West Highland Way 2010 - The Album

The weather forecast was the only thing wrong with this year's West Highland Way relay at the weekend. Another great Harriers' weekend and a fast time to top it off (13 hours exactly). Well done to all and thanks to Malcolm for bringing it all together so smoothly. The pictures here tell (some of) the story. If anyone has further photos to fill the gaps in the action then please pass them on to me and I will add them in.

Alan

CLYDEBANK 10K

Five harriers made their way to Clydebank for the polaroid 10k on what turned out to be near perfect conditions for running. After picking up the chips (not the potato ones) we made our way to the start along with almost 700 others and off we went. A Cullie was first harrier home in 75th place 38:38 followed by J Holmes 136th place 40:54 then came G Lindsay 201st in 42:30 I McKenzie 280th 44:54 and Finally R Couper 419th 49:34 first time under 50mins for four years.
All headed home satisfied with their times.

Ayr 'Land O'Burns' 10k

Previously the Ayr Half Marathon, this race made a welcome return to the race calendar in the form of a 10k hosted by Ayr Seaforth Running Club. A great turnout of 200+ given the other big races on this week with the sun shining but a strong cold wind coming in off the coast to make running that bit harder on the unsheltered sections. A fairly flat course with a couple of short climbs made this a very scenic & highly recommended race. The only issue was the number of people entering on the day which was a slow process & meant some couldn't get a pre-race warm up. I personally need about 5 miles to get moving!
1st Harrier home was Colin F - 36.48 & 10th position overall. It felt like a PB but it alas it wasn't. Next in was Ian Hughes in 14th position in a time of 37.50. Just under a minute behind Ian was Stephen Reilly in 38.45 then Scot Hill who very narrowly missed the 40 minute mark in 40.01. Club wannabe (still) Joanne ran very close to her PB and managed to come in as 2nd Female in 40.52, picking up a very generous cash prize in the process. Genevieve was out testing a dodgy ankle injury and ran & steady 46.30. Finally in a rare special guest appearance at any running event Dawn graced us with her prescence & ended up breaking the 50 minute barrier for the first time in a decade. 49.38 was her final time. Amazing what someone will do for a black pudding supper.

Some of us headed into the town centre for a well deserved fish (& black pudding) feast to top off a great evening. Thanks to coach for the support, even if you did mysteriously disappear at the end. We suspect he went off to drive the course to verify the distance for Dawns unexpected PB.

Results Further photos are here.

West Highland Way Weekend

Hi all,
For those signed up for the WHW weekend, here are the pickup times and locations.

1st pickup (St Leonard's Church) - Alan, Graham, David, Martin & George

2nd pick up (High Common Road) - Stuart, Maude, Eddie, Jim, Gerry & Colin

3rd pick up (Calderwood Road/Yarrow Park) - Jamie & Jean

4th pick up (Queensway/Righead roundabout) - Frances

5th pick up (Waterfoot) - Mary

The 1st pickup will be at 4am. The subsequent pickups in EK will be within 10 minutes. We would hope to be at Waterfoot by 4:30 and start our run a close to 5:00am as possible.

My mobile number is 07731 487 985. Please let me know if there are any issues with the times and locations and any problems on Saturday morning.

Malcolm

Chatelherault Times #3

Another great turn out tonight with many fastest times of the season. As usual please use this form to record your time, effort and any comments.

Thanks

Alan

Scottish Vets Walter Ross Memorial 10k

Sunday 23rd May - Pollok Park

In glorious sunshine, an excellent turnout of six Calderglen Harriers took part in the SVHC Walter Ross Memorial 10 km race in Pollock Park on Sunday.

The 1.30 pm start time dove-tailed nicely with the hottest part of the day, ensuring a tough run for all on the undulating, two and a bit lap course. Even spectators Sandra, Maude and Geo were forced to have a seat and take on fluids!

The race was won by M50 Ian Stewart in a time of 36:06 and once again, the Harriers were among the prizes.

Eddie Reid, 6th overall, was first Harrier home in a time of 38:51, which also secured 1st M45.

Scot Hill made his return to competitive running in a time of 40:33 and was also 1st M40.

Stuart Waugh, in 40:53 claimed 1st M60 prize with Jim Holmes following in 41:25.

Frances Maxwell came home in 43:56 and was 1st F45, this time showing a clean pair of heels to her closest rival.

