PB Magazine - Issue 1, 2020

www.scottishathletics.org.uk

£3.75

2020

Issue 1

PB

‘Athletics in Scotland has created a community that encourages women and girls to compete at whatever level.’

Susan Egelstaff, The Herald

The official magazine for members of scottishathletics

04

Contacts

scottishathletics 05

Chief Executive Mark Munro

06

News: World Class Programme

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News: #ThisGirlCan

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Lindsays National XC

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Ian Beattie

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Run Stirling XC

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#4Jathletics Seniors

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#SALFabFebruary

The week that was

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Muller GP

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SPAR British Champs

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Tru Wealth Road Race Series

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Become an Official

Val Murdoch

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Grassroots Athletics: Gala Harriers

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Grassroots Athletics:

Bellahouston Road Runners

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Bryan Burnett

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Grassroots Athletics: Fife AC

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Masters Athletics: George Black

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Hill Running

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RED-S explained

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

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Chief Executive Mark Munro

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write this on the back of a massive high of pure Scottish camaraderie at the Lindsays National XC at Falkirk and SPAR British Champs in Glasgow and following a number of weeks of Scottish record breaking successes on the international circuit, not least a young Jemma Reekie.

However, I’ve woken up this morning with the harsh reality of widespread allegations of unethical ‘cheating’ by the UK’s most successful athlete of all time and a rotten culture set by a few individuals within our UK body.

It is disheartening when we work so hard to develop our wonderful sport in this country from the grassroots right through to elite athletes and coaches.

Mark Munro Chief Executive Scottish Athletics

@SALMarkMunro

Athletics in Scotland must be resilient and keep believing we can grow McColgan) and Adam Craig (Inverclyde AC/ Steve Vernon).

The younger athletes in Scotland are also showing they can compete well with a number dominating events across the UK. I am also looking forward to seeing how well Scottish Para athletes have wintered as a number of them will be commencing their road to Paralympic glory over the coming weeks.

Whilst we are not perfect and there are lots of areas to improve on, the sport in Scotland in well connected, both strategically through the National strategy (Building a Culture of Success) and in practice, on the ground where it really matters.

I think all the athletes, coaches, volunteers, supporters and spectators at the recent national XC at Callendar Park showed the true spirit of the sport and demonstrated resilience on a terrible day in tough, tough conditions.

The word resilience is the key and athletics in Scotland must be resilient whilst these challenges go on around us at UK and global level. We must believe in what we are trying to achieve in Scotland and continue to drive forward setting the (moral) bar high and sticking to our principles.

will be communicating these in due course.

We have also seen a growth in the number of licensed coaches in the country this year, with over 3,000 coaches now holding a license. This reflects the growth in club memberships across most clubs in the country and demonstrates excellent proactivity by clubs.

We should also congratulate the many talented coaches in Scotland who continue to break boundaries with athletes working under their leadership and again we’ve seen Within the wider UK context, I’m sure that from helplessness will come opportunity. We record breaking performances at senior will work with sportscotland, UK Sport, UK level.

Athletics and the home countries to support There have been well-documented British the reconfiguration of the sport across the record breaking performances by Jemma UK and imminently both our Chair, Ian Reekie (Kilbarchan AAC/Andy Young) over Beattie, and myself will be contributing to 800m, 1500m and the mile indoors, the UK Sport’s review of UK Athletics to as well as Jake Wightman over 1000m help create a plan to move the sport move (Edinburgh AC/Geoff Wightman). forward.

Reflecting back on the positives, we must thank all clubs, coaches and athletes the number of athletes competing over the winter has been extremely strong culminating in the largest field in the Lindsays National XC Championships in the modern era.

We’ve also seen national records by Heather Paton in the 60m hurdles (Birchfield/ Benke Blomkvist), Alisha Rees in the 60m (Banchory Stonehaven AAC/Leon Baptiste) and Nikki Manson in the high jump (Giffnock North AC/Ray Bobrownicki), as well as a host of Scottish junior records.

************************************* We were also delighted to unveil a couple of new partners over the last few months. 4J Studios, who have been fantastic supporters of the sport with their existing sponsorship of the 4J Studios National Athletics Academy for the younger talented athletes, have now extended their partnership to include both the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons as well as the Annual Awards in October (10).

Tru Wealth, who many athletes and clubs will be familiar with, have agreed to sponsor the annual Road Race Series which includes both the young athlete road championships and the senior road relays, as well as the overall programme sponsors for the Grand Prix. These events cover 5km to the marathon.

We are extremely grateful to Paddy Burns and Chris van der Kuyl at 4J Studios as well as Graham McKnight from Tru Wealth for their fantastic support of the sport in Scotland.

Finally, thank you to everyone in the sport, no matter your role, this has been another fantastic winter for the sport in Scotland and we wish you all the best for the summer season which will soon be upon us. We also It is also pleasing to see strong We’ve also witnessed great numbers across have an Olympics and Paralympics on the international-class performances by the likes horizon and it is crucial we use our fantastic the indoor campaign and within the Masters of Callum Hawkins (Kilbarchan AAC/Robert role models to inspire us all, but particularly XC Champs as well. Whilst celebrating these Hawkins), Laura Muir (Dundee Hawkhill successes it is crucial that we do not take the next generation.

