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(The following obituary was written by Jack Davidson)

AL  HOWIE: ULTRA DISTANCE RUNNER

           BORN 16^TH SEPTEMBER 1945 WEST KILBRIDE

DIED 21^ST JUNE 2016 DUNCAN, BRITISH COLUMBIA

          (Al Howie running in the Trans-Canada event)

Scottish-born athlete Arthur Howie, known as ‘Al’, was one of the world’s most renowned ultra distance runners and record holders who made his name initially in North America after taking up running aged 30 in Canada in order to quit smoking. During a competitive career between 1979 and ’99 he ran countless thousands of miles in races in many countries pushing the boundaries of human endurance to the limit and beyond as he chalked up success upon success with scarcely believable feats. Arguably his most outstanding achievement was running across Canada from east to west in 1991, a distance of more than 4,500 miles in just over 72 days, equivalent to more than two back to back Tours de France and two and a half marathons daily. Dubbed by him as ‘The Tomorrow Run ‘91’, he set off from Mile Zero in St.John’s, Newfoundland on 21st June reaching Mile Zero in Victoria, British Columbia 72 days later. In the process he raised over half a million dollars for special needs childrens’ charities in conjunction with the Elks of Canada, a fraternal organisation dedicated to community improvement projects. His run merited the installation of a brass commemorative plaque in Victoria recording the details for posterity. Fellow athletes called him ‘the Trans Canada Running God.’

         Hardly having caught breath, two weeks later he went to New York to compete in the Sri Chimnoy 1300 mile race which he won setting a new record of just over 16 days breaking his own record set two years previously. This raised ultra distance running to unprecedented levels, particularly remarkable as he was aged 46 at the time, and along with his Trans Canada run, earned entries in the Guinness Book of Records.

        Brought up in Saltcoats with sister Elizabeth and brother Ian, his early years offered little hint of his future running career although he showed some promise in cross country while a pupil at Ardrossan Academy. Young Arthur was later known as Alfie and then as Al. His father Arthur, a merchant seaman, had boxed in the navy during the war while mother Mary was a competitive swimmer. Although Howie did not participate in structured sport his family underlined the benefits of exercise and outdoor life to him by going on long daily walks during annual holidays and his mother encouraged him to swim daily in the sea during summertime.

        After marrying an American girl temporarily living here, they moved to the Bournemouth area where he worked in landscape gardening. When the marriage broke up he entered a relationship with a Canadian lady and in about 1973 went with her to live in Toronto. It was while there that he took up running to help him cope with giving up a heavy smoking habit. Determined to prove friends wrong who thought him incapable of stopping, he soon found long distance running therapeutic to his efforts and that he had a lot of natural ability. In one of his first attempts he was able to run 10 miles in normal daily clothing and footwear with ease. From there he progressed to making his competitive debut in 1979 in a 17 mile race finishing third while in his first marathon in Edmonton in 1980 he finished first in his age group. He then ran from Edmonton to Victoria to compete in the Royal Victoria Marathon.

          By now he was dedicating his life to running and his distinctive appearance of long blond mane of hair and bushy beard, often sporting a Lion Rampant running vest and his long spindly legs soon became instantly recognisable. Referring to himself as the ‘Tartan Spartan’ he cut a somewhat eccentric figure, exacerbating that image by sometimes drinking beer before and during races while fish and chips was his food of choice. But there was no doubting the quality of his running as illustrated in the following examples.

           He won the Ottawa 24 hours day and night race[Canadian Championship] five years in a row between 1981 and ’85 and for a sixth time in ’87; in 1988 he completed the John o’ Groats to Land’s End run in the then record time of eleven days, three hours and eighteen minutes, before  going on to run through England, France and Corsica en route to competing in a 254 km race between Cagliari and Sassari in Sardinia; in 1989 he was the first runner to break 18 days in the Sri Chimnoy 1300 race in New York; his last race was the 72 hour “Across the Year” event in Phoenix  Arizona, from 29^th December 1998 to 1^st January 1999 which he won, then aged 53.Altogether he raised over a million dollars for charity in his career.

       To continue running and do so successfully he had to overcome considerable adversity. In 1985 he suffered brain cancer and in 1995 was diagnosed with Diabetes I which he controlled with daily insulin injections leading to his being honoured by the North American Association for Diabetic Athletes. In 2007 the city of Duncan awarded him the Perpetual Trophy for Excellence and Sportsmanship while in 2014 he was inducted into Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame.

        His latter years were spent in care homes in Duncan marred by diabetes and mental health issues. In 1985 he married Claudia Cole but they separated, amicably, in 2000. He is survived by his wife, son Gabe, daughter Dana, and grandchildren Jocelyn and Kiyari.

Link to profile

Danny Wilmoth winning at Shawfield in the Lanarkshire Constabulary Sports

Note the dog track (cinder) round the outside of the running track on the grass

There were two or three miles races at other venues but they were often erratic in that they were not on the programme every year.   Shawfield was a fairly good meeting but the three miles was not an ever present – they did have other attractions however which kept the meeting going for some time.   The Falkirk meeting was only held for ten years as far as I can find out and at one time the Strathallan Gathering at Bridge of Allan had a three miles handicap.   It is maybe worth looking at the first two.

The Lanarkshire Constabulary Sports were held at Shawfield Stadium on the first Saturday in June.   Shawfield was the home of Clyde Football Club and was also famous for the greyhound racing that took place on the track round the outside of the football pitch.  This kept the spectators well away from the action and the size of the stadium meant that what would have been a ‘crowd’ at another Games meeting, appeared to be a sparse gathering.   The runners had to change under the stand, cross the dog track and then they were on the grass track which was marked out on the football pitch.   It was obviously a bit short of the 440 yards distance, but that was par for the course as far as summer tracks were concerned.   The sports organised by Clyde FC were originally professional sports and remained so for a big chunk of the amateur era, becoming amateur only in the second decade of the 20th century.   They ceased to be in the 30’s but the Lanarkshire Constabulary Sports took place there one week before the Glasgow Police Sports at Ibrox.    The programme changed from time to time at Shawfield and the three miles (not the more usual two) was a team race but the emphasis was on the individual event and lots of the top men took part in it.

We all enjoyed running there but it was not one of the major venues of the summer.

There was no team race at all in 1960 where the real interest was generated by Crawford Fairbrother broke the Scottish native record of 6′ 7 1/2″ for the high jump getting over 6’8″ on his second attempt.   The invitation quarter mile was won by WillieBlack of Maryhill and the open Mile by Mike Ryan of St Modan’s.   Nor was there one in 1961 – but 1962 say a good programme of events which included a three miles race.   The report on the race read: “AP Brown (Motherwell) at half way in the three miles never looked like catching his team mate R McKay but his recovery over the final half mile was so remarkable that he beat McKay by 30 yards in the good time of 14 min 08.5 sec. ”     There was a team race and Motherwell won it with 9 points.

The meeting in 1963 was held on June 3rd and the three miles was described in the results as “Three mile team race.   Motherwell YMCA(J Linaker 1, I McCafferty 2, AH Brown 3) 6 pts.   Linaker’s winning time was 14 min 23.8 sec.”    Away from the team race there were several interesting races.   The meeting most years had an invitation three quarter mile race and this time the invitees included Graham Everett (Shettleston), and Hugh Barrow (Victoria Park).   Shortly after the start there was a collision and Hugh Barrow fell to the track and was out of the race.   He tried to make up the ground but too much ground had been lost.    Everett won in 3:07.8 from Craig Douglas of Teviotdale with Graham Peters of Victoria Park third.   These meetings organised by the football clubs almost always had a five a side football tournament and Rangers, Third Lanark, Celtic, Clyde, Hamilton and Motherwell were the teams with Motherwell beating Rangers 1-0 in the final.

