running kit had improved further, along with smoother tarmac and the introduction of flat, fast Big City Marathons like Berlin, or ones with quite a bit of downhill like London. Major cash prizes provided extra incentive. After all, even the most treasured medals rust.

Altitude training, special low oxygen tents to sleep in, physiotherapy and other medical assistance, careful nutrition, scientifically well informed modern coaches, and a range of clever but very challenging training strategies: these became normal for top professional marathon runners, although Ethiopians and Kenyans seemed to break records due to maize porridge, rough trails, tough training rivals, innate talent and being born at altitude, plus a fierce and understandable ambition to escape from poverty.

But still the Two Hour barrier remains unbroken. Welshman Steve Jones set a Men’s World Record of 2.08.05 at Chicago in 1984; the current mark of 2.02.57 was set by Kenyan Dennis Kimetto in 2014 at Berlin (where the last six records have been achieved).

Now Nike has decided to promote a serious attempt to help an athlete to run a marathon in under two hours in 2016. After intensive physiological testing, three East African runners (Eliud Kipchoge, Lelisa Desisa and Zersenay Tadesse) have been selected. Talent and potential have been assessed. They have agreed not to contest lucrative Spring marathons. Instead, with a team of helpers, they will undergo a special training regime in preparation for their record attempt.

.. or Kipchoge? 

So far, so professional. But Ross Tucker, a well-known South African sports scientist, has hinted that the chosen marathon course may well be: closed to other competitors (apart from several pacers, it seems certain); in a fairly straight line from start to finish; largely downhill; and that the race will take place when there is a helpful following wind.

Now, to me, that begins to sound like cheating. How much help should any true competitor need? Any such record would be devalued, despite the strictest of drug testing. Organisers would have to be very careful not to break IAAF criteria for record eligibility, which rule out “artificially fast times” produced on courses aided by downhill slope or tailwind. Performances claiming world record status on ‘point to point’ courses like the legendary Boston Marathon have historically been rejected due to excessive descent and/or tailwinds. In fact “the decrease in elevation between the start and the finish shall not exceed an average of one in a thousand, i.e. one metre per kilometre.”

Surely, year by year, the very best professional marathon runners are already succeeding in chipping away at the record, in flat, fast, Big City marathons, especially Berlin. Why not let the ‘Two Hour Barrier’ be broken naturally, at the right time, so that it can be hailed as a supreme human achievement by a truly great athlete, rather than tainted and belittled as a commercial stunt?

.. Or Tadesse?

That’s the opinion of one of our better road runners and it chimes with almost every other marathon man’s opinion that I have heard.   If we look at the progression of the world marathon record in recent times (ie since 1965 we get the following table.

It can be easily seen that the world records have been broken in races all over the world – from Japan to the United States, all over Europe – and in genuine races, albeit in races which often had pacemakers employed.   The situation is similar to that at the time of the sub-four mile in that the ultimate target is always in sight.   It seems inevitable, if it is indeed possible, that it will come in a genuine race – but which one?   Where?   When?   And that is part of the excitement for runners and enthusiasts everywhere.   The Nike stunt is really not one which will result in a record.   It is, they say, “An innovation moonshot, one designed to unlock human potential.”    Legally such an event could not result in a world record.  Like Colin, I reckon that we should work towards it, chip away at the existing time and celebrate when it comes!

Finally the ‘Runners World’ infographic forecasts 2030 as ‘the Year When…’   Go to their site for the complete article – http://www.runnersworld.com/marathon/nikes-audacious-plan-break-the-2-hour-marathon-barrier-in-2017

Don Ritchie has had a long and illustrious career as a top class road runner, a member of a quite outstanding generation of endurance men from Aberdeen but mainly as an ultra distance runner setting records all over the world and winning most of the globe’s best known very long distance races.   He has been persuaded to write his autobiography which is now available from Amazon for £19:99.   A fellow Aberdonian, and a top class road runner in his own right, Colin Youngson has written the following review of the book.

DONALD RITCHIE: PER ARDUA AD ASTRA

If his 1970 interview with the RAF had gone better, Donald Ritchie might well have been a fighter pilot. He had a licence to fly small planes and indeed practised aerobatics! As a runner, it was clear that he was brave and tactically bold. However he might have been (physically) better suited to long-haul flights or indeed solo round-the-world record attempts.

I have known Don Ritchie since 1968, as a good friend and sometime rival (but only up to the ‘mere sprint’ marathon distance). Although I was well aware that, even in his mid-twenties, he trained hard and ran what seemed to me a ridiculous number of weekly miles, when he suddenly became a world-class ultra-distance athlete, I wasn’t sure exactly how he had become so good.

Now that I have read through the first draft of his autobiography, soon to be published as ‘THE STUBBORN SCOTSMAN’’, the reasons for his success have become crystal-clear.

Recently, on a train journey, I spent ten minutes writing down a series of words I associated with Donald’s personality and running career. Quiet, modest, calm, charitable, friendly but private. Self-motivated, determined, dedicated, ambitious. Stoical, masochistic, amazingly tolerant of pain, resilient. Obsessed, addicted to training and racing. Seldom allowing time for rest or recovery. Secretly passionate, foolishly optimistic, occasionally crazy. (I did wonder whether a title for this article might be ‘Hero or Madman?’!)

Having started running (as a 440 yard man!) in 1962, Donald served a long ‘apprenticeship’ on track, road and cross-country, became a decent marathoner and finally, in 1977 at the age of 33, realised that his true strength lay in the ultra-distances. Yet despite producing many wonderful performances, he endured a process of trial and error for years, not infrequently making serious mistakes connected with over-racing, lack of recuperation, inappropriate diet, injuries and illnesses. By the mid-1980s, he had developed a greater ability to analyse reasons for disappointing races; and thereafter made fewer errors in preparation, nutrition and recovery.

Yet the very nature of ultra training and especially racing is essentially gruelling. The champions have learned to suffer greatly and to push on regardless. Agonies, injuries and infections are part of the game. To fight through these extreme difficulties and win must be tremendously satisfying. Donald Ritchie M.B.E. broke world records for distances including: 50 km, 40 miles, 50 miles, 100 km, 150 km, 100 miles, 200 km and 24 Hours Indoor, and also set many new age-group standards. He won most of the classic ultra races in Britain and Europe. Lesser mortals talk about striving to achieve their potential. Despite starting off with reasonable talent, speed and natural stamina, Don must be the most over-achieving runner ever!

‘Per Ardua’ translates as ‘through hard work or struggle or adversity’. During his running career, and indeed most of his life, as so many admirers would agree, Don Ritchie has been the ultimate trier, and has undoubtedly succeeded in adding his own bright star to the athletics universe.

Donald’s autobiography covers, in considerable detail, his early life, running apprenticeship, peak performances and veteran highlights (he was still racing for Great Britain senior teams until over 50 years of age). Blood, sweat, pain and triumph, but no tears from this most uncomplaining of Scotsmen. Buy a copy now – and marvel!

              

KEN  BALLANTYNE-OBITUARY:  Born- 15^th October 1940;   Died 10^th November 2016

             Ken Ballantyne who has died aged 76 was a leading Scottish international athlete of the 1960s who very nearly became the first home-based Scot to run a sub 4 minute mile. At the time breaking the mythical barrier was not commonplace and only one Scot, Anglo Mike Berisford, had achieved it. On 21^st July 1965 while competing in a British Milers’ Club race at Motspur Park in Surrey, Ballantyne was clocked at 4mins. 1.1 sec, the fastest ever by a home Scot. He was Scottish champion over the distance in 1964, placed in the first three several times, and won the Eastern District title on three occasions. Although the mile was his best event, he was a quality runner over a wide range of distances, good enough  to feature in the national ranking lists each year from 1959 to ’71 at half mile to six miles.

He was a stalwart member of Edinburgh Southern Harriers for whom he competed with distinction at the top level of the Scottish and British Leagues, scoring many valuable match points. Between 1961 and ’66 he represented Scotland eight times in international contests against countries including Wales, Ireland and Belgium.

Away from the track, he also excelled at cross country and road running. With his ESH team he won three gold medals as well as bronze and silvers in the National Cross Country Championships. He shone in the famous Edinburgh to Glasgow road relay, winning a coveted gold medal in 1969 and several lesser medals. On three occasions he recorded fastest stage times including over the prestigious second one in 1966 when he beat leading runners Hugh Barrow, Andy Brown and Alastair Wood.

Once he stopped competing he joined the ESH committee and became their British League assistant team manager before taking over from Jimmy Smart in 1982. During his involvement the club enjoyed a period of considerable success throughout the U.K., competing with distinction in the first division of the British League and in 1975 winning the British Gold Cup. As a dedicated and selfless official he contributed much to the club.

Born at Kalimpong near Darjeeling in India, Ken’s father was manager of a tea planting estate owned by the Duncan company where he and his wife had lived for several years. The family enjoyed a fairly privileged lifestyle with house servants and a nanny who helped look after Ken and his sister Aileen. Aged six he was sent here to be educated, initially at Blairmore prep school near Huntly where his running talent first emerged. He then attended Strathallan School where he gained his first notable success winning the Scottish Schools’ Championship mile in 1958. The following year he won the Scottish junior mile title setting a championship best, smashing the record by almost five seconds, equivalent to about thirty yards.

Taking up a position as trainee manager with the Commercial Union insurance company in its George Street office in Edinburgh he joined ESH, which was to play a large part in his life. He trained initially at various venues including old Meadowbank and Inverleith Park with teammates Ian Mackenzie and future Olympians Fergus Murray and Donald McGregor. Like many at the time he was self-coached, learning training methods from books, latterly a disciple of Arthur Lydiard, the famous New Zealand coach.

There is no doubt that had he been exposed more frequently to the high calibre of opposition faced in his 1965 record run, he too would have broken the 4 minute barrier. His win four days later in the invitation mile at the prestigious Sward Trophy meeting at Chiswick supports that contention.

In September 1967 he married Doreen Hamilton, originally from near Penrith, whom he had met socially in Edinburgh and together they enjoyed a long and happy marriage, bringing up daughters Julia and Nicola. Appointments as branch manager at Hawick, Kelso and Berwick followed till he took early retirement from Commercial Union. He then joined Lowland Insurance Brokers in Berwick where he was particularly valued for his agricultural insurance expertise, becoming a director of the company till it was bought over by a national concern.

Through his work he was well known among the farming community in the Borders and, having lived mostly in Kelso for the past forty years, he played a full part in the life of the town, being a former chair of the Round Table, and member of Probus and the 41 Club. He was also an enthusiastic supporter of Kelso rugby club and attended their game a week before his death.

Unfortunately his quality of life latterly was marred by ill health requiring surgical intervention and regular medication, which was particularly cruel for one who had been so fit and active. He  remained positive and was much respected and well liked by people from all walks of life. His friend and fellow athlete Ian Mackenzie commented, “Ken was a very affable and friendly man who did lots of good work for the various organisations he was involved with, always giving 100% in all he did. As a runner he was a seriously hard trainer and one of the best athletes of his time.”

Despite his achievements he was extremely modest, with many of the large turnout at his funeral unaware of his sporting pedigree. He is survived by his wife, daughters and sister.

Jack Davidson

The first ‘International Veterans Cross Country Match’ took place on the 5^th of November, 1988, at Moss Valley, Wales.

Henry Muchamore reported in the November 1988 edition of ‘Scotland’s Runner’: “For the International match in Wales, Henry Morrison has the unenviable job of getting together teams in the over 40s, 45s and 50s for men, and the over 35s and 40s for women. While this event has been organised by the British Veterans Athletic Federation, it is salutary to note that it will not be an “all expenses paid” trip. There is to be some help with travel costs, but accommodation and even team vests have to be paid for by constituent bodies and individuals. For veterans that’s all part of the honour of representing your country.”

 

L to R back row: Tony McCall, Colin Martin, Allan Adams, Henry Morrison, Sam Graves, Ian Leggett, Bernie McMonagle, Pat Keenan, Jack Maitland, not sure.

Front: Archie Duncan, Ian Seggie, Willie Day, Bobby Young, not sure, Mel Edwards, Jim Morrison.

Bobby Young wrote: “This was conveniently the day after my 45^th birthday. Henry Morrison invited me to join a Scottish team to take on the English and Welsh. Delighted to do so, Pete Cartwright, John Maitland and myself drove down to Chester to stay overnight. We were supplied by SVHC with £10 each for petrol money. Next morning we drove to a school in Wrexham over the Welsh border and prepared to take on our rivals. We paid to wear a special, beautifully-embroidered, blue Scottish vest with a triangular badge.

The course was two 5k circuits of a steep Welsh Valley. The climb was steep and long, with many being happy to say they only walked part of it with hands on knees. We then enjoyed a cup of tea and a biscuit in the local school. (In more recent years, this level of refreshment has been replaced by a banquet!) This was followed by the presentations. Luckily for me I was in a good vein of form and managed M45 Bronze. Then we drove home.

So began for me a stretch of 18 consecutive appearances, culminating in M60 Gold in Dublin 2005. Northern Ireland joined us and eventually the Republic of Ireland – unofficially in 1992 and officially the year after. The fixture settled down to Five Nations hosting the competition in rotation. Very convenient with Five-Year Age-Groups. So now each time I become a ‘young competitor’ in a new age group it will be in Wales. Then England, Republic of Ireland, Scotland (getting on a bit by now) and finally Northern Ireland (really difficult even to get into the Scottish team).”

Janette Stevenson wrote: “I managed to dig out a couple of photos from the first Home Countries Veterans International XC. In the first match there was no team from Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. England wore white, Wales red and the Scots were in blue. How young we all were! Think I was 39 at the time. Don’t remember much about the event, just that, after the races, the tea and prize-giving were in a kind of community hall.  This was restricted to runners only – partners had to wait outside! Don’t remember who was in the men’s team, except for Willie Day, who travelled down with us.”

Left to right. Nancy McKinnon, Moira Bonner, Kay Dodson, me in front, Tricia Calder hiding behind me, Margaret Robertson, Susan Belford, and Sue Rodgers.

The Women’s Start in 1988

In the Women’s races, England won the W35 age group, with Scotland second. England also won W40, with Scotland third. Tricia Calder was First Scot in second place, behind Bronwen Cardy-Wise of Wales, with Janette Stevenson fifth. The Scottish W35 team were second. (Tricia Calder contributed to GB team bronze medals in the 1988 and 1990 World Mountain Running Championships. She was also Scottish W35 XC Champion in 1989.)