Harriers/Andy Young), Chris O’Hare our eye of the ball in relation to some of the Good luck and thank you.

(Edinburgh AC/Terrence Mahon), Andrew younger age groups, particularly at U13 and U15 levels, and I know the development team Murphy (Kilbarchan AAC/Colin Sinclair), scottishathletics Eilish McColgan (Dundee Hawkhill/Liz are reviewing those numbers and trends and

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

NEWS

Sammi Kinghorn is among seven Scottish Para athletes on the WCP – to the delight of Stephen Maguire (inset), Director of Performance and Coaching

Stephen thrilled as Para seven make it 20 Scots on WCP lists

S

even Scottish Para athletes have been handed support after being offered membership to the Paralympic World Class Programme (WCP) in 2020.

British Athletics have listed 46 athletes in total, with 20 of those being world medallists from the 2019 edition of the World Para Athletics Championships.

Six Scots are named on the Paralympic Podium part of the Programme with places there for Jo Butterfield, Libby Clegg (guide runner: Chris Clarke), Samantha Kinghorn, Maria Lyle, Derek Rae and Stef Reid.

And there is a place for Fife AC endurance athlete, Owen Miller, among those picked for the Paralympic Poidum Potential part of the overall support programme.

It is great news for all involved and we send out congratulations to the athletes, their families and coaches as well as the clubs who have helped them develop over many years.

Late in 2019, 13 Scots were named on the World Class Programme so the overall

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cohort is now at 20 athletes – a marvellous fillip for our sport. scottishathletics Director of Performance and Coaching, Stephen Maguire, said of the tally: ‘It’s well justified, merited and it’s a nice reflection on the summer that Scottish athletes have had in 2019 in track and field at international level in Doha and Dubai.

‘None of it’s been a surprise, and I’m very, very happy that we have 13 people who are represented on the programme.

‘Adding a further seven Para athletes is excellent, as well, and again that reflects a lot of years of hard work put in by athletes, coaches and their support teams.

Paralympic Podium: Jo Butterfield (Phil Peat/Shona Malcolm; Forth Valley Flyers); Libby Clegg (Joe McDonnell; Charnwood); Sammi Kinghorn (Ian Mirfin; Red Star); Maria Lyle (Jamie Bowie; Team East Lothian); Derek Rae (Ron Morrison; Fife); Stef Reid (Aston Moore; Charnwood) Paralympic Podium Potential: Owen Miller (Steven Doig; Fife) Scots on the WCP list (with coaches clubs) Olympic Podium Callum Hawkins (Robert Hawkins; Kilbarchan); Laura Muir (Andy Young; Dundee Hawkhill); Lynsey Sharp (David Harmer; Edinburgh); Jake Wightman (Geoff Wightman; Edinburgh) Olympic Podium Potential

Andrew Butchart (Self-coached; Central); Neil Gourley (Mark Rowland; Giffnock ‘So I firmly believe that in Scotland at the North); Josh Kerr (Danny Mackey; moment we can be pleased with 20 athletes Edinburgh); Eilish McColgan (Liz Nuttall; deemed to merit this kind of support.

Dundee Hawkhill); Jemma Reekie (Andy What it means is that there is a belief Young; Kilbarchan); Steph Twell (Selfthese athletes, and their coaches, can be coached; Aldershot Farnham & District) competitive at a very high level and that is a great compliment for them.

Olympic Relays ‘But that trust should be a big motivating factor, too.’

Scots on the Para list (with coaches, clubs):

Zoey Clark (Eddie McKenna; Thames Valley); Beth Dobbin (Leon Baptiste; Edinburgh); Eilidh Doyle (Brian Doyle; Pitreavie)

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he West District 10k Champs will be staged at the Roon the Toon event in Kilmarnock this summer.

Sunday 7 June is the date and it will be a special day as the event organised by Kilmarnock Harriers celebrate their fifth anniversary.

Medals will be up for grabs for individuals and teams in the West District events in addition to the usual Roon the Toon event prizes in various categories. Details on the website. It is also the Scottish Wheelchair 10k Champs.

Entries are open online www.roonthetoon. com There are free entries available to athletes who hit certain time standards in 2019.

Men who have run under 31 minutes in 2019

‘Athletics in Scotland has created a community that encourages women and girls to compete at whatever level’

Women who have run under 34 minutes in 2019

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The Round the Houses 10k in Grangemouth is always a hugely popular event – taking place this year on Sunday 19 April.

lympian and Herald columnist, Susan Egelstaff, has praised athletics in Scotland for building female participation.

A Record 433 names were received for the Senior Women’s race at the Lindsays National XC and at our 4J Studios Age Group Champs we had huge entry fields for U15 Girls and U13 Girls across almost every event.

‘As kids move into their teenage years, there is a dramatic drop in the number of girls taking part in sport, with less than half between the age of 13 and 15 participating - and this trend continues into adulthood,’ said Susan.

