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2020

Issue 2

PB INSIDE: 4J AWARDS

The ofﬁcial magazine for members of scottishathletics

Contacts

ssue...

scottishathletics 05

Chief Executive Mark Munro

News: Jake’s Record target

News: AGM Report

Keep On Running

Lockdown Heroes

in this i

World Class Kayleigh 07

Michael Wright, Richard Leyton, Gregor Malcolm 12

Highly Honoured!

4J Studios Annual Awards

4J Studios Performer of the Year Tim Hutchings

Performance Coach of the Year Andy Young

PB Special Feature Jemma Reekie

Kirsty Law

Indoor Vision Kilbarchan AAC

Grassroots Athletics: Para Coaching

Grassroots Athletics: Para Clubs

Grassroots Athletics: Ofﬁcially Brilliant

Hill Running: Jacob’s Ladder

Marathon Running: Pete Simpson

The ofﬁcial magazine for members of scottishathletics www.scottishathletics.org.uk

Issue 2

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Pais Reekie, enehan John L , e il g e a N , Ram tics, y, Ben y Young sh Athle an, And McCarth es/Briti tm id g v h a a ig Im D W , y art Weir ie, Jake an, Gett an, Stu ie Bow Shearm m rm a rk e J a n , n M in a , dk es B y Gavin Jacob A , Charl : Bobb ty Law, impson Barden s ir ty a Photos K K , s ; S hing avours Pete Munro im Hutc ordon Main, agher s ll T : Mark a , s r n G a to n c u ure n, G Dun Contrib lete La kie, Liz rd Leyto 10k Para ath ers â€“ rna Ree alcolm, Richa n d o o n o a M T l : il e s n in wm rM wee on th Meado r joint w letics). lth, Ro Intervie Wright, Grego eries at rformer of Yea es/British Ath ru Wea l S T e n , a s e h y p ic a M ag ds Pe sO Studios J Studio port, Lin Getty Im Joma S m the 4 et photos: 4J (courtesy of o : s fr r e to s o ti n ph . Ins tma chester Adver S: Main Bobby Gavin nd Jake Wigh in Man O s T p O m H a y P b )a rriers, sh Ch COVER y Gavin . Photo ock Ha rn ller Briti a u m M FRONT f competition ekie (by Bobb il e s, K t th o e Hound ction a the joy uir, Jemma R ett in a are and n H n i e M n B ra U s Lau Chri urgh letics) HOTO: , Edinb AGE P ges/British Ath tral AC P n e S C T , N ners CONTE y of Getty Ima ad Run s ston Ro u o h (courte a ll k C, Be s.org.u han AA athletic h Kilbarc ners. : is s tt b o c lu n C e@s oad Ru r.jardin Nairn R ail pete m E 1 202 return in PB will , Morna Renton

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on McMah Lindsay lub Manager lC rg.uk Nationa 6 648 letics.o 79 ttishath 07918 cmahon@sco m lindsay.

llan Dawn A perations fO Head o 2 rg.uk letics.o 080 92 07983 n@scottishath lla .a dawn s Officer itjer qualitie Fran Sn Officer and E ve .uk Executi 3 tics.org 76 732 ishathle 0131 4 .snitjer@scott a francesc amilton inistrator H Allan dm ance A rg.uk rm fo Per 0 letics.o 76 733 ttishath 0131 4 ceteam@sco n a perform cDonald Jamie M lub Manager lC .uk Nationa 0 199 tics.org 37 ishathle 07776 @scott ld a n o cd jamie.m Mudge unning la Ange â€“ Hill R l Lead .org.uk Nationa 6786 thletics 0 5 ottisha 07739 ge@sc d u .m angela

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nager ollard Mark P ndurance Ma lE rg.uk Nationa 2 980 letics.o 10 ttishath 07584 rd@sco lla o .p mark rdine ns Peter Ja ommunicatio fC Head o 4 .org.uk 6 1 868 thletics 07885 ine@scottisha rd peter.ja

ct s on Proje Hawkin icer - Marath Robert Off d ea L l .org.uk Nationa 9 875 thletics 17 ottisha 07903 kins@sc w a h t. rober Malcolm ment Officer Shona Develop .org.uk Officials 2 567 3 athletics 8 1 3 7 scottish 07 @ lm o lc a shonam er ss Offic and Pre ord yf G e ications Su n u m m Co Digital 4 rg.uk 037 57 ishathletics.o 07880 @scott rd fo gy sue.

Smith anager Francis l Club M Nationa 7 606 .org.uk 1 thletics 3 8 ottisha 0750 ith@sc sm s. ci n fra icer Robson way Off ty Path Pamela Disabili l k a n o ti Na 0 cs.org.u 343 41 hathleti 07827 bson@scottis o .r pamela

Chief Executive Mark Munro

irst of all, I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during these ongoing difficult and challenging times.

It has been remarked upon regularly how well athletics in Scotland (not just Scottish Athletics) is doing during the pandemic. That is down to yourselves on the ground. As a sport, we must all believe we can continue to progress despite the challenges and you must recognise in yourself the importance of your role. My observations have been that the clubs and people (coaches, officials, athletes etc) who are thriving just now are those who have been patient but forwardthinking, have adapted to their situation then planned-adapted-planned-adaptedagain, shown immense resilience, taken opportunities and have been creative and energetic.

Mark Munro Chief Executive Scottish Athletics

@SALMarkMunro

New horizons . . . but athletics in Scotland can keep thriving

If we can all follow the many excellent examples that exist in athletics in Scotland, we will be in great shape. Secondly, as many are now aware, I will be leaving scottishathletics as CEO in 2021 after 10 years working in the organisation. I’ve been really touched by all the good wishes I have received since the formal announcement and I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone involved in the sport in Scotland. I’ve had so many conversations over that time and every day has been a learning day. That’s how I try to approach life. In 1999, I spent several months at the Scottish Athletics Federation (previous incarnation of SAL) as an unemployed graduate and duly became John McDonald’s photocopy and database assistant. Years later to become Head of Development and then CEO has been a real privilege and honour. I am reminded regularly by Alex Jackson of the RR and CC Commission that I raced (unknowingly underage) in a District event in 1986 to help our club to a team medal at the age of eight, so it’s been a long time involved in the sport in Scotland. Ten years ago, I am not sure even I would have believed that Scotland’s coaches, athletes and clubs could have reversed the decline in Scots succeeding at a global level so quickly (given the trends of the previous 20 years). I remember quite clearly that we only had five Scots at the 2012 Olympics in London and none of them progressed beyond a semi-final.

Joma kit deal was one of Mark’s notable achievements A great deal of credit must go to those who went before me as well. Success doesn’t just happen overnight; it takes a long time. However, as the staff team have heard me say often, scottishathletics are here to serve our members and support our partners, and all credit must always go to those delivering at the coal face. If you had told me in 2011 that six Scots would deliver seven top 10 performances within the 2019 World Champs and that our Para stars would deliver six medalwinning performances at the IPC World Para Championships, and that two Scots would literally be on top of the world in mountain running . . . then I am not sure I would have believed it. Also, away from competition, we have attained the highest audit level possible, led in the area of equality and have many sector-leading club projects delivering a lot of positive outcomes. Moving forward, despite the global pandemic, the sport is in a good place – if we can believe in ourselves and the sport and keep pushing. I also think Scotland may be in a position to enjoy a best-ever Commonwealth Games in 2022, assuming the stars align and athletes can cope with multiple championships that year.

As some will be aware, I am leaving to take up the new role with UK Athletics as Development Director. The role will provide the strategic direction and governance across the sport of athletics in the UK, for the following areas: safeguarding; coaching; officiating; facilities. The role will also oversee the connectivity of athletics development in collaboration with the Home Country Athletics Federations; focusing on club networks and systems, participation and schools/ education curriculum. As such, I will continue to work closely with scottishathletics. Equally, if you had a difficult decision, I know I am leaving the governing body with a great board and fantastic staff team. Despite the pandemic, and thanks to the work of our clubs (affiliation etc), I expect scottishathletics to enter the 2021/22 financial year in April in a very solid position. Also, I would particularly like to thank both Ian Beattie MBE (Chair) and Professor Ron Morrison (President) who have invested a significant amount of their time into my development over the period. It was Ian and the Board who provided me with the opportunity to step up as CEO. I will always be grateful. Lastly, I would like to thank yourself, the members. You make it all happen and keep driving the sport forwards and upwards.

scottishathletics

NEWS

Keep up to date with all the stories @www.scottishathletics.org.uk

Jake targets Tom’s 800m Record

‘Tom McKean’s time is one that I’ve known for years and been easily able to recite,’ said Jake, 4J Studios Performer of the Year joint winner with Laura Muir and Jemma Reekie. ‘It is such a benchmark and trying to get close to it was a big target for me in 2020. Nobody in Scotland has really come close to it down the years. For many years, in fact. ‘For me to knock about half a second off and get a new PB in Ostrava felt like a step forward and it has taken me about three tenths away from Tom’s Record (Jake clocked 1:44.18 in the Czech Republic). ‘Three tenths in an 800m could just be positioning or a slightly quicker first lap.

ake Wightman smashed the Scottish Men’s 1500m Record in Monaco in August to post one of the main

highlights of the year. The Edinburgh AC athlete took more than two seconds off his own previous mark, as he brought the Record under 3 minutes 30 seconds for the first time with a superb run clocked at 3:29.47.

