Brampton to Carlisle 10 Mile Road Race November 20th

There are still some places available on the Harriers' bus to Brampton on Saturday 20th November. Harriers and non-Harriers welcome. Please see Russell at the club for payment details. Although the club group entry has been posted, it is still possible to enter on-line until 1st November. Enter at www.race-results.co.uk.

Alan

Allan Scally Road Relay - Harriers Galore

You can count on the Harriers

On a day when strong winds made improving on last year's times difficult, 20 Harriers made a significant contribution to the field at today's Allan Scally Road Relay. Only the various university teams contesting the Scottish Universities' Championships had more teams than Calderglen out.

Four and a bit mens' teams and one ladies teams set off on the 4.8 mile loop around the leafy streets of Mount Vernon (in fact all of the streets of Mount Vernon!). Joanne McEvoy was a first timer on this complex course but was once again our fastest lady with a time of 32:29 handing over to Julie Beveridge in only her second race for Calderglen. Julie paced the race well despite a lack of company and recorded 34:39. Frances Maxwell was our only lady to have run this course before and improved by an impressive 40 seconds on last year to finish in 33:28. Frances maintains her lead in both the club Grand Prix and scratch championships.

The men's vets team were chasing the veteran title for the second year in a row. With plenty of vets to choose from, the Harriers fielded another very strong team with two changes from last week. Davie Watt established a big lead on the first leg with a time of 26:38 in 13th position overall. Alan Cullie had another consistent run on leg 2, only 18 seconds or so down on last year in a time of 30:15. The strong winds do not help small, light runners but the experienced head of Charlie McDougall made the best of the conditions and maintained the lead on leg 3 in a time of 29:07. Finally Martin Duthie had a lonely final leg, seeing no one but as a result bringing the Harriers vets team home first in a time of 28:18 at his first attempt on this course. Another great result for the Harriers in another of the classic winter season races. Well done to the team.

Another four Harriers' teams lined up at the start. Jim Holmes was another to improve on last year, recording a time of 31:27, the 6 second improvement worth much more given the conditions. Ian Rae took 26 seconds off last year's time, crossing the line in 32:07. Colin Banks was a first timer here and has now established his benchmark at 33:23. Russell Couper was looking for a sub 40 time today and so his time of 42:00 was tinged with some disappointment despite the fact he was the biggest improver, taking 1:06 off last year's time.

On the second legs, Eddie Reid had less pressure this week but is still not feeling 100%, recording 30:49, a bit slower than last year. Stuart Waugh established his first time for this course, stopping the clock at 31:39, still within sight of Jim Holmes' time as usual this season. Kenny Leinster last ran a road race 16 or 17 years ago he thinks but hopefully we can coax him out again in around 21 days at Brampton as he is obviously running well, finishing in 34:34.

On leg 3, Stephen Reilly is gradually getting himself back into racing shape and was pleased with his time of 30:59. George Stewart put on the most dazzling display of the day (or at least his new racing shoes did) recording his second solid performance in a row with a time of 33:23 (yes George, you did beat Frances).

First timer Richard Lawton looked strong at the end of his 38:38 leg and definitely has the stamina for the forthcoming Brampton 10 miler.

Due to the cold, biting wind, the remaining final leg runners were all set off together, making more of a race of it. Scot Hill is in a bit of pain with sciatic nerve problems these days but it seems that pinning a number on (presumably through his skin rather than his vest!) takes his mind off it and he therefore ran 10 seconds faster than last year, finishing in 30:35. Brian McDougall had a hectic day even before he arrived at the race but left him with enough strength to improve by 31 seconds on last year, finishing in 31:09. Finally David Wardrope is getting back to last year's form, dropping only 6 seconds on last year with a time of 34:55.

Jim Holmes stays at the top of the club Grand Prix whilst Martin Duthie makes his first appearance in the lead of the scratch championship. Both competitions remain tight.

It was a cold day for spectating but we as always had strong support with Maud, Mandy, Angela, Ian Jnr and also Julie's sister there to cheer us on. Thanks and well done to all. More photos from Phrances the Photographer here. Photos of all the Harriers from Kenneth Phillips now added to the album.

The next Grand Prix race is the big one BRAMPTON in 3 weeks.

Alan

Allan Scally Teams 2010

TEAMS CHANGED THIS MORNING DUE TO ILLNESS
Lots of Calderglen teams again this week. The teams and running order are here. As the teams have to be paid for on the day it would help if you could be there for 1pm to give your money to Russell. Let Russell or I know by 12 tomorrow at the latest if you have to pull out. Race starts at 2pm.

The course is confirmed to be the new 4.8 mile course introduced for the first time last year. Changing/registration/refreshments at Bannerman High School, Baillieston, G69 7NS as usual.

Alan

ALLAN SCALLY ROAD RELAY GRAND PRIX #6

Next Saturday 30th Oct is the Allan Scally road relay in Bailliston.
The race starts at 2pm and cost at this point is unknown but probably 3 or 4 pounds.
Please leave your name using this form if you want to run and teams will be selected after training on Thursday. Names received so far are here.
Please be at Bannerman High School, Bailliston by 1pm on Sat to pay so we can register the teams and go to the course.