‘The reasons for such poor participation rates are wide and varied – from peer pressure, to not liking having to take part alongside boys, to a lack of choice of activities being just a few of the reasons why so many girls drop out of sport as they edge towards adulthood.

‘And as it stands, no one seems to know how stop this decline. However, there is some good news coming out of Scottish sport.

‘For the Lindsays National XC, there were 277 Senior Women entered in 2010 – and now that figure is 433.

‘This is a quite dramatic increase and is the result of slow but steady improvements but it is proof that if efforts are targeted in the right place, there are plenty of women out

there who, given the opportunity, want to take part in sport.

‘Again, there is no definitive reason why Scottish Athletics is achieving an increase that so many other sports are struggling to replicate.

Please register an interest at admin@roonthetoon.com *************************************

And there are medals up for grabs in three different championships within the event on the day over the 10k distance.

Incorporated into Round the Houses 10k are the Scottish Student 10k Road Champs, the ‘Much of the reason though is that while British Masters 10k and the East District Scotland’s elite athletes are performing quite 10K Champs. brilliantly on the world stage, athletics in The 10k start-time is 12.30pm that day Scotland is seen as a mass participation with a 2k Family Fun Run at 12 noon. sport as much as anything these days.

‘While the National Cross-Country Championships has seen some world-class winners in recent years, including Olympian, Steph Twell, last year, the vast majority go to Callander Park in Falkirk this Saturday with no ambitions of winning a medal.

See www.entrycentral.com/RoundTheHouses *************************************

‘This is what all sports should be aspiring to.

‘There is no specific template to follow, but athletics in Scotland has managed to create a community which encourages women, and girls, to compete whatever their level.

‘That there is numerous outstanding role models, such as Twell, Laura Muir, and several more, to lead the way does no harm but I’m always sceptical abut just how helpful having role models at the very top of the sport really is to average people who want to take part in sport merely to push themselves, keep fit and have fun.

‘Whatever combination of things it is, athletics in Scotland is thriving at grassroots level as much as at the top level.’

As PB went to print, two Scots were picked for the World Half Marathon Champs in Poland on March 29.

Steph Davis will represent GB and NI for the first time while for Sarah Inglis the road selection follows on from a couple of track appearances last summer.

Congratulations to both athletes and their coaches.

scottishathletics

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Lindsays National XC

Falkirk

National heroes

All elements combine for memorable day in Callendar Park

By Peter Jardine

I

Crowe Senior was one of the selfless many who offered their services when we appealed for marshal assistance – with the proviso that he wanted to have a chance to watch his son race.

f every picture tells a story then the image of Jamie Crowe crossing the finishing line at the Lindsays National XC to win gold spoke volumes. Alex Jackson, in his wisdom and well aware the 24-year-old Run Stirling silver medallist could well be a favourite at Falkirk, The Central AC athlete revealed in the aftermath of a memorable event that he had deliberately placed Des on the finish straight marshal position with an idea that a special been reared on tales of the importance of family moment may be created. the National XC by his father.

Who is the volunteer marshal on the finishing straight at Callendar Park celebrating as Crowe took gold? Yes, none other than his dad, Des.

In truth, the special moments and memories will last a lifetime for almost everyone in attendance at a National XC which was delivered in extreme conditions both underfoot and overhead.

‘Four Seasons in One Day’

by Crowded House should have been the background music but, once again, our data confirms almost 1800 athletes toed the line and crossed at the finish. Not so much Crowded House as Crowded Fields.

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It was a quite remarkable effort amid mud, snow,

hail, sleet, rain and gusting winds which reached around 50 mph at times. Those of use holding on to the Scottish Athletics gazebo at various points feared entering the Scottish Hang-Gliding Championships – and being lifted airborne across the Forth to land somewhere in Fife.

So congratulations to each and every athlete who beat the course and the conditions.

The only surprise on the podium was no place for Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis, those nasty weather siblings who made the countdown to Falkirk difficult for all involved in the preparation.

In fact, a number of pre-race favourites delivered tales of the expected and Crowe and Senior Women’s counterpart, Mhairi Maclennan, were chief among those with the likes of Megan Keith (Inverness Harriers, U20 gold) and Anna Hedley (Fife AC, U17 gold) two more in that category.

‘It had worried me all week that I was probably the favourite,’ said Jamie.

‘I was nervous about that and even more so when I saw the weather on the day. We set off into the snow and sleet and at that stage really all you target is getting round.

Lindsays National XC

Falkirk

‘Jonny Glen was with me for the first-half of the race or so but I managed to get away on the second lap and then it was a case of just pushing on as hard as I could.

‘It is special to win this and help Central to 10-in-a-row.’

Central, with 92 points, won that title from the challenges of silver medallists Edinburgh Uni Hare and Hounds and bronze medallists Corstorphine AAC. With Alastair Hay in sixth - for yet another top 10 finish by the double former champion - Central had further counters in Cameron Milne, Matthew Sutherland, Dale Colley and Conan McCaughey.

Maclennan for her part came home in 39.44 to savour a winning margin of 30 seconds over silver medallist, Annabel Simpson of Fife AC, and bronze medallist, Moira Stewart of Cambuslang Harriers.