It catapulted Wightman to No 2 on the British all-time list but such is Jake’s desire to be viewed as middle distance man capable of both 800m and 1500m excellence that he has sights firmly set on a big name from the past. Tom McKean has held the Scottish Record for the men’s 800m for fully 31 years since a run of 1:43.88 - and both Tom himself and that performance continues to command huge respect.

Manager, Alasdhair Love, to compile the paperwork required by the authorities. And ratification has now been receive by CPISRA to confirm what we knew already – Red Star AC athlete Kayleigh is world class in RaceRunning!

World Class Kayleigh

ayleigh Haggo’s superb RaceRunning performance at Meadowmill has been ratified as a new World Record.

Kayleigh competed at the 4J Studios National Open Series in East Lothian and on August 30 clocked 37.75 for the 200m. Pamela Robson, our National Disability Pathway Officer, worked with our scottishathletics Officials and Event

PB 2020 | ISSUE 2

‘It was great to see this world record happening at the 4J Studios National Open Series at Meadowmill and it merely amplifies the inclusive nature of the event and the high level of Para athletes competing,’ said Pamela. ‘Kayleigh gave a superb performance that showed how hard she has trained in the recent months. ‘I would like to thanks our Officials for getting involved in helping with paperwork needed for this. I am absolutely delighted for Kayleigh who now holds the world records for 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m. Congratulations!’

‘I will believe looking to see if I can have a few good shots at that time over the course of my career. ‘Credit to Tom McKean – it is an impressive time. And I’m not sure how many times in his career he ran sub 1:45 or sub 1:44 but I know it was an awful lot. ‘It shows you the calibre of Tom as an athlete so it is a Scottish Record which deserves to have stood the test of time – but I hope it won’t last much longer.‘

dam Craig posted a PB performance on his GB and NI debut at the World Half Marathon Championships in Poland. The Inverclyde AC athlete was placed 62nd in the race in Gydnia in October as he finished in 63:12 in only his second competitive race at this distance. Kris Jones of Dundee Hawkhill Harriers was just ahead of Adam to take 60th place as he clocked a PB of 63:05. Jake Smith set a new British U23 Record of 60:31 as the British men’s team took 10th place overall in the standings topped by Kenya in Poland, with Callum Hawkins (and also Steph Davis) unfortunately having had to withdraw through injury. Robert Hawkins was team manager with the GB and NI selection for the first time at this event.

Commonwealth Games finalist in 2002 and 2006 and for GB and NI at a World Indoors. ‘Once again, 201920 continued to build on the progress from the last few years and we are extremely grateful for the role that everyone has played in that progress,’ said Mark. ‘Whilst the end of the year has left us in unprecedented times with the outbreak of Covid-19, we should reﬂect positively on another incredible year for the sport in Scotland.

‘Supporting our membership remains our top priority’

ark Munro believes a collective will and togetherness can help lead athletics in Scotland through the coronavirus crisis. Our chief executive addressed the Annual General Meeting in September as delegates gathered for the first time for an online meeting rather than in person. The AGM and the Annual Report covers the year from April 2019 to March 2020 and as such takes in a raft of international success at the World Champs and World Para Champs as well as mass participation at grassroots level. With more than 35 folk on the Zoom call in total, the meeting was quorate with 26 mandated representatives and two by proxy.

‘One of the most memorable sights last year was the start of the men’s 1500m World Championship Final with Jake Wightman and Josh Kerr of Edinburgh AC and Neil Gourley (Giffnock North AC) all lined up and delivered some brilliant performances. ‘Scottish athletes and coaches continue to deliver success across all disciplines of the sport with athletes ‘punching above our weight’ in GB team population representation terms . ‘Our focus as an organisation remains primarily on supporting our membership and delivering against the national strategy, Building a Culture of Success.

Covid-19 has changed that landscape for six months and more, of course, but this ‘Our aims remain the same - to build an article, in general terms, refers to the year in integrated and transparent system that question and decisions from the AGM to be supports our constituent members as implemented forthwith. well as continuing to develop the sport of athletics in Scotland as a whole. Membership prices have been frozen at the current levels and those prices will apply ‘It is certainly not just about performances from April 2021 for 12 months thereafter. on the world stage but is about the whole That means it will remain at £22 for an sport pulling together in the same direction attached Senior and £12 for an attached and recognising the importance of all parts U21 athlete (aged 13-20); £25 for three and individuals within the system. Success years for Coach Member; Free for Officials. comes from the community of athletics in Scotland.’ David Ovens, who is a coaching assistant with During the AGM, Mark drew attention to Fife AC, has agreed to some highlights and stats for the year April become the new chair of 19 to end March 2020: scottishathletics when Ian Beattie concludes his tenure *Membership slight decrease from 14,188 next September. to 13,876* (Covid-19 impact) David was a middle distance athlete with Law and District AAC and Pitreavie AAC and is married to Hayley, who represented Scotland at 1500m and was a

*£8.8M in volunteer hours *600+ licensed events – drop off in March onwards

*Para Prize Pot within Track & Field; Equalising of team medals (6 to count) in Cross Country *Hosted the Stirling International Cross Country, World Tour Indoor Grand Prix and British Indoor Championships *Fantastic performances on and off track on global stage and across many disciplines *1,333 coaches, leaders and teachers ‘trained’; 32 coaches attained a Level 3 qualiﬁcation (highest level); 118 coaches qualiﬁed at Level 2; 296 coaching assistants (Level 1) A number of proposals were approved by the AGM and will come into effect in due course. In terms of the scottishathletics Board, Jo Butterfield was re-elected as a Non-Executive Director. It means Jo will serve a second four-year term on the Board after initially joining in 2016. We’re delighted to confirm that Honorary Life Membership has been conferred for the following unstinting stalwarts of our sport: Dave Finlayson, Moira Maguire, Joyce Wighton. A series of Office-bearers were also re-appointed or appointed to our four Commissions. We offer sincere thanks to all those continuing to serve in these roles or indeed stepping up for the first time – it is great to see current WMRA World Cup winner Andy Douglas joining the Hill Running Commission in a finance role!tes and their coaches. ********************************* GB internationals Robbie Simpson and Meryl Cooper brought their hill and ultra experience to bear at the Bennachie 50k ultra trail race. Robbie finished in 3 hours 45.56 to improve by some 34 minutes the previous men’s Bennachie 50k ultra trail record set by Kyle Greig in 2019. Meryl also won in a Course Record of 4 hours 29.12 in the Women’s division.

scottishathletics

Grassroots Athletics By Peter Jardine

t stands to reason that launching a campaign entitled ‘Keep on Running’ should be a no-brainer for your national governing body.

Capitalising on increased running activity during lockdown? Urging clubs and groups to be more welcoming? Offering support to those training virtually? What’s not to like? The truth is there were a number of considerations at play before scottishathletics and jogscotland could commit to a project on such a significant scale. We had to weigh up carefully if clubs and groups would be able to open up greater capacity and when was the right time to launch. Restrictions that are both localised and constantly changing were another issue up for consideration not to mention any individual or collecting nervousness about gathering. In the end, though, our clubs and groups voted with their feet. After taking initial soundings, we are delighted more than 60 agreed to become involved – with the clear proviso from us that clubs and groups can tweak their approach depending on their own situation or indeed a changing Covid-19 landscape in their area. ‘Keep on Running is a campaign which hopefully does what it says on the tin,’ said Colin Hutchison, Head of Development. ‘The clear aim is to direct new, or reengaged runners to their local running club or group.

On the campaig

Why we launched Keep On Ru

Launched at the end of September, after much deliberation, the timing was felt right to try and engage runners before long dark winter nights fully set in across Scotland.

scottishathletics hope to get more clubs involved in the campaign to allow people to keep building on progress they’ve made over the summer months.

And over the first few weeks we had initial feedback of growing numbers at the 60 or so scottishathletics clubs and jogscotland groups signed up for the campaign, with our online ‘maps’ and lists helping folk find the right place to join in.

‘Local promotion from participating clubs and groups will be key to the success of the campaign, ‘ added Colin.

‘Keep On Running has gained significant traction on social media,’ added Colin, with the simple hashtag #KeepOnRunning being used. ‘Clubs and groups have already been receiving enquiries with some new runners already attending participating clubs and groups. ‘We want people, wherever they are in Scotland, to be able to access the campaign. ‘To help us do this, we have a number of clubs and groups providing virtual services for runners so they can still participate in their local area, in their own time, whilst receiving support online.

‘We want to build on the enthusiasm and enjoyment people have had from running over the past six months to give them further support to keep active.’

PB 2020 | ISSUE 2

‘They have qualified coaches, leaders and programmes for all ability levels, including complete beginners, so it really is the perfect opportunity for anyone interested to keep on running. ‘If someone is interested but doesn’t feel comfortable attending a club or group just now, we are also providing some at home resources on our website for people to utilise.’