National XC Relay Report

A week of heavy showers could not put the dampeners on a thrilling day of racing at the National Cross Country Relays at Cumbernauld on Saturday. In fact underfoot conditions were about as good as they have ever been in the 10 years that this venue has hosted the race. This meant that the course was muddy rather than the usual absolute quagmire! The Harriers' senior ladies and men responded magnificently with many significant course best performances achieved, building on the improvements displayed by many in the preceding races.

Joanne McEvoy was on first leg duty for ladies A team. In a field of 70, Joanne established an early mid-field position before handing over to Mary Goldsmith in a time of 18:21. Mary has run this course a handful of times but today ran her fastest ever time covering the hilly 4km course in a time of 19:48, not only her first time under 20 minutes but also her first time under 21 minutes! Mary pulled back a few more places in the process. Frances Maxwell was on the anchor leg with plenty of teams ahead to work on. Frances gained a further 6 places bringing the team to the line in 34th position in a time of 18:40, an improvement on her previous best by 32 seconds.

Kirsty Findlater lead off the ladies B team in her first ever cross country race. A tough one to debut on! However Kirsty and second leg Laura McConnel have covered plenty of cross-country miles in training at Brancumhall and on the golf course over the past year with the club and both ladies demonstrated great toughness and strength in completing their laps. Kirsty completed her lap in a time of 22:36 whilst Laura, also on her first ever cross country race, completed the 4km in 23:13. Although neither lady professed to have particularly enjoyed the experience (at least not during the race) they will both have boosted their strength and race experience. 

The Calderglen men fielded 3 and a half teams in a record field of around 130 starters. The Calderglen veteran A team were psyched up to contend the first ever Scottish Masters National championship held within the overall National Championship. Davy Watt is a master of handling the fast, physical starts on these relays and today launched the club into a very competitive 31st position overall and 3rd vets team in a time of 14:27, only seconds covering the first 5 or 6 veteran teams. This was Davy's fastest time from only a couple of appearances on this course, the last in 2002! Eddie Reid was dumped right into the fast and furious leading action on leg 2 and found it a bit unsettling being passed at great speed by so many younger athletes. However Eddie kept his head and ran only 8 seconds outside his previous course best, recording 16:34, handing over in 9th position amongst the veteran teams. Martin Duthie had been feeling a little bit ill through the week and was not at his strongest on leg 3 but still gained two veteran places crossing the line in 7th place in a time of 15:26, only 16 seconds outside his best set 5 years ago. Alan Derrick has been in good form this season but was another one with some sort of virus for the past two weeks which was denting his confidence a little. However, this did not affect his performance on the day, passing the Cambuslang, Garscube and finally Kilbarchan veteran teams cheered on by a very loud Calderglen support but unfortunately finishing exactly 10 seconds and one place behind the third place Fife AC veteran team at the line, having taken 84 seconds out of them. Alan recorded a course best of 14:36, an improvement of 1 minute on last year and 13 seconds better than his previous best set in 2004. The veteran championship was won by Shettleston Harriers, 1 minute ahead of Calderglen, Corstorphine were second (22 seconds ahead) and Fife third (10 seconds ahead). A very impressive performance by a small club such as Calderglen in a National championship.

There were equally impressive performances and improvements in the Calderglen B, C and D teams. Jim Holmes (17:05), Scot Hill (16:42) and David Herbertson (17:37) all improved massively on their previous best times in the B team whilst Stuart Waugh completed that veteran team with a time of 17:54 in his first National since 2005. Ian Rae toughed it out on first leg duty for the C team running a course best of 17:30. Richard Lawton had never run this event before and probably found it a shock to the system, recording 20:02. David Wardrope is still on the comeback from a knee problem but still improved by 15 seconds on last year to finish in 19:13. An improving George Stewart recorded 18:34, a minute or more outside his best on this course but by no means his worst performance. Russell Couper had the dubious pleasure of a first leg for the D team but was delighted to improve by almost 3 minutes on last year to finish in 20:54. After last year's DNF, Chas Steven ran a solid 21:14 on leg 2 as he builds his form for the forthcoming Brampton to Carlisle 10 mile race.

Thanks as always to our supporters on the day; Mandy, Malcolm, Roddy and Barry. The shouts of support do make a difference even if we don't have the strength to acknowledge it during the race. There are photographs of most of us in this album courtesy of Frances and the various photographers trusted with her camera (more photos added 25th October courtesy of Kenny Phillips).

The Grand Prix and scratch championships have been updated. Jim Holmes maintains his Grand Prix lead whilst Alan Derrick jumps to the top in the scratch championship. Frances Maxwell maintains her lead in both championships although the leaders are tightly grouped. Use the menu to the left to access the latest positions.

Alan

National Cross Country Relays

In perfect cross country conditions in Cumbernauld the club's young athletes were well represented at this annual event. Both the boys and girls races were over a distance of 2,500 metres.

First off were the girls with Under 13 Amie Mulholland running the first leg in a time of 12 minutes and 56 seconds. Lisa Stenhouse (Under 15) took over and ran 13:40 while on the third leg Emma Campbell (Under 17) finished on 13:32 giving a total time of 40:08. The winning club in this race was Edinburgh AC with a total time of 31:59 and leg times of 11:06,10:50 and 10:03.

In the second race of the day the boys "A" team consisted of Alistair Crawford (Under 13) who ran 11:52 in the first leg and handed over to Andrew McGurk (Under 15) who completed the undulating course in a time of 12:07 before Richard Campbell (Under 17) showed some consistent form in 10:44 . The cumulative time for the "A" team was 34:43.