Wales triumphed in the Men’s race (Tony Simmons first, Alun Roper second, Taff Davies M50) third and Dic Evans fourth. First Scot was Allan Adams in seventh. Others in the Scottish team were: Ian Seggie, Archie Duncan, Willie Day, Bobby Young, Mel Edwards, Bernie McMonagle, Tony McCall, Ian Leggett, Jack Maitland, Jim Morrison and Henry Morrison.

Wales won M40 and M50 team awards and England M45. Scotland was third in each category.

Bobby Young’s Amazing International Record

International XC Record
Venue	Year	Individual	Team	Age group
Wrexham, Moss Valley	1988	Bronze		45
Ampthill Pk, Bedfordshire	1989		??????	45
Ampthill Pk, Bedfordshire	1990	11th	Silver	45	Adams Dolan Young Edwards
Aberdeen University	1991	9th	Silver	45	McMonagle Watson Young Fairweather
Newtonabbey, Co. Antrim	1992	19th	Gold	45	Youngson Dolan Martin Adams Young Guthrie
Cardiff, Lord Trehearne’s	1993	11th	Bronze	50	Guthrie Young Cartwright Leggett
Sunderland, Silksworth	1994	10th	Bronze	50	Adams Young McMonagle McMillan
Malahide Castle, Dublin	1995	6th	Bronze	50	Duncan, Milne, Young, Knox
Irvine, Beach Park	1996	11th	4th   ***	50	Gemmell Young Fairweather McMillan
Ballymena, Sentry Park	1997	11th	Silver	50	Youngson Gemmell Young Fairweather
St Asaph, Wales	1998	Silver	Silver?	55
Bideford, Grenville Coll	1999	Silver	Silver	55
Navan, Dalgan Park	2000	4th	Gold	55	Fairweather Young Campbell
Falkirk, Callendar Park	2001	8th	Bronze	55	Young Dolan Fairweather
Ballymena, Sentry Park	2002	4th	Silver	55	Youngson   Young Dolan
Cardiff, Bute Park	2003	Bronze	Silver	60	Young Cartwright Campbell
Croydon, Lloyd Park	2004	5th	Silver	60	Cartwright Young Fairweather
Dublin, Santry Demesne	2005	Gold	Bronze	60	Young Fleming Campbell
Falkirk, Callendar Park	2006	MISSED		60
Belfast, Stormont	2007	MISSED		60
Swansea, Singleton Park	2008	7th	Silver	65	Campbell Young Leggett
Perry Park, Birmingham	2009	7th	Silver	65	Fairweather Cartwright Young
Dublin, Santry Demesne	2010	16th	5th ***	65
Glasgow, Bellahouston	2011	MISSED		65
Belfast, QUB	2012	MISSED		65
Cardiff, Bute Park	2013	Bronze	Bronze	70	Young Cartwright Campbell
Nottingham, Wollaton Pk	2014	Silver	Silver	70	Young Cartwright Fleming
Dublin, Santry Demesne	2015	5th	Silver	70	Young McCrae Cartwright
Glasgow, Tollcross	2016 TOTALS	6th 1 Gold	Bronze 2 Gold	70
		3 Silver	13 Silver
		3 Bronze	6 Bronze

                   The indefatigable Bobby Young in 2015

A report of this event was as follows. “A Scottish Veteran Harriers Club team was among the medals in yesterday’s veteran home countries cross-country match over a fast, grassland course at Ampthill Park, Bedfordshire. Tricia Calder, a farmer’s wife from Duns, finished second in the women’s race behind English internationalist Glynnis Penny. Calder, world hill-racing team bronze medallist, led the Scots (15 points) to second in the team contest behind England (8 points). Janette Stevenson (Falkirk Victoria Harriers) finished third overall in the over-40s race, with the Scots (26) again second to England (11). The W50 team won silver too.

Scottish veteran marathon champion Allan Adams (Dumbarton AAC) was third in the 45-49 age group race, with the Scottish team second to England. In a high-class over-40 event, Colin Youngson (Aberdeen AAC) was seventh in 34.54. This race was won by former European 10,000m silver medallist Tony Simmons (Wales) in 33.45. Wales scored a surprise team victory over England, with Scotland a disappointing fourth behind Northern Ireland.” The M60 team was second.

Alex Muir described the course more accurately! “The rolling parkland ensured good, challenging running; and the aptly named Breakheart Hill was a stern test for all.”

Other details were as follows. The silver medal winning W35 team was; Tricia Calder, Heather Wisely and Renee Murray. In W40, Janette Stevenson was backed up by Sue Rodger and Margaret Robertson, to secure second team. The Scottish W50 team won silver as well.

The M40 team was in theory led by Colin Youngson and Ron Smith, but actually non-counter George Meredith (a tough guy who was to win the 1990 Scottish Veterans XC title) was first Scot, since he coped better with hills. Allan Adams was third M45, with Terry Dolan, Bobby Young and Mel Edwards ensuring second in the team contest. The M60 crew: Lawson, Gillespie and Livingstone, was second to England.

In 1990, a report was as follows. “Scottish veterans ran well in the Home Countries international veteran cross-country event at Ampthill Park, Bedfordshire. Teviotdale Harrier Ian Elliot, who led for two of the three laps, finished third in the over 40 race, with reigning Scottish veterans champion George Meredith (Victoria Park AAC) fifth, fifteen seconds behind. Tony Simmons of Wales won for the third successive time, (British M55 and M60 marathon record-holder) Willie McBrinn (Shettleston Harriers) took third place in the over 60s race. Janette Stevenson (FVH) was the best-placed Scots woman, finishing fourth in the over 40s. Carol Hancock (Giffnock North) was fifth in the over 35 event, just ahead of clubmate Kate Chapman. England’s Glynnis Penny won the women’s race for the second time in a row. Scotland finished second team behind England in four of the seven age groups contested: W50, M40, 45 and 60.”

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1991: Aberdeen, Balgownie Playing Fields.The event was run on 3^rd November, over a smooth, grassy, undulating course. A committee, led by Mel Edwards, secured funding from Hydrasun. Consequently, free Scottish vests were given to Scottish runners; and two formal meals were supplied, the night before Sunday’s race; and afterwards, when prizes were presented.

The four nations were allowed to run not only A but B teams. This experiment was never repeated. England’s Sally Young was first woman home and the W35 gold medallist. Christine Price finished first Scot and was second W35. She had support from Janet McColl (5th W35) and Rose McAleese (11^th W35), so that the Scottish team finished second to England. There was a very tight finish in the W40 race, with Janette Stevenson 3^rd (W40 silver) only four seconds behind the victor, Pat Gallagher of England. The Scottish W35 team won silver.

Roy Bailey (England B) achieved a surprise victory over his own A team; and prevented runner-up Tony Simmons from winning for a fourth successive time. Brian Emmerson (Teviotdale H) was first Scot in 5^th, with his team-mate Ian Elliot 8^th. Scotland A finished third, behind the two English outfits. The Scottish M60 team was second, led by frequent World Veterans champion Bill Stoddart (individual silver).

1992: the event took place in Northern Ireland for the first time, at the Valley Leisure Centre, Newtownabbey, County Antrim, outside Belfast, on 31^st October. The Republic of Ireland ran as Guests, which was to cause controversy later, when M45 team positions were calculated!

A report in ‘Athletics Weekly’ stated that “143 men and 58 women faced a challenging course, consisting of a number of small hills and several soft muddy areas caused by recent heavy rain.” During the races, cold winds blew and more rain fell.

England’s Ann Turrington won the women’s race. Sandra Branney was first Scot in fifth, and with Janet McColl 8th and Rose McAleese 9th, the Scottish W35 team won silver medals.

Bob Treadwell (England) defeated Tony Simmons (Wales). The first Scot to win an age group in this prestigious fixture, former Scottish marathon champion Colin Youngson (Aberdeen AAC), had his best-ever run as a veteran to finish sixth overall and first M45 (by 63 seconds). Cameron Spence (M40) was ninth and Archie Jenkins 11^th so that, along with George Meredith and Brian Howie, the team won M40 team silver.

                                                                                The Start: Colin Youngson (number 44) on the right

The Scottish M45 team (Youngson, Terry Dolan, Colin Martin and Bill Adams) won gold by one point, from Wales and England. The event organiser, Jim Harris, was very happy to hand the medals over to fellow Celts. However the excitable English team manager, distraught that England had only won all six of the other age-groups, asserted repeatedly that, if Eire had been taken out of the results, then England would have won by a single point! Nevertheless, the four Scots still possess those treasured medals. Colin Y and Archie J celebrated with Guinness in a famous Victorian gin palace: the Crown Liquor Saloon, Belfast. That weekend, opportunist Colin also sold 80 copies of his book “Running Shorts”.

                                                                                                   Colin Martin (number 46)

Colin Youngson wrote: “Having been second five times in M40 British Veterans events, I wanted to try extra hard to win something at M45. So far, 1992 had been fairly successful for me: second in the Scottish Vets cross-country; and winning Scottish M40 titles at the Lochaber Marathon and Tom Scott 10. Training did not go over 60 miles per week but usually included time-trials and pushing very hard up road hills. I raced quite frequently, including 1500m (4.17), 3k (8.59), 5k (15.33), 10k (32) and half marathon (71). The last two weeks before Belfast I eased down and refrained from ‘celebrating’ my 45^th birthday. During the race, along with my old rival Cammy Spence, I stayed near the back of the leading pack then, up the last hill into a headwind, ‘sat’ on the previous year’s overall winner, Roy Bailey, before somehow managing to out-kick him downhill – and was absolutely delighted to perform well in an important event. It was the only time I ever punched the air as I crossed the finish line! Later I was to win British M45 titles at 10k, marathon and cross-country.”

                                                                            Colin Youngson at his fastest as a veteran

Archie Jenkins wrote: “I have been involved in this wonderful event since 1992, twenty-one times as a competitor, and on the other occasions as a reserve – and once as the announcer. Not only is it special competitively, involving quality fields, but also socially, involving team camaraderie, and annually meeting up with friends, old and new, from each of the five competing countries. Sadly, in the case of English runners Jimmy Bell and Ken Moss, with whom I had many a battle in my age group, they are no longer with us.

Socially, memories spring to mind of: Andy McLinden`s hangovers; acting as translator to the English for the legend Bobby Young; and having to follow, okay voluntarily, Colin Youngson on his post-race real ale pub crawls (although Doug Cowie may be less happy about those memories).

Over the years it has been great to see Scotland team stalwarts such as Ian Stewart, Brian Gardner, Andy McLinden, Pete Cartwright and Jane Waterhouse (apologies to the others not mentioned) who all persevered over the years to eventually and regularly pick up individual medals. On the ladies` side, Hazel Bradley for one always makes herself available for selection. I also appreciate the hard work of team managers, initially Danny Wilmoth, then Davie Fairweather.

Personally, with the M65 age group looming in the not too distant future, it would be great to continue the feat of competing in every age group from M35 up. Admittedly the M35 was a fluke in Dublin 2010, stepping in as a spare reserve! Physically, however, this is going to take a lot of effort, including a loss of old age weight.

My own competitive memories, include finishing 8^th in the M40s in my first run (wearing a Grimplex Scottish vest) at Newtonabbey in Northern Ireland and first Scot in the age group, initially after looking like I was only going to be a reserve. This started a long unbroken series of selection. In the 1992 run, I was in fact third Scot behind M45 winner Colin Youngson and Cameron Spence. My purple patch was the first two years as a M45, placing 3^rd in Ballymena in 1998 and retaining this 3^rd position one year later in the infamous St Asaph`s race in Wales, where if you were not involved in the leading group, you were held up queuing at a kissing gate – fortunately I was in the top ten throughout! Post-race, Trudi Thompson knocked on my hotel room door to join her for a five mile run – that would have been the better option, instead of listening to my football team get well and truly gubbed. Over the years, nine team medals were won, including the special gold ones in 2001 and 2007, beating the English. Long may this tremendous race continue and hopefully, in the future, Scottish Athletics may provide the team kit, just like most of the other countries do, and non SVHC club members may decide to join and make Scottish teams even stronger.”

Doug Cowie wrote:

“My honest opinion is that I enjoyed my earlier ones the best. Most of us travelled by coach, which I felt made for a better team spirit – apart from my first selection in 1993. The bus travelled all the way to Cardiff, arriving at 9pm. 30 minutes after the end of the race (and a visit to the supermarket for 4 cans of Murphy’s stout) we were on our way home, to arrive back in Glasgow at 1.30am! All the way, there and back, I really felt like an outsider! The only people I remember giving me the time of day were Andy McLinden and his Hamilton team mate Hughie Gibson. In 1994 we travelled to Sunderland by bus, but I felt better, since I had George Sim and Graham Milne for company.

In 1995 we were off to Dublin in a bus that we had to push-start every time. We even had to push it off the boat. It was a thrill that year to meet (and beat) Tony Simmons.

George, Graham and I gave the night ‘do’ a miss, opting to go into town! The taxi driver who took us in said he would pick us up at 11pm, at the same place he dropped us off – and he was as good as his word. On our return to our hotel in Malahide we were invited to join the Irish Cycling function which was taking place. George’s wife’s cousin Alistair McClennan was head coach!!! Joe Dolan was performing, which was a great end to the day.

For me Wales, England and Ireland was repeated in each age group – I never ran in Scotland or N Ireland, since they were at the wrong end of age group for me.

I particularly enjoyed the two or three hours after the race in the company of Colin Y, Archie J and Ian Stewart, either watching a 5/6 Nations rugby match or sussing out a new ale! We should be ever indebted to Lynn Marr for her taxi duties.

I remember being in a pub in Navan, watching Ireland against England, and the locals being quite amused by the guy in a Scottish tracksuit wearing his newly swapped Irish vest!”

 

Doug with Jim White and Barney Gough at Bideford 1999

M60 Gold: Frank Hurley, Andy McLinden and Doug. Nottingham 2014 

Ian Leggett wrote: “After the demise of the prestigious Edinburgh to Glasgow Road Relays this annual event in November is a must goal for us old codgers. The fixture is circulated around each different participating country and this year it will be organised in Scotland.

My first introduction was in 1988 with only three home countries taking place; now, with the two Irish countries added, it has become more International.

I’ve been fortunate enough to formulate life-long friendships from this event, as normally the circulation of personnel through the age groups has been constant, with the exception of the English teams who, with their greater depth in numbers, seem to be able to change their line-up regularly.

The Scottish team’s kit always seemed to be inferior to that of the other nations, maybe because of the 50 shades of Blue, which is dark compared to the bright Green of the Irish, the radiant Red of Welsh and the White of England ( who by the way receive sponsorship from Sport England).

