Clubmark

On Thursday evening the Harriers hosted one of Scottish Athletics "6 year plan" road shows. Earlier in the evening, Geoff Wightman, chief executive of Scottish Athletics presented the club with the clubmark accreditation. The Harriers are only the 4th club in Scotland to receive this award which signifies our commitment to being a safe, effective and child friendly athletics club. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Jim Goldie, South Lanarkshire Athletics Development Officer and Ewen Cameron Scottish Athletics Education and Development Manager for their help and support in gaining this award.

Malcolm

Parkrun 5k - Pollok Park

For those looking to get a series of 5k times on an officially measured course or just to have a regular time trial through the winter, a company called Parkrun is organising a free 5k race in Pollok Park every Saturday morning starting at 09:30. The only entry requirement is that you fill in the simple on-line entry form before 6pm on the Friday night before the race. There is no on-the-day entry. Click here for further details. The start line is on the road in front of the Burrell Collection/Burrell Car Park. Please follow the directions on the above web site link for parking instructions though.

The event has been going on for the past 6 or 7 weeks although it seems there was a course measurement error (80m short) which has just been spotted. From now on, the 2 lap course is a verified, accurate 5k and hence will count for your Calderglen Performance Award. Thanks to Stephen Phimister for bringing this to my attention.

Alan

Young Athletes: Scottish National Cross Country Championships

A warm welcome to the Harriers blog to all the parents and carers of the fantastic young athletes who meet at our club ( in all weathers ) on a Wednesday at 6.30 pm. The cross country championships take place on Saturday 21 February at Callendar Park in Falkirk. All eligible young athletes at the club have been entered as follows :

Under 13 Boys 3,200 metres at 11.30 am - Ross Barrie, Ian Rae, Ross Paterson, David McMonagle, Paul Mullen and Alistair Crawford.

Under 13 Girls 3,200 metres at 11.45 am - Amy Mulholland

Under 15 Boys 4,000 metres at 12 noon - Ewan Murray, Richard Campbell, Kris Stewart, Daniel Mullen, Josh Ladds, Stuart Hill and Ross Jarvie

Under 15 Girls 4,000 metres at 12.15 pm - Emma Campbell

All Under 13 athletes includes those who are 11 years old on the day of the race.

It is advisable that you are in the park a minimum of 30 minutes before the start of each race. Spikes or studded footwear is appropriate. Club vests for those who don't have one will be provided. Suitable clothing eg tracksuit and waterproofs are required for warming up / cooling down.

AS 2009 IS THE 25th ANNIVERSARY OF CALDERGLEN HARRIERS IT ID HOPED THAT AS MANY AS POSSIBLE WILL SUPPORT THIS AND THE MANY EVENTS (RUNNING AND SOCIAL) WE WILL BE INVOLVED IN THIS YEAR.

West Highland Way Weekend

This year’s outing will take place on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st May. So with summer just round the corner it’s time to get this year’s event organised. Last year saw a marked increase in the numbers leading to running 2 mini-buses. Hopefully we will have similar numbers this year. We have again secured bed, breakfast and evening meal at the Ben Nevis Hotel & Leisure Club with the cost of the weekend being kept at or below £50/person for the bus and accommodation. Soft drinks and any other expenses incurred will be the responsibility of the individual. To reserve accommodation and/or a place on the bus, a non refundable deposit of £15 will be required. I’m at the club at least one night a week, but if you want to send me a cheque (no plastic) or if you require any further information give me a call.

Malcolm

National 4km Cross Country - Bellahouston Park

The sun shone on Bellahouston Park today but not before the previous week's rain had turned the course into the usual quagmire. The men's race was off first and the large field was soon strung out by the leading Eritrean duo from Shettleston Harriers. Leading Calderglen Harrier was Stuart Gibson who covered the 2 lap course in 14:02. Eddie Reid showed his developing form with a strong finish in 15:59 pulling gradually away from Jamie McMonagle (16:29) throughout the race. Jamie was just glad to finish, cross country not being his thing and indeed Stephen Phimister was closing him down rapidly towards the end (16:40). Amazingly, George Stewart (17:57) and Jim Holmes (18:02) were as close to each other in this head to head race as they had been the previous week in solo relay legs. David Herbertson (18:11) and Graham Lindsay (18:30) were not far away either. Richard Lawton (21:15) made his Bellahouston debut and found the hot pace a bit of a shock to the system. Finally Russell Couper was ahead of his pre-race estimate, finishing in a comfortable 22:57. Jim Holmes has now extended his lead over Jamie McMonagle in the Grand Prix. 

Sandra Reid and Mary Goldsmith lined up for the ladies race, the course having been nicely churned up by the men. Sandra ran strongly throughout to finish the 4km in an excellent 19:37. Mary also had a strong run (20:53) although the distance was a bit short for her. Mary and Sandra are now tied for second place in the very close ladies Grand Prix.