‘So we are providing them with physical resources to promote themselves in their local communities, and resources that can be used to advertise their sessions online. ‘We’ve also held an online information session with all the participating clubs and groups to enable them to share ideas and learn from what each other are doing.’ Angus Gallie, president of Linlithgow Athletics Club, is among those pleased with the campaign idea and to see people signing up.

Grassroots Athletics ‘Lockdown’s certainly not stopped us, we’ve not sat on our hands,’ added Angus, who is 64. ‘One of the things we started up last year was winter paced runs, where we go round the streets of Linlithgow under the street lights and we were getting about 40 people turning up to that. That’s the sort of pace you’d be at after Couch to 5k.

gn trail

unning

Due to the pandemic, the group had to cancel their annual 10k and fun run event, which normally attracts over 1000 people.

IS YOUR CLUB INVOLVED? More than 30 SAL clubs signed up for the Keep On Running campaign: Aberdeen Amateur Athletic Club Arbroath Road Runners

‘We’re trying to organise that so it fits in with the guidelines. It’s about getting folk to maintain their motivation during the winter and getting out there. It’s very difficult to motivate yourself in the winter but with company it’s much better.’

Bellahouston Harriers

Angus reckons having the social commitment to join up with your running buddies will make people more likely to stick with it.

Carnegie Harriers

‘It’s easy to sit by the fire and watch the telly but if everyone’s out, you feel you had better go along too,’ he laughed. ‘It makes a big difference I think, especially in winter.

‘Lockdown’s certainly not stopped us, we’ve not sat on our hands,’

Bellahouston Road Runners Calderglen Harriers Cambuslang Harriers

Central Athletic Club Dumfries Running Club jogscotland East Kilbride AC Edinburgh University Hare & Hounds Forfar Road Runners Gala Harriers joggers Garioch Road Runners Garscube Harriers Harmeny AC Irvine Running Club

Angus Gallie But throughout lockdown they’ve managed to adjust and hope to be able to help people keep up their new found love of running throughout the winter. Angus said: ‘We’ve usually got quite a big programme of events going on, and during lockdown we’ve had to adjust all that, but we’ve very much kept ourselves alive and kicking and not gone into hibernation. In actual fact, we’ve increased our membership for both seniors and juniors. ‘We’ve been on the go for 40 years so have a lot of things well established. In lockdown we started out by putting up training plans for people to do themselves, and maybe some people have come through that. We’ve also had virtual races, where people go out and time themselves over a course. Some of that’s been open to non-members, too. Linlithgow AC are now preparing to put together a winter programme, including pacing runs, their Let’s Go Linlithgow jogging group, and programmes to form the next steps from completing Couch to 5k.

Linlithgow AC/Lets Go Linlithgow ‘I started off as a cyclist but then took up running in the marathon craze. I’ve been doing a combination for 50 years!

Kilmarnock Harriers & AC

I can still run, still trying to compete with the young guys. As long as you can do it, do it. One day you might not be able to.’

Law & District AAC

Kirkintilloch Olympians

Metro Aberdeen Running Club Musselburgh & District Athletic Club Perth Strathtay Harriers PH Racing Club Pitreavie AAC Shettleston Harriers Springburn Harriers Strathearn Harriers Teviotdale Harriers West End Road Runners

*A large number of jogscotland groups are signed-up, too

scottishathletics

Grassroots Athletics

Saving our Sport

Lockdown heroes

As global pandemic threatened to shut down our sport, volunteers stepped up to keep making athletics happen By Katy Barden

t is said that out of adversity, comes opportunity, and for athletics clubs across Scotland, Covid-19 is a case in point.

‘I was sitting at home looking out of the window and I would see one runner, after another runner, after another runner all just pounding the pavements,’ recalls Michael Wright, Central AC’s secretary. ‘I thought: ‘there has to be a way we can capitalise on this’. ‘When things are moving as they normally do, you don’t always have the time you need to focus on recruitment . . . so actually having that time and space to sit down, it gave us the chance to focus on the local community and to really engage with the local press and with scottishathletics. ‘In every time of adversity there’s an opportunity to be found and this was the obvious opportunity. We were able to engage with and recruit from the local community and to highlight the physical

PB 2020 | ISSUE 2

and mental health benefits associated with running that have been brought into sharp focus by the pandemic.’ Central AC’s strategy is paying off and the club’s recreational running group - which already has around ten members - meets weekly. Edinburgh University Hare and Hounds have experienced a similar increase in recreational runners.

‘We’ve been fully subscribed on a Monday and Thursday with around 30 runners consistently,’ says club president Gregor Malcolm, the 4J Studios scottishathletics Volunteer of the Year. Throughout lockdown, the Hare and Hounds had the added challenge of retaining the social and cultural values the club is famous for. ‘We did a few pub quizzes with proceeds

Grassroots Athletics going to the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH),’ says Malcolm, who is in his final year of an integrated Masters in Astrophysics. ‘We did our midweek gym sessions online and we got involved in scottishathletics and BMC virtual events. We were just trying to keep in place some of things we’d normally do as a club. ‘We continued doing things as a club until late summer, way beyond if it had been a ‘normal’ year (when members traditionally disperse at the end of the academic year in May or June).’ The biggest challenge, he admits, has been the return to university and the co-ordination of club sessions within the confines of Covid-19 guidelines. More and smaller groups require an increased number of group leaders and responsibility for Freshers or new members, ensuring that they’re running within the right pace group, that they’re not going to get lost and ultimately, that they’re enjoying themselves. Ironically, 2020 had started off so well. Malcolm stood on the start line at the British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) Cross Country in Holyrood Park in February - the biggest in its history with over 1800 athletes - a world class event that he had planned, developed and executed (then ran). Similarly, Bellahouston Road Runners had also enjoyed a celebratory start to 2020 with a special 20th anniversary event at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow. Times were about to change, but the impact of a global pandemic didn’t dampen their spirits; quite the opposite, in fact.

Saving our Sport Through virtual challenges, online workouts and a variety of member engagement activities, the club did its best to replace the lost social scene, particularly the weekly gap left by the absence of group training and Saturday Parkrun. Members helped out at a local food bank, unpacking donations and sorting logistics to support in excess of 100 lockdownimpacted families, while online, via their ‘Meet the Bellas’ Q&A, over half of the club’s members shared valuable and personal insights, opening up about their lives to counter the limitations on face-toface social interaction. ‘The club has been fantastic,’ says President Richard Leyton, a founding member of Scotland’s first Parkrun in Pollok Park. ‘I didn’t really drive much of it, it all just happened from people on the board, from regular members with ideas. ‘A lot of people engage with running as a leveller, they all enjoy running, they talk about running and races, but it’s interesting, because people rarely talk about what they do for a living unless you specifically ask them. Through a lot of this we really got to know our members and to see the great variety of people we have at the club.’ Bellahouston Road Runners were one of the first Scottish clubs to publish their coronavirus plan and they made it available for everyone to read. It was a smart move that further engaged members and built confidence as people resumed training in groups.

Central AC showed what was possible with the third annual hosting of ‘the’ Monument Mile, bringing a semblance of normality into a year that’s been anything but. ‘It was difficult, but that was partly because it was so popular,’ says Wright. ‘I suppose having such significant numbers (283 athletes across 24 races) to race in a pandemic, both in terms of Covid-19 and admin, made it a lot harder . . . but it was a fantastic effort from the club.

‘When you’re having to navigate through adverse circumstances relationships are often made stronger, and I think our relationships with scottishathletics, partners like Stirling Uni, officials for Monument Mile, local media like the Stirling Observer – I think they’ve all been strengthened. I think ‘The club genuinely feels stronger,’ says that’s been through trying to deliver not Leyton. only for our members, but also to the local community and all the way through to elite ‘This has been quite a significant moment in athletes. Looking back on it, it’s been really our history and the club definitely feels more positive and a great team effort.’ confident about itself now; what it’s done, what it’s achieved The coronavirus pandemic has brought and hopefully what out the best in the athletics community. we can go on to do Lockdown has demonstrated the value of from here.’ staying active, in whatever form that takes, as well as the crucial supporting role of Without doubt, clubs in maintaining good physical and where coronavirus mental health. brought panic and confusion, clubs ‘Just because we couldn’t train together, delivered stability. it didn’t mean we couldn’t rally around In isolation, they to support and motivate each other right provided teamthrough the crisis,’ state Bellahouston Road mates and in Runners (via their website). moments of gloom ‘Hopefully (our activity) highlights that being they brought a member of a club is as much about the optimism. community you become a part of, as the They also made things it does.’ events happen, and in September, scottishathletics Michael Wright and

Honours List

Highly Honoured Ian and Gordon land recognition an organisation, and without the superb work carried out by people in many roles – athletes, coaches, officials, the professional staff, club volunteers, race organisers, and others – we wouldn’t be able to achieve anything like the results we have seen. ‘I’ve always believed that the role of the governing body should not be to control, but to work closely with everyone in the sport, providing direction and giving help where needed. ‘Athletics is fortunate to have so many high quality people involved in many capacities and if we are all encouraged to play to our strengths then we should be able to achieve great things.’ Gordon Main, 66, is a co-founder of Nairn Road Runners – setting up the club in 1985 with Danny Bow.

an Beattie’s huge contribution to athletics in Scotland has been marked by the Queen.