The "B" team started with Greg Mulholland (Under 13) completing the course in a time of 12:55. Greg was followed by Drew Gordon(Under 13) who ran an excellent 13:19 before handing over to the newest member of the boys squad Jack Thomson (Under 15) who finished in 13:48. The "B" team had a cumulative time of 40:02.

The "C" team was incomplete however two boys were undeterred by this and Paul McMonagle (Under 13) ran 15:40 . Roadworks and traffic congestion meant that Ian Rae (Under 15) just made it to the course on time otherwise he would have ran in the "A" team. His team of 11.08 was a just reward for the young athlete who stayed in the park to cheer on his dad and all the other Harriers in the Senior races.

For the record the winning boys team was Victoria Park Glasgow AC in a combined time of 26:59 with legs of 9:45, 8:49 and 8:25.

Once again many thanks to the parents/carers of the young athletes for supporting the club at this event.

NATIONAL XC RELAYS

Can the ladies be at the school for registration by 12.40 when i will register the teams
Can the men collect the numbers from me at the school up to 1.15 thereafter i will head to the course and you can collect your numbers there but please be there by 2pm to allow time for warmups etc
See teams on BLOG below

Russell

National XC Relay Teams

The teams for tomorrow's race at Cumbernauld are here. Another great turn out from the ladies and men. However, if you do have to pull out between now and tomorrow, please let Russell or I know as early as you can. Once Russell has declared these teams and the running order at registration, the teams cannot be changed. The ladies start at 1:40, the men at 2:30.

Parking/changing/registration/refreshments are at Cumbernauld High School, South Kildrum Ring Road, Cumbernauld G67 2UF about 1 mile from the race course. There are major road works on the A80 and in Cumbernauld, so leave plenty of time. Click here for a map.

Alan

Lanarkshire Cross Country Races - Young Athletes

This event will take place on Saturday 20 November at Drumpellier Park in Coatbridge (enter the park from Blair Road). All the races are "head to head" and not relays like recent races. In accordance with regulations all athletes in the Under 13 age category upwards must be registered with Scottish Athletics. Ages as at 31 August / 1 September 2010. Details are as follows:

12 noon Under 11 Girls 800 metres Entry £1

12.10 pm Under 11 Boys 800 metres Entry £1

12.25 pm Under 13 Girls 2400 metres Entry £1

12.35 pm Under 13 Boys 2400 metres Entry £1

12.50 pm Under 15 Girls 32oo metres Entry £1

12.50 pm Under 15 Boys 3200 metres Entry £1

1.15 pm Under 17 Girls 4800 metre Entry £2

1.15 pm Under 17 Boys 4800 metres Entry £2

If you intend taking part in this race give your name and Scottish Athletics number to Richard Lawton with the correct entry fee. Names will be taken up to 17 November. Please arrive at the park at least 30 minutes before your race start time to collect your number and allow enough time for a warm up.
If you have any questions to ask about the event please post a comment below.

Lanarkshire Road Relays

The results of the above event which took place last Saturday at Drumpellier Park in Coatbridge have finally arrived. For the club's young athletes the following times were recorded :
Under 11 Girls 1200 metres : "A" Team - Emma Lawton 5 minutes exact, Cliona Campbell 5:20, Kate Kane 5:24. These three girls were the second team overall this age category. Running as an individual Carla Graham ran a time of 6:38.
Under 13/15/17 Girls 2000 metres: "A" Team - Caitlin Campbell 8:19,Amie Mulholland 8:14 and Lisa Stenhouse 8:31. This trio were 10th team overall.
"B" Team - Kirstin McDowell 10:41,Nicole Sharp 8:50 and Emma Campbell 8:31. This team were 14th overall.
The only disappointment on the day was that we did not field any complete boy's teams . However there were some fine performances from those who did run as follows:
Under 11 Boys 1200 metres: Jack Nobile 5:32 and Conall McDowell 5:39.
Under 13 Boys 2400 metres: Calum Stewart 10:19 and Greig Mulholland 10:25
Under 15 Boys 2400 metres: Ian Rae 9:34 and Jack Thomson 13:04
Once again well done to all the young athletes.

COMING SOON TO THIS BLOG - DETAILS OF THE LANARKSHIRE CROSS COUNTRY RACES ON SATUDAY 20 NOVEMBER AT DUMPELLIER PARK IN COATBRIDGE.

Harriers,Hearts and Dons.

I have recently been asked by a number of people from our club and outwith what has happened to two of our promising young athletes namely Craig Ferguson and Andrew Reid. Both lads are also talented footballers and as the title of this blog suggests have been signed up by professional clubs and unfortunately for us this means they can no longer represent the Harriers.Craig has went to Heart of Midlothian while Andrew is with Aberdeen. The parents of both boys have expressed their disappointment that they cannot continue with their involvement in athletics but have promised that if things don't work out at the football they will return to our club.
Our best wishes go to Craig and Andrew in their football careers.