ATHelite Run in the Park 5k

Its that time again folks for the ATHelite 5k on Sunday 15th February.

The race will follow the usual 'undulating' course in a loop within Chatelherault Country Park, Hamilton, starting & finishing in front of Chatelherault House.

The event is run in conjunction with Calderglen Harriers & as always we are looking for both help with the marshalling & finish line but also a good Harriers turnout for the race itself (age 13 upwards).

The race starts at 10.00 but we will obviously need marshalls up ahead of that to get you out on the course. All marshalls receive lifetime friendship, an optional hug & also a complimentary goodie bag including a gift from Mr Tunnock.

It would be great to see as many of you as possible either helping out or taking part in the race. Only £5.00 to enter & loads or prizes!!

Entry forms will be available at the club or downloadable at www.athelite.net.

Please leave a comment here if you are able to help on the day.
Thank you!

Colin

JACK CRAWFORD SPRINGBURN CUP

Two Harriers Dave Searil and Chas Steven travelled to Bishopbriggs on Saturday for the Jack Crawford Springburn Cup 10 k race. Fortunately the worst of the days torrential sleat and rain coupled with strong winds were in abeyance for the 2.30 pm start . Parts of the Forth and Clyde canal tow path on which the race is ran were muddy but were insignificant to the seasoned veteran Harriers. Nip and tuck for 7k of the race and in a pack of six runners Dave found a spring in his step at the course turning point and fully deserved his excellent time of 48 minutes and 23 seconds. A sub 50 minute 10 k is now a realistic target for Chas who crossed the finishing line in 50 minutes and 28 seconds ( although missing from the official results).

The race , organised by Springburn Harriers, was once again an excellent event and in the goodie bag was a club pen which was a very nice touch and something we could purchase for our 25 th Anniversary.

Masters Road Relay - Strathclyde Park

Proving that the Harriers are certainly not fairweather runners, an impressive 20 of the club's members competed in blustery conditions at Strathclyde Park today in the Scottish Masters Road Relay Champtionships. The event was open to competitors aged 35 and over. The Calderglen ladies fielded one complete team of 3 and the men 4 complete teams of 4 and Russell Couper running solo in our final, incomplete team. Each runner completed one 3.75 mile lap of the loch, the best tactic being to let the wind carry you as fast as possible to the West end of the loch and then to struggle back into the wind as best you could on the return journey along the North shore.

Sandra Reid lead off a strong ladies team in a time of 27:11, handing over to Genevieve Freeman (28:21) in her first race for a while. Genevieve held the 9th position established by Sandra before handing over to Frances Maxwell (27:59) for the final leg and 8th position overall.

Everyone was delighted not only to see Martin Duthie take the first leg for the men's A team but also to see him bringing the A team home in second place with a very powerful performance (21:00). Nearly a real vet (39 years 11 months), Jamie McMonagle ran the second leg in a creditable 22:30 (5th position), handing over to Alan Derrick, who slipped back a further two places against the headwind to 7th (21:29). Davy Watt (21:03) was on the final leg and flew around the lap to finish 5th overall in a very competitive field. A very strong B team comprised Colin Freeman (22:47), Ian Hughes (22:29) on his relay debut, Alan Cullie (25:02) and a fine 22:43 from Eddie Reid finishing 15th. Many of the Harriers are so evenly matched that team selection is a nightmare at the moment, a great position to be in. The C team comprised Scot Hill (23:47), George Stewart (25:04), Stuart Waugh (24:45) and Stephen Phimister (23:56). In the D team we had a rare short distance outing from Andy Henderson (26:45) handing over to David Herbertson (24:55), Jim Holmes (25:09) and a returning to form Chas Steven (30:06). Finally, Russell Couper was glad of a no pressure solo leg (34:31).

The overall winners were Carnegie Harriers just ahead of a fast finishing Shettleston Harriers. Irvine were third ahead of Kilmarnock Harriers. This event will surely continue to grow in popularity after this its second year.

NATIONAL XC (callendar park FALKIRK)

This race will be held on 21st Feb and as usual is pre entry
ladies race is 8k starting at 1.25pm
mens race is 12k starting at 2.30pm
cost is £4.50 per head
names required by 26th Jan at training or leave a message on this blog by 27th Jan

Russell

Masters Road Relay Details

PROVISIONAL TEAMS http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvM0h3fer84nKQ
We have had a great response for this race enabling us to enter a complete ladies team and 5 men's teams. I just need everyone to confirm their availability so that teams can be picked. The following people have already confirmed their availability:
Frances Maxwell, Sandra Reid, Genevieve Freeman, Jamie McMonagle, Alan Derrick, Colin Freeman, Eddie Reid, Ian Hughes, Stephen Phimister, Scot Hill, George Stewart, Stuart Waugh (injury allowing), Andy Henderson, David Herbertson, Chas Steven.