The scottishathletics chair will receive his MBE award in the coming months following inclusion in the latest Honours list. It is a tremendous moment for Ian personally, of course, but also for the wider sport in Scotland after eight years in a leadership role with the governing body as well as many more as athlete, race organiser, volunteer and coach. All at scottishathletics forward our warm congratulations to Ian and his wife, Sandra, and the wider family. There was also a special moment for everyone at Nairn Road Runners, too. Coach Gordon Main is to receive a British Empire Medal for ‘services to athletics in Nairn’. Well done, Gordon!

‘One of the aspects that pleased me most was the number of lovely comments from people who are part of the scottishathletics family, and who feel a great sense of pride of being part of it all. ‘When I took on the role of Chair in 2012 I wanted to see the sport come together, with everyone involved working with each other, rather than against. I want to hear people referring to scottishathletics as ‘us’, rather than ‘them’.

‘Athletics is lucky to have so many high quality people’ Ian Beattie

‘I don’t know who nominated me, but I’d like to thank them very much,’ said Gordon. ‘When you go out running with a group on a cold, wet night you’re not doing it because one day you think you might get an award. You do it because you enjoy it. ‘We meet up for club runs three nights a week - Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and I do my own runs on another couple of days of the week. ‘I take the most satisfaction from helping people get started with running, seeing them improve and enjoying it.’ Main fell into the role of club coach almost by chance. ‘Gerry Fairley, a runner from Kilbarchan, was working up here for a couple of years and joined us for training,’ added Gordon, recalling events of 35 years ago. ‘He provided us with a lot of advice and encouragement and I kept a diary of all the sessions we ran.

‘The whole of the Scottish Athletics ‘I was delighted and felt very honoured to be community has embraced this brilliantly and recognised with the award of an MBE in the I think we can all be very proud of what the ‘When Gerry left everyone asked me what Queen’s Birthday Honours List,’ said Ian. we should be doing so I consulted my organisation has achieved in that time. diaries and organised the runs - and I’ve PB 2020 | ISSUE 2 been doing it ever since.’ ‘We are all part of scottishathletics as

Benefit your club as we invest in the athletics club network

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4J Studios Annual Awards

Leap of Faith

How our #4Jawards went viral By Peter Jardine

One or two of the regular awards were deemed as not suitable for this particular year; one or two were added as we looked to reﬂect on innovation during strange circumstances.

he simple, straightforward – and some might even say logical – approach for our 4J Studios In terms of Para athletics, while a lack of Annual Awards during international competition opportunities a global pandemic would be to cancel ruled out an Athlete of the Year award, we completely and write off 2020. identified a chance to create the Janice That scenario was certainly up for inEaglesham MBE Para Development Club house discussion during the early weeks of the Year plaudit – and that will now of summer with the nationwide lockdown awarded annually. (SEE PAGE 27) firmly in place and seemingly little prospect We changed our Athlete awards to of imminent athletics. Performer of the Year for 2020 only – with a Instead, after postponing our usual hotel couple of disciplines effectively ruled out of banquet suite booking to autumn 2021, the running running with a lack of high level we took a leap of faith and resolved to competition opportunities.. find a way to acknowledge, celebrate and Yet still the competition was to prove recognise all that is good in athletics in intense. So intense for the Senior title, in Scotland and the jogscotland community. fact, that a unique joint award for Laura And so the idea of ‘virtual awards’ and an Muir, Jemma Reekie and Jake Wightman online celebration via a YouTube broadcast was the final answer from our adjudicating began to take shape, with significant help Awards Panel. from our sponsors 4J Studios, athletics video production company Vinco Sport and BBC presenter and our regular host, Bryan Burnett. Suddenly, a ‘Watch Party’ became a thing as clubs and groups gathered together online to tune in.

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Thus all three were tuning in on the evening of Saturday 10 October totally unaware of the outcome until Chris van der Kuyl, chairman of our sponsors 4J Studios, prefaced his announcement on the winners with the word ‘jointly . . .’ Muir for her part felt the dead-heat outcome was appropriate. ‘Watching the Awards on YouTube – which I thought you all did a great job with, by the way – I honestly could not call it,’ she revealed. ‘I couldn’t see how it would go. I think some years you have a pretty good idea of who might be the outstanding contender for Athlete of the Year. You get a feeling in advance. ‘So I was watching it and thinking it might be Jemma or it might be Jake so then when it was announced as ‘jointly . . . ‘ I just thought ‘that’s a really nice and fair decision.

4J Studios Annual Awards ‘I feel the three of us performed so well but in different ways. Whether it was 800m or 1500m or both distances, there were some great performances and it is good to share it with two athletes who worked really hard this year.’ Andy Young was duly named as our Performance Coach of the Year for his superb work with Laura and Jemma as well as other athletes. Ross Cairns, of Inverness Harriers, was recognised as Development Coach of the Year for his fine tutelage in the Highlands and one of his charges, Megan Keith, picked up not one but two awards – as she was named U20 Performer of the Year and also as the recipient of the George Dallas Memorial Trophy. ‘We are both really humbled to win these awards and would like to thank everyone at scottishathletics and those who nominated us,’ said Ross. ‘It’s been exciting and a huge compliment to Megan to look at the list of previous winners for the Dallas Trust trophy.’

as they were named winners in that new category for 2020 – the Janice Eaglesham Para Development Club of the Year. Elsewhere, in terms of clubs, Central AC won the Off-Track Club of the Year in what was a very well-contested award, while Bellahouston Road Runners took the title as our Impact and Innovation Club of the Year. And the Innovation Award for 2020, which was open to individuals and clubs, will be collected by Annan and District AC for some superb work during lockdown to keep their members connected.

Performance Coach of the Year:

Joasia’s outstanding performance of the year came in an ultra event while effectively stranded in Australia, leading to her taking to the track in Canberra. Still exiled in the southern hemisphere, she watched the presentation announcements online.

Club Coach of the Year:

Truly, it was the year the 4J Studios Annual Awards went global.

Impact and Innovation Club of the Year:

4J Performer of Year:

Laura Muir, Jemma Reekie, Jake Wightman

U20 Performer of Year: Megan Keith

And it was a good night for the Perth club

Megan Keith (Inverness Harriers)

Back to the athletes and Anna Hedley of Fife AC was our U17 Performer of the Year while Joasia Zakrzewski, who had been among our eight names short-listed for the top award, landed the Masters Performer of the Year title.

Athlete Winners:

Alan Erikson (pictured above) won the Club Coach of the Year award for his work at Perth Strathtay Harriers.

George Dallas Memorial Trophy:

U17 Performer of Year:

Anna Hedley

Maters Performer of Year: Joasia Zakrzewski

Andy Young

Development Coach of the Year: Ross Cairns

Alan Erikson (Perth Strathtay Harriers)

Off-Track Club of the Year: Central AC

Bellahouston Road Runners

Volunteer of the Year: Gregor Malcolm (Edinburgh Uni Hare and Hounds)

Innovation Award: Annan and District AC

Janice Eaglesham Para Development Club of the Year: Perth Strathtay Harriers

Official of the Year: Diane Ramsay

Raymond Hutcheson Award for Services to Officiating Andy Law

Tom Stillie Sword: David Lothian and Andrew Stevenson (Falkirk Victoria Harriers)

Honorary Life Memberships: Dave Finlayson, Moira Maguire, Joyce Wighton Central AC coach Derek Easton and athlete Ruaridh Miller display their Off Track Club of the Year trophy

scottishathletics

4J Studios Annual Awards

Extraordinary performances - in an extraordinary year Scottish middle distance trio thrill TV commentator Tim Hutchings By David McCarthy

hey blazed a trail across Europe after being shorn of the shackles of lockdown. Now Laura Muir, Jemma Reekie and Jake Wightman named joint winners of our 4J Studios Performer of the Year title have shown they are good enough to dream of doing it on the biggest stage of all next summer. Tim Hutchings certainly thinks so. Eurosport’s athletics commentator, himself a 5000m specialist who was good enough to come fourth in the Los Angeles Olympics of 1984, knows good middle-distance runners when he sees them and believes this tartan trio can deliver on their potential in Tokyo next summer. The Olympics have been put back 12 months due to Coronavirus pandemic and Hutchings is convinced the additional year will be a massive benefit to the three Scots, and the others who are threatening to make this the greatest golden era ever in our middle distance history. ‘If there is excitement in Scotland about middle distance running then it is absolutely justified,’ said Tim. ‘It’s an extraordinary period in Scottish middle and long distance running. ‘As well as Laura, Jemma and Jake, you’ve got Lynsey Sharp, Andy Butchart, Guy Learmonth, Neil Gourley and Eilish McColgan. Then there’s Callum Hawkins in the marathon.