NATIONAL XC RELAYS (Cumbernauld) 23rd Oct

Those entered for the above event are

Ladies:- K Findlater,F Maxwell, M Goldsmith, L McConnell and J McEvoy

Men:- R Couper, A Derrick, C Steven, C Freeman, D Wardrope, G Stewart, E Reid, S Waugh, R Lawton, C Banks, I Rae, M Duthie, J Holmes, S Hill, D Herbertson and D Watt

There is one space left for the ladies team and reserves have been entered so if anyone is interested let myself or Alan know at the club by thursday night

Teams will be selected after training on thursday so if you have to withdraw let us know

Youth notification is on the Blog below this

National Cross Country Relays

The above event takes place this Saturday (23 October) in Cumbernauld Park. Registration is at Cumbernauld High School (South Kildrum Ring Road) where all young athletes should report at 11 am for relay team selection to take place. The park is approximately 1 mile from the school. Please arrive at the school in good time as car parking is very limited. The girls race start at 12.30 pm and the boys at 1.05 pm. Both run a distance of 2,500 metres. I have entered the following names for this event :

Under 13 Girls - Megan Brady,Amie Mulholland,Lynsey Thomson,Kirstin McDowell,Caitlin Campbell, Catriona MacKay and Nicole Sharp.

Under 15 Girls - Lisa Stenhouse

Under 17 Girls - Emma Campbell



Under 13 Boys - Alistair Crawford,Paul McMonagle,Greg Mulholland,Drew Gordon,Aaron Sumal,Amlar Sumal,Jason Kerr,Robert Griffiths,Joe McDermott,Mitchell McLuckie, Fraser Paul

Under 15 Boys - Ross Barrie,Ross Paterson,Ian Rae,Paul Mullen,Jack Blair,Andrew McGurk,Greg Miller,Adam McDonald,Jack Thomson

Under 17 Boys - Richard Campbell

If for any reason you are going to be late to the event could you contact me on 07815420752.

SVHC TRACK 10K

Four harriers ventured out to coatbridge today to take part in the veteran harriers track 10k
This was certainly a surprising and strange experience being the first time ive raced 25 times round a track (still feeling dizzy) Tempretures were a little down in Coatbridge compared to the day before for the relays and there was a strong breeze between 220m to 300m. Scot Hill, Stuart Waugh and Jim Holmes broke away from myself within the first 100m as expected but within a couple of laps Jim was struggling to hold on to Scot and Stuart and they started to move clear Stuart looking to reverse Saturdays result. Scot was setting the pace with Stuart tucked in behind all the way looking to pounce at the end. While this was going on i was still plodding round lap after lap and trying not to be lapped too often but to no avail althought i did some lapping myself. In the end Scot held off Stuart 40.01 to 40.03 good close race while Jim stayed on the same lap to finish 41.00 although Scot is hoping the official times might give him a couple of seconds off. I eventually crossed the line in 52.37 and hoping the official results will take off about 15mins. Good event well worth all our vets trying as its completly different from a 10k on the road.

Grand Prix Update after Race 4

A familiar name has moved to the top of the men's Grand Prix as Jim Holmes makes use of his jokers to score a maximum 24 points. Meanwhile Joanne McEvoy played her joker to score a maximum 10 points to move into second place behind Frances Maxwell in the women's Grand Prix. Eddie Reid and Frances still lead their respective scratch championships.

Grand Prix: Women   Men
Scratch:      Women   Men

Wood you Believe it 2 - Champions!

Two years after winning the silver medal our ladies have got the GOLD! In perfect running conditions, Joanne McEvoy launched the team into a substantial lead, covering the undulating 2.5 mile course in 15:31. Julie Beveridge only joined the club a month ago and here in her first race in a Calderglen vest she performed admirably on leg 2. Relay legs often require a solo effort and this was the case with Julie until the final half mile when George Stewart eased passed and gave some words of encouragement. Julie finished in 17:21, still with a large lead. Frances Maxwell has plenty of experience of this event and it was therefore fitting that she took the final leg and brought the team home as winners of the Lanarkshire Championship in a time of 16:48,  a new pb by 11 seconds. An even bigger pb was achieved by Mary Goldsmith on leg 1 for the ladies 2nd team. Mary had already demonstrated great form in the opening road relay of the season at Houston, setting a pb there and the trend continued here with a 33 second improvement to finish in 17:03, booking her place in the first team for the race next week in Cumbernauld. One year ago on first training with the club, Kirsty Findlater would probably not believe that she would now be running flat out for 2.5 miles without stopping. Running very confidently, Kirsty set a great debut time of 19:21 on leg 2 for the 2nd team. At this impressive rate of improvement, Kirsty has many pb's to look forward to. Well done to all the ladies!

