Although we are still waiting for the Harriers' results to be fully incorporated in to the league tables, it is worth reporting on the fine performances by the many Harriers from junior through to masters age groups who represented the Harriers on this brilliant cross country course. When the final results are published, I will update this report with the names of the many juniors who competed in their age group races where we had some very high placed finishers, particularly in the U13 races.
This was my first time at this course and I was surprised but delighted at the elevation changes squeezed into this small area. As the main photo shows, each lap comprised one very long climb straight off the start line and continuing for about 750m, gaining about 50m in elevation. At the top, we turned 180 degrees and headed on a fast, tufty descent all the way back down to the start/finish area where the many club tents were assembled. Then we swung right through a slightly muddy patch into more of a parkland setting, with a short, sharp hill which we zig zagged up and down twice before swinging back round to the left for about 100m on the flattest part of the course back to the start line. For the U20/Senior/Masters combined race, we did 3 laps totaling 5.4km. It was a little bit shorter than the usual XC league course and I probably would have preferred a fourth lap but I may have been in the minority! This would have made life difficult for the organisers with perhaps too many people being lapped. The strength benefit that all who took part will get from doing this particular race is likely to be significant though.
I've tried to work out roughly where Calderglen are likely to finish in the senior/masters league tables in advance of the final tables being published. Our ladies benefited massively from Karen Allen making her first cross country race of the season and having an excellent run to finish in 27:24. Together with Alison Lessells (30:03) and Lorraine Buchanan (38:12), this gave us three quarters of a ladies team and a full masters team. For each missing member of a team, we pick up penalty points, based on the total number competing in the category across all clubs. For the ladies, this meant adding 58 penalty points to our team score, placing us 8th out of 17 teams in the ladies league after race 1. In the masters category, it looks like we will have a total points score of (6+13+24 = 43) with no penalty points which should put us in 3rd postition, behind Bellahouston Harriers (24 points) and EKAC (31) points and 3 points ahead of Cambuslang (46) who picked up penalty points. This demonstrates how important every Calderglen Harrier is to the team score and league position and how strong our ladies are. Remember that every extra runner we have beyond the minimum per team adds penalty points onto the teams we are competing against if they have incomplete teams. So let us get as many ladies as possible out for the second (and final) race of the league at Strathaven in January. We stand a very good chance in this particular league.
The men are more difficult to work out as several teams' age categories are yet to be added to the official results. We had 10 men competing with an excellent turn out from our newest and youngest members. The finishing order was Andrew Buchanan (24:30), Kai Wheeler (24:49), Alan Derrick (24:50), Jason Grant (27:00), Iain MacLean (27:59), Scott Hair (28:33), Craig Ferguson (29:10), Gordon McInally (30:12), Kevin McPhillips (32:04) and Russell Couper (37:20). A particular thanks to Gordon (and to Strathclyde parkrun for cancelling their event) for his last minute decision to do this race which helped boost the team numbers and pile an extra penalty point onto many of our competitors. We had a complete team of 4 (only one team per club counts) in the male overall category but contributed 6 penalty points to the other teams as a result of our great attendance. Our masters team of 3 was also complete and piled 5 penalty points onto other incomplete teams. Our U20 team (Kai) was incomplete as was our Senior team (Craig). In the overall male league we are sitting 11th out of 26 teams. In the masters event, I think we are sitting in 4th position (14 + 17 + 27 = 58 points) behind Inverclyde AC (22), Shettleston Harriers (26) and Westerlands CCC (40), and ahead of Giffnock North AC (71) and Cambuslang (79). Some big clubs there.
From the above league positions, I hope everyone is as encouraged as I am to see Calderglen up near the front as a club, particularly in the masters' categories. We can do even better if we get more turning out for the final race in the league in Strathaven in January. So get the date of 25th January blocked out in your diaries. It's only up the road in Strathaven and it will only take a few hours of your time.
Thanks to Frances, Kenny, Geo, Marion and several other parents and supporters we had around the course on what was a very well supported event with a lot of cheering and cow bells on the big hill (its funny how people like to watch us suffer the most!). Thanks also to Geo for the photos which are in this album.
Alan
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