PB 2020 | ISSUE 2

‘It’s an incredibly rich period and it takes me back to the 1980s when my team-mates were Tom McKean, Yvonne Murray and Liz McColgan - all extraordinary athletes - and I’m loving watching it unfold.’ Muir and Reekie were house-mates in Glasgow during lockdown and are training partners under coach Andy Young. They are also rivals when they meet head-on over 800m or 1500m but Hutchings believes it is possible to be pals under such pressure. ‘What they’re doing is a lovely example of what teamwork can achieve,’ he added. ‘It’s a key element to their success. Laura and Jemma clearly have tonnes of talent but are very intelligent as well and would have had a whole load of other options in life. Laura already has her veterinary qualifications behind her. ‘What I find reassuring about their teamwork is that it’s a very traditional set-up, which is very refreshing in this day and age when science is seen to govern and

dominate so much of the advancement in sport. ‘Andy works on a weekly cycle, which is the old traditional method. He doesn’t go for huge volumes of work, so there’s no junk mileage and it’s all good quality training. ‘Look what Laura is achieving now from 800m through to 5000m. It’s an extraordinary range and very few 5000m runners would consider trying to run world class times at 800. Yet she’s doing it. ‘Jemma, of course, has Laura as a mentor, and there is a really nice synergy about them. ‘A lot of it comes down to their characters. They’re both nice lassies. ‘I know Laura a little bit. She’s very quiet, understated and quite a shy girl. Very often in athletics, that fierce aggression towards your opponent is a very falsely generated emotion.

4J Studios Annual Awards

A lot of athletes in their early to mid-20s will appreciate the extra year. They’ll all be a year stronger, a year more experienced by the time the Olympics come around. ‘There’s a saying that ‘nice guys don’t win’ but that’s nonsense. ‘Dave Moorcroft was a rival of mine and a World Record holder at 5000m but he was a lovely guy. ‘I didn’t have a problem with being mates with him or Jack Buckner, who was European champion at 5000m. ‘The perception that you need to be distanced or emotionally agressive towards your opponent isn’t necessary. You should be able to separate your social feelings from your competitive emotions.’ The 61-year-old man behind the microphone enjoyed watching the trio storm to success in a series of events this summer and reckons there is far more to come. ‘They came on leaps and bounds last summer,’ he added.

‘A lot of athletes in their early to mid-20s will appreciate the extra year. They’ll all be a year stronger, a year more experienced by the time the Olympics come around.

Steve Cram and only Mo Farah has run it quicker.

‘Jemma is quite a lot younger than Laura and the extra year will do her the world of good.

‘He absolutely nailed it and again it’s testament to a great coach - his dad Geoff. I don’t think coaches get enough recognition. Would Jake have done that with somebody else? I’m not sure he would.

‘She’s become a far more rounded senior athlete and gained so much more experience on the circuit too, with the races she’s been doing recently.

‘Both Geoff and Andy Young are coaches who have learned a great deal from the previous generation and their athletes are benefiting.

‘Jemma, Laura and Jake - athletes of that calibre will have another year of racing nous under their belts.

‘Those three have a real chance next year and they won’t be alone. I’m delighted to see Scottish athletics in such a good place.’

‘Jake’s progress and how well he’s running has shocked me. His run of 3:29 in Monaco the 1500m in August was absolutely superb. That’s a Scottish record and now second on the all-time British list, ahead of

scottishathletics

4J Studios Annual Awards

Pride of the Clyde How working with ship-builder Kenny two decades ago helped launch Andy Young’s coaching career By Stuart Weir

t was ‘filling in the blanks’ which ultimately led Andy Young towards piecing together a coaching career that continues to impress on the global stage. He was no mean athlete himself. The man who first joined an athletics club at the age of nine with ambitions of becoming a sprinter ultimately ended up excelling at middle distance, winning the World Schools 800m title as a 16-year-old. Yet it was around that time that he was also beginning to learn a craft which is now helping to turn those with promise into becoming truly world class. Just ask Laura Muir and Jemma Reekie. The achievements of his stellar charges grab the headlines, of course, but their coach’s journey makes for an intriguing story in itself. It all began when one of Young’s first coaches, hampered by the time constraints of his day job, needed help in pulling together training sessions.

PB 2020 | ISSUE 2

‘A man called Kenny McVey started doing coaching sessions at the Kelvin Hall,’ recalled Andy named our Performance Coach of the Year for 2020. ‘He was working in the ship-building industry so didn’t have any experience in coaching but he got information from others, such as Highland Games coaches. We instantly had a lot of success, winning Scottish schools titles for example. ‘As I got a bit older, Kenny didn’t have time to go to coaching courses, so I was the one who ended up going – strength and conditioning seminars, nutrition and so on and I started getting more involved. ‘Kenny would run the session but I would fill in the blanks for the rest of the week. By the time I was 16, I was highly involved. I would source information from people who could help and together we set the sessions. ‘In 1994 I won the World Schools at 16 (the ISF World Gymnasaide 800m in 1:52.50) but by then I was already heavily involved in the coaching side of it with Kenny. And that continued so that by the time I was 20 I’d probably attended more coaching courses and seminars than most coaches do in a lifetime!’ By that stage there had also been lessons learned under the guidance of the legendary coaching figure that is the late George

Gandy when Young headed south to study and train at Loughborough University. Being coached, rather than having to coach, provided a break for Young which ended in the early 2000s when he was asked to coach schoolchildren, alongside ‘building a club up from nothing’ at Glasgow University. A medical student by the name of Kevin McCloy was Young’s first senior international from that group. He wouldn’t be the last. ‘Laura arrived at Glasgow University in 2011,’ added Young, who himself also won U19, U20 and U23 British vests. ‘She had won medals in Scottish Schools and was quite a serious trainer but I don’t think she had any great interest in becoming an elite runner.

4J Studios Annual Awards ‘A coach rang me and said an athlete was coming to university and would I keep an eye on her. She and Laura started at the same time and they were probably of similar level but the other one was probably better than Laura. ‘They started training together and very quickly I could see that beyond talent there was something about Laura. She had a fire in her. If we did a track session, Laura would always be chasing the person in front and when she caught them it would be the next person – often a boy. ‘I was only taking the University club two or three times a week but Laura expressed an interest in taking it more seriously, so I started working more with her. ‘She made progress very quickly, starting in September but by about November she had qualified for the Euro Cross. Then she started breaking Scottish age-group records indoors. Her 1500m PB dropped by about 20 seconds and she made the World Juniors that summer (2012).’ Much has happened since, with that success bringing a refinement and rise in the quality of the training group. ‘Attention to detail and getting things right,’ explained Young, when asked the basic philosophy. ‘Getting the most out of your workouts. Knowing what you’re trying to achieve. Everything we do should have a purpose with no wasted energy. ‘It’s intense, yes, and hard work but hopefully always with a purpose. We always focus on the next thing to be achieved and keep an eye on the prize. It’s tough so you need to enjoy it.’

There are three elements to becoming a successful elite athlete – talent, good coaching and effort from the athlete’ Andy Young

Routine is important, too. ‘I have a pretty set routine that I have developed,’ he said. ‘It’s a weekly routine that we have done for a number of years now and that involves speed, gym, strength, mileage etc. Laura likes the familiarity of that routine within the schedule. While we have a set schedule, I do tinker with the workouts or the sessions and blocks within the schedule. ‘Obviously when races are coming, there are changes but most of the year it stays the same. Mileage probably doesn’t massively change throughout the year. ‘It doesn’t spike massively in winter and it doesn’t drop drastically in summer – apart from race weeks. We tend to work on the principle of quality rather than quantity.’ ‘If you include warm-up and cool-down runs as well as the actual runs, it’s probably 5060 miles per week. We concentrate more on the intensity and quality – and they always get a rest day every week. I think I would face a rebellion if I took away the rest day! ‘Jemma always does a wee countdown – x days to rest day, which isn’t great if she starts on a Saturday and rest day is not until Friday! But at the end of Thursday, Jemma declares that rest day is starting. ‘Laura could go out now and run a good 10km or half-marathon, just from her current training without bumping up the mileage. ‘It’s more the sessions or strength and conditioning that I play around with. It doesn’t change massively but I’m always playing around with it – for example where to put the hill running, where to put more grass workouts but it tends to stay with what they are familiar with.’

Young admits, however, that any clever plans or devices he comes up with to achieve performance gains matter little if the athlete doesn’t commit fully to the longterm goal. Talent is not everything, either. ‘There are three elements to becoming a successful elite athlete – talent, good coaching and effort from the athlete. ‘When you put the three together, that’s when you can have real success. You sometimes wonder how many more ‘Lauras’ are out there. Jemma was more successful from 17 and she continued to win titles and now becoming the fastest in the world, breaking Records held by Laura and Kelly Homes. ‘Then you have Gabriela (DeBues-Stafford) breaking about 10 national (Canadian) records in a matter of months. ‘Coaching does play a key role but you need the input from the athlete. I don’t think the amount of talent needed has ever been 100 per cent quantified. ‘You wouldn’t necessarily have looked at Laura and said ‘super talent’ but when you put the three elements together, she became among the best in the world. ‘If you’re working with a class of 30 children, you can help them all improve but you can’t turn them all into Olympians. But you wonder how many of those 30 could become international athletes if they put in the effort. You can certainly ask who else is out there who hasn’t been discovered.’ Still, it would seem, there are more blanks to be filled in. *With thanks to Stuart Weir and to Euan Crumley, with a version of this article first having appeared in AW.

scottishathletics

PB Special Feature

Jemma Reekie

Burning desire

Jemma has carried torch for athletics from playground to podium By Katy Barden There was a collective sigh of relief as the wee blonde pigtails came into view.

