There used to be a radio programme called “Where Are They Now” which looked at the lives of great or famous men after their active career had ended. It was a good idea and some newspapers have from time to time picked up on it. Lachie is, without any doubt, an all-time great of Scottish athletics. Others before him had competed for Britain, had taken part in the Olympics, had won gold at the Empire Games but in the opinion of many of us none had the effect on Scottish athletics that he had. That one win in 1970 did more to attract more runners to the sport over many years than any single campaign. He was seen in anti-smoking adverts and on posters, he spoke at many functions from individual athletic club dinners to major national functions and was so well known that when Facebook pages in the 21st century posted a picture, he was easily recognised and the photograph attracted dozens of ‘likes’. That is all obviously true, but what did he do with himself?
He did keep running of course for several years as a member of Spango Valley AC, competing for them in championship races and relays from 1980 to approximately 1990 as a veteran runner.
There was his coaching of course. He helped numerous athletes with the outstanding success being his son Glen. I remember taking one athlete down to Postie’s Park in Dumbarton for a one-on-one and there was Lachie, away from the crowds, away from any club, on a red blaes track, on a quiet night with Glen as a 15 year old practising a kick finish, telling him how to accelerate effectively. I just happened to listen and learned a lot. I’d known Lachie since the 1960’s but never heard that kind of information being passed on so clearly. Glen wasn’t the only one of course – Lawrie Spence profited from his wisdom as did Frank McGowan and many others. The quality of his advice was clear from early on and Lawrie Spence, said by many to be the best all round Scottish distance runner ever because of his times from the mile to the marathon, profited from his advice and says:
“Like many Scots I was inspired by Lachie’s Commonwealth gold in 1970 at Meadowbank. I still remember going for a long run (which seemed to pass by so quickly as I was filled with enthusiasm and dreams that one day it could be me!) with my Brothers after we had sat and watched the race – and the classic of us all shouting at the TV as well! I was lucky in that a few years later, Lachie had agreed to help me with my breakthrough into international racing. I was doing well but really needed to make the next step up to consolidate at Scottish level and move on to the British level. From getting me a run at Hampden Park at the pre-Scottish Football Cup Final entertainment organised by Dunky Wright (and running in front of massive crowds), races down south and, most of all, allowing me to join him in training sessions and runs, so helping me to improve and be better prepared for these key races.
He goes on to talk about Lachie’s racing brain and how he profited from it. His coaching after he retired was of a very high standard but when a vacant national coaching post came up and Lachie applied for it, he didn’t get it because they said he didn’t have any paper qualifications, his quiet comment was simply, “They didn’t ask me – I have two coaching qualifications.”
Lachie with his model of the Maid of the Loch.
In addition to the athletics aspect of things, He had of course his boats. His hobby had always been making detailed models of ships and boats of all kinds. From Clyde puffers to Ocean going liners via the Maid of the Loch they were all superbly crafted. The photograph above is from the local Vale of Leven magazine “The Democrat”. One of them was of the ‘Flying Phantom’ which had been built for the Clyde Shipping Company and based in Greenock. The tug sank in 2008 and three crew members were lost. The authorities approached Lachie and asked if the model could be used to assist the rescue workers because it was the most detailed available and was also in three dimensions. Then when there was a court case subsequently, the police asked if they could use his model in court.
Mixing with runners and former runners is always a pleasure and Lachie, although a very quiet and gentle man, was very sociable and good company. He was a popular guest and speaker at reunions, dinners and presentations across the land. The picture above is of Lachie having a good time chatting with international distance runner Doug Gunstone at a reunion dinner held in Buchanan Castle Golf Club in Drymen in 2012 where there were three Olympians (himself, Don Macgregor and Fergus Murray), eight GB international athletes and many Scots in attendance. That of course was only one of dozens.
We see already that he was not an idle man after his career at the very top of athletics was concerned – running as a veteran, coaching, model maker and the social scene, all in addition to a happy family life, would have kept anyone happy.
There were two rather serious setbacks that would have flattened a lesser men but the biggest tribute we could pay to Lachie was that he kept living a normal life. Glen tells us about one incident that made it to the national papers when he says:
Lachie carried on with his life until in 2020, at the age of 77 Lachie had his leg amputated. How did he deal with this set back? He is quoted in The Democrat as follows:
In 2020 he had the lower half of his leg amputated after complications with diabetes. “I had an ulcer between my second and third toe and it didn’t seem to heal too well,” he told BBC Scotland at the time. “It quickly went from that to the doctor saying I can either live with the pain, which was unbelievable, or we can amputate below the knee. I said to him right away to just take the bottom of the leg off because I just couldn’t stand the pain. “Sport makes you more determined. I don’t have any hang-ups about losing the leg.”
As in his racing career, he did not give in to it. He responded to it as a fresh challenge. He went on with life with as much enthusiasm as ever. His models were shown in a whole series of venues around Scotland and he was at them all, doing what he always like doing. Talking about the ships was a given, but talking with the many runners among the general public who came along. The photograph below, taken by Glen on 29th October, 2022 at the exhibition at the Maid of the Loch. There are three County Champions and one Ben Nevis winner there – from the left Bobby Shields (Ben Nevis winner), Phil Dolan, Lachie and Douglas Gemmell.
Lachie died on 31st May 2025, with the funeral held in his local Kirk, the Bonhill Parish Church on 23rd June. Many will remember him as winner of that wonderful race in 970, many will remember him as a great Scottish athlete on any surface he tackled but almost everybody who knew him will remember him as a quiet, friendly man who always did his best and brought happiness and laughter to them. Look at his face in the photograph from Drymen in 2012! A friend of my own whom I hadn’t seen for about 20 years and I asked him what he was doing said “Just taking it easy, That’s what you’re supposed to do when you retire!” He was only 67 at the time. That was never Lachie’s line – cardiac arrest? Leg off? Just carry on as though nothing had happened. That’s a huge compliment to the man.