Calderglen's men fielded an impressive 4 and half teams. The first team was the same vets team as last week but in a slightly different running order. First off was Alan Cullie, still not quite back to his best form but recording a respectable 14:46 in about 8 or 9th position. Eddie Reid is keeping Alan close company this year and again was only seconds slower on leg 2, finishing in 14:52. Martin Duthie is sharpening up with every race and this week pulled the team back to 5th position with a solid 13:40 on leg 3. Finally a slightly feverish Alan Derrick set off on the last leg and predictably was never breathing comfortably but maintaining 5th position in a time of 13:23, a few seconds down on last year. Of course the future of our club is youth as demonstrated by the many young athletes running earlier in the day and by under-17 Richard Campbell, making his first appearance in a senior team, he was assigned a no-pressure first leg in the incomplete men's 5th team to give him a bit of experience. Pace judgement comes with experience and Richard probably went off a little quickly, being leading Harrier for a few hundred metres but only faded a little to come in just behind the 2nd team in a time of around 15:20 (estimated). Well done to Richard. Jim Homes set the second team off, this time avoiding any photo finishes by finishing in a clear 15:14 (another personal best). Stuart Waugh, in his first of two planned races this weekend, was not holding back on leg 2, recording 15:38. Making his relay debut, Graham Ramage was pleased to see that no baton changes are required in road relays (we distance runners can't do anything complicated like that) and probably found pace judgement the most difficult part of this largely solo effort, finishing in a fine 16:21. David Herbertson had once again just jetted in for the race, this time from Europe, but improved substantially on last year to finish in 16:01, not a pb but heading back in the right direction. We are certainly giving Ian Rae's slow twitch fibres a rest before next year's West Highland Way race training begins by exposing him to these "sprint" relays. This week Ian was on first leg duty for team three, recording 16:15. Leg 2 went to George Stewart who although still some way off his best looked in better form this week, finishing in 16:34 and avoiding a third successive defeat by Frances (much to her relief as after three wins she gets to keep George). Ian McKenzie was under no such pressure on leg 3, setting a time of 17:15. Final leg duty went to Colin Banks who had a tussle with a Springburn runner throughout which helped him to a 16:41. David Wardrope was on the first leg for team four and got quite close to last year's time, recording 16:28. Another first time relay runner today was the ever enthusiastic Michael Daly who had some competition all the way around his leg, finishing in an estimated 18 and a half minutes. Chas had a long day looking after the young athletes and then returning as keen as ever for leg 3 which he finished in 20:49.  Richard Lawton was on leg 4 and seems to be over his injury, recording 18:35. Russell was on leg 2 for the fifth team, taking over from Richard Campbell. Russell was delighted to improve by 1 minute and 12 seconds on last year with a time of 19:34.

This was a very healthy display by the Harriers, old and new. Thanks and well done to all. Thanks also to our supporters and photographers Sandra, Maud and Mandy and to Andy Henderson who fulfilled the club's marshalling duties throughout the day. This link takes you to the photo gallery. Roll on Cumbernauld!

As a footnote, Drumpellier Park is a great venue for races (when the weather is nice!) and it surely must have been inspirational to regular park users to see so many people young and old doing something so positive, running their hearts out. But not to one jogger who rather than being enthused by the fast, fit runners around him, hurled abuse at marshalls (not once but twice) who politely asked him to jog to one side of the path in the start/finish area. Only in the West of Scotland I am ashamed to say......

Alan

Lanarkshire Road Relays - Young Athletes

As it may take some time for the official results to come through to the club this post is to thank once again the parents and carers of the young athletes who supported Calderglen Harriers at this event at Drumpellier Park in Coatbridge. It is an enormous well done to all the young athletes . All of them put in a spirited performance and all the coaches at the club are very proud of them. Special congratulations to the Under 11 girls team of Emma Lawton,Cliona Campbell and Kate Kane who were the second overall team in thier age category.

Details of next weeks race which is the National Cross Country Relays will be posted as soon as possible.

Lanarkshire Road Relay Teams

Seems like half the club will be in Coatbridge tomorrow! The teams and running order are here. The women's and men's races start together at 1:15. Ideally everyone should be there early enough to a) allow an adequate warm-up and b) pay the entry fee (around £1.25 per person) to Russell so that the teams can be declared.

Registration and the race start/finish are at the Drumpellier Park, Visitor Centre off Townhead Road, Coatbridge. Click here for a map. Each leg is 4km, all on the roads within the park. If you need a lift, then please be at the Sports Club ready to leave at 11:45.

Alan

Dawn and Dad in the Mud

Dawn and Billy Buchanan took part in the recent Mugdock Salomon Turbo-X 10 Mile Trail Race. This was Dawn's second appearance, a glutton for punishment, and Billy's first. Dawn said:

"A few piccies of Dad and me at Mugdock Park 10 mile trail race last weekend. We didn’t want to wear our harriers vests for fear of getting them muddy. Just as fabulous and tough as I remembered it! My Dad’s first go at it and it has to be said he defo looked a lot cleaner than me when we finished… One for those that like their cross country extra muddy.  I was 1hr 55mins while my Dad proving that age is only a number beat me by finishing in 1hr 39mins."

Dawn

Billy is hoping that Brampton is flooded again this year so he can put this part of his preparation to good use. Check out this web site for the photos of Dawn and Billy.

Alan

Harriers Reunited

At Rouken Glen on Saturday it was a very pleasant surprise to meet a founder member of the club Alan Craig who now lives close to the park. Alan took time to cheer on some of the new wave of Harriers and of course some of us who were around when Alan was a prominent member of the club and whose skills ensured we have the club we have today.

A more recent Harrier Jamie Bannister has also been in contact with me. I first met Jamie when he was a pupil at Strathaven Academy when I was in my first year of teaching. A sub 40 minute 10 k at Strathclyde Park was more than enough to convince me that he would benefit from club training. Jamie now lives and works in London and his passion for distance running has been reignited. At the recent Loch Ness Marathon Jamie was 19th in a time of 2:47:51 and at the Great Scottish Run he was 41st in a time of 1:17:08. Jamie's exploits and of his fantastic group of friends can be viewed in more detail on his blog http://www.jamieontherun.co.uk/ .

All this reminds me of the old adage "Once a Harrier Always a Harrier" and I suppose the message to all lapsed Harriers is "Haste ye Back".