Motherwell again won the three miles team race on 13th June, 1964, although Lachie Stewart won the race from Bert McKay in 14:18 after sprinting away with 200 yards to go.   Hugh Baillie of Bellahouston was favourite to win the invitation handicap 300 yards but was beaten by a yard and a half by Graeme Grant who was running from 14 yards, Grant following this up with second in the mile to Eddie Knox of Springburn.  The featured three quarters of a mile invitation was won by Wilson of Teviotdale from Jim Johnstone (Monkland) and Graham Everett in 3:06.1.

Lachie again won the race in 1965, this time from Ian McCafferty (Motherwell) and Albert Smith (Victoria Park) in 14:06.6.   This was still the only team race in the programme, it was an open race by now and the meeting in 1965 really emphasised the five a side competition pointing out that the crowd was larger than usual and that it was ‘more raucous’ when the football came on.   Graeme Grant won the three quarter mile from Bill Ewing (Aberdeen University) and Craig Douglas of Teviotdale.

Brockville during a football match: you can see how tight the bends would be for four or five lanes to be inside the goal posts for an athletic track.   Lovely running surface though: definitely a class above the usual. 

We can pick up on the Sports at Falkirk FC’s ground (Brockville Park) on 25th July 1959.   The meeting was organised jointly by Falkirk Victoria Harriers and the football club and was – unfortunately – on the same date as Gourock Highland Games.    The meeting included a five-a-side football tournament which meant the goal posts had to be in place, which meant that the track had to be on the infield with enough space inside the goal posts for several runners to run side by side without touching wood.   It was one of the smallest tracks of the summer: I only ran there once and on that afternoon we all did personal best times, only to be disappointed when we were told that we had run one lap short.   In 1959 Andy Brown of Motherwell won the two mile team race in 9:13.8, a good time on a track with short straights and tight bends.   Two Victoria Park runners – John McLaren and Bobby Calderwood – were second and third and their club team won with 9 points.   St Mirren beat Celtic in the final of the football by 3 goals and 1 corner to 3 goals, the competing clubs being Rangers, Celtic, St Mirren, Falkirk, Stenhousemuir, East Stirlingshire, Hearts and Motherwell.    There was no men’s relay but in the women’s 4 x half lap, Broxburn beat Ardeer and Clydesdale.    

Programme photographs from Graham McDonald

A year later, on 30th July 1960, the Scottish three mile record holder, Andy Brown, faced up against the SAAA three mile champion, Eddie Sinclair of Springburn.   Brown won by 50 yards in 9:18.0 with Sinclair second and club mate Tom O’Reilly third.   Sinclair led home the winning team with Springburn having 12 points.   There was a medley relay that afternoon which was won, surprisingly, by Larbert Youth Club from Edinburgh Northern Harriers and Ayr Seaforth in 2 min 34 seconds (the distances were 2 laps, 2 x half lap and 1 lap).

In 1961, George Brownlie of Edinburgh Southern Harriers was unplaced in the junior half-mile but stepped up for the team in the two miles team race and won in 9:35.2.  R McFall of ESH was second and John McLaren third.   Southern won the team contest with 13 points.   Three years, three different clubs winning the race – competition was good.   The afternoon was marred by three players being ordered off in the five-a-side – Crerand of Celtic for arguing with the referee, and then Jackson (Celtic) and Lowrie (Falkirk) for coming to blows.   To cap it all, Provan (Rangers) and Roberts (Motherwell) had their names taken.   Not a good advertisement for football.   There was no men’s relay in 1961.

On 28th July 1962  Bert McKay (Motherwell) won from ‘two more fancied competitors’, John Linaker (Pitreavie) and Andy Brown, in 8 min 14.2.   The report added, maybe unnecessarily, that the distance was undoubtedly sort for the world record was 8 min 32 sec!    Motherwell won the team race.  It was a sparkling meeting that year with Ming Campbell winning the 100 from Ronnie Whitelock (VPAAC) and G Mclachlan (St Modan’s) in 9.9 seconds.   Willie Morrison (Larkhall) won the handicap mile from Mike Ryan (St Modan’s) and AC Gibson of Hamilton and David Cairns (Springburn( won the high jump.  There was an invitation medley relay again and it was won by Edinburgh AC from Larbert and Clydesdale in 2 min 24.2 sec.

27th July 1963 saw another win for the Motherwell YMCA team but this time their leading runner was JH Linaker – the same John Linaker who had been second the previous year but who was now working in Motherwell – from Andy Brown in a sprint finish, with Ian McCafferty third.   Motherwell of course won the team contest with 6 points.   Although it was not a team contest, Teviotdale runners held the first three places in the handicap half-mile – JR Wilson (12 yards) first, Craig Douglas (scratch) second and P Roden (10 yards) third.   Hugh Barrow (VPAAC) gave Dick Wedlock 42 yards in the junior half mile and it was just too much with Wedlock winning in 1:56 before also winning the mile.   The programme was much reduced and there were no relays other than the local Under 15 race.

“The Falkirk Football Club – Falkirk Victoria Harriers joint meeting at Brockville Park suffered from the counter attraction of the Gourock meeting and entries were down for the track events”    said the ‘Glasgow Herald’ of 27th July 1964.    There were only five track events for the men and four for the women.  There were no relays for either sex or for any age group.   The only club competition was the two miles team race where JR Wilson (Teviotdale Harriers) won in 9:31.6 from Tom Brown of St Modan’s.   Teviotdale won the team race.

Les Piggot, Brian Scobie, Lachie Stewart, Jim Johnston, Dick Hodelet and the sprinters in the relay teams were all competing at Gourock that day and to top it all David Stevenson set a British record in the pole vault.  It was to be the Falkirk meeting’s last fling.   It disappeared from the calendar.   It had been a good meeting but the competition from others was great with international meetings taking place most years on that weekend and Gourock was taking the highland games/local sports custom more and more.  Falkirk Victoria Harriers are to be thanked however for their effort in putting on this attractive fixture for so long.   Below is the list of officials from the Falkirk Sports programme of 1952 with many well-known names in there – Dunky Wright of course, Joe Walker, Alex Nangle (one of two handicappers at the time along with W McNeillie), Fred Evans the doyen of all the starters, David Corbett of Bellahouston, and many others.   It is not stretching a point in any way to note that they all had the competitors interests at heart.

Picture from Gourock HG website

The structured inter-club competition fostered all summer was not totally selfless on the part of the Games organisers.   Almost every competitor in the events brought along at least one spectator, often two or three.   In addition a club requiring four runners in a team race, often brought at least one competitor who would not otherwise have been there.   So a club with teams in the two miles and the relay had at least eight runners plus 20 or ore paying spectators.   The club teams usually used seven or eight runners over the season – not all of the top four were always available – so more athletes were exposed to the hard fought, elbows-out-on-the-bends, competition which would help them considerably come the winter cross-country season.    It was a win/win situation.