With Simpson in second and Steph Pennycook in fourth, Fife AC had the platform for a repeat of their 2019 team success with all their six counters inside the top 21 in a race which had attracted a Record entry of 433 Women.

Backing up those two athletes were Jennifer Spence, Megan Crawford, Heather Anderson and Jennifer Cruickshanks in a great team performance which delighted scottishathletics President, Ron Morrison, long-time coach at Fife AC. ‘It was great to win gold for the second time in my career and especially after being fourth last year,’ said Mhairi.

‘The conditions today with wind, mud and sleet were so tough and really everybody who was out there and competed deserves a medal. It was a big field again for the Senior Women’s race and it is wonderful being part of that.

Our Senior Women’s 1-2-3 at Falkirk with Mhairi Maclennan (Inverness Harriers) flanked by silver medallist Annabel Simpson (Fife AC) on right and bronze medallist Moira Stewart (Cambuslang Harriers) on left.

‘I think athletics in Scotland, particularly on the endurance side, is in a good place at the moment – and you saw that with the response from clubs on a pretty awful weekend for weather and travelling.’

Fife AC had won their golds after being joined on the podium by Shettleston Harriers and Edinburgh Uni Hare and Hounds.

The U20 races delivered a sense of déjà vu as Megan Keith of Inverness Harriers and Freddie Carcas of Edinburgh AC, repeated podium successes of 12 months ago.

Carcas was a surprise winner in a sense, as he has been injured for much of this winter, but he saw off the Central AC duo of Hamish Hickey and Tom Graham-Marr.

Central AC took the team golds in that race with Dundee Uni in second and Edinburgh Uni Hare and Hounds in third.

Photos by Bobby Gavin

Keith has reigned supreme in XC this winter in Scotland, winning the Short Course at Kirkcaldy and also the Run Stirling U20 as well as recently posting an U20 Course Record at Armagh. Cera Gemmell of Team East Lothian was second and Holly Paige of Edinburgh Uni was third.

Edinburgh Uni Hare and Hounds won team gold from their Glasgow counterparts with St Andrews Uni taking home the bronzes. ************************************* If Central AC and Fife AC have become synonymous with team success at the Lindsays National XC in the Senior races, then Giffnock North AC invariably feature on the podium in the younger age groups.

The 2020 event was to prove no different, certainly in terms of the individual medals where the Glasgow club opened up with three of the first four gold medals. It was no different in the team sense.

Our U13 Girls took centre stage in the opening race of the day. It was sunshine when they started and snow when they finished and they only ran just over 3k!

Glasgow School of Sport colours were to the fore when Millie McLelland Brooks raced through to the win from Olivia Warboys of Kilmarnock Harriers and third-placed Freya Campbell of Giffnock North. Campbell’s performance helped lead Giffnock to their first set of team golds.

A string of yellow then began to dominate as we went to the U13 Boys race. Giffnock’s Craig Shennan took gold from Ronan

scottishathletics

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Lindsays National XC

Falkirk

Whitworth of Livingston AC and William Ronald of Kilmarnock. Giffnock won that team race.

Similarly, Giffnock’s Hannah Ryding won the U15 Girls race from Central AC’s Hungarian athlete, Dorottya Csuta, in second place and Anna Cairns of Inverness was third.

And Reuben Macdonald made it three wins in a row at that stage Giffnock when taking the U15 Boys race on the final straight after a good run by VP-Glasgow’s Fraser Gilmour with third for Corey Campbell of Team East Lothian. Giffnock won both U15 team races.

At U17 level, there were familiar names on top of the podium with victories for Lucas Cairns of Inverness Harriers and Anna Hedley of Fife AC.

‘Days like the National XC prove there really is a Glasgow 2014 legacy . . .’

With his sister having already won a medal, Cairns had family pride at stake as well as club glory and he led home Cameron Fordyce (unattached) and Kilbarchan AAC’s Jack Patton. Kilbarchan won the team golds.

Hedley for her part is often unstoppable on these occasion and the Fife AC athlete proved exactly that once again to follow up her Run Stirling win and repeat her success at Callendar Park last year at U15 level.

East Kilbride AC’s Hannah Anderson took the silver with Edinburgh AC’s Cade Wright in third to lead her club to team golds.

Lucas Cairns – U17 Men’s gold

I

an Beattie firmly believes there has been a real legacy for athletics from the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

And the hard evidence is there amid the mud underfoot on days like the Lindsays National XC at Falkirk in February.

Multiple ultra and marathon runner Ian competed in the event for the 25th time in his career and is adamant athletics in Scotland is prospering at both participation and performance levels.

‘We are seeing our membership numbers go up and our competition numbers going up, both in track and field and in cross country and road racing,’ said Ian. ‘The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow were inspirational. Some of the Government reports said there was no legacy, but in our sport that’s absolute nonsense, frankly.

‘The 2014 Games was a catalyst for a lot of areas. Our top performers looked at that and thought: ‘this is high level athletics and we want to be part of that.’ And the youngsters coming through, they’ve seen what can be achieved and the clubs were in a good position to catch these people.