Grand Prix Updated after Race 3

The Grand Prix and Club Championships have been updated following the West District Relays. Use the links below or the menus on the left to check the results.

Grand Prix              Men  Women
Club Championship Men  Women

Charlie MacDougall maintains his lead in the men's Grand Prix whilst Eddie Reid emerges in the lead of the scratch championship. Frances Maxwell has a grip on both women's championships although Mary Goldsmith is now closing in on the Grand Prix with careful use of her jokers.

Alan

West District XC Relays - Rouken Glen

19 senior Harriers enjoyed/experienced (delete as appropriate) perfect cross-country conditions in the West District XC Relays at Rouken Glen Park today. Each runner completed 2 laps of a gently undulating grass course to give a total distance just over 4km. Under foot conditions became softer, stickier and muddier as the races progressed, particularly on some of the tight corners but overall the course was fast.

Mary Goldsmith led off our ladies team and finished strongly in 19:34, handing over to Frances Maxwell. Frances powered around the course in 18:44. Unfortunately we were short of a lady to complete the team but we do have several more of our ladies available for the National in 2 weeks time, so that will be encouraging to see.

Despite a few regular competitors from the previous 2 races being unavailable, we had a record number of men competing today with four and a quarter teams fielded, including a revamped vet's team aiming for a West District Masters medal. On first leg duty for the vets team was a returning from holiday Alan Cullie who perhaps found this short race a shock to the system, finishing in 16:28. Martin Duthie took up the chase on leg 2 and pulled in 8 places to finish in 15:20. Eddie Reid came straight from his work to rejoin the vets team on leg 3, running a steady 16:38. Finally Alan Derrick had one of his best cross-country legs for a few years, maintaining a virtually even pace throughout to finish in 14:34, gaining a handful of places in the process but alas not enough to bring the vets team into the medals.

A very evenly matched "A" team had Jim Holmes on the first leg who powered round in 17:14, a time that once again was to be pipped by the narrowest of margins by yet another Harrier. Super vet Stuart Waugh continued his impressive form with a 17:30 leg. Effort of the day came from David Herbertson who had just stepped off a plane from the USA and must surely have been jet lagged. This makes his time of 17:41 even more impressive. Graham Lindsay completed the team with his first appearance of the season in a solid 18:18. George Stewart, Ian Rae,  and Chas Steven were the first leg runners for the B, C and D teams respectively. A still under the weather George seemed to be struggling a bit here too, finishing in 18:55, well down on Ian 17:58. Chas had been on his feet all morning looking after the Calderglen Young Athletes but still ran a steady 21:03. On leg 2 we had Ian McKenzie and David Wardrope. Ian has stepped up a lot this year and finished very close to George in 18:56. David looked more comfortable this week finishing in 19:27. On leg 3 for the C team, Stephen Phimister looks to be finally over his long-term injury and duly took up the challenge of overhauling the D team which he did in a remarkable time of 17:13, 5th fastest Harrier of the day. Russell Couper was relishing a run on leg 3 for a change and finished in 21:55. On final leg duty for the first time, Colin Banks needed a bit of en-route encouragement to spur him on, finishing in 19:03. Richard Lawton had been out with an injury for some months and hence took a no-pressure 4th leg to launch his come back, finishing in 20:34.

This really was a fantastic turn out from the Harriers (across all the age groups) and thanks are also due to our many supporters around the course (Maud, Malcolm, Sandra and Christina to name a few). It was also great to see our official club video diarist Barry Cockburn out on course and as enthusiastic in his support as ever.

An album of dozens of photos is available here  with contributions from Frances, Kenneth Phillips and David Wardrope.

Very well done to all!
Alan

West District XC Relays - Young Athletes

The young athletes of our club had an impressive turnout at this race at Rouken Glen park on Saturday. Most of them were making their debut at this type of event and for the first time the club fielded more girls than boys !
Valuable experience was gained by all the young athletes and no doubt they will be out to improve their times over the same distance (2,500 metres) at the National event on 23 October.
In the girls race we managed to enter one complete team . The "A" team got off to a good start with Amie Mulholland finishing in 12 minutes and 27 seconds. Under 15 athlete Lisa Stenhouse took over and ran an impressive 12:39 before handing over to Under 17 Emma Campbell who clocked 13 minutes exact.
The first leg also saw Under 13 athletes Catriona Campbell (12:58), Kirstin McDowell (15:40) and Carla Graham (16:30) building on thier commitment at training in the last couple of months. Likewise in the second leg for Nicole Sharp (13:41) and Lynsey Thomson (12:37).
In the boys race the bravest race of the day was undoubtedly that of Under 13 Drew Gordon who unfortunately was victim of some very unsporting conduct when he was pushed by an "athlete" into one of the steel posts at the start of the race. Undeterred young Drew continued with the race and finished in 14 minutes and 30 seconds. Running for the boys "A" team he handed over to Paul Mullen who was making his debut as an Under 15 runner. Paul blazed around the course in a time of 11:01. Under 17 Richard Campbell took over and ran an excellent 10:15.
In the "B" team Greg Mulholland showed vast signs of improvement in crossing the finishing line on 11:58 before Under 15 Andrew McGurk took over and posted a fine 11:40 . Ian Rae ran another fantastic race with a time of 11:04.
A special mention also goes to Under 15 Jack Thomson who had to run a solo leg and unfortunately there is no recorded time on the official results.