Among the venues, the Clyde coast meetings were at the end of July and the start of August – Gourock, Bute and Cowal all on successive week ends.   The Gourock meeting was on the last Saturday in July at the picturesque Battery Park, high on a hill outside the town.   The views from the park at times were superb.   A at any of these venues, the track was short with something like 5+ laps to the mile.   It started outside the pavilion and the first bend was downhill into a short back straight with a wee climb up to the finishing straight which was also on a gentle up-slope.   But the racing was hard.   There were always good races there and in 1960 the top end of the team race featured Graham Everett of Shettleston Harriers, Steve Taylor of Aberdeen AAC and Eddie Sinclair of Springburn.   Bunched at half distance, they were split when Everett set off on his fast finish: he won by 15 yards from Taylor with Sinclair a further five yards back.   There was a tie for the team race but Shettleston was given the verdict over Springburn because their last runner was ahead of Springburn’s.   The distance events generally were well supported at Gourock and in 1960 the Mile was won by McNeil of Shettleston from McLatchie of Muirkirk and Ballantyne of Edinburgh Southern; Ian Harris won the road race from Lyall of Edinburgh Southern with George King of Greenock Wellpark third.   The relays at Gourock were a bit different in that they kept them for schools teams – one school pupil running often brought grans and grandads as well as parents and siblings along!

In 1961 the two miles was won comfortably by Andy Brown of Motherwell YMCA and his club won the team race with 12 points.   12 points is an interesting number – it can be made up of first, second and tenth, or it can be made up of first,  fifth and sixth or indeed in many ways but not one of them indicates and easy win for the club against the best of Shettleston, Victoria Park or any of the other clubs taking part in these events.   The 1962 Games were held in pouring rain – atrocious for the spectators but even worse for the runners.   The team race was won by Motherwell again, this time with 11 points, and the first three places were filled by Andy Brown (9:54.4), Bert McKay (Motherwell), and George Brownlee  (Edinburgh Southern).   That year, in addition to the schools relays, the meeting included a medley relay which was won by Victoria Park, the report saying that the lead given to them by Hugh Barrow on the first (880 yards) stage gave them no problem in winning the race from Bellahouston Harriers and Clydesdale Harriers in 3:47.3.   The road race was won by John Kerr of Airdrie from Ian Harris of Beith, with Peter McConnachie of Wellpark third.

On 20th July, 1963, the sun shone and records were set in many events on a good, dry track.   One of these was in the team race over two miles where Motherwell’s new boy, John Linaker, won from Andy Brown in 9:10.8 which took 0.4 sec from Graham Everett’s record of three years earlier.   Brown’s time was 9:13.8 and Everett, who was also running that day, was timed at 9:23.4.    Importantly though, the team race was won by Motherwell (with 7 points) for the third year in succession.    The medley relay (880 + 220 + 220 + 440) was won by Ayr Seaforth (Davidson, McCrindle, McCarvel, Stewart) in 3:39.3.   Victoria Park’s Hugh Barrow won the 880 yards won the junior half mile in 1:58.9 from a field of 15 runners, all of whom were give handicap marks ahead of him.   The Victoria Park team probably suffered from his absence on the afternoon.

On July 25th, 1964, Lachie Stewart (Vale of Leven) who had been the outstanding performer all summer on the longer track distances, won the two miles from Pat McAtier (Paisley Harriers) in 9:42.4.   Shettleston Harriers won the team race.   Bellahouston Harriers (MJ McLean, P Ritchie, R Rae and W Robertson) won the invitation medley relay from Glasgow University and Glenpark Harriers in 3:43.5.

The track for the 1965 Games was sodden but nevertheless half a dozen records were set on the ground.   One of these was by Vale of Leven’s Lachie Stewart who won the two miles in 9:03 – taking 7.8 seconds from the existing record and beating Andy Brown by 8.4 seconds.   Motherwell YMCA won the team race with 10 points.    Bellahouston again won the medley relay from Ayr Seaforth in 3:34.5 with a foursome slightly altered from the previous year – MJ McLean, W Robertson, P Ritchie and D Young to win the Auchmountain Trophy.   This relay had been won in the past four years by Victoria Park, Ayr Seaforth and Bellahouston Harriers twice, with Glenpark Harriers, Clydesdale Harriers and Glasgow University all featuring in the first three.   It was no easy race to win.

In 1966 the two miles record was broken once again – this time by Ian McCafferty who won in 9:01.2 from a genuine past master in Ian Binnie of Victoria Park.   A multi-record breaker in the 1950’s Binnie inspired Victoria Park to a team victory with 10 points.   It was the third different club to win in as many years – Motrherwell the previous year and Shettleston the year before that.    Ayr Seaforth beat Dumbarton AAC in the mile medley in 3:39.7.   The road race was won by Alex Wight of Edinburgh University from Andy Brown in 1:12:33.   Graeme Grant (Dumbarton – scratch) won the half mile Duncan Middletin (Springburn – 10 yards) in 1:54.1, Norman Morrison (Shettleston – 130 yards) beat Jim Johnstone (Monkland – 10 yards) in the Mile in 4:17.8.   The field events featured Crawford Fairbroither (HJ) and Douglas Edmunds (throws).

Gourock Highland is still pulling in the crowds – the date has changed: initially it went to the fourth Saturday in July and it has moved back in the calendar to May now -but it was always a favourite venue for the club against club battles and much was read into the victories.

Hannah Park, Shotts: Home of Shotts Bon Accord FC and the Shotts Highland Games

There were always two meetings in September that attracted the attention: on the first Saturday here was Shotts Highland Games in the heart of Lanarkshire where the welcome was warm, the prizes good, and the track poor.   The back straight was definitely downhill, the home straight was definitely, indisputably, uphill.   The track was of red blaes and in wet weather was heavy and clinging.   White vests needed the aid of the best detergents to remove it.   But it was a good meeting.   The second Saturday in September was always Dunblane Highland Gathering.   An altogether more douce kind of affair in a kind of natural amphitheatre with close cropped grass banks on three sides for spectators to sit and watch the events unfold.   It was a grass track and at times the start of the bottom bend had some big holes made by the shot putters best efforts.   Each had a 14 miles road race but Shotts had the team events that Dunblane lacked.    Club competition was one of the things at Shotts.

In 1961, the team race was won by JT Anderson of Saltwell Harriers in England from Graham Everett of Shettleston in 9:12.4.   The track was narrow and with five or six teams of four plus a couple of individual entries, the starting line was usually crowded – if you were not on the front two ranks, then you had no option but to start relatively slowly while those in front burst forth on the gun with a serious sprint for the first bend.   Bert McKay of Motherwell YMCA was third and the team race was won the the Englishmen from Saltwell.   Shotts at this time was also known for the quality of its relay racing, often incorporating an SAAA sprint or medley relay into the programme.   In 1961 it was the SAAA mile medley relay championship and the report read:

“One of the closest races at the Shotts Highland Games at Hannah Park was the Scottish Mile Medley Relay championship.   Bellahouston Harriers won by two yards in the good time of 3:38.3, but their success was by no means assured until the final lap.   With Bellahouston third and 12 yards behind the leaders, Ayr Seaforth AC, at the three-quarter mile mark, young R Greig made such good progress that he overtook and beat the two runners ahead of him, including JR Boyd (Ayr) the holder of the half mile record.   Some watches showed that Greig had returned his personal best time of 50.3 seconds.”