And Russell Couper made his debut as a Scottish Veteran Harrier, completing the course in 59:18.

Eddie and Frances' times equate to bronze performance standards (although not their fastest of this season).

Thanks to Jim for the above report and to Eddie for relaying his similar report. Well done to all in oppressive heat. Speaking of which the Harriers competing at the Edinburgh Marathon would not have had a fun time and we wait to see a report on the race as soon as the 4 Harriers have re-hydrated.

Alan

Loch Leven Half Marathon - An Alternative Perspective

The Loch Leven Half Marathon was held on Saturday 15th May, 2010 and three Harriers and their supporters travelled the 50 miles or so from East Kilbride to the start at Kinross.

The event starts at the east end of the town, about 1 mile from registration, parking, changing facilities and the finish line, all of which are together at the west end of the town (good warm up distance).

The 13.1 mile course uses quiet, public roads around Loch Leven (anticlockwise) and the route can be described as scenic, open countryside with little shelter from the elements (normally always windy), with a gradual climb from the start for 1.5 miles, 2 or 3 hills at around 7 - 9 miles (a time clock at 10 miles) but otherwise undulating with some good flat parts. A fairly good course overall.

Weather during the race was pleasant if you totally ignore the strong, gusty winds!

The overall winner was Mike Carroll of Perth Road Runners who clocked a time of 68:12. First Harrier home was Stuart Waugh in a time of 1:32:01 (chip time 1:31:52) in 70th place and first in age group category. Next Harrier was Graham Lindsay in 143rd place, 1:38:35 (chip time 1:38:19) and then John McBride, 227th place, 1:47:02 (chip time 1:46:38). There were 479 finishers recorded on the results list.

The event was extremely well organised, the route was well marked and marshalled and at the finish a goody bag and food/drinks were provided for all finishers. A final nice touch was the follow-up e-mail to runners (within 48 hours) thanking them for participating, giving them the results and prize list and encouraging them to return next year. Well done to the local running club and thanks to Caroline and Maud for all the vocal support. An event well worth trying.

Final note - good walks in the area for those not wishing to run.

Thanks to Stuart for the report and once again well done to all.

Loch Leven Half Marathon

Graham Lindsay, Stuart Waugh and John McBride all made our way to a very sunny start at Kinross last Saturday. Having done the race last year in the wind and rain things were looking good. It is a very scenic run and I think you would call it undulating. The first two miles are uphill and there is a steep hill about 8 miles. I think its fair to say we were all going well and heading for good times up to the ten mile mark. However the last three miles can only be described as torture with a very strong wind in your face just when we were all beginning to get tired. This had a very profound effect on our times as we all dropped badly over miles 10-13.

I finished on 1:38:27 (1 min 20secs faster than last year), John was 1:46:38 and Stuart 1:31:52. Despite his modesty I think he was first M60 (indeed he was and also a silver M60 performance standard despite the wind).

Special thanks as always to our supporters Caroline and Maude who actually made an appearance at the finish line to cheer us in!

At the end of the race, all runners were treated to tea/coffee and homebaking.

It is a very well organised event with a scenic route. It would be great to run it on a non windy day.

Off now to Helensburgh tonight to start the Polaroid 10K series in my bid to try and speed up a bit.

Thanks to Graham for the report and well done to all.

Alan

Chris Moon Half Marathon - Closing date very soon!!!

Chris Moon Half Marathon Sunday 6th June 1130 am

Location –Whitelees Windfarm. Part of Strathaven Gala Week celebrations Scottish Atletics Federation registered race-run under there rules Entry Fee £16 non SAF £14 SAF affilited.
This charity race will start within the new windfarm development at Whitelees Forrest for 7 miles then on to road down to the centre of Strathaven. Runners will be bussed to the Start line at Ardochrig from the registration point -Ballgreen Hall, Strathaven.

The course will take in some spectacular views over the Glasgow/Clyde basin /Ayrshire and Isle of Arran. The windfarm has good paths with the surreal element of the wind pylons to keep your eyes occupied. The course is undulating in the windfarm and more downhill after the windfarm component down to Strathaven.

You will be awarded at the end with a pie and a half pint or 2-Tryst Ales. Jim Preston’s Award winning pies - Scotch Pie of the Year award 2008.