The Reekie family had travelled to Largs to watch daughter Jemma in her first cross country race. But, on arrival, mum Morna had concerns: ‘We were watching her start and I was thinking ‘she’s only going to get half way round’ because it just looked so far’.

As a child, Jemma Reekie was quiet, thoughtful and gentle, but - as she’d proven in Largs - she was also determined and tough. ‘That was her nature,’ says Morna. ‘If she knew she wanted to do something, that was her focus; she had such good focus, even when she was small.

‘Like learning to ride a bike - that had to be done in the one day. She was determined as much as she was quieter natured and gentle. She would have fallen off that bike ‘Off they went, way out of sight, and when all day and taken all the blows, but she we didn’t see her, I thought ‘I wonder if had to learn to do it that day, that was her she’s walking?’ Then, the next minute, her wee pigtails came running around the corner nature. If there was something she wanted to do, she would do it.’ at the front. Her grandpa roared her all the way into the finish line he was so excited The Reekies - mum Morna, dad Jared, for her.’ brother Jared (Jemma’s senior) and younger sister Hope - were an active family and Jemma was excited, too, and while her learning to swim was a priority as the winning streak didn’t continue, she had children grew up. discovered her love for the sport. Jemma also loved playing hockey and enjoyed horse-riding.

PB 2020 | ISSUE 2

time, as well as organising trips to indoor athletics competitions and cross country events. Her enthusiasm was infectious. By the end of primary school, Jemma Reekie knew she wanted to be a runner. ‘I used to say ‘you do need to stick in at school, too’ and she’d just look at me and say ‘but I want to be a runner,’ ‘ says Morna. ‘I’ve always been happy for them to be what they want, but actually watching her in her young secondary years (when she was training at Kilbarchan), I just had a feeling that she was going to take it further. ‘I thought that if Jemma wants to be a runner and she sticks in at it and she’s good at it, then why not?’ Mrs Duncan, who is now retired, also held that belief. ‘Oh, I remember her really well because I knew she had potential right away,’ she says. ‘She didn’t win many of the races but she worked so hard.

Her true love, however, was athletics, the sport that captured her imagination from the moment she joined Mrs Duncan’s cross country group when she was in P5 at Beith Primary School (aged nine).

‘It was her determination. She always had that mentality of ‘I’m going to do better, I’m going to get better, I’m going to work at this’, and she always enjoyed her running.

Mrs Duncan (Liz), a PE teacher, was passionate about athletics and committed to her young athletes. She coached the school’s cross country team in her own

She was a pleasure to have – she’s a lovely girl and she’s not changed. She always had a beautiful stride. She always ran well, but it was her attitude and her temperament, Continued on. P23>

PB Special Feature

Jemma Reekie

scottishathletics

Muller British Champs

Kirsty Law

The D.I.Y. guide to ld o g s p m a h C h s ti ri B g in n win By Charles Bannerman A home-made gym hastily assembled in a back garden just six miles from one of the UK’s most rampant Covid-19 hotspots.

extended lockdown wouldn’t ruin everything by enveloping her base in Loughbrough.

‘The one problem was that I could only get a 10kg bar which is much thinner than my usual 20kg Olympic one and that was quite That’s how Kirsty Law prepared for her 20th uncomfortable on my hands,’ explained season of championship discus throwing Kirsty. which saw an eight year old PB improved ‘But I was delighted to get so much good in a successful defence of her British title lifting from home-made kit, although I did in Manchester one memorable night in split the plywood when I dropped an 85kg September. clean on it. It was really a home-made When full lockdown first bit in March, Scotland’s Glasgow 2014 finalist didn’t know that it would cancel the pursuit of her 10th consecutive Scottish title. But she certainly did know that inactivity wasn’t an option. Strength levels and technique would have to be maintained. And if Kirsty couldn’t go to the gym, the gym would have to come to Kirsty. So she decided to make one of her own. Plywood from B and Q (*other DIY stores are available) and a squat rack and gazebo from Argos (*other online shopping is available) provided the guts of the facility. She also managed to borrow a bar and discs and soon got to work . . . latterly hoping against hope that nearby Leicester’s

PB 2020 | ISSUE 2

season and I also used the plywood for throwing drills before I could get out to a patch of concrete at the local rugby club for full throws. It seems unbelievable that something with such a makeshift start could have worked out so well.’ Work it absolutely did because, apart from retaining her British title, this time against Commonwealth bronze medallist and training partner Jade Lally, now back after childbirth, there were distance bonuses as well.

Muller British Champs

Kirsty Law Internationals, European Championships at Senior and U23 levels, two European Team Championships and of course Glasgow 2014.

The 16cm PB of 57.95m which won Kirsty that British gold was one of seven 57m throws in just 27 days during a necessarily curtailed season. That’s two more than in the whole of her preceding career - and without one vital ingredient. ‘Because of Covid, we absolutely weren’t allowed to spit on our hands before throwing in competition and I do that all the time. I know it’s disgusting but it’s just part

JEMMA REEKIE: FROM PAGE 21

of my routine and I really missed it.’

So the 34-year-old’s 20th season of national championship competition really did have a And so it transpired. Two years, two British happy ending. titles, a Loughborough victory and countless overseas adventures later, the former North It all began under coach Cammy Roger in of Scotland U11 cross country champion Inverness, with the 2001 Scottish U15 from Munlochy on the Black Isle has no discus title and continued via Schools reason to regret her change of heart. But in International victory to a veritable AAAs preparing for what she hopes will be a more U20 and U23 gold rush. normal 2021, she would rather something more conventional than a home-made gym. There have also been 13 Loughborough

‘It was closer to home and I think it became more real to her in that moment - it made her think that it could really happen,’ says Morna. ‘It was the same with the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Diamond League meet at Hampden. That was our first live athletics as a family and it made it real for her.’ Jemma’s strengths - in particular her determination and toughness - have, at times, also presented challenges. ‘I found it hard when Jemma wasn’t well, a cold or sore throat or anything at all, she absolutely refused to miss training,’ says Morna. ‘I’d be saying to her, ‘Jemma you’re not well, you can’t go to training tonight,’ and that would be absolute devastation to her.

her determination to be better; she wanted to win every race, and if she couldn’t win it she wanted to beat her time - even if it was just a second or two better than the last time, that made her happy.’ Jemma carried the Olympic Torch ahead of the London 2012 Games, aged 14, and the experience further ignited her passion and belief.

Whisper it, but this home-made 2020 triumph very nearly didn’t happen. In 2018, with her wedding looming, Kirsty decided to retire. Thankfully she was persuaded otherwise and come the celebration itself at the fairytale Eilan Donan Castle in Wester Ross that November, groom Andrew Spence was able to confide in a few ears that this space should be watched.

‘There has never been a day from when she was nine or 10 years old until now that she’s said to me that she can’t be bothered with training. It’s just what she loves. ‘So for me, when she was a young child, that would be the only thing I found hard, trying to convince her when she wasn’t feeling well that it probably wasn’t a good idea to train that night. She’d be absolutely devastated and I’d be the worst person in the world!

‘Even when she was a bit older and got a couple of weeks off from training at secondary school age I’d be all but hiding her trainers from her because she just wouldn’t take the full fortnight. She’d miss one or two days then we’d find her sneaking her trainers on and going out the backdoor.’ Jemma’s introduction to athletics at Beith Primary School and the hugely positive inﬂuence of Mrs Duncan and her parents have shaped her character, as well as her talent. That she has stayed in touch with Mrs Duncan - who encouraged her to continue competing in her early years of secondary school by telling her about upcoming cross country fixtures - is testament to their strong relationship. Without exception, they are all proud of Jemma, from the athlete she was, to the athlete she’s become. ‘With your children, you’re just happy that they’re happy and achieving the goals that they’ve set themselves,’ says Morna. ‘I knew how important running was to Jemma when she was at primary school, she was so determined and focused on doing well, so I felt just as proud of her then as I do now - the only difference now is that it’s a bigger stage.’

scottishathletics

Grassroots Athletics

Kilbarchan AAC To this...

From this...

Seeing is believing Legacy in action as vision becomes reality at Linwood By Ben Ramage Paisley Daily Express

ilbarchan AAC hope their sparkling new indoor facility will help the club develop the next crop of Scottish athletics superstars. After six long years in the making, the athletics club’s new £1.5million state-ofthe-art-indoor training centre has finally been opened for use. Situated alongside the ON-X sports centre, in Linwood, where the club usually train, the new facility boasts a four-lane 60m track, a throwing net, provision for high jump and long jump training and a strength and conditioning area. Delighted club president Jim Green revealed that Kilbarchan AAC are the only athletics club in Britain to successfully plan and build their own indoor facility. ‘The pictures do not really do it justice,’ smiled Jim. ‘I’m in it six days a week at the moment and every time I go in I still say ‘Wow’. It’s one of the best facilities in Scotland now and we’re the only club in Britain to build our own indoor facility.

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‘We’re getting emails all the time from clubs down south asking us how we’ve managed it. ‘The technical events will benefit from it most and I’m confident that we’ll see even more stars of the future come through the club now.’ It’s a stunning period on the track for Kilbarchan athletes just now, with European U23 champion Jemma Reekie in blistering form throughout 2020 and a serious contender for an Olympic medal at Tokyo 2021.