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‘I’ve often said that we really only had two or three weeks, because if folk were going along on the back of having watched the Commonwealth Games and they discovered there weren’t enough coaches or the experience wasn’t great, they’d go somewhere else.

‘The role model thing helps. Sixteen Scottish athletes went to the Olympics in Rio and we hope for good representation again this year.

‘It’s great for us to have the likes of Laura Muir, Jemma Reekie and Eilish McColgan being such an inspiration to young girls because a lot of sports have trouble attracting and keeping girls.

‘But most of the men and women at the top of the sport at the moment have come through the club environment, just as these kids are doing at events like the National XC. You won’t get the chief executive of the Royal and Ancient hitting the first drive at The Open and you certainly don’t get the main man at the All English Lawn Tennis Club on Wimbledon’s Centre Court every summer.

But our chair was in the field at Falkirk – literally.

‘To be fair to the likes of the chairman of the R&A and The All England Lawn Tennis Club, they have to qualify for their events whereas anybody can do ours,’ added Ian. ‘One of the great things about this event is that you’re all in the same race. You all start running when the gun goes.

‘The numbers and the way the clubs buy into it creates a great atmosphere. To have a couple of thousand people running and the same again there watching - that is a major Scottish sports event in any context.’

Benefit your club as we invest in the athletics club network

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Run Stirling XC Winners – Scotland U20 Women (L-R) Cera Gemmell, Megan Keith and Eloise Walker

Andy Butchart with Central AC, and I’ve never seen it as muddy. I also train with Kris in Dundee, so I know how good he is.

‘So I’m chuffed to get second place in that kind of race and it just takes things on a wee bit for me after good progress in 2019.’

Like Jones, Butchart was among the many fallers on a day when athletes competed against the course and the conditions as well as the opposition.

‘I took the lead then took a really bad fall and so as soon as I hit the deck, I thought ‘that’s it’,’ said Andy.

#Muddybrilliant !

Scotland bring their A game to win battles of Stirling

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o say Scotland earned pass marks at the Home Countries XC and Celtic XC International at the inaugural Run Stirling event would be something of an understatement.

Seven out of ten teams came up with team gold medal-winning performances, in fact, and with a clutch of individual medals therein, the overall verdict would therefore almost certainly read: A + Truly appalling weather conditions greeted around 1000 starters at the first British Cross Challenge event in Scotland for 16 years.

And those wearing navy blue Joma vests didn’t disappoint with the Senior Men and U20 Women winning their own ‘Battles of Stirling’ in fine style in the main Home Countries XC. All this despite a surprise fourth place for Andy Butchart, with the local hero and Olympian among those to lose his footing

‘I wasn’t that keen when I saw the course with it being so muddy. It was just a matter of if you were fit and you could stay on your feet, you’d win the race.

It was like an absolute mud-bath so you don’t get any traction. Kris is really good at these kind of conditions.’

Butchart had insisted Scotland could ‘dominate’ and in many regards that prediction came true.

Ben Greenwood of Perth Strathtay had a superb run to win the U23 Celtic XC individual gold and lead Scotland to success in that competition as he was followed home by Jack Leitch (Edinburgh Uni) and Hamish Hickey (Central AC). James Donald backed up the counters.

Jamie Crowe delivered a fine personal performance to take silver and eclipse his Central AC team-mate Butchart, who was edged into fourth on the line by England’s Adam Hickey.

‘That’s three decent cross country performances I’ve put together this winter and I’m really pleased with that one today against strong opposition,’ said Ben, a track specialist at 800m not so long ago.

But with Lachlan Oates of Shettleston home in sixth place (eighth overall), and crucially ahead of the third Welsh counter, Scotland took the Men’s Home Countries XC golds for only the second time – to repeat the 2012 success.

‘It was a bit different from cross country in America, that’s for sure. There you see people dropping out because it 30 degrees!’

on the muddy surface around Kings Park and Stirling Golf Club – in his case allowing Kristian Jones of Wales to re-take the lead.

‘We’re delighted to win the team golds and it was a really strong effort by the boys,’ said Jamie.

‘I’ve trained at Kings Park many times over the years, while at Uni in Stirling and with

GB international Kate Avery had looked favourite for the Senior Women’s race and she justified that label to take gold from Abbie Donnelly and Bronwen Owen.

Scotland’s Mhairi Maclennan was just outside the medals in fourth.

Annabel Simpson of Fife AC (ninth) and Nynke Mulholland of Inverclyde AC, in 10th on her Scotland debut, were the other counters, backed up by Fiona Brian of Metro Aberdeen.

Scotland took silver medals there in the Home Countries competition with England the clear winner.

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Scotland U23 women won gold in their Celtic XC match in fine style with Zoe Pflug taking the individual silver and Holly Little the bronze. Constance Nankivell was the third counter in fourth place to make it nine points to Ireland’s 12. Kerry Macangus backed up the counters.

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Scotland U20 women had looked as if they

Run Stirling XC might be a headline act – and so it proved.