It doesn’t mean that the Scottish teams haven’t performed well, because we have had some very notable victories in the past and will have in the future.

I would like to remark on two memorable events that have stuck for ever in my memory and both, coincidentally, were in Ireland.

The first event was in NAVAN in Southern Ireland, in 2000. We had a long trip by bus and arrived in the middle of a rain storm at 10 o’clock at night. The bus stopped in the dark outside this ivy-covered Country Manor stuck in the middle of nowhere. The arched wooden entrance door looked as if was out of the Rocky Horror Show or the Addams Family and, with the torrential rain belting down, all that was missing was the forked lightning as the door creaked open and we were ushered into the main reception area.

This was an old fashioned library of old dark oak shelves up to the ceiling. The lighting was pretty dim and the heating consisted of a one-bar electric fire. Our beds were in dormitory style, as this used to be a Convent at one time. It was certainly very Spartan but we managed to put out a sterling performance in the race.

The second experience I want to relate to was in NEWTONABBEY just outside Belfast in 1992. It was during the times of the unrest In Ireland and the security forces were still operational in Northern Ireland.

Our accommodation was in the centre of Belfast, in the Europa Hotel and, as we slept in our rooms, suddenly in the middle of the night we had a helicopter with searchlights scanning our hotel and, as the bright lights swept across our window, we wondered what was coming next. Thankfully it passed on.

In the morning we had a warm-up run planned and, while running through the streets of Belfast at that time in the early morning we encountered British soldiers crouching in doorways, with their guns at the ready, and also on side streets complete with combat gear. Black cabs were everywhere: they were the only way to get around as no buses were allowed into the centre of town. We encountered the barricades and every store had its own security guards prominent outside its doors.

The races themselves were all well organised and the Northern Ireland contingent were full of the best Irish hospitality. I returned home with admiration for their bravery and fortitude in face of the situation they were in.

These are just memories for me personally. Others will have many stories and memories attached to this event and long may it continue. I am always proud to pull on the Scotland Vest whenever I can.”

1993: The course was outside Cardiff in Lord Trehearne’s Estate, on dry grass and featured a short but very stiff hill. Archie Jenkins remembers the ‘Saga bus trip on the way down from Glasgow’, with older team members requiring relief at every service station.

Doug Cowie, Andy McLinden, Gerry Fairley, Ian Seggie, Bob Young, Steve Dempsey, Christine Price, Archie Jenkins, George Meredith, Allan Adams, Margaret Robertson, Ian Donnelly, Ron Smith, Bob Guthrie, Brian Campbell, Andy Stirling.

The top Scottish performance was by Christine Price (formerly Chris Haskett, of the famous Dundee running family). This experienced international athlete won the W40 title. (She first represented Scotland, aged 17, at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.) All of the Scottish women had good runs, with very close packing, and special mention should go to: Janet McColl (3^rd W35), Sue Roger (2^nd W50), Margaret Robertson (11^th W40), Rose McAleese (9^th W35), Ann Nally (6^th W50) and Irene Gibson (8^th W50). (Irene’s father was the great John Suttie Smith). The W50 team won silver medals.

           Christine Price working for her W40 gold medal

In the men’s race, Gerry Fairley started fast but eventually Archie Jenkins came past to finish first Scot (8^th M40) with Gerry 11^th. Ian Seggie was 13^th M45; Bob Guthrie and Bobby Young 7^th and 9^th M50; and Hugh Gibson, Willie Marshall and Pat Keenan 5^th, 6^th and 8^th in the M60 race – finishing second team.

1994: Silksworth, Sunderland. The course was very muddy. Since the Scottish team arrived shortly before the start, the women had to change on the bus. Janette Stevenson was 2^nd W40. With Sandra Branney third and Rose McAleese fifth, the Scottish W40 team won gold medals. Jackie Byng was 3^rd W50 and her team (Mary Chambers and Ann Nally) won silver.

The Men did less well on this occasion. Archie Jenkins was first Scot (tenth M40). Allan Adams was ninth M50, with Bobby Young tenth and Bernie McMonagle 11th. In the M60s, Hugh Gibson was fifth and Stuart Lawson tenth.

1995: Dublin, Malahide Castle. “We met at Queen Street Station for the journey by coach to Stranraer for the ferry. In Malahide accommodation was at the Grand Hotel, which was old-fashioned and rambling but pleasant and comfortable.”

On race day the weather was cool and the course flat, firm and fast. In the Open Race, Team Manager David Fairweather was first M50 and Tom O’Reilly first M60.

In the Women’s Race, Maggie Sinclair was 8^th W40, Kate Todd 8^th W45 and Jackie Byng 4^th W50.

The Men’s Race featured a contest between Eire’s Gerry Kiernan and England’s Nigel Gates, which the latter won clearly. First Scot home was Charlie McDougall (3^rd M45); closely followed by George Sim (5^th M45); then Jim Robertson (16^th M40); and Archie Jenkins (18^th M40). Next was Archie Duncan, who ran a stormer to finish 2^nd M50, ahead of such notable M45 runners as Harry Matthews and Tony Simmons. Bobby Young was 6^th M50.

A battle went on, between Peter McGregor (M45), George Black (M55) and Hugh Rankin (M60). George came through to win that little contest and secure M55 silver; Hugh did even better to win the M60 race. He was supported by Jim Irvine (6^th) and Henry Morrison (7^th) to win M60 team gold, beating England on count-back.

Archie Jenkins recalls that it was a lovely day and, afterwards, the Guinness was very refreshing. An excellent dinner dance was the first evening function since Aberdeen.

1996: Irvine, Beach Park. This tough, undulating grassy course had been used for several Scottish XC championships as well as the 1995 British Veterans one. Former GB marathon international Lynn Harding ran brilliantly to win the W35 title and lead the Scottish team to gold. Sonia Armitage did really well to place 4^th. With Trudi Thompson 9^th, the Scottish W35 team beat England to win gold medals. Consistent Jackie Byng was 6^t Lynn Harding

In the Men’s race, Gerry Gaffney was first Scot (6^th M40). He was backed by Keith Varney, Archie Jenkins and Brian Gardner, to win team silver. Colin Youngson finished 5^th M45, but was slower than the superb Dougie Gemmell (third Scot home and M50 individual silver medallist). George Black did very well to be third M55. Hugh Rankin won M60 silver, and his team (John Gormley and Henry Morrison) also finished second.

1997: Ballymena, Sentry Park. The night before the races, the hotel dance went on until one a.m. and then drunks bellowed in the car park. It was important not to be upset by lack of sleep. There was a one-mile loop to be circled, undulating and rather muddy on bends. Trudi Thompson, GB ultra-marathon runner, was first Scottish woman, in a fine second place overall. Jackie Byng ran well to be 6^th W50.

In the Men’s race, teams from the five countries lined up in pens, waiting for a countdown to the start. The hooter caught everyone by surprise. Everyone rushed downhill to the first sharp right-hand corner. Some idiot running in bare feet skidded straight on and was never seen again! Athletes charged on recklessly, as the course twisted and turned, rose and fell. The big hill felt harder on the second lap – and for the men there were five to get round. Keith Varney was first Scot; Archie Jenkins 3^rd M45; and Colin Youngson third M50 with his team (including Bobby Young, Dougie Gemmell and Davie Fairweather) winning silver medals. The banquet was very good, followed by a demo of Irish dancing and lots of Guinness. The legendary 1972 Olympic Pentathlon champion, Mary Peters, handed out the prizes.

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1998: St Asaph, Wales. Team awards for M55, M65, W45 and W55 were introduced. The event took place in North Wales and Davie’s report said “The course was a fell-runner’s dream, with a long steep descent followed by a strength-sapping climb – with a rest at the top while you queued to get through a kissing gate!”

Trudi Thompson, so consistent, gained W40 silver and her team (Trudi, Lynn Harding 7^th, Sonia Armitage 8^th and Anne-Marie Hughes 17^th) finished first.

Bobby Young was an excellent second in the M55 race; and Archie Jenkins won M45 bronze again, leading his team (John Hanratty 11^th, Andy McLinden 12^th and Barney Gough 13^th) to silver medals. In the M40s, Keith Varney was 9^th, Gerry Gaffney 10^th, Brian Gardner 11^th and Ian Stewart 13^th. George Meredith was first M50 Scot in 8^th place. Bert McFall was 9^th M60.

1999: Bideford, England. GB international marathon runner Trudi Thompson won the W40 title in fine style, by 34 seconds. Elaine McBrinn was 8^th W35; Patricia Affleck 9^th W40; and Jane Waterhouse 10^th W45.

Trudi Thompson goes for gold

The Scots also had an individual gold medallist: hill-runner extraordinaire Colin Donnelly (M40), who led his team (Keith Varney 4^th, Gerry Gaffney 9^th, Dave Dymond 14^th, Brian Gardner 15^th and Ian Stewart 17th) to silver medals.

For the second time in succession, Bobby Young won individual M55 silver; and his team (Davie Fairweather 7^th, Pete Cartwright 8^th and Brian Campbell 9^th) was second. Ian Leggett finished 9^th M60. The Scottish M65 team (Bert McFall 4^th, Hugh Gibson 6^th, Tom O’Reilly 8^th and Henry Morrison 9^th) also won silver.

2000: Navan, Eire, Dalgan Park. Despite the course being tough, with glue-like mud, World W50 10,000m record-holder (and also 1999 World Masters 5000m and 10,000m champion) Janette Stevenson ran away with the W50 title. Her W50 team won silver. Jackie Byng was 3^rd W55. Sue Ridley did well to finish third W35.

Janette: our evergreen star, aged 65, in the 2016 World Masters Champs

Sue Ridley wrote: “My first ever British & Irish XC Masters International in 2000 still stays fresh in my mind.  I can remember clearly phoning David Fairweather asking him if it was OK to bring my 14 month old daughter on the bus journey to Navan!  He clearly was full of apprehension (probably horror) at the thought of a long, tiring bus journey through Ireland with a screaming toddler!  Thankfully we were allowed to go and Amy was as good as gold for the whole weekend (never cried once).  She had a great time with all the attention she was given, being held by different people and made such a fuss of.  Everyone was very friendly and made you feel so welcome.  I met some very nice people, some of whom are still very close friends.  Staying at a convent was different but made for a great team spirit.  Everyone was so supportive of their team-mates and colleagues in every age group and that happy atmosphere has stayed with me. The weather wasn’t particularly nice and the course was tough but I still remember managing to sprint to the line overtaking an old rival from my senior days to take bronze in the W35 event.  It was a fantastic experience.  What is also so nice about this event is the number of people you befriend from each country who you often meet year after year.”

First Scot home in the men’s race was Colin Donnelly (3^rd M40). However the Scottish men’s performance of the day was by Davie Fairweather, who triumphed in the M55 category; and led his team (including Bobby Young and Brian Campbell) to gold medals. Davie wrote later: “I had enjoyed a good build-up, with 78:28 in the Helensburgh ½ Marathon, 2:48:39 2 weeks later in the Glasgow Marathon, and 78:48 3 weeks later in the Inverclyde ½ Marathon. By the time I got to Navan, I was well-prepared, but fell flat on my face in the warm-up, which didn’t augur well for a good race performance. I’m never very good at judging my position in cross country races, and I didn’t see any M55 numbers, so just assumed that all the good runners were out of sight in front. Then, on the last lap, I passed Archie Jenkins (who was in the M45 team), and suddenly I was on Colin Youngson’s heels (in the M50 team) but he wasn’t going to let me beat him this time, and I crossed the line 3 sec behind him to win M55 gold. Frank Reilly came in 12 sec behind me, with Graham Patton 3rd a further 6 sec behind. With Bobby Young 4th and Brian Campbell 10th we won team gold as well.”

Davie: stalwart athlete and long-time team manager

The M50 team [George Sim (individual silver), Charlie McDougall, George Meredith and Colin Youngson] finished a very close second; as did the M65 outfit (Bert McFall, Jim Irvine and Henry Morrison).

2001: Falkirk, Callendar Park.

David Fairweather reported: “In the Ladies’ race, Anne Keenan-Buckley (Eire), for the 3^rd year in a row, completely dominated the race from the off.   She appeared to just float over the ground to win by over 1½ minutes in a 16 minute race. Tricia Affleck ran the race of her life to finish 3^rd overall and 2^nd W40. Just like me last year, she had no idea she was so far up and couldn’t believe she’d won silver. Trudi Thomson (6^th W40) showed that she is only human and can no longer head the field just 2 weeks after running the Dublin marathon (well she is training for the Commonwealth Games Marathon after all). She had to pull out all the stops to hold off the determined onslaught of Janette Stevenson, who repeated last year’s W50 gold medal performance, and Susan Finch who was 5^th placed W35. Addi Gerard finished 7^th W40 to secure team silver. Sue Ridley was 8^th W35.

According to the usual biased reporting in Athletics Weekly, four Englishmen were favourites for the M40 title. However GB international and Multi-Scottish champion, Tommy Murray, had other ideas and went on to win by 26 seconds. Then, 45 minutes later, Tommy finished first in the Open Race too ‘because I was good enough.’ (In 2003 Tommy and Julian Critchlow (England) had a closer battle at Beach Park, Irvine, before the Scot won the British Masters XC championship. Shortly afterwards, aged 42, he retired.)

Colin Donnelly started very cautiously and had to work his way up from the low 50’s to a final sprint for 3^rd M40. All the Scotland M40s (Murray, Donnelly, Ross Arbuckle, Colin Meek, Dave Dymond and Ian Stewart) had excellent runs, but the tight packing of England in 2, 4, 5 and 6 was too much to beat and we had to settle for silver.

However it was a different matter for the M45s, with Keith Varney coming in 2^nd, Gerry Gaffney 4^th, Brian Gardner 5^th, and Nicol Maltman 10^th (plus Archie Jenkins) to beat England by 5 points to win team gold. (Did any other readers hear Brian’s mother phone in to Radio Clyde on Sunday morning and mention that her son had been running the veterans international at Falkirk?)

George Sim (4^th M50) failed narrowly to win a medal this year, but with Andy McLinden 9^th, Brian Emmerson 13^th and Charles Noble 16^th they won team silver.

In the M60s, Ian Leggett pulled through to 5^th, George Black finished 7^th and, with support from last-minute replacement and team newcomer Robert Daly, they won team silver. The M65s were led by Bert McFall in 7^th.

This is the 1^st time that every team in the Men’s race has finished in the top 3. All the runners I spoke to were unanimous in their praise for the excellent course.”