Once again many thanks to all the young athletes and the parents/carers for representing your club at this event.

Lanarkshire Road Relay - Grand Prix Race 4

Race number 4 in the Grand Prix is the Lanarkshire Road Relay to be held next Saturday 16th October in Drumpellier Park, Coatbridge. Please indicate your availability using this form or let Russell or I know at the club through the week. Team running order will be selected after training on Thursday, 4 legs per men's/mixed teams and 3 legs per ladies team. Each leg is 4km, all within the grounds of Drumpellier Park. The senior race starts at 13:15 (men and women together). As usual, everyone will get a run, it does not matter if teams are complete or not. Here are the names we have so far.

The race declarations are at the Visitor Centre off Townhead Road and the race starts close to there.
Alan

West District XC Relay Photos - All Photos Now Added

Use this link to see loads of photos from yesterday's West District Cross-Country Relay at Rouken Glen Park. Still awaiting the official results before posting the race report as we are missing a few times. Thanks to Frances, Kenneth Phillips and David Wardrope for the photos, more to follow later in the week.

Alan

Young Athletes Races

Many thanks to all the parents and carers of the young athletes who supported our , no your club, at today's West District Cross Country Relays. Your patience when team selections were taking place was greatly appreciated.
I hope you continue to encourage your youngsters to take part in the races we have planned over the winter season.
Details of next Saturday's races are posted below . All the coaches and helpers are particularly looking forward to seeing many of the club's Under 11 athletes this time around.
See you all next Saturday.

West District XC Relay Teams - TEAMS CHANGED!

Illness has forced some team changes. Please note the changed running order in the C and D teams.
Another impressive response this week. The teams and running order are at this link. If you cannot make the event or need a change of leg to an earlier or later leg, then please contact me or Russell as soon as possible as we have to declare the team running order at least half and hour before the race starts. Note that there is 1 place available in the ladies team and 1, possibly 2 places available in the men's D team. Most of the club have been declared as reserves for this race, so if you are available and not listed in any of the teams, please leave a comment or send an e-mail and I can let you know if you are entered or not. The race incorporates the masters district championship and Scottish Athletics medals will be awarded to the first three F40 and M40 teams.

The ladies race starts at 12:40. The senior men's race starts at 1:30. If you can go along early, then the children's races are on from 11:30 and the many young Harriers competing would appreciate a shout of support.

Alan

Young Athletes Training

Please note there will be no training on Wednesday 13 October due to school holidays. The first meet after this date is on Saturday 16 October at the Lanarkshire Road Relays in Coatbridge ( see previous notice below about this event).

National Cross Country Relays - Saturday 23 October 2010

The above event will take place in Cumbernauld . Travel and meeting arrangements will be posted in due course. Teams comprise of 3 legs each of 2,500 metres . The 1st leg is for Under 13's only, the 2nd leg for Under 15's or Under 13's and the 3rd leg for Under 17's or Under 15's. This arrangement ensures that as many young athletes as possible get the opportunity to take part in this type of race.

The following names have been entered :
Under 13 Boys: Alistair Crawford,Paul McMonagle,Greg Mulholland,Drew Gordon, Lewis Miller,Fraser Paul,Andrew Reid,Aaron Sumal, Jason Kerr,Robert Griffiths, Joe McDermott,Mitchell McLuckie.
Under 15 Boys: Ross Barrie, Ross Paterson,Ian Rae, Paul Mullen,Amlar Sumal,Jack Blair, Andrew McGurk, Greg Miller,Adam McDonald, Jack Thomson.
Under 17 Boys: Richard Campbell

Under 13 Girls : Megan Brady,Amie Mulholland,Lynsey Thomson,Kirstin McDowell, Caitlin Campbell , Becky Valentine, Catriona MacKay,Carla Graham,
Nicole Sharp
Under 15 Girls : Lisa Stenhouse, Lynn Andrew,Holly Valentine
Under 17 Girls: Emma Campbell

London Marathon Places

Andy Henderson is soon going to apply for the club's automatic quota of London Marathon places. The number of places we get is related to the number of senior members of the club and it usually works out that we get 2 places. If any Harrier has applied for the London Marathon and has a letter of rejection and would wish to be considered for one of the club places then please leave a comment on this post or speak to Andy Henderson preferably by the end of this week. If there are more Harriers interested than there are club places then a ballot will be held. So far we have one member in need of a place.

Alan

Lanarkshire Road Relay Championships - Young Athletes

The above races will take place within Drumpellier Park in Coatbridge on roads which are not open to traffic.The event takes place on Saturday 16 October. Details are as follows:

Ages as at midnight 31 August 2010 / 1 September 2010

Race Start Time Age Group Distance
11.30 Under 11 Girls 3 x 1200 metres
11.45 Under 11 Boys 3 x 1200 metres
12.00 *Under 13/U15/U17 3 X 2,000 metres
12.20 Under 13 Boys 3 x 2,400 metres
12.45 Under 15 Boys 3 x 2,400 metres

* This race will comprise of first leg Under 13, 2nd leg Under 15 or Under 13, 3rd leg Under 17 or Under 15 .

Under 17 men are allowed to compete in the Senior race at 13.15 over a distance of 4,000 metres.