Megan Keith took the gold medal and was followed home by silver medallist Cera Gemmell. With Eloise Walker home in fourth place that ensured team gold medals in both the Home Countries and Celtic XC matches. Hannah Anderson backed up the counters with a fine 10th place run.

It’s the first time ever that Scotland U20 Women have won the Home Countries golds and the determination was writ large across the face of all four athletes throughout the race.

With seven points, they were winners from England on 14. In the Celtic match, Wales took the silvers.

‘I’ve only just learned that about it being a historic win and that’s a great feeling for all of us,’ said Megan.

‘I got out strong at the start and I felt it was a day for that. You were always thinking that it was important in team terms so it was great to have Cera and Eloise not far behind.

‘The conditions were pretty awful and tough to run in obviously, but you just have to try and keep driving on if you can. It’s great to win the individual gold as well and I’m enjoying my cross country at the moment.’

It was a similar story at U17 level with again some terrific performances by athletes wearing Scotland vests.

Anna Hedley of Fife led the way emphatically in her race as she followed up a Liverpool Cross Challenge win with a clear victory here.

Meredith Reid of Glasgow School of Sport took a Celtic XC bronze in third and Julia Cash of Giffnock North for a team win with just eight points from Ireland and Northern Ireland. Anya Maclean backed up the counters.

The Men’s U17 race saw a Celtic XC gold for Andrew McGill of Livingston on his Scotland debut. That helped lead Scotland to team golds there, too, with Harris Paterson of Giffnock taking a bronze medal as Lucas Cairns of Inverness finished fourth.

Sam Griffin backed up the counters.

In the Men’s U20 race there were silver medals for Scotland in the Celtic XC competition. Ben Shaw of Giffnock was the first Scot home in 11th place and followed in by Christian Graham of Lasswade in 15th and Kristoff Hornyik of Dundee Hawkhill in 17th. Ryan Donald backed up the counters.

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Inter-District XC

ean Chalmers and Ginie Barrand, at different points in their lives, have experienced running and racing in the United States and France.

No real reason, then, that they should be perfectly accustomed the difficult mud-bath conditions which awaited our InterDistrict athletes at Run Stirling.

But Inverness Harriers athlete Chalmers and North athlete Sean Chalmers (red vest) had a superb run to the Metro Aberdeen take Inter-District gold in the mud of Stirling runner, who is Robbie Simpson’s partner, and got the selection for here. The London proved too strong for all their individual Marathon is in my plans for April so I guess rivals to take golds at Kings Park. the training and fitness I have just paid off a Chalmers, in fact, placed sixth in the overall bit on the mud there.’ race – beating a whole host of international athletes – as he finished in 26:28, one second clear of silver medallist and East athlete Tom Martyn. West athlete Andy Douglas took third.

In the team race, the East were clear winners on 40 points with six counters as the Scottish Students took the silver medals.

‘I am delighted with that because I was ill a few days ago,’ revealed Sean.

‘I’m a PE teacher at Fortrose Academy and I missed the North Champs because I missed the entry deadline. There was a lot on at work at the time!

‘I’ve raced for Scotland in the past and was over in America but I’ve had a few injuries and things did drop off a bit for a year or two. So it is good to be back running well and hopefully I can build on it for the rest of 2020.’

Barrand for her part surprised even herself by finishing high up in the race and ahead of fellow Inter-District athletes, silver medallist Michelle Sandison of the West and third-placed Rebecca Johnson of the Scottish Students.

The East took the team golds with 46 points – winning by 12 from Scotland West.

‘I’ve never actually raced cross country in France and hardly ever here in Scotland,’ grinned Ginie.

‘I was third at the East Champs, though,

The U17 Women’s title went to the East’s Pippa Carcas with a superb run that saw her finish third overall. It was an East 1-2-3 in fact as she was supported by Kirsty and Caitlin Purcell.

There were team golds there for the East but the West won the U17 Men’s team golds.

The U17 Men’s title went to the West’s Jack Patton and he was followed in by the East duo of Ben Sandilands (Fife AC) and David Addison (Corstorphine).

East athletes took a 1-2 in the U15 Boys races via the efforts of Connor Bell and Struan Bennet with the West’s Reuben Macdonald taking bronze. The East were clear team winners.

The North’s Anna Cairns won the U15 Girls race by three seconds from the West’s Hannah Ryding with the East’s Katie Johnson in third. Scotland East won that one.

Scotland West won the U13 Girls race.

Millie McClelland-Brooks took the individual gold and it was a West 1-2-3 as she was followed home by Olivia Warboys and Freya Campbell.

The East’s Rowan Whitworth won the U13 Boys race but West duo Craig Shennan and Oliver Patton were next to help West to the team golds by a single point!

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#4Jathletics

Senior Champs

In the fast lane Alisha and Nikki shatter Scottish Records ‘I had my eye on that record for the indoor season but I didn’t necessarily think it would printers hit their maximum acceleration come at the Seniors,’ she said. when running unimpeded on a straight track. Alisha Rees trusts the bends in ‘But I am delighted with it. It worked in my the road that threatened to stall her young favour that it was two races rather than career are now disappearing into the rear three and I felt I could really blast out two view mirror. and see what the times were like.