 In 1962, individual and team honours in the two miles team race again went to Saltwell Harriers: Anderson (9:08.4) and Hillen finished one-two, with Bert McKay and Andy Brown (winner of the 14 miles road race the previous year) in three and four.   The SAAA medley relay championship went to Victoria Park’s squad of Barrow, Turner, Johnstone and Ballantyne) who won in 3:34 from Ayr Seaforth and Bellahouston.   According to the reprt in the Herald, McLatchie beat Barrow in the opening half mile eg ‘by a good margin’ , and Seaforth retained the lead until the last 440 yards leg when ‘A Ballantyne (Victoria Park) ran one of the best races of his career and beat the junior quarter mile champion, JC Stewart (Ayr Seaforth) .’   There was also a women’s medley relay which ended as a contest when Bellahouston’s Helen Cherry gave them a big lead over the half mile.   Getting away from team races and club involvement temporarily, the Shotts 14 mile road race (featuring a couple of serious hill climbs) has something totally unique as a prize – it’s a silver groat.   A groat was an old Scottish coin worth fourpence and it is not something that most Scots have seen.   The race is usually well supported and the winner in 1962 was J Layburn of Jarrow in 1:14:34.    Among the winners in the open events was Ian McCafferty running off 120 yards in the handicap mile, Neil Donnachie of Edinburgh in the half-mile off 16 yards and in the field events Howard Payne of Birchfield won the hammer with an allowance of 3′.

On September 9th, 1963, it was a wet and windy day at Hannah Park and several invitees did not turn up but the club teams for the two miles race were there as usual renewing their rivalry.   This time there were no raiders from across the border and the race was won by Ian McCafferty in 9:34.6 from Jim Johnstone (Monkland Harriers) and Tom Brown (St Modan’s).   The team race was won, not by Motherwell as expected, but by Springburn Harriers whose team of Tom O’Reilly in fourth, Ian Young fifth and Moir Logie in seventh had 16 points.    The medley relay was the feature race that day with the title going to Ayr Seaforth’s quartet of J Davidson, C Stewart, R McCrindle and R Billson in 3:38.0 from Bellahouston and Octavians.   ‘Victoria Park were unable to field a satisfactory team as their leading half-milers were engaged elsewhere.’    Only five of the ten invited runners turned up for the invitation mile which was won by JR Wilson of Teviotdale Harriers from Fergus Murray.   The road race again went to Layburn of Jarrow from Donald Macgregor and Charlie McAlinden.

In 1965 it was Ian McCafferty’s turn to win the team race ‘in workmanlike fashion’ from team mate Bert McKay in 9:09.6 with Motherwell taking the team race.   Lachie Stewart won the road race from Layburn by over two minutes in a new record time (1:11:20) but the race gaining all the attention was the other inter-club race – the invitation medley relay.   The report read: “Glasgow University, holders of the Scottish Mile Medley Relay championship title, even with BW Scobie, WM Campbell, J McGeogh and AB Kennedy, found Bellahouston Harriers more than a match for them.   MJ McLean, a junior, obviously instructed to have as big a lead as possible over the 880 yards first leg, never let up and Scobie found it impossible to get any nearer him than 20 yards.   Thereafter the race was as good as won for H Robertson, W Robertson and H Baillie made the most of this advantage and won by 25 yards.”   Dumbarton AAC was third and the winning time was 3:34.0.

More records were set in 1966, again Ian McCafferty won the two miles, but this time it was no ‘workmanlike’ job – not when he was racing Fergus Murray.   Murray dropped bck in the second mile and McCafferty’s winning time was 9:04.4 with a winning margin by the end of about 14 seconds.   The run erased the time set by John Anderson from Saltwell Harriers from the books by four seconds.   Motherwell (first, third and fourth) won the team race.    McCafferty almost won the handicap mile from scratch – finishing second to Mike Bradley of Paisley who was off 100 yards.   In the medley relay, Bellahouston Harriers won from Octavians with Edinburgh AC third.   Their team of MJ McLean, J Williams, HJ Carmichael and W Robertson were timed at 3:32.1.   Incidentally the 880 yards leg featured an excellent field including Graeme Grant, Adrian Weatherhead (Octavians), Stewart (Edinburgh AC) and Mike McLean with McLean comfortably beating the favourite, Grant.   In the open handicap half mile, Hugh Barrow (18 yards) defeated MJ McCarthy (Gosforth – 34) in 1:53.4.

In 1967 it was again McCafferty who won the two miles team race, this time in 9:10.0, and Motherwell won the team race.   The drama of the day was in the SAAA Medley Relay.   The report:

“One Scottish title was settled – the senior mile medley relay, but in the most frustrating manner possible for former holders, Bellahouston Harriers.  Victoria Park, having been second in the Amateur Athletic Association Championships earlier in the year, were favourites, even without P Hepburn, one of their 220 runners.   An unconvincing first leg (880 yards) by WH Barrow left Victoria Park with only a slight lead , and as the last leg (440 yards) was about to begin they had at the most, a yard in hand over Bellahouston – enough we thought for H Baillie (Bellahouston) to catch RT Laurie .   In a scrambled changeover, however, Baillie was knocked prostrate on the track by an incoming opponent, Laurie was gone, unaware of his rival’s bad luck, and he raced home a clear winner.   The blame really rests with an association which can award the holding of a national event to a meeting whose track has no lane markings and is approximately 17 feet wide instead of 24.”    The winning team was Barrow, A Wood, J Duguid and Laurie and finished in 3:06.8 with Edinburgh AC third.

Shotts was undoubtedly a good meeting with excellent athletes and, coming as it did a month before the winter season’s pipe-opener in the 4 man McAndrew Relay, was supported by the cross-country fraternity as an early lead in to the season.   Unfortunately in Scotland at the start of September, it seemed in retrospect, to have its share of rain!

Lachie Stewart and Norman Morrison at Cowal Highland Gathering

Of all the Highland Games meetings, Cowal was probably the best known among the general public and among athletes it was seen as a two-day meeting, a well sponsored meeting (they paid expenses for invited teams!), and the one with the biggest crowds by far.   Clubs took buses to Cowal – it was a long drive – and many athletes went by train to Craigendoran (at Helensburgh) and then went by boat to Dunoon.   The journey, whether in a busload of friends or by train and steamer, was part of the whole day.   And the quality of the athletics was always high.    When I started going there, there were only six teams invited to the two miles team race and one of them was always an English club.    We were sharing the dressing room and lining up with the best of Longwood and Saltwell Harriers, for instance.   Running at Cowal was a dream of a day for men who normally had to pay money and travel to England to race these guys.

If we look at the 1959 Cowal Games first …    They were held on the last weekend in August and the inter-club element was usually by invitation unless there was a championship relay being held.   “Three runners in the two miles invitation caught the eye – GD Ibbotson (South London Harriers), a former world record holder for the mile, GE Everett (Shettleston Harriers) the Scottish mile champion, and AH Brown (Motherwell YMCA), holder of the Scottish native record for the three miles.   The first mile was completed in 4 minutes 25 seconds with Ibbotson allowing Everett to make the pace.   The position was generally similar until the last lap when Ibbotson went to the front and opened a wide lead from Everett, who appeared to be tiring rapidly.   Brown made a strong effort to chase Ibbotson but the Englishman finished 10 yards ahead of him in 8:37.7 , Brown’s time was 8:59.4 and Everett was third in 9:15.2 – a time which he has easily beaten on previous occasions. “

Everett was out again in the medley relay where the Shettleston team won (Everett, McNulty, Meggat, Dewar) from Garscube and Ayr Seaforth.