2002: Ballymena, Sentry Park again. The same hilly, muddy loop had to be negotiated several times. In the women’s race, Sonia Armitage was top Scot (4^th W40), just in front of Elaine McBrinn (6^th W35) and Frances Florence (5^th W40). Hazel Bradley finished 5^th W50.

In Tommy Murray’s absence, Julian Critchlow won the 40-49 race, with Colin Donnelly first Scot (fifth M40). The Scottish M45 team (Mike Simpson, Ian Stewart, Gerry Gaffney and Dave Dymond) secured silver medals. George Sim ran his usual fast race to be third in the M50 category, and was well-supported by Andy McLinden and Archie Jenkins in fifth and sixth. Fred Connor was fourth counter and the M50 team finished second. Colin Youngson managed 3^rd M55, just in front of Bobby Young (4^th). Terry Dolan was third counter and that team too won silver. Ian Leggett ran well to finish fifth M60. Hugh Gibson produced the best individual performance by a Scottish man, with second place in the M70 age group. Bill McBrinn was 6^th.

2003: Cardiff, Bute Park. “Race day was cold and grey; and the course flat, twisting grass. In the Women’s race, Eileen Lang ran boldly and hung on bravely to finish 4^th overall and win a bronze W35 medal. Sue Ridley and Suzanne Carson contributed to an excellent team silver. Susan Finch was 5^th W40; and Jane Waterhouse 5^th W50.

Bobby Young (M60) moved through strongly mid-race to secure an individual bronze medal. Unfortunately even very good team packing by Pete Cartwright (5^th) and Brian Campbell (6^th) led to a heartbreaking one-point defeat by the inevitable English. Hugh Gibson (M70) maintained his excellent record with a fine silver medal. He and his team-mates Tom O’Reilly (8^th) and Willie Hamill (10^th) clinched second place too.

Keith Farquhar (M40), running smoothly and rhythmically, was first Scot in the 40-49 race, with Ian Williamson (from Shetland but a Cambuslang athlete) not far behind. Tom Anderson (M45 was next), followed by Gerry Gaffney (M45). Doug Cowie (recently M50 silver medallist in the European Masters Half Marathon) was first Scot in his category. With Archie Jenkins, Campbell Joss and Jim White, the M50 team won silver. Gentleman George Mitchell, tall, tanned, bearded and quietly determined was our first M55.”

2004: Croydon, Lloyd Park. “After an arduous 400 miles bus journey from Glasgow, we reached the hotel in Croydon about 8:30, it was a relief to find that Ann Nally had volunteered to distribute numbers and provide assistance to the team.

Saturday morning dawned cold and grey, but it didn’t look too bad as Ann guided us through Croydon on a walk/jog to Lloyd Park. However, just as we reached the park we saw the odd flake of snow, and the weather went downhill from there. The course consisted of 1 small loop, followed by a 3km loop that went out to the extremity of the park, so it wasn’t good for spectating. M40-69 ran 2 full 4km laps, while the women and M70+ ran a figure of 8, before disappearing onto the large loop to make up 6km.

Ann Keenan-Buckley wasn’t running this year, but fellow Irish International Niamh O’Sullivan proved an able successor. Mountain runner Sonia Armitage led the field up the first hill and round the starting loop, with Niamh in close attendance. BMAF and SAL W35 cross country champion Sue Ridley was not far behind, followed by W45 Tricia Affleck, W35 Janet Laing and SAL W40 cc champion Hazel Dean.

The M70s were led through by Brian Ashwell (Eng), but Walter McCaskey came through in 2^nd followed by Bert McFall, with Tom O’Reilly and Hugh Gibson not far behind. We then had to wait while the field negotiated the muddy, undulating large loop.

Niamh O’Sullivan appeared with an 80m lead over Margaret Deasy (W40, Eng), closely followed by 1^st W35 Sue Ridley. Hazel Dean was next Scot to finish 12^th overall, followed by Sonia Armitage 14^th and Tricia Affleck 22^nd. Jacqui Thomson, who is actually W40, ran superbly for the W35 team to finish 23^rd overall.

With good performances by all team members the women won silver medals for W50 (Jane Waterhouse, Hazel Bradley & Liz Bowers.

In the M70s, positions were reversed at the finish with Bert 2^nd and Walter 3^rd. Tom finished 7^th, closely followed by Hugh Gibson, to win team silver just 1 pt behind England.

  Sue Ridley

Sue Ridley wrote: “I seem to do the opposite of most people – instead of winning when going into a new age group, I wait until I’m about to move up!  The W35 International victory in Croydon came off the back of winning the British Masters Cross-Country overall earlier in the year at Durham. I remember Sonia Armitage taking the race out up the first hill and leading round the first small loop.  The course was pretty muddy and undulating.  The leading group were fairly close packed but after the large loop Niamh O’Sullivan (Ireland) proved the stronger and pulled away from Margaret Deasy (England) and myself who had managed to break clear of Claire Pauzers to clinch victory in the W35 age group as the first two were W40s.”

The next race was for M55 – 69. Unfortunately the M55 and M65 teams were not in medal contention, but Pete Cartwright (M60) kept close to the leading M60 England runners and managed to split them up to win bronze. Bobby Young, David Fairweather and Gibson Fleming followed in 5^th, 7^th and 9^th places to win team silver.

George Mitchell again led the M55 team home in 9^thplace, while Steve Cromar was 7^th in the M65 race.

By the start of the M40 – 54 race the temperature was just above freezing, and the ground was badly churned up. Not many of us hung around to provide support, preferring to retreat to the changing rooms for a hot drink. Brian Gardner ran the race of his life to win M45 gold and finish 5^th overall. Tom Anderson and Ian Stewart were neck and neck throughout the race, with Tom just sprinting clear at the finish in 8^th place. John Simpson ran a spirited debut international race to finish 15^th and help secure team silver. Steven McCloone was first Scot home in the M40 race in 15^th place, and Andy McLinden, who flew down to Luton on Sat morning, was first Scot M50 in 8^th place. Despite strong team support they weren’t in contention for team medals.

                                     Brian Gardner

Brian Gardner wrote: “The build up to the race couldn’t have been better for me: I was winning cross country races outright and setting lifetime pbs on the road. I had planned and trained to the best of my ability and this was the most important race.  Although I’d never finished higher than 12^th overall before, I knew that if I concentrated and held my nerve, this could be my time. We were held up in the sleet at the start while the organisers found a 1^st aider (!) It was difficult to keep warm but I made a cautious start and then threaded my way through the field. With about a mile to go, I knew I was the leading M45 and first Scot overall but England’s Jon Cordingley was trying to get past me.  I surged to hold him off several times until I sprinted clear in the home straight. Crossing that finish line was the proudest moment of my life.  And it was only after finishing that I learned that I was 5^th overall; I had no idea that I’d moved so far up. The support from team mates was heart warming. I had planned and trained for that win; and had finally run as well as I possibly could.”

The Dinner and Presentation, at the HSBC Sports & Social Club in New Beckenham, was rather disappointing. There was a free bus service, but the bus was due to return to our hotel before the end of the dance. We were so tightly packed in the hall that the staff had difficulty serving the meal and, despite an effort to shorten the medal presentation, the dance was just starting as our bus was ready to depart.

The homeward bus journey took about 10 hours in spite of Jamie’s sterling efforts. He took his life into his hands when he leapt out of the bus in Birmingham to move some cones, so that he could switch lanes and gain access to the toll road, thus avoiding a long delay on the M6.”

2005: Dublin, Santry Demesne. Report by Davie Fairweather.

In the Women’s Race, first Scot home was Ann McPhail (12^th overall and 5^th W35), one second in front of Sue Ridley (6^th W40). Janette Stevenson won the W55 event by 32 seconds, leading her team (Hazel Bradley 7^th and Phyllis Lemoncello 11^th) to team silver. Fiona Matheson was 8^th W40 and Sonia Armitage 4^th W45.

The M55-M69 race was dominated by England’s Mike Hager, but he was bravely chased by George Sim, who won the M55 silver medal. Meanwhile Bobby Young was having the run of his life to win the M60 title by shaking off reluctant England runner Willie Allan, who is actually Scottish and used to run for Edinburgh University but lives in Tadcaster. Gibson Fleming was 7^th M60 and Brian Campbell 12^th. The M60 team only lost second place on countback.

Ian Leggett had a fine run to finish 3^rd M65 (Steve Cromar was 9^th). Walter McCaskey came through to secure M70 silver, leading his team (Tom O’Reilly 5^th, Bert McFall 6^th and Willie Hamill 8^th) to second place medals.

The Scotland team for the M40-54 race was sadly depleted by injuries but Jack Brown finished 6^th M40 and Andy Little 8^th. Ian Stewart was first Scottish M45 in 10^th; and Andy McLinden 9^th M50.

2006: Falkirk, Callendar Park.

The superb Janette Stevenson retained the W55 title, no less than one minute 25 seconds in front of second place in this age group! Her team (Hazel Bradley 5^th, Kate Todd 7^th) won silver medals. First Scot home was Fiona Matheson (8^th overall and second W45). Susan Finch (4^th W40) was two seconds behind her. Fiona’s W45 team (Sonia Armitage 5^th and Pam McKay 11^th) finished second. Janet Dunbar was 7^th W35.

In the M40-64 race, Andy Little finished 8^th M40, with Jack Brown 9^th. Neil Thin ran very well to end up 4^th M45. Brian Gardner was 6^th M50 and Alastair Dunlop 9^th. George Mitchell (4^th M60) led his team (Graham Smith 6^th and Frank Yeoman 10^th) to silver medals. However the Scottish male star was elegant George Sim who improved one place from the previous year to win the M55 title. Andy McLinden was 9^th and Charlie Noble 10^th. Ian Leggett was 8^th M65. The M70 team (Walter McCaskey 5^th, Les Nicol 6^th and Alistair Shaw 8^th) finished second behind England.

           George Sim: still classy and competitive at 65

2007: Belfast, Stormont Estate. The course featured a narrow, muddy start, but then several laps of fine parkland, before a hill and a tricky, slippery finish.

      Robert Quinn: still racing successfully in his fifties

Bobby Quinn, a multi-Scottish champion, ran brilliantly to finish first in the 35-49 race and secure the M40 title. With support from Andy Little 6tg, Roger Alsop and James Snodgrass, Robert’s team won second team medals. Second Scot home was Neil Thin, who had a fine run to win M45 individual silver, with Ross Arbuckle 9^th. In the M50-64 event, Ian Stewart raced very well to be second M50. His team [Brian Gardner 3rd, Alastair Dunlop 8th and Colin Miller) won silver. The M55 Scots did even better by winning the team title [George Sim second (to Mike Hager of England), Andy McLinden third, plus Archie Jenkins 7th and Ewan Patterson 8^th]. In the M60 age group, Scotland won team silver [Archie Duncan a splendid individual silver medal, and support from consistently strong George Mitchell (4^th), Colin Youngson and Frank Yeoman]. It was second again for the M65 team (Pete Cartwright winning an excellent individual silver, with backing from Ian Leggett, Rab Daly and Steve Cromar). The M70s matched that team result, due to Les Nicol 4th, Alistair Shaw 6th and Walter McCaskey 7th.

In the women’s race, W45s Susan Finch (6^th) and Sonia Armitage (7^th) were the first Scots home. Clare Gemmell (10^th W35), Julia Henderson (12^th W35) and Michelle Heatherington (6^th W40) were the next Scottish finishers. Jane Waterhouse (7^th W50) and Hazel Bradley (5^th W55) also ran well.

 2008: Swansea, Singleton Park. The first race was 6km for W35 – W65 plus M65 and M70. England’s Debby Walters W40 was 1^st, followed by Ireland’s Donna Mahon W35. Megan Wright (3^rd W35) was first Scot 7^th overall, finishing just in front of Ireland’s Niamh O’Sullivan W45. Julia Henderson (10^th W35), Sonia Armitage (5^th W45) and Hazel Dean (7^th W45) were the next Scottish finishers. Jane Waterhouse and Liz Bowers (4^th & 5^th W55) also ran well in their age-group, with Jane finishing 21 sec behind winner Zina Marchant. Hazel Bradley was 10^th W55, which meant that the Scottish team won silver medals.

On a severely undulating, damp, lap course, Walter McCaskey was 7^th M70 and Alistair Shaw 8th. Brian Campbell (6^th M65) assisted by Bobby Young (7^th), Pete Cartwright (8^th) and Ian Leggett (9^th), secured team silver.

Next race was 8km for M50 – M60. George Mitchell was 4^th M60 and Archie Duncan 6^th. George Sim (4^th M55), Andy McLinden (6^th), Ewan Patterson and Archie Jenkins finished second team. Brian Gardner finished 5^th M50 and, with Iain Stewart (7^th), Jeff Farquhar and Colin Miller, the team won silver.

By the final international race for M35 – M45 conditions were more sticky and slippery, which made the race more interesting. The best performance on the day by a Scottish man was certainly produced by Bobby Quinn, who was second M40 behind England’s Tim Hartley. They both outpaced all the M35s. Lewis Lawson finished 9^th M45.

2009: Birmingham, Perry Park. What would have been a flat, fast course was hit by a thunderstorm just before the start of the race, so that mud became a challenge, particularly on corners. In the women’s race, Sue Ridley (10^th W40) was first Scot home; Sonia Armitage was 9^th W45; Phyllis Hands 10^th W50. However the finest Scottish performance was achieved by ultra-consistent Jane Waterhouse, who fought off three English rivals to win the W60 title. Jane wrote later that, athletically, it was her finest hour! Liz Bowers and Liz McGarry helped her to secure team silver as well.

                                     Jane Waterhouse

Ian Leggett (4^th M70), assisted by Les Nicol (6^th) and Hugh Rankin (7^th) made sure that the Scots finished second team. Davie Fairweather, Pete Cartwright and Bobby Young were 5^th, 6^th and 7^th in the M65 contest, to win silver as well. George Mitchell was 5^th M60; Andy McLinden 4^th M55, with Doug Cowie 7^th; and Jeff Farquhar ran especially well to win individual M50 silver, with Ian Stewart 8^th.

In the M35-49 race, first Scot was Neil Wilkinson (8^th M40). Iain Campbell finished 7^th M45.

2010: Dublin, Santry Demesne. On a deceptively tough, increasingly muddy lap course near the Billy Morton Stadium, Melissa Whyte was the Scottish star, with 3^rd overall in the women’s race and 1^st W45. Sue Ridley ran well to be 5^th in that age group. The ultra-consistent Jane Waterhouse was 4^th W55, with Liz Bowers 9^th. Hazel Bradley ran her usual good race for 5^th W60, with Kate Todd 7^th.