All proceeds of the race will go to The Erskine Hospital which Chris Moon is a patron of-Chris lives in Strathaven and is a member of the local running club Strathaven Striders who are helping support the race. We will put £ 10 of each entrants money to the charity therefore there will be no T-shirts /medals –just a good well run race through unusual and spectacular locations , a bus journey and food and drink after the race.All profits are going into the charity.

More Information

Enter Online

Monklands Half Marathon

Three Harriers took part in the annual Monklands Half Marathon on Sunday 16^th May with just over 150 runners taking part in the race. The weather held off and was mainly dry and breezy although in the more sheltered parts of the race it was warmer, all together good running conditions.

First Harrier over the line was Ian Hughes in a new pb of 1:23:52 in 14^th position, followed by Allan Cullie with a time of 1:33:02 and final Harrier was Richard Lawton who took 46 seconds off his last Half Marathon time with a new pb of 1:48:33.

Thank you to Colin, Russell and Malcolm cheering us all on as we did our laps around Drumpellier Country Park.

Thanks to Richard for his report, earning himself another qualifying performance for the pb awards, along with Ian Hughes who qualifies for a pb Award and a Bronze M40 performance standard.

Meanwhile on Saturday, Jamie McMonagle made his second appearance at a blustery Strathclyde parkrun, finishing 5th in 19:33, a 10 second improvement on his previous outing. Thanks to Jamie for his report and well done to all competing at the weekend including those at the Kinross Half Marathon for which a race report should appear soon.

Alan

TTC

Just to let you all know cheques that were given as deposits for the Trossachs Training Camp will be banked on the 28th May 2010.

There are a few places still available if anyone is interested.

We will be looking for final payments no later than 31st July 2010.

Auldhouse Time Trial May 2010

Unfortunately the conditions were poor to kick off our monthly 5k time trials around Auldhouse with strong winds and drizzle. However 14 Harriers rose to the occasion and some impressive times were set. Laura was running her first ever 5k and it is certainly not an easy course to run on your own in time trial mode. Despite this she set a good début time of 28:10. Also making his first timed run around the course, Geo Ferguson ran strongly to finish in 22:58.

There were course bests for Russell Couper (24:06), Brian MacDougall (20:01, also a PB), Eddie Reid (18:49, 5 seconds faster than Strathclyde parkrun!) and David Wardrope (a massive improvement of 44 seconds). Frances Maxwell (21:18), Jim Holmes (20:12), Ian Hughes (18:50) and Ian McKenzie (22:19) all ran close to their best times despite the conditions. Colin Banks (24:45) was not so fresh back from holiday and Mary Goldsmith was winding down for her marathon and celebrating her new 10k PB of 44:37 at the ladies 10k on Sunday. Andy Henderson (20:47) and Gerry Mullen (21:22) were under instructions to cruise, which they duly did!

All of the times are available using the "Auldhouse Time Trial Times" link on the menu to the left.

Well done to all.

Alan

Chatelherault Times Week #2

Another great turnout tonight with several first timers joining the regulars. Use this form to record your lap time, level of effort and any other comments to help track your progress through the Summer. See all this year's times and comments here.

parkrun Review

The Harriers have been making good use of the Pollok and Strathclyde Park parkruns in recent weeks. As I have said many times, a 5k race is an excellent training session in its own right. Last Saturday, 1st May, Frances Maxwell made her Strathclyde Park début, finishing in 21:14, only 7 seconds outside her 5k pb and earning a Bronze F45 performance standard. Russell Couper was also in action that day, recording 24:35, however one week later at his second attempt, Russell set a new pb of 23:57. Kirsty Findlater made not only her second parkrun race appearance but also her second Calderglen Harriers appearance on 8th May, setting a time of 28:01. Eddie Reid recorded a time of 18:54 yesterday, worth a Bronze M45 performance standard. Colin Jarvie was also in action yesterday as the sole Harrier at Pollok Park where he recorded a time of 22:55.

Well done to all. Remember that our own Auldhouse 5k Time Trial starts this Thursday 14th May, so please be that the club by 7:30 so I can record all the names before I leave the club. The final reminder is that tomorrow is our second visit to Chatelherault for the year. Be at the club for 7pm if you need a lift or direct to Old Avon Bridge Road for 7:30pm to start. See last month's Chatelherault post if you need more details.