Another Englishman won the event in 1960 – John Anderson of Saltwell Harriers winning from Bill Kerr (Victoria Park) and Eddie Sinclair of Springburn in 9:05.7.   Team victors were Victoria Park (15 points) from Bellahpouston (21) and Springburn (24).   The West District relay was included on the programme and as won by Victoria Park (Dunbar, Turner, Hildrey and Whitlock) in 42.3, a native record, from Larbert YC and Ayr Seaforth.   The medley relay was Seaforth from Bellahouston and Liverpool Harriers.   The inter-club component was important to the development of the athletes and the sport and to be representing your club before tens of thousands of spectator at what was an international gathering gave the athletes a real shot of adrenalin.   The Rangers Sports were still going strong but they had no inter-club element to them – they fulfilled another function.

The team race in 1961 was on a higher plane than for many years when Ibbotson, Anderson and Everett faced each other on the starting line.   It was a wet day and times generally were slow but the report read: “The two miles was a close race among JD Anderson (Saltwell), GD Ibbotson (Longwood) and GE Everett (Shettleston).   They finished in that order, in 9:11, 9:11.8 and 9:12.2.   Anderson had the edge for speed on his opponents down the finishing straight.   GD Ibbotson turned out in the open mile, and although he made good progress through the big field of handicap runners, he just failed to be placed.   JT McLatchie (Muirkirk AC) showed fine form and won from 45 yards in 4:11.8.”

The team race was won by Shettleston Harriers (20) from Bellahouston Harriers .   Bellahouston had their consolation when they won the medley relay from Liverpool Harriers and Seaforth AC.   Their winning team of Currie, LaPointe, Robertson and Greig was timed at 3:35.5.   The West District Relay was again won by Victoria Park whose team was Ballantine, Hamilton, Hildrey and Whitlock in 43.2 seconds.   The only other invitation event was the Youthe 880 yards which was won by Hugh Barrow (VPAAC) in 1:57.2 from Jim Johnston and Jim Finn (both Monkland).

On  the second day of the 1962 meeting John Anderson achieved a notable double when he won the invitation mile as well as the two miles.   The photograph in the ‘Glasgow Herald’ showed three men straining for the line – Anderson, Ibbotson and Jim McLatchie with times of 4:08.9, 4:09.9 and 4:09.9.   The Two Miles was another hard race between the two Englishmen with Anderson’s 8:56.6 beating Ibbotson’s 9:01.2 and John Hillen (Saltwell) in 9:01.4.   As they took the eye of the photographer and the spectating masses, there was a hard team race taking part which was won by Motherwell YMCA.   The Medley Relay was won by Bellahouston (Currie, McGaw, LaPointe and Greig) from a fast finishing Seaforth AC  and Liverpool Harriers in 3 min 31.7 sec.    Bellahouston (Mayberry, McGaw, LaPointe and Rae) also won the West 4 x 110 yards relay in 43.6 seconds from Seaforth and Clydesdale.   Ibbotson had enjoyed his previous experiences at Dunoon so much that he brought his wife Madeleine up in 1962 and she won a women’s invitation 880 yards from Scotland’s Georgena Buchanan and Ireland’s Maeve Kyle.in 2:16.0.

31st August, 1963,  was another good day for JP Anderson of Saltwell.   The ‘Glasgow Herald’ report read: JP Anderson was one of the most successful competitors at the annual Cowal Games on Saturday at Dunoon.   He won the invitation two miles in the most satisfactory time of 8:54 on a track that had been made soft and heavy by continuous rain.   There was never ever doubt about Anderson’s ability, for when he decided to take control of the race all that was left was to see who was going to be second.    In the circumstances young I McCafferty (Motherwell YMCA) showed considerable ability, for in determined fashion he beat the more experienced JJ Hillen (Saltwell) for second place in 9:00.2 for his personal best and the best time ever shown by a junior.   Motherwell again won the team race with 15 points with the brothers AH  and  AP Brown the supporting members for McCafferty.   Bellahouston Harriers retained the Western District 4 x 110 yards relay championship.  Ayr Seaforth and Clydesdale were again second and third respectively.   

Saltwell Harriers was second in the two miles with 30 points and the medley relay was replaced by the SAAA junior medley relay which was won by Victoria Park (Laurie, Smith, Lappin and Wood from Edinburgh Southern and Seaforth.

*

This was Anderson’s third year at Cowal, and Ibbotson had been there twice.   What was the attraction?   The arena consisted of an ash track round a very tight infield.   On the infield there was always (a) two pipe band circles, (b) a highland dancing platform, (c) a wrestling competition and the runners had to warm up around them, keeping an eye out for the pipe bands marching into the arena.   On the outside of the track there was a crowd of 40000 or 50000, so close to the track that the athlete in the outside lane could shake hands with the spectators.   It was a very intense experience.

*

Cowal was always a two-day meeting with an incomplete programme on the Friday with most of the standard track events, then on the Saturday with a complete programme of events.  This enabled distance men to run two races, sometimes three, over the weeend.  On 29th August, 1964, young Hugh Barrow took the plaudits.  On the Friday evening he set a new SAAA record for the rarely run three-quarter mile distance of 3:00.5, just beating John McGrow on the line.   He would go on to equal this time twice – at Airdrie in 1968 and 1969 – but never to beat it.  Not content with that, he was out for his club on the Saturday in the two miles team race.   Second in the two miles to Derek Ibbotson, who won in 8:49.4, he set a personal best time by no fewer than 11 seconds when he ran 8:54.   Ian McCafferty was third in 8:59.4.   Glasgow University (McGeoch, Gibbons, Ewan and Campbell) won the Western District 4 x 110 yards in 43.1 seconds from Seaforth and Clydesdale.   The SAAA Junior 4 x 110 yards was won by Bellahouston  (Carmichael, Brown, Symeonides and Ritchie) from Edinburgh Southern and Victoria Park in 44.1 sec and in the SAAA Junior medley relay (440 + 220 + 220 + 440), Bellahouston (Baillie, Carmichael, Ritchie McLean) beat Ayr Seaforth and Victoria Park in 2:28.6.

Barrow (right) beats McGrow in 1964

Came 1965 and Edinburgh Southern Harriers were back at Cowal and led by  Kenny Ballantyne, they acquitted themselves well.  “The most absorbing contest on the track was the two miles in which R McKay, KD Ballantyne and E Knox ran in that order for most of the way.   McKay, the veteran of the three, was obviously trying to take the sting out of his rivals finish during the last two laps, and succeeded with Knox.   Ballantyne however had too much left and in the home straight fought past McKay and won in 9 minutes exactly. “

Bellahouston Harriers won all three relays that year – the West District 4 x 110 yards, the SAAA Junior 4 x 110 championship and the SAAA junior medley relay championship.

The 1966 Games 440 yards invitation race was a personal triumph for Hugh Baillie of Bellahouston Harriers who won in 48.7 but the two miles team race where the country’s top clubs faced each other was as hotly contested as ever.    Ian McCafferty (Motherwell YMCA) won from Hugh Barrow (VPAAC) by 17 seconds.   Only Barrow attempted to go with him and their times at the finish were 8:42.2 and 9:05.6.   McCafferty had come through the first mile in 4:21.   Motherwell won the team race, as they did at so many venues in the 1960’s, with 9 points (1, 3, 5).    In the relays, Bellahouston (Williams, Symeonides, Baillie and Carmichael) won the SAAA West District 4 x 110 yards in 43.4 seconds, and with a team of Johnstone, Wood, McAlpine and Wallace) the SAAA Junior 4 x 110 yards in 46.3.    Edinburgh Southern Harriers (Hay, Miller, Railton and Stewart)  however won the SAAA Junior medley relay in 2:32.2 from Bellahouston.