By Mark Woods

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At 20, she can fondly recall her days as a teenage sensation, brimming with highspeed potential. But time moves on. The Aberdonian wishes to do likewise. And in breaking a Scottish senior record which had stood for 17 years, she suggested that a new exciting gear has been engaged.

At the 4J Scottish Indoor Championships in Glasgow, she clocked 7.33 seconds in the final of the 60 metres to end Susan Burnside’s lengthy supremacy atop the rankings.

Gold: Jax Thoirs

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‘In the heat it went well and when it was rounded down to 7.40 that was very close to my personal best (7.38). It certainly made me think I was capable of a bit faster in the final and that’s what happened.’

From Aberdeenshire, Rees openly admits the outset of her student days in Loughborough threw curve balls which spun her dedication off-kilter.

is at 11.40. I’ve run 11.45 for my PB last season and I’d be happy to break that one.’

Despite earning one senior GB and NI vest in the 4x100 relay, the depth of a sprint generation led by Dina Asher-Smith means she will need to maintain absolute focus to succeed. Faith in herself has been restored in tandem with her coach Leon Baptiste.

Nikki Manson delivered the loftiest high jump yet by a Scottish woman by clearing 1.92m at the Emirates Arena. It elevated her own indoor record and went one centimetre above Jayne Barnetson’s outdoor mark.

‘I’ve had a couple of years where it maybe hasn’t quite gone to plan,’ she acknowledged. ‘But I am working hard on things with my coach and in training and hopefully there is a benefit of that and times come down.

‘I actually heard Leslie Roy (the PA announcer) say: ‘Nikki will have three attempts – if she needs them’ when they put the bar up to 1.92m,’ she said.

‘I must admit I’ve my sights set on the Scottish women’s 100m record – which

Gold: Mhairi Porterfield

‘I just thought ‘I’m not taking three attempts at this – I need to get it before that’’.

In the mix for international selection

#4Jathletics since gaining a spot at the European Championships in Berlin two summers ago, she might pursue greater heights this Olympic year.

Elsewhere, 2018 world indoor semi-finalist Mhairi Hendry burnt off training partner Philippa Millage to win the women’s 800m while Guy Learmonth surpassed Tom McKean’s 1984 championship best by clocking 1:48.77 as he powered clear in the men’s 800m final.

Senior Champs so it proved with a win for Reynold Benigo in 7.69m as Che Richards took silver in 7.62m

Mhairi Patience won the Women’s 400m in 56.41 from Megan Davies with Swansea ‘It’s always good to achieve something athlete, Joseph which has Tom’s name alongside and I’ve Brier, taking the not made any secret that I have to chase his men’s gold in times,’ said Guy. 48.25. Krishawn Nikki Manson won the Aiken, now a The women’s 1500m final delivered one of Scot on residency the best races of the day. rules, took silver in 48.34. Sarah Fife AC’s Jenny Selman took it on the line from Erin Wallace of Giffnock North with the Warnock and Hannah Lawler have been regular Scottish champions in the field champion timed at 4:24.72 and the silver indoors in recent years – and they delivered medallist at 4:24.83. Third-placed Eloise again.

Walker was only a second adrift of the top two.

Sarah leapt out to 6.29m with her first ‘I’ve not raced the Scottish Indoors for quite round jump and that was more than a number of years and loved it,’ said Jenny. enough to win the Women’s long jump while Hannah took the pole vault gold with ‘It was a really competitive race and I was 3.64m her best clearance. pleased to get there just ahead of Erin’ The men’s long jump had looked strong and

Scott Connal won a Kilbarchan battle with

Women’s High Jump with a Record 1.92m

fellow CE rival, Andrew Murphy, to take the sprint hurdles gold. Jax Thoirs took gold in the pole vault at 5.09m with a second silver medal there for Murphy.

In the women’s triple jump, Nony Mordi took the title with 12.92m. Mhairi Porterfield won the Women’s shot with a throw of 13.10m and Lewis McGuire took the Men’s High Jump with 2.09m.

Gateshead duo Jazmine Moss and Daniel Lennie secured the 200m titles.

James Donald lunges for the line to win the Men’s 1500m gold by a fraction from Sol Sweeney and Michael Ferguson.

Women’s 1500m medallists – winner Jenny Selman flanked by silver medallist Erin Wallace (right) and Eloise Walker (left)

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#SALFabFebruary

The Week That Was

PERFECT

I

t was the bleak February week that Storm Ciara hit these shores, closely followed by Storm Dennis.

Not that too people many in athletics in Scotland noticed – given the Records that were falling to our female athletes on either side of the Atlantic ocean.

Women smash Records from New York

From Saturday 8 February to Friday 14 February, we noted *Four Senior Scottish Records at 1500m, mile indoors; High Jump; 60m sprint *Chris O’Hare won the Wannamaker Mile at the Millrose Games *Scottish U20 Record for 3000m Indoors *Course Record U20 Women at Armagh 3k Here, Peter Jardine reports on The Week That Was SATURDAY 8 FEBRUARY Afternoon: GB international Morgan Lake looked favourite for the High Jump event taking place in Hustopece in the Czech Republic.