                     Melissa Whyte heading for W45 gold

Steve Wylie did very well to finish 5^th M35. Dave Gardiner excelled with 4^th M40. Iain Campbell was 6^th M50; Alastair Dunlop 8^th M55; Robert Marshall 6^th M60; Davie Fairweather 9^th M65; and Walter McCaskey 7^th M70.

2011: Glasgow, Bellahouston Park. Report by Davie Fairweather.

The race was two weeks later than usual, on 26^th November. The weather forecast was poor, but we didn’t get snow and ice, just rain and gales, which made the course very heavy, slippery and treacherous. Nevertheless the Scottish teams had some good results.

In the 6 km race for Women and Men aged 65 upwards, there was a tremendous battle between Lesley Chisholm W35, Melissa Whyte W45 and Fiona Matheson W50, who eventually finished 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th overall respectively. Lesley was second W35 but Melissa Whyte and Fiona Matheson both won age-group titles. The W35 team (including Dianne Lauder 4^th, Julia Henderson 7^th and Paula Wilson) finished second, as did the W45 outfit (Sue Ridley 5^th, Kirsty Husband 8^th and Hilary McGrath 8^th). Sheila Gollan was 6^th W40; Jane Waterhouse 5^th W55, with Erica Christie 9^th and Phillis Hands 10^th; and Kate Todd was 7^th W60, with Beth McLafferty 10^th. Betty Gilchrist (W65) ran extremely well to secure individual silver.

Totally reliable George Mitchell finished third M65, and with backing from Stewart McCrae (8^th), Pete Cartwright and Davie Fairweather, his team was second. Ian Leggett 6^th, Watson Jones 8^th and Walter McCaskey 11^th did well in the M70 age group.

In the M35-64 race, the M35 team (Jamie Reid an excellent 2^nd, David Millar 4^th, Robert Gilroy 7^th and Joe McKnight 17^th) finished second. Stuart Kerr was 7^th M40; and Neil Thin won M50 individual bronze, with Iain Campbell 6^th. The M55 team packed well (Brian Gardner 3^rd, Paul Thompson 5^th, Alastair Dunlop 6^th and Alex Chisholm 8^th) to make sure of silver medals. Andy McLinden ran very well to finish 2^nd M60.

Joe Small sent a link to a video of this race and you can find it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxSs_k3vsnI

2012: Belfast, Queen’s University Playing Fields. Fiona Matheson gave a first class performance to retain her W50 title. Sue Ridley ran well, as usual, to achieve W45 individual bronze, as did Liz Bowers (W60). Joasia Zakrzewski was 7^th W35; Jacqui Thomson 6^th W45; Pamela McCrossan 8^th W50; and Hazel Bradley 8^th W60.

Pete Cartwright excelled again to win M70 bronze. George Mitchell produced another fine run to win M65 bronze, and led his team [Colin Youngson (7^th), Stewart McCrae and Hamish Cameron] to silver medals. In Race Two, Ian Stewart (M55) and Andy McLinden (M60) both secured individual silver. Neil Thin (M50), Brian Gardner (M55) and Tony Martin (M60) all finished fifth in their categories. The M55 squad (Stewart, Gardner, Gerry Gaffney and Alastair Dunlop) was second. In Race Three, Kerry-Liam Wilson (M40) and Charlie Thomson both tried extremely hard and achieved 5^th places in their age groups.

George Mitchell – consistently tough

After the races but before the banquet, for some Scots there was a particularly memorable hour, celebrating in the nearby heritage pub The Barton Arms, which was actually hosting a real ale festival at that time. Forres Harriers trio Paul Rogan, Doug Cowie and Colin Youngson, plus Archie Jenkins and (kind abstemious driver) Lynne Marr drank fast. Only one of them consumed slightly more strong ale than was entirely sensible!

2013: Cardiff, Bute Park. The course was flat as a pancake, dry and firm; and the weather calm and quite mild. The amazing Fiona Matheson was first Scot in the women’s race and won the W50 title, for the third year in a row, in emphatic style, as well as leading her team [Hilary McGrath (5^th), Beryl Junnier and Pamela McCrossan] to silver medals. A few seconds behind Fiona, Lesley Chisholm ran well to finish 5^th W35. Jane Waterhouse excelled to win W60 individual silver, and led her team (Liz Bowers, Hazel Bradley and Linden Nicholson) to second place.

Fiona Matheson: along with Janette Stevenson, our most successful competitor in this annual fixture

Robert Marshall was fourth M65; and Bobby Young also ran well to win individual bronze (M70). Stan Mackenzie (5^th M50) was first Scot in the M50-64 race; and Paul Thompson won a fine individual bronze medal (M55). In the 35-49 event, Kerry-Liam Wilson had a good run to be first Scot and 3^rd M40.

2014: Nottingham, Wollaton Park. “We assembled in good time on the steps of Wollaton Hall for the photo-shoot. Once again we were blessed with good weather: it was very mild, calm, and almost remained dry. The course was more testing than last year, but was ideal for runners and spectators.

In Race One, Megan Wright and Fiona Matheson came up the hill on the first of three laps in good positions, closely followed by Hilary McGrath and Beryl Junnier. Martin McEvilly ROI & Martin Ford ENG were also well up the field. Fiona was being challenged by Clare Elms ENG as the race progressed, and (2^nd W50) was just pipped on the line. She was closely followed by Melissa Wylie, who had moved up to 4th W45 and Megan 7th W40. Hilary McGrath (5) and Beryl Junnier (9) helped Fiona to win W50 team silver medals. Meanwhile Isobel Burnett finished 8th W55. Jane Waterhouse was 5th W60, and with support from Liz Bowers (6) and Hazel Bradley (9) won another team silver. Then Betty Gilchrist (1^st W70) came through with a commanding lead of 1:37 over Brigid Quinn NI, and in front of all 3 Scottish W65 runners.

Betty Gilchrist

Alex Sutherland (6) was the first M65 Scot to finish. Bobby Young improved one place on last year to win M70 silver. Pete Cartwright 5th M70 and Gibson Fleming (11) ensured that their team won silver medals. Les Nicol was 3rd M75, and led 80 years young Walter McCaskey (6), and Bill Murray (13) to team bronze medals.

In Race Two, Stan MacKenzie finished 8^th M50. Paul Thompson and Colin Feechan worked well together to end up 5th and 6th M55. Frank Hurley and Andy McLinden ran very well to secure individual silver and bronze M60 medals. Tony Martin (8) and Doug Cowie ensured M60 team gold for Scotland.

In Race Three, Robert Gilroy had a cracking run, finishing 2nd M35.

Overall, Scotland won one gold, four silver, and two bronze individual medals; and one gold, three silver and five bronze team medals, our best result since 2011.

2015: Dublin, Santry Demesne. The race was held on almost the same course as previously, but some minor changes were made because of the water-logged conditions. However the team did a lot better than 5 years ago, finishing 3^rd Women’s team, 3^rd Men’s team and 3^rd overall out of the 5 competing countries; and won 4 silver and 8 bronze team medals. There were 4 individual silver medallists & 1 bronze medallist, but unfortunately no gold medals.

In Race One, Joasia Zakrzewski finished 3^rd W35, behind Anne-Marie McGlynn & Natasha Adams IRL, followed 32sec later by 2^nd W50 Fiona Matheson, who was once again pipped in the finishing straight by Claire Elms ENG. With help from Beryl Junnier , Pamela McCrossan and Rhona Anderson, the W50 team won silver medals.

Sharon Muir and Alison Dargie were 7^th and 8^th W40. Betty Gilchrist again finished clear of Brigid Quinn, but was pushed into 2^nd place by new W70 Dot Fellows ENG. Isobel Burnett 6^th W55, Jane Kerridge 5^th W60, Hazel Bradley 4^th W65 and Anne Docherty 6^th W70 all deserve special mention.

Alex Sutherland was first Scots male, finishing 7^th M65, 2 sec ahead of 1^st M70 Peter Giles ENG. Bob Young and Stewart McCrae finished 5^th and 6^th M70, and Pete Cartwright made sure that the team was second. George Black put in a brave run, with the aid of permitted painkillers, to finish 2^nd M75 just 4 sec behind Peter Covey ENG and 1min ahead of 6^th placed Watson Jones. 81 year old Walter McCaskey was 8^th M75, 2 min behind Watson, ensuring that the M75 plus team won silver.

In Race Two, Neil Thin ran extremely well to finish 2^nd M55, 23sec behind Tommy Payne IRL. Colin Feechan was 5^th M55. Robert McLennan and Paul Thompson also contributed to team silver. Andy McLinden and Alastair Dunlop were 7^th and 8^th M60.

In Race 3 Martin Williams 7^th M35 was first Scots finisher, followed by 7^th M40, Kenny Campbell. Kerry-Liam Wilson was 7^th M45.

David Fairweather, Men’s Team Manager for a very long time, who has written so many reports on the British and Irish International, decided to step down from the post. Alastair Macfarlane declared that it would take more than one man to fill Davie’s shoes – and indeed two men will share the job in 2016. Davie wrote: “I want to pass on the responsibility of being Team Manager to younger members. Although it has been a fantastic 23 years, and I’ve made so many friends, I have found the last 2 events particularly stressful, with the increased number of competitors, and I’m also feeling the effects of the advancing years!”

2016: Glasgow, Tollcross Park. (Report by David Fairweather).

The course had been successfully used for the BMAF Cross Country championship.

The SVHC decided to hold a Selection Race on the course in September, with the first 2 finishers in each age-group gaining automatic selection for the International team. This race was very successful, and provided a good opportunity to get the feel of the course. Another innovation was a team get-together in October, with another chance to train on the course, and an opportunity to obtain numbers, vests and function tickets

England’s population advantage always makes them favourites in most races at this event but in certain age groups, with five-year brackets, Ireland and Scotland also secured team golds. In fact this year Scotland produced a particularly good set of results.

Three Scottish women’s teams took gold medals with the W35 outfit setting the tone thanks to Gillian Palmer (2), Michelle Sandison (3), Dianne Lauder (4), and Katie White (7). Dianne was actually W40 and an invaluable addition to the W35 team.

 

The other winning women’s teams were at W65 via Ann White (2), Jeanette Craig (3), Hazel Bradley (6) and Beth McLafferty (9); as well as the trio at W70 of Betty Gilchrist (4), Liz Corbett (5) and Anne Docherty (6).

                    M70 winning team: Liz, Anne and Betty

By an impressively clear margin, W55 World 10k record holder Fiona Matheson took individual gold in her category (18^th overall); and Lesley Chisholm secured bronze in the W40 (9^th overall).

The competition was intense in the men’s races and five real stalwarts were successful, as Robert Gilroy took a hard-earned bronze at M40 and Neil Thin likewise at M55. Andy McLinden was a silver medallist at M65 while there was a bronze for Stewart McCrae at M70 and a yet another silver for George Black at M75.

                            Rising star: Robert Gilroy

Scottish team silver medals included the following.

W40 (Lesley Chisholm, Joasia Zakrzewski 6, Sharon Muir 8 and Jennifer MacLean 10); W50 (Hilary McGrath 4, Susan Ridley 8, Mary Western 11 and Rhona Anderson 16); W55: (Fiona Matheson, Pamela McCrossan 5, Isobel Burnett 7, Lorna Coyle 12.)

M75: (George Black, Watson Jones 8, Walter McCaskey 10, Jim Scobie 12); M60: (Frank Hurley 4, Paul Thompson 6, Alastair Dunlop 8, Frankie Barton 15).

Scottish teams in other age-groups won an impressive total of seven bronze medals.

The overall competition ended in a win for England, with Ireland second and the hosts in third – ahead of visitors Wales and Northern Ireland.

2017: Derry, Northern Ireland.

By means of planes and boats and trains (and buses and hire cars and taxis), Scottish Masters runners arrived eventually in Derry ready to compete in this fixture, which from our winter calendar is surely awarded the ‘Blue Riband’.
The weather was cold but pleasant; and the course featured some deep mud, gentle undulations and plenty of mossy, damp grass, which produced strength-sapping racing conditions. Of course, when wearing a Scottish vest, you are meant to run as hard as possible, for your team, country, self-esteem and possibly bragging rights!

Our team managers – John Bell, Ada Stewart, Andy and Ishbel Law – were well-organised and always cheerfully motivating and supportive. The new kit looked splendid; and the hotel was an excellent choice.

As usual the opposition, from England, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales, was formidable but many Scots ran well and we all tried our best on the day.

Full results are on the Scottish Veteran Harriers Club website, but here is a summary.

Katie White

Race One was for all the female athletes plus the older guys.

Katie White ran wonderfully well to win the W35 race, and was well supported by Michelle Sandison (4th) and Sara Green (11th). Our team finished second, only two points behind Ireland but in front of the Auld Enemy.

The W40s also shone, with Lesley Chisholm 6th (in the same time as Carol Parsons 7th) backed up by Ann Robin 12th. Team bronze medals were secured.

It was harder for the W45 team, which ended up fourth, led in by Jennifer Forbes (9th).

Sue Ridley, who has enjoyed such a long and distinguished running career, claimed that she was still suffering from an injury incurred three years ago. Poor lady, that would explain why she ‘only’ managed to finish 3rd M50, after outsprinting an Irish athlete for bronze! Her team was fourth.

Now we come to Scotland’s bright star, Fiona Matheson, who currently graces the W55 category. Her victory was overwhelming – 79 seconds clear of the famous Irish runner Niamh O’Sullivan. Not only that: Fiona also outsprinted the legendary Nick Rose, who won the M65 contest. The Scottish team packed beautifully, with Pamela McCrossan, Yvonne Crilly and Anne Howie 8th, 9th and 10th. Another set of bronze medals was won, after an especially close team race.

Scotland was also third in the W60 competition, with Jane Kerridge and Innes Bracegirdle leading the team in 7th and 8th places.

Ann White (the mother of Katie, the W35 gold medallist) was equally successful when victorious in the W65 category, 32 seconds clear of England’s well-known Ros Tabor. With Linden Nicholson 7th and Jeanette Craig 8th, our team tied with England on 16 points – but their last counter was 9th so Scotland secured silver medals!

Ann White

Liz Corbett ran very well for 3rd in the W70 race. Her team-mates, Margaret Robertson (8th) and Anne Docherty (9th) also raced strongly to ensure another set of bronze medals.