Alastair Shaw’s prize ticket from the mid-70’s: the prize was a cake stand

It is interesting to reflect on what effect all this head-to-head racing of runners of all standards at the various meetings had on standards generally in Scottish athletics.   It should be borne in mind that Cowal was not as easily reached as all the other central belt venues – Gourock, Ibrox, Shotts and the rest were all well attended and the top men, the clubmen and the young pretenders all faced their own rivals on tracks around the country week in, week out and although the times were not good the lessons in hard racing were learned and perfected.

*

Star turn in 1967 was Lachie Stewart’s one hour run on the Friday evening in which he covered 12 miles 188 yards to set a new Scottish record.   He also ran in the two miles on the Saturday and although always up at the front of the field, he dropped back allowing Ian McCafferty to win in 8:59.4 seconds leading Motherwell to team victory with 8 points(1, 3, 4).   McCafferty also won the mile from Hugh Barrow in 4:03.1.   The relays?   The West District 4 x 110 was won by Garscube Harriers in 44.4 seconds after the ‘winning’ team from Victoria Park had been disqualified despite being well ahead at the finish, the SAAA Junior 4 x 110 yards was won by Shettleston Harriers in 44.8 seconds and the SAAA Junior medley relay championship was won by Shettleston in 2:32.2.

For some reason the Glasgow Herald correspondent took to reporting English fixtures at greater length about this time and the reports on Cowal and other Games and Sports dwindled and only winners were listed and, even less praiseworthy, the team events were not given their proper place.   In 1968, Lachie Stewart won the mile against Walter Wilkinson of Longwood Harriers in 4:05.7 as well as the team race in 8:59.6.   The West District 4 x 110 yards was won by Bellahouston and the SAAA junior 4 x 110 yards by Airdrie Harriers.   Shettleston retained the junior medley relay title in 2:34.0.   In 1969, the event went again to Lachie Stewart whose time was 8:52.6 and Shettleston won the team race; the West District 4 x 110 yards relay went to Victoria Park, thanks to a ‘splendid run by Andrew Wood, Victoria Park’s anchor man which enabled his club to win by six yards from Bellahouston Harriers .   Wood later ran from scratch in the final of the open 220 yards and won by two yards in 22.7.” 

Cowal continued to be  good meeting but the point has been made about the inter club element being an ifactor.   Man against man is what the sport is about but the club element where runners challenge themselves against their equals or betters for their club, when they would not do so for themselves, has always been an important factor in athletes development.

As an example of a typical meeting for the athletes we have extracts from the 1971 programme with all the results.

The meeting was still drawing the crowds in 1989 –

Unfortunately after many years as a model of how the light athletics (running and jumping events) should be incorporated into the programme, Cowal dropped all athletics events other than the heavies and the programme is less varied in other respects.   The only running event in the 21st century is a 5K road race (plus some schools races), and the arena events now look like this.   In the Stadium there are Heavy Events, Highland Dancing, Pipe Bands and Wrestling; and in the Performance Arena there is Axe Throwing.   This is a sad loss for the athletics community and for the local athletics fans in Dunoon.

Lachie Stewart (48) leading from Dick Wedlock (45) and Hugh Barrow (71)

Inter-club rivalry and competition did not stop with Tuesday or Thursday night matches but continued at Sports Meetings and some Highland Games during the summer season.   Many of these occasions were enhanced by the inclusion of a two mile team race and one – or at times two – relays at the end of the meeting.   Of course, athletes travelling to such meetings, would also enter individual races to maximise their pleasure or competition experience on the day.   It was not unusual to see a runner finish the team race and immediately change the race number for the one he would wear in the up-coming mile handicap; it was unusual to see – as we saw Gordon Eadie of Cambuslang do once – a runner win a 14 mile road race and then step on to the track for the two mile team event!   The sprinters in the 4 x 100 relay would as a matter of course also enter two of the 100 yards, 220 yards or 440 yards.   I remember at Cowal the relay came before the 220 yards handicap and since so few turned up for the furlong, it was decided to have a straight final.   After the decision was taken and the announcement made, the sprinters trooped across from the relay and it was discovered that there were almost two dozen runners for the straight final!   They went ahead with it and it made for a most interesting race.   But the thing is that the top men turned out in these races and with, say, Motherwell YMCA, Victoria Park and Shettleston facing each other almost every other week, the head to head racing that helped develop the top men, was the highlight of many a local sports day.

One of the most popular was that held at Babcock & Wilcox Sports in Renfrew at Moorcroft Park, on the third Saturday in June.  By then the runners were well tuned up having run  in the team race at the Lanarkshire Constabulary Sports at Shawfield on the first Saturday of the month and then as individuals in the Glasgow Police Sports on the second Saturday.   The Glasgow polis did not have a two mile team race at this point.   The track at Moorcroft Park was just good grass – it had no eccentricities (Cowal had a big hole on the inside of the second bend, Gourock had an uphill last bend and finish, and so on) , was easily reached by public transport and there was a trophy (the Empire Exhibition Trophy) for the club with the highest points for the afternoon..   In addition the prizes were of a good standard – eg we once had 54″  x  27″  fireside rugs for being second team.

In 1960 the race was won by Graham Everett in 9:00.2 at a time when he was SAAA Champion and GB Internationalist for the Mile.   To keep the inter-club theme going, Edinburgh Northern Harriers won the Medley Relay in 3:38.8.   1961 was also a close run thing in the team race – Graham Everett again won the two miles from two Bellahouston runners – Joe Connolly was second and Dick Penman was third but Bellahouston won the team race convincingly with 9 points to Shettleston’s 20.   Everett was out again in the medley relay and this time Shettleston won in 3:37.8.   The Empire Exhibition Shield went to a third club – Springburn Harriers who were closely challenged by Bellahouston and Victoria Park.   Nobody won anything unchallenged at Babcock’s.

Having come close in 1961, Victoria Park won the Shield in 1962 and possibly the two miles team race (the exact result is not available) but the Mile Medley Relay went to Larkhall YMCA who won in 3:38.8.   Came 1963 and it was Bellahouston Harriers’s turn to win the Empire Trophy and the match incorporated a match between Renfrew and London which was won by the home team.   The Two Miles was a clean sweep for Motherwell whose first three were Bert McKay (9:08.9), Andy Brown and Alex Brown with the team race being decided on these three places, with Victoria Park second  and Edinburgh Southern Harriers third.   The medley relay this time went to Maryhill Harriers from Dumbarton in second and Clydesdale Harriers in third.

In 1964 Lachie Stewart won the two miles in 9:6.8 while Motherwell again won the team race but the relays were the high point of the meeting.   The medley relay was won by Ayr Seaforth for whom Jim McLatchie, home on holiday from America, ran the first stage but an added attraction was the holding of the two SAAA championship relays over 4 x 100 and 4 x 440 yards.   The former was won by Glasgow University (McGeough, Gibbons, Ewan and Campbell) in 43 seconds, holding off Edinburgh Southern by a yard; and the students from Glasgow also won the long relay (Foster, Wilson, Hodelet and Campbell) in 3:19.1 by five yards.   The inter-club events added a great deal to the sports – coming just a week before the SAAA Championships didn’t hurt either.

Lachie won the race in 1965 in 9:11.6 with Victoria Park taking the team race.   Dumbarton AAC went one better than in 1963 when they won the mile medley relay in 3:42.3.   In 1966 the weather was wet, the ground soggy and times generally slow but Victoria Park again won the Empire Trophy which they had won a year earlier and the race of the afternoon was reported to have been the two miles which was won again by Lachie Stewart in 9:24.8 while Bellahouston defeated Dumbarton to win the medley relay in 3:50.2.   Bellahouston won the relay again in 1967 in 2:31.8 and Lachie Stewart of Vale of Leven won the two miles in 8:58.