Marathon brothers Callum and Derek Hawkins are also set to be in the mix in Japan, with the club hoping the new centre will help all their members train without having to worry about the severe Scottish winter weather. The club’s finance convener John Rodger played a huge part in getting the project off the ground and seeing it through to its conclusion. He can’t wait to see athletes finally be able to make the most of it, especially with winter fast approaching. ‘We’re absolutely delighted to see this finally come to fruition,’ said John. ‘Since Glasgow 2014, we’ve been working to make this dream a reality. ‘It’s taken a lot of business plans, feasibility studies, a lot of bidding for funding and a lot of community support as well. ‘With a high jump area, a strength and conditioning area and a 60m running track with appropriate start area and run-off area, this really completes what every athlete needs to develop alongside an actual outdoor track. ‘The main benefit is that it will help our members and athletes keep developing over the winter months. We all know what outdoors be like in Scotland at that time of year.

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Kilbarchan AAC And this...

‘Sprinters and hurdlers, especially, will see a huge difference from training out in the freezing cold and strong winds. ‘Hopefully, this will allow our athletes to progress on the pathway and shine at big championship events at Scottish, British and international level.’

‘We’ve got a great relationship with Renfrewshire Leisure as well, who will be helping us maintain and manage the facility. At the end of the day, this is a great thing for Renfrewshire as a whole. ‘Hopefully, we can inspire even more local people to get involved with athletics.’

The facility project was initially set in motion thanks to legacy funding leftover from the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Mark Munro, chief executive of scottishathletics, paid tribute to Kilbarchan for having the vision to see the project through and believes it could be an inspiration to other Scottish clubs.

Club president Green says Renfrewshire Council has also played a huge part in making the facility possible.

‘I think the Scottish climate is such that there is an absolute need for facilities like this,’ said Mark.

‘We’ve got a 30-year lease on the land from the council and they’ve been terrific to work with throughout,’ added Jim.

‘What an achievement for Kilbarchan AAC, as a club, to do it. There has been a lot of support for them from the council, from

John Rodger (left) and Jim Green at Linwood (photo courtesy of Paisley Daily Express/Andrew Neil)

And this!

ourselves and from sportscotland, but it is still very much a club-led project and I offer my congratulations to Kilbarchan AAC for having that vision. ‘Way back around the time of Glasgow 2014, there was a little bit of money available via legacy grants and so on and we were able to help Kilbarchan receive that in order to get the project up and running. It’s been quite a journey since then. ‘The club have strong local connections and that has helped. ‘I think it shows what can be achieved with vision and ambition and, hopefully, other clubs will be inspired, even if they might not be able to match it on the scale of what we now see at Linwood.’

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Para Coaching

‘Coaching Maria has made me a better coach’ says Jamie Bowie

By Katy Barden ‘Lucky’ isn’t usually a word you associate with injury, but in Maria Lyle’s case – or more specifically, in her coach Jamie Bowie’s case – its use is apt. Bowie, a former GB and NI international and World Indoor Champs 4 x 400m relay silver medallist, was approached to coach Lyle post-Para World Athletics Championships in London 2017. Lyle was 17-years-old at the time and a double bronze medallist over 100m and 200m (T35 classification) at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. She had repeated that feat in London, but a new training set-up near the capital, coupled with injury, had resulted in her losing her love for the sport. ‘We had a quite a big rehab project to deal with initially due to Maria’s stress reaction, as well as trying to understand what was causing that,’ says Bowie. ‘Looking back, I was lucky to be in that position because it forced me to understand more about Maria and to learn about the complexities associated with her Cerebral Palsy. We learned - and continue to learn - a lot together.’

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The enforced delay to commencing Lyle’s competitive programme gave Bowie the opportunity to study the specifics of coaching an athlete with movement and coordination challenges, building on the self-styled apprenticeship he’d undertaken while still competing. ‘You can’t really predict how Cerebral Palsy affects somebody, so it’s definitely one of the more challenging impairments to work with,’ he says. ‘There are certain times when you just have to make a bit of a judgement call, for example, when is technique naturally going to breakdown due to fatigue, and when is the Cerebral Palsy setting in (therefore causing the technique to breakdown) - and where do you draw the line? ‘There are things we can’t do due to coordination issues or because of Maria’s Cerebral Palsy affecting her grip, so there are some things that we’d like to do in the gym that we can’t. We then have to re-think, and we may just do part of the movement, redesigning exercises to give us what we want. ‘Ultimately, we have to be more creative than if Maria was a

non Para athlete; what can’t we do? What can we do? What do we need to do, and why? Then we figure out how we do that. It’s like a problem-solving exercise and communication is absolutely key.’ Bowie, who is a Performance Manager at Scottish Gymnastics, believes that coaching a Para athlete has made him a better coach. ‘It makes you think,’ he says. ‘Yes, you’ve got a technical model to work to, but not every Para athlete is the same, not every Cerebral Palsy athlete is the same, so it makes you coach what you see on front of you and to work things out.’ In addition to their collective creativity, Bowie believes that perseverance with certain exercises has contributed to Lyle’s development in the three years they’ve worked together, activating her complex neural pathways. He has also stayed true to the philosophy of his gymnastics mentor Scott Hahn (coach to double Olympic champion Max Whitlock) – ‘find a way’. ‘You have to find a way,’ says Bowie. ‘If you can’t do an exercise one way, you do it another way or you find something different that gives the same result. ‘If you want to coach an athlete to be the best at what they do, you need to find the stimulus to make that happen.’

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Para Clubs

Perth top our Para club podium

hen scottishathletics decided to give the green light to our annual awards for 2020 it was always likely the overall picture would be a little different from recent years. Giving due prominence to our star Para athletes has been a significant goal and that was certainly achieved in 2019 when Maria Lyle joined Callum Hawkins and Paula Radcliffe centre-stage. This year, however, a complete lack of international action for top Scottish Para athletes effectively ruled out an individual award.

Instead, there was an opportunity to look more to grassroots athletics and to club development – while also taking the chance to commemorate the inspirational work of the late Janice Eaglesham. And the Janice Eaglesham MBE Para Development Club of the Year award was instigated and indeed the accolade will now be handed out every year. Pamela Robson, our National Disability Pathway Officer, explained the criteria thus: ‘The new award should help us rightly celebrate the efforts made by clubs to motivate, inspire and develop the provision for athletes with a disability, just as Janice did. ‘Obviously this year has been very different for all athletes and clubs but the efforts being made to ensure athletes are connected and active have been outstanding.’

As it transpired, the trophy was headed for Perth. ‘Perth Strathtay are our first winners and it is a great reward for their efforts over the past 12 months,’ said Pamela. ‘The club describe themselves as a fully inclusive club and have a structure that truly allows this to be the case. They cater for athletes with a physical, sensory and learning disability from participation to performance level. The club emphasise the fact they coach the athlete in front of them and focus on ability.’ Perth Strathtay Harriers look to achieve this in various ways: *Via an inclusive Run, Jump, Throw programme from P1 upwards, with about 25% of participants having additional support needs. *They have a club coaching structure from age group sessions to technical groups that have athletes with a disability training within appropriate mainstream group. Some athletes are supported by volunteers; other athletes are independent within the group depending on the athlete. *They run a discreet disability session, weekly, for those athletes who need extra support or more specific coaching. Pamela added: ‘Perth Strathtay Harriers has a marvellous group of committed coached and volunteers that have naturally become involved in Para athletics in recent years. ‘They have become hugely passionate about this area of the sport and it is great to shine a light on that dedication.’

‘I think it was all the more special because winning two awards was such a surprise,’ said Jim. ‘Although we are quite a big club regionally, in athletics terms in Scotland we’re certainly not massive. To be recognised like this is fantastic. ‘People from around Perth and Kinross have been messaging to say they noticed our wins over the weekend. ‘It is all very positive for the club helps reach out to the next generation, whether a sprinter for Alan’s group or a child with a disability who wants to try athletics. ‘We are living in strange times with Covid-19 or course but we’re grateful to get such wonderful, positive publicity. We’re hoping these national awards can act as a further springboard for us. ‘I think most importantly of all is that these awards recognise the folk behind the scenes at Perth Strathtay Harriers who are making a huge contribution.

‘If it was not for the volunteers then we Club President Jim Hunter was among those would not have a club. It’s a real pat on the tuning in on YouTube for the 4J Studios back for everyone.’ Annual Awards – and it became a special After receiving a number of nominations, the moment with coach Alan Eriksson winning short-list duly featured Fife AC, Forth Valley our Club Coahc of the Year award as well as scottishathletics the Para recognition. Flyers and Perth Strathtay Harriers.

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Ofﬁcials

‘Being an Ofﬁcial is hugely satisfying when you know you are helping athletes of all ages’

herever there’s a scottishathletics event, there are qualified Officials making it happen.