Perhaps our top male team was the M65 outfit, which finished second. However, the English proved impossible to beat, although their winning margin was only three points, due to an excellent silver medal for Tony Martin, and strong backing from Frank Hurley (4th) and Andy McLinden (6th).

Tony Martin

The Scottish over-70s included three runners who were loudly worried, due to leg niggles or illness. Norman Baillie, making his first appearance in a Scottish vest, was the healthy, non-whingeing one, and fought to 5th place. Stewart McCrae (the victim of a heavy cold) still shot off as usual but eventually ran out of steam and was caught half a mile from home by more cautious team-mates, who had started slowly then moved through to 9th place (Colin Youngson) and 10th (Bobby ‘Forever’ Young). This ensured surprise team silver medals. Happily, Stewart recovered quickly and joined the others in a few select Derry pubs that afternoon. The incredible Bobby ran the first of these fixtures in 1988 and has now completed a record total of 26 ex 30. Colin told anyone prepared to listen that, in parkrun terms, he had now run for Scotland in every age group from M25 to M70.

In a close battle for bronze medals, our M75 team was squeezed into fourth place. Jim Scobie ran really well to finish 8th. That upbeat character, Ian Leggett (12th) is continuing the longest running career of any current SVHC member, having been a good senior athlete as long ago as 1963.

Race Two was for the M50, M55 and M60 categories.

Robert Quinn (trade name: Bobby), who has achieved a tremendous amount and remains a top-class runner, only just missed out on an individual medal when he finished fourth M50. Michael McLoone (11th) and Ross McEachern (13th) backed up well but the team were unlucky to lose bronze on countback (by only two places).

Our M55s had a tough time but battled bravely nevertheless.

The M60 race produced one real surprise, Although there had been rumours that Teviotdale stalwart Alastair ‘Sammy’ Walker, in his youth a consistently successful runner, was very fit, no one was sure how fast, since he had never actually competed as a veteran! Here, in his very first Masters appearance, he came close to winning gold but was very happy to secure an impressive second place. His team-mates closed in admirably. Paul Thompson (6th) and Alex Chisholm (10th) finished second behind Ireland but in front of England.

Alastair Walker

Race Three featured M35, M40 and M45 age groups.

Competition was especially fierce in the events for younger Masters athletes. The M35 men fought hard to fourth team position, with Jozsef Farkas first Scot in 12th place.

Iain Reid (first Scot in this race, just in front of Jozsef and Scott Brember) produced a very good performance for 6th M40, as did Leon Johnson in 9th; and the team won well-deserved. bronze medals.

Our best M45 runner was Scott Brember in a fine 6th place; and the team finished fourth.

The evening banquet was unforgettable, fortunately for good food, drink, social pleasure and well-organised medal presentations; and unfortunately for rambling speeches and an inexplicable lack of result sheets.

Nearly all of us enjoyed this trip a great deal, however. The Derry folk were friendly and welcoming and most of the event was very successful, even if no one could actually locate the post-race showers. Roll on Swansea 2018!

 

2018, SWANSEA, WALES

This year saw our team head for Swansea which, if truth be told, isn’t the easiest of places to reach. As Mens’ team manager, I was just hoping everyone would be all right for race day after such a testing journey.
Ross McEachern V50 suggested that I could fly to Bristol then hire a car and drive to Swansea, allowing me to be there early to collect team numbers and check out the course etc.
So, when our team arrived finally arrived, slightly battered and bruised, I really didn’t know what to expect come race day but, in fairness to our team, the mood was upbeat, which I must say was better than I would have been after travelling on a bus for some 11 hours.
With numbers handed out and our new newbies all kitted up you could see some nerves starting filtering through which. for a team manager, is a good sign, if you ask me. Our team had a real mix of old hands and newbies.
Our hotel was only a mile from the course, so some opted to run there and some took the coach to the course, which in hindsight maybe wasn’t the best idea, as the second coachload missed our allocated photo slot time of 10.35 a.m. However, Innes Bracegirdle’s husband Pete took some excellent photos, so many thanks Pete we really appreciated it.
On to the real business of the day, the races itself. First up for the males would be our V65, V70 and V75+, who started alongside the young whipper-snapper women of the V35 category.
I was hoping that the day would start well and by the end of the race we would have some silverware to get the rest of the age groups fired up. I had high hopes especially of our experienced V75 quartet (Bobby Young, Jim Scobie, Ian Leggett and Pete Cartwright). It was great to have strength in depth for this age group.
Our V65 and V70 runners had a wealth of experience at this level and included individual medallists from previous years so medals would depend on who raced well on the day.
Under starting orders on a dry course, which seemed to spectators fairly flat, but like a lot of courses it was not until you put the foot down you realised there was always a sting in the tail. The second half of this course was no different, with a long testing drag up to the highest point where you could see positions change throughout the day. First to come over the line for Scotland was none other than Andy McLinden V65 in 8th place, one in front of Tony Martin. Along with Ed Norton, the team secured Bronze medals.
With so many runners being in the first race, it is always hard to keep track of positions throughout the age groups, but in-form Alex Sutherland M70 had set his stall out early and was always in contention for an individual award, which he duly delivered with a gutsy performance to claim Bronze. Unfortunately, this age group wouldn’t be claiming any team medals as Norman Baillie had to pull up with a hamstring injury after just 50 metres, taking the team out of contention, although it didn’t deter Stewart McCrae from putting in a sterling performance finishing an excellent 7th M70.
If I had been asked beforehand which teams I thought had the best chance of medals, I would have opted for our V60 and V75, both very strong at British level and generally performing well at these events. It was great to see Pete Cartwright toe the line after his recent health issues, despite his doctor advising him not to run (what do doctors know about us runners?). Evergreen Bobby Young M75 never fails to amaze me not only by drinking skills afterwards but especially by his running achievements. He seems to rise the occasion every time with a calculated run making his final surge for victory on the tough climb to claim victory by 20 seconds. First Gold of the day for our men’s team! Jim Scobie, Mister reliable, put in a tough shift, fighting all the way to finish 7th and help us claim a well-deserved team Bronze.
Just past mid-day and the medals were starting to come our way.
V50 to V64 races
The V60 year age group was up next, and this is where I thought we could play our ace of the pack, Alastair Walker, who I had down as pre-race favourite although nothing is guaranteed in this game such is the competition each year. Alongside the formidable Walker, we had the likes of Paul Thompson, Jeff Farquhar and Alex Chisholm, so hopes were high for a team medal of some colour. Despite being in the sport for a few years more than I care to remember, I still get excited watching guys like Alastair warm up, totally focused on the task ahead. After the first lap Alastair looking relaxed and composed. He was leading the the V60s but not without a spirited effort from the Northern Ireland athlete Laurence Johnston, who was trying to match Alastair’s every move. Jeff Farquhar, now back on the stage where he belongs, ran a great race to finish 7th, Paul Thompson was 8th and Alex Chisholm 9th. These guys were a team manager’s dream. Yet the day belonged to Alastair who was under pressure throughout but stayed calm and extended his lead on the final lap to 32 seconds, which may sound comfortable but my stomach was churning just watching as the NI athlete also ran a cracking race. Second Gold of the day! Not only that but we managed to secure team Silver for our efforts.
Our V55 team was made up of Mick McLoone 10th, Dave Eckersley, Steven Worsley and Stan MacKenzie. They had it tough as the strength-in-depth from the other nations was impressive. If I’m being honest, I think this may have been the strongest V55 I’ve seen from England and Northern Ireland, which left Ireland, Wales and ourselves fighting for the scraps, but fight we did, right to the end, with a great effort put in by everyone. Well done lads.
V50: This one had me monitor the team performance maybe more than others, as I know most of the team very well and have trained with them on many an occasion. Couple this up with me turning the Big 50 next year – who knows, will I aim for a comeback? (Watch out, Chalmers, your place is on a shaky peg!). Once again England and Northern Ireland were to the fore dictating the proceedings but, from a Scottish point of view, all our team gave us a great race to watch and to see who would come out on top of the V50 Scottish guys. Well that top spot went to Andrew White, finishing in a credible 16th, but as I say a great race to watch as all the guys had a turn at the front at one stage for the Scottish top spot – Andrew White, Stephen Allen, Ross McEachern, Alex Chalmers, Howard Elliott and Ian Johnston.
Now we move on to the young guns – V35 to V45.
Our trial winner Scott Brember V45 was looking to perform well, as his recent racing programme had shown good signs. Alongside Scott we had Paul Rogan, who made his debut the same day as myself a few years ago down at Birmingham, but was feeling slightly nervous as he had thought he may have overcooked his build up to the race. However, as the results would show, Paul put in a top-class performance. Paul Monaghan had a nasty tumble at the start of the race and never fully recovered to get himself back in to the race where he had hoped he would like to have been, and the result didn’t do him justice, but thankfully at the end of the day it was only his pride that was hurt and nothing more serious. On the injury note, Davie Gardiner pulled a hamstring with only 150 meters to go to which I feel slightly guilty about as I was yelling at him for that last push to the line. Justin Carter and Stephen Allan again showed what the Scottish vest meant to them by putting in 100% on the day – what more could we ask for? So back to Mr Brember, who was tracking his English rival like a man possessed and kept making inroads each lap but maybe just ran out of grass before that Gold would have been his – but hey, who wouldn’t be happy with an excellent Silver medal against a top-class English runner? Great run Scott – he was first Scot home in this race, beating all his younger team-mates – but unfortunately there were no V45 team medals today.
V40: As the age group goes down, the pace usually gets faster so to medal at these age groups everyone has to run well and not just well but probably out of their skin even to be just considered for a team medal. So our boys did very well by claiming an excellent team Bronze. Without being disrespectful, I was thinking this would have been a tall order for the boys but I love to be proven wrong, especially when medals are up for grabs. Graeme Murdoch 10th and his team of Donnie MacDonald, Chris Devine, Darran Muir, Malcolm Lang and Stevie Campbell had us all celebrating. This race turned out very similar to the men’s V50 event with each of the guys striving to finish in that counting four. As this result came out of the blue, it was probably the one I will savour the most. As is often said, cross-country races are not won on paper but on the course – guys, sorry for doubting you but at the same time so happy for you all.
V35: Please excuse me for starting my V35 report by mentioning the race winner, Mark McKinstry of Northern Ireland, but I couldn’t help but admire the manner in which he took this race by the scruff of the neck right from the gun. Initially I thought he had started far too fast but he just kept going to from strength to strength to claim a well-deserved victory.
Our own guys (Grant Baillie 9th, Darrel Hastie, Mike Houston, Chris Mooney, Robbie Paterson and Garry Matthew flew the flag as well as they could but, without making any excuses, the pool our English counterparts have to choose from in this age group is always going to be the toughest, as some of the athletes are still competing for their country as seniors, never mind as veterans. Grant Baillie came away with a top 10 placing which might not sound particularly special but I thought this was a great run. Not to be outdone, all our other guys fought tooth and nail to be part of that counting four and were only separated by a mere 50 seconds. Unfortunately, Garry Matthew had to pull up with one lap to go with a calf injury but, after a few shandies, he seemed on the way to recovery.
Now for a brief overview. May I finish by saying that once again it has been a great pleasure, being asked to be team manager for a great bunch of guys who gave nothing less than 100%. Our Scotland team is not made up of any superstars or elitist athletes – just a mere bunch of hairy-arsed Scotsmen willing to give everything they have on the day for the vest!
So, roll on next year!
By John Bell

SCOTTISH WOMEN’S RESULTS
W35
Michelle Sandison has written about her splendid individual gold medal in this age-group. Backed by Sara Green and Romy Beard, the team won bronze medals.
W40
Carol Parsons finished an excellent fifth, with Jennifer MacLean 9th. Jacqueline Etherington completed the team and secured bronze.
W45
Megan Wright (7th) was first Scot home in this category. Karen Kennedy and Allie Chong allowed the team to obtain bronze medals.
W50
Mary McCutcheon ran well for 6th place. Her bronze medal-winning team-mates were Sue Ridley (9th) and Rhona Anderson.
W55
Our perennial star, Fiona Matheson, delivered individual victory yet again, for the third successive time in this age-group. (Between 2011 and 2013 she achieved the same feat in the W50 category and added two individual silvers in 2014 and 2015!) Fiona was ably backed by all her silver medal-winning team-mates: Anne Howie (7th), Pamela McCrossan (9th) and Mary Western (10th).
W60
Team bronze was the result for Isobel Burnett (a fine 5th), Margaret Martin (8th) and Innes Bracegirdle (9th).
W65
Last year’s W65 gold medallist, Ann White, won an excellent individual silver this time; and team silver too, with superb backing from Linden Nicholson (4th) and Morna Fleming.
W70+
Liz Corbett (5th) was the outstanding Scottish runner in this category, and along with Anne Docherty and Margaret Robertson the team obtained bronze medals.

2019, AINTREE, ENGLAND

Scottish athletes enjoyed a particularly successful outing to the 2019 version of this great annual fixture. Individually, three gold, five silver and two bronze medals were secured; and there were two team victories as well as five silver medals (M60, M65, M70, M75, W35) and nine bronze.
Michelle Sandison (W35), Alastair Walker (M60) and Ann White (W65) each retained titles won last year. Ann was chased all the way by Jane Waterhouse (who has a very fine record in this event), Jeanette Craig finished fourth and Linden Nicholson fifth, which ensured team triumph. The other winning Scottish outfit was M35 due to fine runs by Stuart Gibson 2nd, Richard Mair 3rd and Colin Reilly 4th.
Scott Brember won M45 silver for the second year in succession. Alex Sutherland improved to M70 silver. Bobby Young fought off a Welsh rival for M75 silver. Jennifer MacLean, such a consistent runner, took W45 bronze.
Grant Baillie 4th was first Scottish M40; David Gardiner 5th led our M50 team; and Chris Upson finished 9th M55; Alastair Walker (M60) was well-supported by Rob McLennan 9th and Jeff Farquhar 12th; the M65 Trojans delivered yet again, with Tony Martin 4th, Andy McLinden 5th and Frank Hurley 8th; Alex Sutherland was well-backed by Robert Marshall 7th, Norman Baillie 8th and Stewart McCrae 9th.
Michelle Sandison’s W35 team-mates included Katie White 5th and Sara Green 6th; Louise Ross finished 8th W40); Megan Wright was 10th W45; Ana Richardson ran well for 4th W50, with Mary McCutcheon 6th; Anne Howie (6th W50) was supported by Mary Western 8th and Rhona Anderson 9th; Isobel Burnett was 5th W60, with Phyllis O’Brien 9h and Nanette Heaney 10th; Liz Corbett finished 9th W70); and Elizabeth Gilchrist was 4th W75.