Thereafter the third Saturday in June – which had always been taken up with the Scottish Schoolboys Championships, the Scottish Schoolgirls Championships and Babcock’s Sports was invaded by more and more meetings and one of the most enjoyable meetings on the calendar disappeared.

The point made at the top of the page – that inter-club competition which was beneficial to the clubs, to the individuals and to the sport in the country was continued throughout the season in a variety of ways.   We can look at some of the other sports and games that included two miles team and relay races on another page.

Inter Clubs at Shawfield and Brockville    Shotts and  Gourock    Cowal 

The inter-clubs were in the main  organised by the clubs concerned and were often annual fixtures – for instance Clydesdale Harriers always had track matches with Vale of Leven, Greenock Glenpark Harriers and Springburn Harriers with others (Shettleston, Victoria Park, Maryhill, etc) being less frequent.   They should not be looked back on in a patronising fashion – they were far from being easy, wee social occasions – although there was always a social element present.    I have printed the results of the first one here had 16 events, including almost all field events, and others had eighteen events on the programme.   Bear in mind that they required all the hurdles on the track for both hurdles races, the uprights and other kit for the high jump and pole vault plus all the throwing equipment to be present and in a good condition and that track events usually went up to 6 miles and had both relays..

They were not contested solely by B string or C string athletes – note some of the names below – SAAA champions such as Ming Campbell, Joe Connolly, Tom McNab, Peter Milligan, Alan Dunbar, Mike Hildrey and so on all appeared in them.   Arranged before the season started, these matches were often written in to the competition before the season began.

This is just a sampling of the fixtures – those from the East Coast are not here, nor are many of the local meetings in the counties around Glasgow such as Dunbartonshire, Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire or Ayrshire.   Not all results have been printed.   If you want any particular set added, it can be done.   Here we go.

Wednesday, 27th April, 1960:   “Bellahouston Harriers beat Shettleston Harriers by 117 points to 82 last night in an inter-club contest at Corkerhill.   R Sykes (Bellahouston) won three events,  the shot putt (41′ 9″), discus (126′ 4 1/2″) and the long jump (19′ 7”) and he was equal first in the pole vault.   Other winners:

100 yards: D Robinson (S) 10.7 sec;   220 yards: A McGaw (B) 22.9 sec;   440 yards: R Cairney (B) 51.6 sec;   880 yards: B Forrest (B)  2 min 9.3 sec;   Mile:   B Dickson (B) 4 min 32.3 sec;   Three Miles: J Connolly (B) 14 min 21.8 sec;   Six Miles:  J Irvine (B) 31 min 7.1 sec; 120 yards hurdles:  G Brown (B) 16.6 sec; 440 yards hurdles: Brown, 60.6.

High Jump: R Santini (S)  5′ 5″;   hop, step and jump: T McNab (B) 43′ 11 1/2″;   Javelin:  D Fraser (S) 149′ 8″;   pole vault: F McDonald and Sykes 9′;   Hammer:  T McNab (B) 79′ 1 1/2″;   4 x 100 yards relay:   Bellahouston (S Watson, R Sykes, S Wineberg, S McGaw)45.4 sec;    4 x 440 yards: Bellahouston (W Robertson, J Currie, A Forrest, R Cairney) 3 min 35.1 sec.”

Friday, 29th April:   Tomorrow there is a triangular contest at Barrachnie where Shettleston Harriers will have  Seaforth AC and Garscube Harriers as visitors.   Shettleston should prove too strong for both opponents as they have a much stronger team than that which lost to Bellahouston.”

Monday, 1st May:  Shettleston Harriers won a triangular match against Seaforth AC and Garscube Harriers with an aggregate of 89 points to 66 for Seaforth and 36 for Garscube.   J Meggat and T McNab (Shettleston) had doubles in the 100 yards and 220 yards  and  the long jump and shot putt  respectively.  

Results:   100 yards:  J McNulty (SH)  10.4 sec;   second race:  J Meggat (SH) 10.5 sec;   220 yards: W Stockton (SH) 23.6;  second race:  Meggat (SH) 23.6 sec;   440 yards: J Baird (SH) 53 sec;   second race: J Wilson (SAC)  53.2 sec;   880 yards:  J Young (SAC) 1 min 58 sec;   Mile: J Davidson (SAC)  4 min 35 sec; Three Miles:  I Donald (SH)  15 min 7.8 sec;   High Jump:  A Santini (SH) 5′ 3 1/2″; Long Jump:  T McNab (SH) 19′ 5 1/2″;  Shot Putt:  McNab (SH) 36′ 10 1/2″; 4 x half lap relay:  Shettleston  1 min 17.2 sec.

[There were also races for Youths and Boys]

Wednesday, 3rd May: “Bellahouston Harriers beat Jordanhill Training College by 108 points to 84 last night at Corkerhill.   G Brown (Bellahouston) won the 120 yards hurdles and 440 yards hurdles in 17.3 sec and 60 sec respectively.  Another notable performance was achieved by J Connolly (Bellahouston) who won the three miles in 14 min 13.5 sec, 2 sec outside his own personal best for the distance.”   

Friday, May 6th:  “Shettleston Harriers will meet Edinburgh University in what should be a very closely contested men’s inter-club match at Barrachnie.

Glasgow University should give a good account of themselves in a three cornered contest at St Andrews against the local students and Queen’s University, Belfast.    The Scottish Universities B Teams with Clydesdale Harriers will have a match at Westerlands.”

Monday, 9th May at Barrachnie:   “Edinburgh University beat Shettleston Harriers by 78 points to 64 at Barrachnie.   T McNab and RA Findlay, both of Shettleston, won two events.   McNab won the long jump and the hop, step and jump and Findlay the shot putt and javelin.   The students won 10 of the 15 events.”

Wednesday, 11th May:   “Bellahouston Harriers beat Victoria Park by 82 1/2 points to 78 1/2 points in an inter-club contest last night at Nethercraigs.   G Brown (Bellahouston) won both hurdles events, the 120 yards in 12.1 seconds and 440 yards in 57.4 seconds, and RC Sykes (Bellahouston) won the shot putt with 39′ 11″and the discus with 112′ 10″.   In the high jump, C  Fairbrother (Victoria Park) cleared 6’6″ but failed at three attempts at 6’8″.   

Friday, May 13th:  Springburn Harriers with 72 points won a triangular contest at St Augustine’s playing fields, Milton against Glasgow University (66 pts) and Garscube Harriers (45 pts).”

Monday 16th May, at St Andrews:   “One of the best performances at the triangular match between St Andrews University, Edinburgh Southern Harriers and Shettleston Harriers was the pole vault of 12′ 6″ by N Brown (Shettleston), beating the ground record by 9″.   St Andrews won the men’s contest with 95 points to Southern’s 62 and Shettleston’s 27.   Jordanhill Training College, with 39 points won the women’s contest from Southern, 36 and St Andrews, 33.    DJ Whyte (St Andrews) won three events – 100 yards (10.4 sec), high jump (5’11”) and long jump (22′  6 1/2 “)”

Wednesday, May 18th:   Glasgow University narrowly won an inter-club contest at Westerlands last night with an aggregate of 79 points.   Victoria Park AAC were runners up with 74, Jordanhill Training College third with 52, and Shettleston Harriers fourth, 38.   CW Fairbrother (Victoria Park) the British high jump champion, was one of the outstanding competitors with a jump of 6′ 7″, only half an inch outside the Scottish record.   G McLaughlan (Victoria Park) equalled the 120 yards native hurdles record with a time of 15.3 sec.