All Calderglen Harriers young athletes should report to Drumpellier Park Visitor Centre , Townhead Road at 10.30 am to allow enough time for team selections. Please bring £1 race entry fee.

Grand Prix Standings

After the first two races Charlie MacDougall has a narrow lead in the men's Grand Prix over early leader Colin Banks and Frances Maxwell leads over Joanne McEvoy in the women's competition. In the scratch competitions Davie Watt leads for the men after a perfect record so far and Frances leads the women's competition. The following links take you to the complete results.

Grand Prix  Men Women
Scratch Competition Men Women

The results are also available using the links on Grand Prix pages of the club web site.

Please let me know if you spot any errors or omissions.

Alan

McAndrew Photos

Photos from Saturday provided by Kenny Phillips and Frances are now available. Further photos to follow later in the week. MORE PHOTOS NOW ADDED.
Alan

Brancumhall Training

Time to get the spikes out (if you can find them). Our fortnightly cross country sessions commence this Monday 4th October. The aim of this first session is to acclimatise to wearing whatever spikes, trail shoes or old trainers you have in a controlled effort rather than waiting till the first race (West XC Relays on Saturday) to expose your achilles tendons and calf muscles to the extra strain that these low heeled shoes can induce. Thereafter we will be building up the session through the cross-country season to work on speed endurance and running efficiently on a soft surface. If you don't have spikes or trail shoes don't worry, the worst that will happen is that your trainers will get very dirty and you will lose a bit of efficiency.

All should turn up at the club as usual with your normal trainers and your off road shoes. We will run to Brancumhall and I or a volunteer will transport your spikes to Brancumhall in a car.

Alan

McAndrew Road Relay - Winners for the First Time

For the first time in the 71 year history of the McAndrew Road Relays, Calderglen have finally got their name on the trophy! Our vets team of Davie Watt (17:36), Charlie MacDougall (19:01), Martin Duthie (18:20) and Alan Derrick (17:49) finished 10th overall and first Masters team in this classic event on the Scottish Road Racing calendar. Davie got the team off to a flyer being well in touch with the young leaders and probably first vet at that stage. As Martin had subjected everyone to his personal warm-up strategy (arriving late with his and everyone else's pulse racing!), a very calm Charlie was on the second leg running an even paced 19:01 and bringing the team in well in contention in the Masters category. Then a fully primed Martin took off, fresh from winning the Scottish Aquathon (open water swim and run) Championship M40 title last weekend, pulling in the leading Cambuslang masters team only metres from the finish line. Finally I had a smooth leg, pulling rapidly away from Cambuslang and fairly confident there were no more vets teams in front but still making up a few more places overall to bring the team home in 10th (probably our second best overall position ever) and a minute or so clear of the next masters team. The team were awarded the Bill McEwan Memorial Trophy by the host club, Victoria Park City of Glasgow AC. A very proud moment for the club.

In an excellent turn out for the club we had a further three full teams competing, continuing the close competition of last week. Jim Holmes led off the A team to finish in 21:01. Brian MacDougall was on leg 2 and found a few extra seconds this week to finish in 20:55, handing over to Stuart Waugh who ran an excellent 20:57. Eddie Reid is getting over his illness of last week and a catalogue of injuries over the past two months and finished more like his usual self in 20:26. George Stewart was first out the blocks for the B team but was struggling with the after effects of a cold and was struggling when he crossed the line in 22:49. Gerry Mullen made a confident return to racing recording 22:29. Stephen Reilly was coaxed to the race by Scot, finishing in 20:32 and Scot would be pleased with his returning form on the last leg, finishing one second ahead of Stephen in 20:31! Upset of the day came from Frances Maxwell who led out the C team but coming home ahead of the B team in a time of 22:16. Promotion is on the cards! Colin Banks ran a steady 22:49, handing over to David Wardrope. David forgot how many hills there were at the end of this race and kicked for the finish 2 hills too early. Oops! David finished in a tired 23:09. Finally Russell was by no means last on the 4th leg, finishing strongly on the last downhill stretch in 25:55. Very well done to all on fine performances and for demonstrating great enthusiasm and spirit.


Thanks to Maud, Mandy, Malcolm and Jimmy Moore for their support around the course. Photos to follow later in the week. No jokers played today, a grand prix update will be published on Sunday.

Alan

McAndrew Road Relay Teams

Another very encouraging response to race 2 of the Grand Prix. This time we have 4 teams. The running order for each team is here.

The race starts at 3pm with some of the Harriers leaving the Sports Club at 1pm if you need a lift. Please be there in plenty of time to allow for a warm-up, essential for a short, sharp race such as this and to allow Russell time to declare the teams. If you do have to pull out, then please let us know before 2pm, the earlier the better, by leaving a comment here, phoning or texting Russell or I.

The race changing and declarations are at Jordanhill School, Chamberlain Road, Glasgow and the race start is about half a mile from there in Helensburgh Drive. Further details here.

Alan

Parents/Carers of Young Athletes - Important Notice

Could all the parents/carers of the club's young athletes please make sure they can be in the main hall after training (7.30 pm) on Wednesday. We have new 2010/11 registration forms to distribute which should be completed and returned to us as soon as possible.
There will also be available information about the Lanarkshire Road Races which will be on Saturday 16 th October at Drumpellier Park in Coatbridge. This event has races for all age groups so we hope to have a large turnout from the club.
Your cooperation in this matter will be greatly appreciated.