Alan

SVHC Snowball Race

Three Calderglen Harriers took part in the SVHC Snowball Race on Wednesday evening. It might sound like an out of season Winter Olympics event but actually gets its name as all finishers receive a packet of chocolate snowballs!

The 4.8 mile course starts at the railway bridge in Drumpellier Park, heads out past the visitor centre and after a series of left turns, returns to the bridge.

Fiona Matheson was the overall winner with Robert Rogerson second. And much to their delight, Calderglen Harriers were also among the prizes. Frances Maxwell's time of 33:42 included a gutsy finish to hold off her closest rival and secure 3rd position overall in the ladies race. Worth an envelope and a box of After Eights.

Jim Holmes ran 31:38 and was 1st M40, another envelope and box of After Eights. Graham Lindsay in his first SVHC race recorded 33:35 which was also worthy of a box of After Eights. So after all that fitness and exercise it was a happy bunch of Harriers that headed home to eat their snowballs and their After Eights!

Thanks to Jim for the race report and well done to all the Harriers who were out in deepest Lanarkshire racing last night.

Troon 10k

In stark contrast to last year it was a fine evening in Troon for the 25th Annual 10k last night. However from my vantage point at the 7k mark it seemed for a while as though only David Millar of Irvine AC had turned up there was such a large gap between him and the next runner. Fortunately, after a minute a field of hundreds started to stream through including a band of Harriers.

First Harrier across the line was a strong Colin Freeman in a new pb of 36:21 in 16th position. Stuart Waugh was next to finish in a time of 40:27 and 2nd M60 in the race and the West District Championship. This is a comfortable Gold M60 performance standard. Then the ladies. After an over ambitious starting pace, first over the line was soon to be Harrier (she has a membership form) Joanne McEvoy in a season's best time of 41:20. Genevieve Freeman paced her race perfectly to finish in a season's best time of 44:50. Biggest improver of the night was Richard Lawton who took 1:15 off his pb to finish in 46:34, contributing towards a gold PB performance.

Well done to all who raced on a fine evening by the sea side.

Alan

London Marathon Report

The eagerly anticipated race report from David Wardrope:

My family and I travelled down to London on Thursday 22nd for my 8th London Marathon. There is a real advantage of having family staying in London, especialy as I knew my eating would not be a problem as my brother in law Dhruv has recently won BBC'S Masterchef, this also allowed me to go to registraion and spend some time wandering around the marathon expo on the friday withouth the kids saying we're bored we want to go home etc.

I was up and out the hotel by 7.00am on the Sunday to make my way over to Blackheath for the start. I arrived at the start at about 8.30am giving me just over an hour before the start. No sooner had I changed into vest and shorts, handed over my baggage than the heavens opened. Its amazing how many people can fit into a marquee!
I made my way over to my starting pen (pen 4) with about half an hour to the start. I was hoping to run between 3 hrs 35mins and 3hrs 45mins (approx 8.15 / 8.30per mile). At just after 9.45am we were off and then we weren't as all that seemed to happen for the 1st mile was we started and stopped this resulting in a 9min 20 sec mile. After this I settled into my stride and was really enjoying the run until about 22miles. At 22 miles my time was 3 hrs 4mins, well on for a sub 3:45,shortly after 22 miles I had to stop for a pee. Trying to get started after this was a nightmare as my legs had seized up, meaning my pace became much slower for the last 4 miles. I finished in 3hrs 52mins 46secs a bit outside my pb,but still my best marathon for a good few years. Once I had collected my baggage I met up with my wife and kids and posed for some photos with my medal. Then it was back to Dhruv's house for a shower and a well deserved meal.

Its a rest for a week or so for me then onto Edinburgh for the marathon on 23rd May. I'm running this one with 2 first timers from my work, we are raising funds for Calum's Cabin (www.calumscabin.com).

Well done to David on an excellent effort and an informative report. Thursday's training session will be practicing running without stopping for a pee, something we have clearly neglected in training! It is also good to know that our catering problem for the club dance is solved. All the best for Edinburgh (go before you start or don't stop to go!).

Alan

Glen Moray 10 mile / 10 km Road Race

Sunday June 20th 2010 at 2.00pm

Entry form and details of the above races can be downloaded from the Forres Harriers website below.

http://www.forresharriers.org.uk/races.htm


Andy H