[This was a particularly interesting match with many top class athletes competing – eg Mike Hildrey won the 100 yards, Graham Everett won the mile, Joe Connolly won the three miles, Tom McNab won the triple jump and hammer, PeterMilligan won the pole vault and Fraser Riach won the shot, discus and javelin.]

Friday, May 20th:   Shettleston Harriers beat Glasgow University select by 71 points to 66 last night at Westerlands.”

Monday, 23rd May:   Edinburgh Southern Harriers beat Victoria Park AAC by two points at Fernieside.   Six ground records were broken and one equalled.     Bellahouston Harriers beat Ayr Seaforth by 71 points to 45 at Ayr.

Wednesday, 25th May:   “Glasgow University beat Bellahouston Harriers by 109 points to 78 last night at Westerlands.   R Sykes (Bellahouston) won the shot putt (41′ 8 1/2″), the discus (124′ 5″) and the pole vault (9′).   AM Miller (University) won the 100 yards in 10.4 sec and the 220 yards in 22.5 sec, and RR Mills (University) also won two events, the 120 yards hurdles (16.1 s) and the 440 yards hurdles (57 s).”

Friday, 27th May:   “Victoria Park AAC beat Glasgow University by 58 points to 40 last night at Westerlands.   I Binnie (Victoria Park AAC), holder of records from 7 to 12 miles, took part after a long absence from the track.   He won the two miles comfortably in 9 min 55.5 sec in heavy rain.” 

[June had most club championships, some county championships and a few open meetings – the big one was the SAAA Championships at the end of the month and the inter-clubs had been well used by most of the big names to get themselves in shape, often by running distances other than their usual but also some hard racing away in relatively private conditions against other top competitors. There were never many two or three club fixtures in June.    July was the ‘holiday month’ with all the various Fair Holidays – several had the first fortnight as their annual break, others had the second two weeks and and very few clubs could field a complete team at that time of year.  If you add in the AAA’s Championships with the best athletes competing there and having to prepare on their own for the week or two beforehand, the problem was exacerbated.   So June and July were relatively free of the inter-club fixture although there were a few.]

 Tuesday, June 14th:   “Garscube Harriers beat Springburn Harriers by 108 points to 102 last night in their inter-club contest at Knightswood.   MM Campbell (Garscube) won the 100 and 220 yards in 10.4 sec and 23.6 sec and E Sinclair (Springburn) won the mile in  4 min 33.5 sec, and the two miles in 9 min 33.1 sec.”

Friday, 12th August:   “Shettleston have a contest against Edinburgh Southern Harriers tomorrow at Scotstoun.   Shettleston, who have already beaten Victoria Park and Glasgow University, out to be more than a match for Edinburgh Southern.   The Glasgow club will be without GE Everett, who will be competing at the British Games at White City, London, but Southern will be more heavily handicapped through the absence of RB Cockburn in the sprints, KD Ballantyne in the middle distance events and D McKechnie in the jumps.   These three are included in the Scottish side who are due to compete in the Belfast Highland Games.”

Monday, August 15th:   “Edinburgh Southern Harriers beat Shettleston Harriers by the narrow margin of four points (95 – 91) in their inter-club event at Scotstoun.   Each club won 9 of the 18 events.   K Skilder was a triple winner for Edinburgh Southern in the shot putt, discus and pole vault.   F Davidson (Edinburgh Southern) and R Stephen (Shettleston) each won two events.   Both relay events were won by Shettleston, W Stockton, the Scottish quarter mile champion, paving the way for his club’s win in the 4 x 440 yards.”

Monday, August 22nd:   “Bellahouston Harriers beat Springburn Harriers by 58 points to 32 in their inter-club contest at Nethercraigs.”

From Runners World:

Merv Lincoln, Miler Who Was Always Second Best, Dies at 82 | Runner’s World 

Received from Hugh Barrow, this one is on how to be the very best distance runner you can be.   As he says, it is by one who has been over the course.

I received this one yesterday – it is what it says it is and I don’t need to recommend a document signed by the eight people at the foot.   Four of them are Scots.   Read on.

Open letter to everyone who cares about athletics:

Track and Field Athletics; The Facts

In the last 30 to 40 years athletics has changed from being run largely by volunteers (3 paid professional administrators and 9 National coaches under the British Amateur Athletics Board prior to 1991) to having 220 administrative and coaching staff costing over £10 million per annum. Since funding for performance began in 1999 more that £300 million has gone to athletics governing bodies, of which more than 50% has come from lottery or public funds.

Many people who have been directly involved in the sport during this transition in both voluntary and professional capacities are deeply concerned that the present powerful, rigid and very expensive structure masks overwhelming but officially denied decline in track and field athletics. The facts are:-

Participation
The latest Active People Survey 2013 (APS) states that 140,000 people over the age of 16 take part in track and field athletes as their prime sport. But analysis of results on the governing body’s own website shows that, in fact, approximately only 7000 over 16s compete in the sport 5 times per year or more. If the APS figures were correct around 1000 athletes would be found on each track in the country on training nights. Observation suggests that the real figure is around 50, which is compatible with the 7000 who are known to compete. The number of senior athletes declined in 2013 from 2012. The APS overstates the figures by a factor of 20.

Elite Performance
When elite funding was approved in 1998 the only objective KPI was to increase medals at Olympics and World outdoor Championships. The target for athletics at the Olympics was set at 6 medals for 2000 (matching the 1996 total) rising to 12 in 2012. The total achieved in 2012 was 6, no increase after 14 years of funding. In the World Championships in 1997 Great Britain won 6 medals and in 2013 Great Britain won 6 medals, again no increase.

Coaching
In a letter to an MP in Dec 2012, the head of Sport England stated there were 42,000 active coaches in athletics. The latest figures from Sport England, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act in 2013, gives 14,111. More than 50% of this number are not designated as coaches but ‘leaders’, having obtained this qualification by merely attending a one or two day course. Analysis of qualified coaches from 2008 to 2012 suggests the number has declined by 50%. The number of active qualified coaches is now around 3000.

Officials
It is very difficult to obtain accurate information on officials, but the anecdotal evidence is overwhelming. At all levels below elite, meetings are being run without sufficient qualified officials. The majority of officials are not registered and more that 50% of all meetings could not take place without using these officials. A meeting a Loughborough (an athletics Centre of Excellence) to select athletes for an international meeting was cancelled through lack of officials in March this year.

Summary
A lack of transparent, consistent whole sport performance measures hides the fact that £300 million since 1999 has resulted in just 7000 16+ track and field participants and 3000 coaches in 2013. Only 6 medals per global championship have been achieved, as opposed to the 12 targeted when performance funding started – and 5 of the 10 individual medals have been won by athletes who live and train abroad with foreign coaches. There has been no Olympic Legacy other than decline, a situation that demands urgent enquiry.

Gwenda Ward, Olympian, coach; Rob Whittingham, Track Statistician and author; Tom McNab, ex National coach, author and playwright; John Anderson, ex National Coach; Bill Laws, Chair, ABAC: John Bicourt, Olympian, coach; Hamish Telfer Ph.D coach, author and academic. Frank Dick Ph.D Former Director of Coaching, British Athetics Federation.