Congratulations Alastair Walker Scottish Athletics Masters Athlete of the Year 2019!
This award could not be more deserved. Alastair has had an absolutely fantastic year of competitive success. He is World, European, British and Scottish Masters M60 Champion at 10k and/or 10,000m; European, British and Scottish Masters M60 Champion at 5000m and/or 5k; and British and Irish, British and Scottish Masters M60 XC Champion!
The greatest Scottish Veteran Harriers include runners like Janette Stevenson, Trudi Thomson, Fiona Matheson, John Emmet Farrell, Gordon Porteous, Bill Stoddart, Willie Marshall, Donald Macgregor and Donald Ritchie, amongst others; and now Alastair Walker of Teviotdale Harriers can certainly be added to this small, select list of superstars.

 

 

 

 

Name: George Black.

Clubs: Fife AC – Scottish Vets – Glasgow Nightingale Cycling.

Date of Birth: 23^rd November 1939.

Occupation: Retired.

How did you get involved in the sport? Could not afford a bike!

Has any individual had a marked influence on your attitude or individual performance? Very many, including Bill Stoddart, Bill Scally, Willie McBrinn, Jimmy Moore, Max Jones, Jim Dingwall, Steve James, Emmet Farrell, Gordon Porteous, Davie Morrison, Bobby Young, Pete Cartwright and Davie Fairweather.

What exactly do you get out of the sport? Fun and friendship.

What do you consider your best ever performances? Winning the European Duathlon Championships in 2007. Running a 2.30 marathon only 15 months after my first run.

Your worst? I try to forget them.

What unfulfilled ambitions do you have? To win individual gold at the Veterans International XC. Set 100 year old best time for the marathon.

Other leisure activities? Cycling. Sleeping.

What does running bring you that you would not have wanted to miss?  Friendships. You get to know a person’s character during long hard training sessions together.

Can you give some details of your training? This has varied according to age and target race etc. Everything from 13 weeks averaging 128 miles a week, to long spells of short high-intensity runs with an average of 19 miles a week. The latter might include 20x400m with 15 seconds ‘recovery’. My record week totalled 196 and a half miles – and I almost went out again to reach the 200!

Currently I run between 30 and 40 miles per week, with nothing too severe so that I might avoid injury.

                George Black in the 2012 Tour of Fife

Below is a long letter from George about his unusual and very successful athletic history.

“Until I began working shifts aged 21, I was a good club racing cyclist. My cycling at the time was mainly track and time trials. Aged 20 I managed 12^th in the Scottish Best All-Rounder competition, over distances of 50 miles, 100 miles and 12 hours. I realised I had good endurance: my 12 hours distance was 248 miles – still a club record. At 22 I stopped cycling, got married, we had two children and I took no exercise other than occasional rounds of golf. I weighed 14 stone 12 pounds at one point, but mainly 12 stone 12 pounds.

Aged 42 I went out for a jog with a friend, hated it and was happy I caught a cold after a second run and had an excuse to stop – this was November 1981. In January 1982 I decided to try again but struggled to cover half a mile in a local park. A friend, Gordon Campbell was a Clydesdale Harrier, and told me about the Scottish Veteran Harriers. I went to Woolworth, bought a pair of ‘training shoes’ for £4 and began training at night. Gordon encouraged me and soon I was running up to 14 miles in the morning, several days a week.

I learned that the Vets Marathon Championships was being held in Glasgow on 21^st March 1982 so thought I would give it a go. The Thursday before this event I went for a run in East Kilbride and met the wonderful Jimmy Moore, who caught up and slowed down to encourage me. He told me he was going over to Bellahouston to watch the race and agreed to give advice.

This was my first ever running race – a bloody marathon!

When I heard there were ‘feeding stations’ I thought I would be receiving bananas etc but of course discovered it was only water. Jimmy introduced me to three old guys and told me to stay with them and I would be okay – Davie Morrison, Gordon Porteous and Emmet Farrell (a legendary trio of World Veteran Champions). What an introduction to the sport! The marathon took place on a lovely day and I had an enjoyable run in great company, finishing in 3 hours 19 minutes. The winner was Bill Stoddart in 2.30, after a hard-fought contest with Andy Brown.

I was hooked but my right hip was sore so I had a week off and bought a pair of New Balance 660, which cost over £30. Next I began training with East Kilbride AC under Jimmy Moore’s guidance and improved rapidly. In July I won the North Tyneside Peoples Marathon in Whitley Bay. This was for runners who had not broken 2.50. My time was 2.46.

I could not understand why a runner I caught with half a mile to go was trying so hard to beat me, as I thought we were outside the top ten. Obviously he knew we were racing for the win.

In August I managed 2.44 in the Inverclyde Marathon; and in September had my first track race – the Vets 10,000m at Coatbridge (3^rd in 34.30). Bill Scally won in 33.33 from Dick Hodelet.

The first official Glasgow Marathon took place in October and I finished 60^th in 2.36. I had no idea how high up I was, and in fact estimated somewhere inside the top 500, since masses had sprinted off and disappeared up the High Street at the start.

During Winter 1982/1983 I trained with a group of friends. I averaged 128 miles a week for 13 weeks, including ‘double headers’ at weekends with Charlie McDougall, another former cyclist. We ran over the Glasgow Bellahouston marathon course on four successive Sundays, all of them under 2 hours 50 minutes. This was after a long run the previous day.

In March 1983 I returned to the Vets Marathon Championship at Bellahouston and won by 12 minutes on a very windy day by in 2 hours 30 minutes. Willie McBrinn ran two laps of the three lap course with me before I discovered he was using it as training for the London Marathon and only intended doing the two laps. Thanks, Willie!

Willie duly went to London and set the current British over 55 marathon record. After he turned 60, he also broke the British record for that age group at the Lochaber Marathon.

A change of jobs meant more responsibility and travel but in July 1985, at the age of 45, I managed to run a 71 minute half marathon at Musselburgh. The best part of that day was beating Peter McGregor and getting my name added to the ‘book’ he kept of people that had beaten him. Yes – a result!

My job took me south in 1988 and I joined the Leeds Valley Striders in identical circumstances to when I joined East Kilbride. I told my wife I was going out for a run and would look for another runner to find out about local trails. I met Max Jones who took me under his wing and introduced me to his club.

Probably my best year was 1995, when I was 55 years old. That February I ran an out and back road ten miles in 56.36. In March I contested the Hull 20, finishing in 1.58.06, which is still the British age group record. My five mile splits were 29.12, 29.11, 30.23 and 29.20. I ran with Jim Dingwall who was living in Hull. I did not realise it at the time but sadly it was the last occasion I would meet this fine man. (Back in October 1982 I took part in the Scottish Vets half marathon at Grangemouth and was amazed to see Jim marshalling a Vets race out in the wilds. That year he had finished the London Marathon 5^th in 2.11 and yet was still willing to help out at a Vets event!)

In March 1995 I was second in the over 55 British Vets XC Championships, behind Steve James, which was no disgrace. That October in the British Vets XC Relay I was fastest M50 individual, recording 19.21 for 6k.

Other achievements included the following. Three wins (aged 50, 70 and 75) at British Vets half marathons. Three individual silver medals for Scottish Masters in the British and Irish XC International. First places in Scottish Vets Marathons; and in Cross Country Championships.

My best age-graded performance was in December 1996 at the Abbey Dash in Leeds. At the age of 57 I ran 10km in 34.49 which was rated at 91%. The course was remeasured later and found to be 50 metres too long.

I was a member of the British Masters gold medal team at the 1991 World Championship marathon in Turku, Finland.

Other Personal Bests included one mile road in 4.54 at 45; 2 miles road in 9.59 at 46; 3km track in 10.13 at 47; 4 miles road in 21.36 at 53; 5km road in 16.48 at 55; and 5 miles road in 28.28 at 57. Another race I remember well was the 1983 Piccadilly Radio Marathon in Manchester, when I finished first M40 in 2.36.

In Cycling, I won the over 60 Scottish Road Race and also the Series. In the British over 60 road race I finished third. In addition I was age graded winner of the Lennon Trophy and the Boomerang Trophy.

In Duathlon, I won the 2007 over 65 European Championship. In the 2010 World Championships I was second over 70. I enjoyed numerous British and Scottish age group wins from over 60 to over 75. In fact in these championships I was only beaten once since I learning about such events and making my debut in 1999. Why not try Triathlon? I’d probably drown.

After having a heart attack in January 2014, I had a stent fitted. Many veteran athletes have had the same operation and I call us the Stenturions! I was told to continue training and racing. Would we have survived had we not been so fit? “

[After this setback, George Black was second M75 in the 2015 British and Irish XC International, only four seconds behind the age group winner. Then in March 2016 in the East Hull 20, George set a new British M75 20 miles road record, and was also first M70 by just 23 seconds. His official time was 2.50.12, which beat the previous record, set a week earlier, by 11 minutes 48 seconds. This means that he currently holds the British records for 20 miles aged 55 (1.58.06) and M75. Amazing durability! (Ed.)]

[On 29 October at the St Andrews Park Run, with a time of 21:46, George recorded the first sub-22 minute Parkrun recorded by a 75+ in Britain. Thirty minutes earlier in England, Roger Wilson had established the previous record! However in November at the 2016 Masters XC International in Glasgow, Roger got his revenge by winning the age category, with George a meritorious second yet again. George wrote “I was more pleased with the team silver, which none of us expected. What can you say about the wonderful M80 Walter McCaskey!”]

                                                                                                       (From Scottish Athletics, Spring 2020)

Alex Kidd and Arthur Warton

At a time when Scottish athletics was at a high level, Garscube Harriers was among the best in the land.   After the war, Maryhill Harriers was still a very good club, Shettleston Harriers,  Bellahouston Harriers, and (between 1949 and 1959) Victoria Park (especially on the road) were all operating on an elevated plateau.   The club from Westerton was not far behind.   The period from 1946 to 1952 illustrates the club’s progress as an endurance running club at that time.

The ‘Scots Athlete’ magazine, founded and carried on at his own expense by Garscube Harrier Walter Ross, chronicled the period in question in some detail.   With championships in short supply, the magazine had started a Scottish athletics league with club positions based on places gained by individual club members in open meetings, including works sports, highland games, etc.   By the middle of the 1946 season with 42 clubs taking part, Garscube Harriers was second behind Victoria Park.  At the end of August 1946 one of the men who woulf feature in the coming cross country season was in the news: Arthur Warton won two races in four days when he won the Mile at Milngavie on the Saturday and then another at Helenvale on the following Tuesday in the Transport Sports.   He was not the only club man doing well though with Robin Sharp being in the results every other week for a good performance in the sprints, and on the roads Alex Gold was finishing high up the field in most races (eg 6th in the Perth to Dundee).    The club trainer at this time was John McFadden and he is pictured on the cover of the October 1946 issue of The Scots Athlete along with Warton and Sharp in a photo taken at Cowal Highland Games under the title @Some of Scotland’s Finest’.

The winter started as ever with the McAndrew Relays and although the club had good runners, they suffered because of the lack of depth at that time.   Emmet Farrell in his ‘Running Commentary’ in the November issue of the magazine said –

“Garscube with F Jewell off through injury, and A Warton obviously not tuned up were a shadow of their former selves and as they have not the latent strength of Shettleston, their racing prospects are uncertain but they remain the usual exuberant bunch of sportsmen.    They have lost Albert Hay, now in Canada, but in R Smith, D Murray and J Small they have promising runners, who along with R Mulgrew, who may find some form, and Alex Kidd, an international potential, likely to be demobbed soon, can maintain Garscube standard.”

The Western Track League final placings were revealed in November and top was Victoria Park with 109 points, Glasgow Police were second with 86 points, Garscube third with 84 and Shettleston fourth with 67 points, followed by Maryhill and Bellahouston.   The top 33 clubs were listed.   It had been a good summer season.   But we were in the cross-country season and the first championship after the relays was the National Novice championship and Garscube runner R Smith finished fourth and the team was seventh of the 15 complete teams to finish.   Clydesdale Harriers Youth Ballot Team Race took place for the first time in November and Garscube’s JJ Duffy finished fourth again.   Arthur Warton was written up as a contender for the Midland District championship but the January, 1947,  ‘By The Way ..’ column had comments on two of the club’s runners.   First:

“Alex Kidd, home on leave and expecting demob in a few weeks time, was converted to running because of his enthusiasm for boxing.   He wanted to put in extra training nights for the Amateur Boxing Championships and so he started training with the Garscube lads from Westerton in his desire to build up his stamina.   He enjoyed the runs and was tempted out in a 6 miles cross-country handicap.   His first race was a revelation – finished second off the novice mark from a fairly large entry.   From that date as far as Alex was concerned, running was ‘leading on points’  before he finally gave boxing the ‘knockout’.   In the SCCA test at Motherwell in 1945 Alex was a good third to Emmet Farrell and Harry Howard.   At 22 years of age, Alex Kidd will add keenness and colour to Scottish athletics.”

and

“And who would imagine that Alec Hay, joint champion with brother Albert of Garscube, and runner-up this year in Scottish 3 mile track championship, with his heavy stride and almost cumbersome style, is a very beautiful and graceful Highland dancer and has many classes in and around Inverness?   ‘Sandy’ is training to defend his title again this year and, no doubt, will have a bid for international honours, which he narrowly failed to achieve last year.”

The Garscube team was coming together – Warton and Kidd would be fixtures for decades to come and Hay did indeed finish second in the SAAA 3 Miles championship in 1946, the race being won by Emmet Farrell with AT Peters of Maryhill third.   In the Midlands District Junior and Youth Championships, the Juniors were in sixth place but the Youth team led by R Smith in second place and Joe Duffy in fourth, was second equal with Maryhill in the race won by Victoria Park.   There was a letter from their former member Bert Hay in the ‘Scots Athlete’ giving an update on his progress in Canada where he ran for Gladstone AC.   He reported that in a 5 mile road recently in which he was fourth he received a 17 jewel wrist watch, and he followed that up with a victory in an eight mile road race in 44 minutes.

Hay ran well in the national – taking the lead during the second lap he led all the way to the end of the third lap but dropped five places in the second lap and fell back to finish fifteenth.   This was a very good field indeed with the first half dozen being Andy Forbes, Alex McGregor, Emmet Farrell, Frank Sinclair, Willie Somerville and J Reid.  The other Garscube men were Mulgrew 24th, AL Hay 29th, DB Brookes 37th, J Gunn 54 and Walter Ross 55th.