That has been true even in a 2020 hit with a number of cancellations and postponements and we’ve been highly fortunate to receive big commitment from so many of these dedicated volunteers. Two were recognised via our annual awards ceremony but both Andy Law (Dundee Hawkhill) and Diane Ramsay (VP-Glasgow) would be very quick to acknowledge the accolades could have been presented to many others. The Raymond Hutcheson Trophy for Services to Officiating is presented each year to mark an outstanding contribution and Andy was this year’s winner. Our Technical Official of the Year award

Every cloud has a silver lining and without my injury I would not have had such a successful officiating career, the highlights of which include the World Cross Country in Edinburgh, World IPC in New Zealand, London 2012 and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow - where I was delighted to be part of the Technical Team.

How did you move into becoming an Official?

I was coaching the boys at Inverness Harriers and got roped into helping at League meetings, initially as a Field Judge. I moved onto timekeeping before settling down on Track. I was happy to do whatever was needed at the time. I was hooked, so ‘Thank You, Inverness Harriers’.

Why do you do it and why do you think others would enjoy it?

After I was forced to give up running, I found something I really enjoyed.

is presented each year after consultation with the Officials community and via nominations. This year, the winner is Diane, with the short-list also featuring Doleen Galbraith (Giffnock North) and Nick Stone (Nairn Area AAC). Diane has featured on these pages previously so we turned the spotlight this time on Andy and asked him about his time in the sport and volunteering as an Official.

We understand you have been in athletics more than 50 years? Please give us some background?

I started running when I was in Greenock High School in the late 1960s, winning the Renfrewshire Schools Cross Country Championship. This gave me confidence to give the sport a go and I joined Glenpark Harriers. I later began a career in the RAF and soon represented them in cross country and on the road whilst competing locally for Cambridge and Coleridge. Eventually I moved up in distance, running 2:25:31 for a marathon. After a few mountain races, including Ben Nevis and Pikes Peak in Colorado, I started having knee problems which curtailed and eventually ended my running career.

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Apart from paying back for all the help I had received as an athlete, it is very satisfying to know you are helping athletes of all ages. It is also a great way of keeping in touch with your friends in the sport. I enjoy the variety of being multi-disciplined. There is always something new to learn.

Scottish Officials have been on the world stage in recent years at big events – what are the factors, individually and collectively, that have helped make that happen? We are lucky in Scotland that all our Officials from the length and breadth of the country can meet up at championships, conferences and our excellent training days where we can share ideas and experiences and learn from each other. Good mentoring by our experienced Officials also plays a major part.

We’re all missing athletics events in Covid-19 – what would you say to athletes and fellow Officials?

The 4J Studios National Open series proved that by following strict guidelines, meetings could be carried out in a safe environment.

Hopefully we will be able to hold the Indoor series at the Emirates. It will be a different challenge but I’m certain that if we all follow the guidelines at that time we will In 1990 I was posted to RAF Kinloss in all enjoy another safe series of events, so Moray. My son was showing a lot of promise come along and I’m sure you will enjoy it as so we joined Inverness Harriers where my much as everyone enjoyed Meadowmill and Aberdeen. officiating eventually took off.

Hill Running

s ’ b o c a J By Katy Barden The Cademuir Rollercoaster signalled a welcome return to hill racing for junior athletes at the end of August. And, for 2019 European mountain running champion Jacob Adkin, Cademuir holds fond memories as the place where he learned his trade as a promising young athlete with Moorfoot Runners. Now based in Keswick, Adkin has the mountainous peaks of the Lake District on his doorstep, but the Borders hills will always be home . . . I didn’t ever race Cademuir, but I’ve done the toughest part of it many times as a hill reps session. I think the race started when I was in my final year at University. I recced it for Gregor (race organiser Gregor Nicholson), but the event date clashed with the World Championships trials so I did that instead. For the last couple of years I’ve been out in Europe. Hill running wasn’t love at ﬁrst sight, but it grew on me. My first hill race was Scald Law (junior race) when I was about 11 and I hated it. It was snowing and freezing cold, and it put me off for about two years.

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Jacob Adkin

r e d d la Step-by-step approach is best for young athletes I had every layer on and I didn’t think I’d ever warm up, then as I was running up the hill I started to sweat out of all my clothes. I thought ‘this isn’t for me’. A couple of years later my older sister Scout was going to do the Ben Lomond junior race, so I thought I’d give it a go. It was a nice warm day and I did pretty well. I realised it wasn’t too bad after all. It’s important to ﬁnd your own path. My experience at Ben Lomond gave me more confidence in my potential as a hill runner. I trained occasionally with a couple of athletes who were more developed than I was so, as a younger athlete, it was demoralising to see them progress and get further ahead of me. At that age you don’t realise that in the next year or so you’ll probably catch up with them in terms of performance. When I branched off into hill running it gave me the opportunity to test myself against my own performances and not compare myself to others all the time. If you want to be a hill runner, it’s sensible to hold off doing too much, too soon. It’s easy to be sucked into working really hard at one thing and trying to improve a lot in a short space of time.

Running hills alone won’t improve your performance. At a young age you’ll improve naturally whatever you do, so you don’t need to do hill reps three times per week; you should mix it up with speed work, a longer run and cross country sessions. The simplicity and friendliness of mountain running has a great appeal. When you’re going through tough conditions in the hills and you pass a runner with a nod and a wave, there’s mutual respect. It’s a tight-knit, friendly community and it’s the better for it. Also, as much as it’s a cliché, you can rely too much on your watch on the road or cross country. When I get on a hill, I start my watch and I don’t look at it until the end, and that’s just to see what time it is. I’ve no idea what will happen next year. I’ll do the major European and World Champs if they go ahead, but I’m undecided whether to split my year between the UK and the Alps, or whether to hit the Alps for the whole summer. There are so many races I still want to do. The short and sharp ones attached to the Highland Games look really cool, as well as the classic longer-distance Lake District fell races. There are too many to think of, but with hill running, whatever you do, it’s a good day on the hill.

Marathon Running

Pete Simpson

By John Lenehan Eighteen months ago, Edinburgh Athletic Club runner Pete Simpson was nearing the finish line of the London marathon with a sub three hour time within sight. The next thing he remembers was waking up in hospital, having suffered a cardiac arrest just 500m from the finish line. SIMPLY THE VEST Pete was presented with new Edinburgh AC vest to replace the one cut off by medics in London so they could perform CPR.

Now, in a remarkable turnaround and inspirational story, Simpson has battled back and completed three marathons, most recently clocking a fantastic 2:46 in a virtual event.

a given day and then upload their times to a centralised results processing platform.

Originally from Thurso and now working as an actuary in Edinburgh, Simpson had always enjoyed sport. An increased focus on athletics saw him notch a number of Personal Best times throughout 2018.

In the absence of conventional events, Simpson took on two virtual marathons in 2020. Both of these were over a 19-lap course at Edinburgh’s Meadows.

‘As I became a more experienced runner I found the longer runs most enjoyable,’ said Pete.

His first saw him cut his personal best by over five minutes, while his second attempt yielded another personal best with an impressive 2:46 clocking.

‘This made marathons a good fit for me, so I planned to do my first marathon in London in April 2019.’

‘It was an unbeatable feeling, seeing finishing times which show you’ve dug in, worked hard to better yourself and overcome tough challenges,’ he beamed.

The 34-year-old could never have imagined that his first marathon would end in such frightening circumstances. ‘I suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and collapse about 500m from the finish, triggered by a severely low red blood count.

Simpson wondered if he would ever run again. But with the support of medical personnel, family, friends and club-mates at Edinburgh AC, he determinedly worked his way back.

How marathon man Pete made heart attack recovery complete

‘My cardiologist was brilliant and helped come up with step-by-step plans, recognising that recovering mentally would be helped enormously if I could get back to running,’ he added.

Simpson delivered an almost-miraculous performance and fought his way to third position overall in a time of 2:54. He was elated.

‘I was effectively clinically dead and I’m told I was showing no signs of consciousness. I had to be put in an induced coma, and the hospital machines kept me alive.’

Following a well-managed recovery programme, Simpson gradually ticked off various milestones, getting back to running 70-80 miles per week. He then made the courageous decision to return to marathon running. ‘I love the feeling of improvement and achievement that running can bring,’ said Pete. ‘I decided to enter the Loch Rannoch marathon in October 2019 due to its more low-key nature.’ Given everything he had been through,

‘I plan to continue with marathon running and hopefully next year there will be normal races again!’ A popular figure within Edinburgh Athletic Club, Simpson won ‘Volunteer of the Year’ for his work in organising various club races and events. He was also presented with a club vest to replace the one that paramedics had to cut off him in order to perform CPR after his collapse in London, a gesture which he admits made him very emotional. Senior club coach Alex MacEwen had nothing but praise for Simpson. ‘Pete’s London experience and response to it illustrates the determined character of a fine distance runner,’ said Alex.

‘The feeling of crossing the finishing line at the Loch Rannoch marathon after what happened in London remains one of my best ‘His wise and careful comeback to exercise, moments!’ training and competition is a lesson A sense of unfinished business remained, we could all learn from. He knows his and Simpson then turned his attention to strengths, and is always reﬂective in seeking the 2020 London marathon. improvements. But the coronavirus situation put paid to all racing in the first half of 2020. Solo virtual racing became the ‘new normal’ for runners in the summer of 2020, whereby runners complete a set distance on

‘Pete’s knowledge of the senior membership and his volunteering within the club adds so much. He’s very inspirational.’

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