Could the following please confirm by leaving a comment, sending me an e-mail or giving me a call before Saturday evening:
Davie Watt, Alan Cullie, Jim Holmes, Russell Couper (probably told me on Monday but my memory has gone this week), Graham Lindsay, Kenny Beattie, William Bell.

Please be at the Water Sports Centre by 1015 on Sunday morning. The race starts at 1100.
Thanks
Alan

Scottish Athletics Six Year Pan

Scottish Athletics is hosting a series of seven consultation evenings on the emerging Six Year Plan throughout late January and early February.
An invitation is extended to all members of the athletics community.

Calderglen Harriers have been asked to host an event on Thursday 29th January 2009 at 7pm.

Further information on this event is available on the Scottish Athletics web site.

I'm looking for volunteers to set up the room on the night and at the end of the event. Can you let me know your availability. Usual suspects need not apply!

Malcolm

Christmas Card Donation

Our recent initiative, where rather than send Christmas cards to each other in the club, a donation was given, realised £30 towards our favoured charity, Cancer Research. The feedback from club members was very positive and hopefully we will be as imaginative with other initiatives in the future. Thanks to all those who gave a donation.

Malcolm

Funeral arrangements

The arrangements for Margaret Anne's funeral are as follows:

Reception and vigil at St Leonard's RC Church East Kilbride Tuesday 13th January at 7pm.
Funeral mass 14th January at 10am.
Thereafter to Bent cemetery Hamilton.
Any further information, please give me a call.

Malcolm

MASTERS XC (IRVINE)

The masters xc race is on the 7th FEB
Entry is pre entry so i need names by Monday 19th January either by comment on the blog or give your name at the club to myself or in my absence Eddie
cost is £4.50 per head
distance 6.6K for ladies, 10K for men

Russell

25th Anniversary Celebrations

A meeting of all those interested in planning a suitable celebration for our 25th anniversary will be held on Thursday 15th January after the training session. If you have any ideas and cannot attend, please let me know and I will include them in the meeting.

Malcolm

Nigel Barge Road Race

David Herbertson arrived at Maryhill yesterday thinking he would be the only Harrier until Richard Lawton arrived too, so just the two out there yesterday. It was the first run for David since the dreaded man flu hit round about the Christmas Handicap (or was that two nights out on the trot I was suffering from?). With the exception of Monday’s pub run – good preparation eh! Anyways David got round the two lapper in 42 mins and 40 secs (official gun time not allowing for a handful of seconds to get across the line) and Richard (who described it as hoping to blow away the cobwebs!) got round in 50:26. Well done to both and thanks to David for the report.

Callander Crags Race

The traditional Callander Crags hill race took place on Saturday 3rd January. Sub zero temperatures and clear blue skies greeted the 100+ competitors of all ages who huddled together on the start line for the mad sprint to the narrow path leading up The Crags. An 800 foot climb over the first mile gets the lungs and the field opened up and puts a wee bit of pain into the legs for starters. However, this can be relieved slightly with a nip of whisky (or a cup of water if you can really hold your drink) from the marshalls at the cairn at the top before starting a more gradual cross-country descent over the next half mile. A steep descent for another three quarter mile on a single track tarmac road then asks some questions of the legs and any speed that may be remaining in them before again climbing and descending on a forest path to the finish line. So quite a variety squeezed into the 3 mile course. Alan Derrick passed a late fitness test the day before (his first run for a couple of weeks) and lined up to face the oh so familiar course for the umpteenth time, having started doing this race as a schoolboy. Surprisingly it was not his slowest ever time (more to do with the very good under foot conditions than any fitness), finishing in 27:03 in 7th or 8th position. The race was won in a new course record of around 23 minutes by another local Callander runner Prasad Prasad, one of Scotland's top hill runners. A race to recommend to anyone looking for an introduction to hill running or just something different. There is a summer version of the race on the evening of Wednesday 3rd June.

Beith Harriers New Year Race

Lone Harrier Stuart Gibson made a trip to Ayrshire for the Beith Harriers' Road Race today. This event has been a fixture on the race calendar for many years but is now sanitised to 4 x 1.2 mile laps of an industrial estate (think Sainsburys circuit and you get the picture) rather than the country roads of old. However, Stuart restored the Harriers' tradition of doing well in this race with a flat out slog to finish 3rd overall in a time of 24:16, exactly one minute quicker than last year. The winner of the race and the "McLuckie Trophy" was Ross Toole of Kilbarchan (23:00) followed by Irvine's David Millar in 23:08. Stuart was presented with a bottle of red wine, some soup, biscuits and tea, so very much a traditional race! Not the biggest race around but certainly very friendly and welcoming. Well done to Stuart and thanks for e-mailing the report.