The promise of the Under 17 group of Garscube Harriers was seen whe they finished first (JJ Duffy), second (R Smith) and third (F Russell) in the Dunbartonshire Cross-Country Championship for Youths on 29th March at their home trail at Westerton.   Then came the Round Dundee relay which they had won the inaugural race in 1943 and were first to finish in 1944 although the race was declared void after a stewarding error.  The team did well enough in 1947 to be third: Alex Kidd was fifth on the first stage, AL Hay moved up to third on the second, T Dailly brought them up to third on the next leg and R Smith held it on the final stretch.

R Smith

Looking  ahead to the SAAA Championships, Emmet Farrell rated Sharp a good contender for the quarter mile and Warton had ‘proved himself no slouch’ over the half mile.   Unfortunately he had to report that F Jewell of Garscube was in England and could not run in the championships.   As for the longer races, A Hay was able to make an interesting start but unfortunately for Farrell, Hay always peters out!    R Smith was the previous year’s runner up in the Junior mile was also mentioned in the context of the junior championships.    When it came to the bit, though, only Sharp picked up a medal in the National Championships when he was second in the 440 yards.   However two weeks earlier at the Babcock & Wilcox Sports at Renfrew, the club won the Empire Exhibition Trophy for the best team at the meeting – a hotly contested trophy for several decades.   In the SAAA Junior Championships, R Smith went one better and won the Mile in 4:45.0 and the report read:   “The favourite for the mile, however, long striding DRB Grubb (Geo Heriots School), already holder of the Scottish Schools title, could not meet the challenge of R Smith of Garscube Harriers whose strong finishing burst took him to the tape in 4 min 45 sec, and excellent performance on this track.”

In the McAndrew Relay at the start of the 1947/48 winter season, Alex Kidd lef the field home on the first stage, Arthur Warton was second at the end of the second stage and D Murray was third at the end of the third stage.   On the last stage veteran T Dailly had dropped another single place to see the club finish in fourth and out of the medals – it had nevertheless been a good start to the winter and proof, if any were needed, that in Kidd and Warton, the club had two very good seniors.    In the Midlands District Relay, the first after the War, the club finished third with a team of D Murray (13:38), A Warton (13:43), A Kidd (12:58) and T Dailly (13:27) and the club B team was eleventh.  Kidd was third fastest over the course, faster than Andy Forbes and Emmet Farrell and several other very good athletes.   The next championship was the national novice championship and Joe Duffy of Garscube won the race with the club in sixth position of the 27 competing teams.   The Photoflash article in the Scots Athlete was on Joe Duffy (Robin Sharp having been covered earlier in the year) .

Coming up to the National, Alex Kidd was mentioned as a contender for a place in the international team.   BNefore then of course came the Midland District Championships and although there was no one in the first three (the race was won by Bobby Boyd of Clydesdale Harriers from Walter Lennie, Vale of Leven and George Craig of Shettleston) Kidd in fourth place led the club to a great team victory.   They had a total of 74 points from Maryhill’s 110 and Shettleston’s 130.   The counting runners for Garscube were Alex Kidd 4th, Arthur Warton 5th, RJ Mulgrew 10th, T McGinley 11th, J Gunn 15th and D Murray 29th.    There were eleven Garscube Harriers who faced the starter that day and all finished.    In the Youths race, the team was led home by Ewan Murray in eighth place and Hugh Hatrick in eleventh to finish seventh.    In the 1948 national with Shettleston and Bellahouston back to full strength, Garscube was third team – Kidd 10th, Mulgrew 13th, Warton 19th, McGinley 24th,  Murray 28th and J Croall 56th.   Walter Ross and Davie Causon also ran finishing 64th and 74th respectively.   The Youths team were unfortunate in that they only finished fourth – W Munro 11th, H Hatrick 12th, E Murray 26th and J Linn 59th.   W Murray was 80th.    It had been a good day and ended a very good season with team medals in relays, and championships all the way from County to District to National.    But still no international representation over the country.

Winter 1948/49 started on 3rd  October when a depleted team finished fifth in the McAndrew relay at Scotstoun: fastest man was D Smith, two seconds faster than Alex Kidd on legs two and three.   Four teams were run that afternoon with the B, C and D teams finishing 17th, 31st and 32nd.

In the Clydesdale Harriers Youth Ballot Team Race, first Garscube man home was F Robertson in third place with Ewan Murray in tenth.   In the Midland Relays at Stirling on 4th December, Alex Kidd was third on the first stage in a time of 19:18 but the next three men – McGinley, Mulgrew and Gunn – all ran exactly the same time of 15:59 which dropped the club down to ninth.

The team turned out by the club for the Midlands District Championship was far from the club’s best.   TA Gourley was 48th, experienced road runner Alex Gold 50th, David Causon 59th, P McGrath 62nd, W Robertson 80th and J Andrews 82nd.   Other runners included R Smith 83rd, J McGarrity 84th, I Edwards 92nd, WJ Ross 96th, A Veitch 99th and J Croall 115th.   The team was down in eighth place.   The youngsters were more successful with F Robertson second and the team also finishing second.   However by the time of the national, a few of the stalwarts were again available and first man home was Alex Kidd in 9th place, followed by J Gunn 26th, T McGinlay 40th, T Dailly 444th, J Mulgrew 48th and J Andrews 56th.   Just out of the medals, but again the Under 17’s improved on that.   With no one in the first three or four, they were a very close second, beaten by only two points.   Runners were ES Murray 8th, G Dunn 17th, FJ Robertson 18th and W Munro 28th.

Emmet Farrell reported enthusiastically on the AAA’s marathon and waxed enthusiastic over Garscube runner Eddie Farrell’s 11th place, commenting: “Garscube Harrier Eddie Farrell finished 11th of the 75 starters and considering the fact that the field was a considerably good one, his performance rates even better than its face value.   Despite taking up racing rather late in his career and being now in the veteran stage, the Garscube man is the type that can stay forever.   He sets a steady pace and maintains it to the finish.   If he cared to attempt a more ambitious schedule I believe that he could be placed in the Scottish Marathon Championship”.

The Edinburgh to Glasgow Relay race was held on 25th April in 1949 and Garscube had a bit of an up-and-down performance.    Joe Duffy on the first stage was eighth but Alex Kidd on the tough second leg moved up to third with second fastest time of the day for the six miles.   Fred Robertson pulled up another place and handed over  in second.   D Murray on the fourth stage dropped back, but only one place to third.   D Murray kept that position on the fourth stage to half distance.   J Andrews dropped one more place to fourth  on the exposed fifth leg and then on the longest stage of the race, J Gunn dropped to seventh – it should be pointed out that he was racing some of the top men in the country and was passed by three international athletes.   R Black managed to pull one back and at the start of the last stage the club was sixth.   The gap to the third team of 3+ minutes was too big for T Dailly who held on to sixth place.

On 1st October 1949, the club was sixth in the McAndrew Relay.   This was actually a good performance at a time when the standard of Scottish distance running was high.   The team was R Smith, R Black, JJ Duffy and A Kidd who was fastest club man again.   On 15th October it was time for the Dunbartonshire County Championship relay and the club’s two teams were third and fourth.   The Edinburgh to Glasgow had its second running of 1949 on 21st October and the club started out with Hugh Hatrick finishing 12th on the first stage.  Alex Kidd, again on the second stage, moved up four places to eighth but John Gunn could not hold that and dropped down to tenth.   Fred Robertson came next and picked up one [place, handing over in ninth to AW Watson who made his way up to eighth place.   Joe Duffy dropped only one place to ninth on the seven mile leg, R Black held it on the seventh stage and R Smith ran home in ninth position.   In the Midland Relay Championship the club team of Hatrick, Smith, Kidd and Robertson was eleventh.   Eddie Farrell had disappeared from the scene but reappeared at the start of 1950 in the Helensburgh to Clydebank 16 miles road race (later to become the Clydebank to Helensburgh) when he finished 15th, one place and 36 seconds behind Walter Ross in a field of 21.   The Midland District Championships were held at Motherwell on 4th February, 1950, and Garscube finished eighth.   Ironically for a club that had formerly got results by packing well, Alex Kidd was ninth and then there was a huge gap to J Gunn in 46th, then Mulgrew 84th and Ross 86th.    The national was on 4th March at Hamilton and again Alex Kidd was the top Garscube man.   He finished 20th with J Gunn again second club runner back in 68th with Alex Gold in 71st.   The team was ninth.   It must have been a frustrating time for the club – they had runners in big numbers but they were not turning out in the races that counted.   Young runners were coming through and not adding to the strength of the team. The Junior team was also ninth with Joe Duffy leading them home in 20th with Fred Robertson 27th, R Smith 43rd and H Hatrick 44th.   There was no team or individual entered in the Youths race.

In summer 1950 several club men ran on the roads – Walter Ross, Normal Ross, TJ McGinley and TF Barton, with McGinley’s performances good enough to see him ranked number 8 in Scotland for the year.   But when the winter came. they were all out.  First race was the McAndrew relay and the club was fifth with the runners being Russell, Duffy, Coupland and Kidd with other teams placed 27th and 34th.   On 21st October at Jamestown, the Dunbartonshire relays were held and Garscube won with teams also finishing fourth and fifth.   Alex Kidd was second fastest on the day and the team was again made up of Russell, Duffy, Coupland and Kidd.   On 4th November the Midland District relay was held at Stepps, and the team was sixth and had the same four runners on the same stages as in the two previous races.   B and C teams were 21st and 25th with the name of A Warton reappearing for the third team – not much slower in time than two of the first team either.

18th November, 1950 saw the Edinburgh to Glasgow on the week end which was to become its due date for decades to come and Garscube chose to start wit Coupland on the first stage.   He finished eighth and handed over to Joe Duffy who dropped three places to eleventh.   Arthur Warton was next up and he picked up three places to have the team back in eighth.   J Gunn maintained eighth, but Fred Robertson had a really bad run and dropped back to sixteenth.   Alex Kidd could do no better than hold the position on the seven miles of the sixth stage, F Russell brought them up to 13th and R Smith came up two more places to have the club finish 11th.

On 6th January, 1951, the Dunbartonshire county championships were held and Garscube won the team race with the counting runners being Alex Kidd third, Gordon Dunn fourth, D Coupland fifth and J Gunn sixth.   Wonderful packing.   In the Youths race, H Carson was second and the team was also second with the other runners being G Dixon 4th and P Walkie 5th.

In the Midland Championships at the start of February, Garscube was fourth with Alex Kidd leading them home.   He was 11th with J Gunn in 28th, A Warton 34th, JJ Duffy 38th, D Coupland  53rd, and NM Ross 69th.

 

City of Edinburgh Marathon: Alex Kidd, Andy Brown, J Kelly, Emmet Farrell

Being written up by Emmet Farrell as a contender for a place in the international team was often the kiss of death for the athlete’s chances, but after sever years of such treatment, Alex Kidd made the top eight in the national.   Kidd ran ‘possibly his best ever race, full of verve and determination’.   He finished fifth but fourth for the purposes of the team race.   The other Garscube runners who helped take the team into sixth place were J Gunn (30), J Duffy (38), A Warton (42), D Coupland (51) and A Gold (57).   They had no team in the Junior race but G Dunn was 20th and J McDonald 65th.   Alex was picked for the International in Caerleon, Wales, but finished 55th – six places behind Eddie Bannon and four behind Charlie Robertson – and out of the counting six.

Alex Kidd then took to the roads over the longer distances and on 25th August ran in the Perth to Dundee race where he finished fifth of the 17 runners in 2:08:41 for the 22 miles.   In the City of Edinburgh marathon he finished fifth, one place in front of Joe McGhee, in 2:47:39.

The winter of 1951/52 started with the McAndrew Relay and Garscube was eighth with a quartet of Coupland, Duffy, Russell and Kidd.   With a slightly changed foursome of Coupland, Kidd, Dunn and Duffy they were seventh in the Midlands Relay but the surprise was that Duffy ran six seconds faster than Kidd.   The second team of Jewell, Gunn, Carson and Warton was 19th.   In the Dunbartonshire championships the team was second to Clydesdale Harriers (who also provided the third team) with Coupland, Duffy, Dunn and Kidd.   On to the Edinburgh to Glasgow relay and the team runners and positions were Coupland 11th, Kidd 7th, R Bell 7th, Dunn 11th, Gunn 9th, Duffy 9th, Black 8th and Russell 8th.   It cannot be said often enough that the standard at this point was very high – yes, VPAAC, Shettleston and Bellahouston tended to be the top teams but snapping at their heels were Springburn, Garscube, Edinburgh Southern and Greenock Glenpark.    It was not enough  to have five or even six good men for the E-G or the Midlands or National championships.   The clubs needed eight – even for races where only six counters were required because there was always somebody injured or having an off day and the other clubs would pounce on that weakness.

With the Inter Counties Cross-Country Championship at Westerton on 12th January, the Garscube runners were not out in the Nigel Barge Road Race seven days earlier.   Alex Kidd was the first Dunbartonshire man to cross the line when he was fourth.   D Coupland was 12thm R Black 16th and Robertson 18th.   There was a serious rivalry at the time between Kidd and Vale of Leven AAC’s Willie Gallacher and although the latter won in the County Championship, both were inside the old course record.   The Midland championship was on 2nd February and a weak Garscube squad finished ninth – again Kidd was the main man being 13th but it should be borne in mind that, as a result of his war service, Kidd suffered from malaria and it affected him from time to time.   There was the story of the runners returning to the dressing room in Lenzie and finding him lying shivering on the bench: apparently he told them not to worry, it was only the malaria!   Several runners also had malaria after the war – the old joke about the man going home from training to take his quinine being corrected by his clubmates who said it was Queen Anne (whisky) that he was going to have, had a bit of truth in it.   Nevertheless, Kidd was only 13th at Lenzie in 1952 and there were three scoring athletes outside the first 80.

First six in National:  Scots Athlete, p5, Feb 1952

The National was held, as was the custom, at Hamilton on 1st  March and the Garscube team, while stronger than at Lenzie a month earlier was eighth.   Runners were Kidd 17th, Black 33rd, Coupland 38th, NM Ross 60th, TA Gourley 62nd and A Gold 64th.   They had no one in the Junior race but the Youths team was ninth.

This was to be the pattern for several years to come with very good runners such as Stan Horn running in the blue and white in championships and major races without ever winning more medals at  national level.   But make no mistake, there was some seriously good running by club men at this time.

  Garscube Harriers  1930 – 1935                            Garscube Harriers 1935 – 1940