But Nikki Manson had other ideas.

The Giffnock North AC athlete, who had opened 2020 fill of promise, had broken her own Scottish Indoor Record with a leap of 1.92m at the 4J Studios Senior Champs at the Emirates Arena a fortnight earlier.

Come Hustopece and Nikki continued her great form by pushing the bar up to 1.93m and once again raising the standards for Scottish female high jumping.

Late Evening

MONDAY 10 FEBRUARY

If Nikki thought the thoroughly-merited spotlight on her across our social media channels would last, she was to be mistaken.

Reekie’s performance in New York started to make waves across the Atlantic.

The Millrose Games in New York are late afternoon in America and thus significant Mile events featuring Scots were happening around 10.30pm to 11pm.

We were more than happy to burn the midnight oil, of course, when word came through of a quite superb indoor run by Jemma Reekie as she broke not one but two British Records for the mile and the 1500m – to add to her 800m run a week previoysly.

Jemma clocked 4:17 and had a split of 4:00.52 with both those times eclipsing Laura Muir’s British Records. Jemma, memorably, explained how she phoned coach Andy Young immediately after the race from trackside Stateside and asked: ‘Is 4:17 a good time for the Indoor Mile?’

Yes, Jemma, it was – taking her as it did to No 5 on the World all-time list.

Coach Ray Bobrownicki savoured the moment on Twitter and Nikki’s boyfriend, Sam O’Kane, can always be relied upon on these occasions for video footage. He didn’t disappoint!

Calling her an ‘overnight sensation’ seemed unfair, given European U20 and European U23 (double) success in recent years, but the scale of the impact was not in dispute.

Here are the thoughts of Paula Radcliffe from a piece with Athletics Weekly: ‘She’s running really well and I’m really happy for her because I think she has worked really hard,’ said former world marathon record-holder Radcliffe.

‘When you start to run better then your confidence gets better and you believe you can go out and compete with the other girls and it is producing some great racing.

‘She has probably fed off seeing what Laura could do and what (Canadian record-holder) Gabriela DeBues-Stafford was doing and just thought ‘well if I’m training with them and I’m keeping up with them in training then of course I can produce that in a race’.

WEDNESDAY 12 FEBRUARY With Jemma’s name suddenly up in lights, Scottish attention turned to the Athlone Indoor meeting in Ireland. At first glance, the prospect of more records didn’t seem too likely – but Eloise Walker was soon to break that notion.

Chris O’Hare followed Jemma onto the track for the Men’s Wannamaker Mile. And the American-based Scot pulled off the second win of his career in that event, storming home in 3:55.61 in a field which included Nick Willis and Filip Ingebrigtsen.

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The winning margin for Chris was almost two seconds and he’d a smile as wide as the Hudson River when joined by his two sons on the track for the trophy presentation.

Who else but Reekie held the U20 3000m Indoor Record at 9:28 from three years?

No sooner had she been taking British marks off Muir than she was losing one to training partner Walker. Eloise came up with a very fine run for 9:21 in a race where the Vinco footage focused in the main on Irish favourite Ciara Mageen and GB’s Rosie Clarke at the very front end of the race.

Nonetheless, a Scottish U20 Record for Edinburgh AC’s Walker – and another feather in the cap for coach Andy Young,

#SALFabFebruary

The Week That Was

T STORM

k to Armagh to Athlone to Sheffield

Harriers taking the proverbial baton with a run of 9:24 which gave her the U20 win and Record as well as ninth place overall.

Athletics Weekly hit the streets – with Reekie’s New York run making headlines.

FRIDAY 14 FEBRUARY Lunch-time Laura Muir and Jemma Reekie were centre stage at the Emirates as the media gathered for the Muller GP

whose group was having quite a week.

THURSDAY 13 FEBRUARY Almost exactly 24 hours later, and a road Course Record was to fall to another young Scot at the Armagh Road Races in Northern Ireland. And, yes, you’ve guessed it – the athlete ‘losing out’ was none other than Eloise Walker.

preview press conference.

Comparisons with the Seb Coe-Steve Ovett middle distance rivalry are starting to rate a mention. If that happens, it seems it will be restricted to the track itself.

helped me through a lot and I have helped her through a lot.’

Dame Kelly Holmes also featured in the Scottish Daily Mail that Friday, effusive in her support for Laura in particular while recognising the progress made by Jemma.

Early Evening: Surely the scottishathletics comms team was due a wee break, on Valentine’s Day, and with the Muller GP looming the following day?

Alisha Rees had other ideas. Competing at BUCS, Alisha eased into the 60m final comfortably and looked well capable of threatening the 7.33 National Record she had set in Glasgow on January 26. She did so, with 7.32, in the final with the only disappointment being she had to settle for silver as Cheyanne Evans-Gray clocked 7.28 with a CBP performance.

Still, we’d waited 17 years for a Scottish woman to break Susan Burnside’s 60m Record, so twice in 19 days definitely counted as compensation for Rees and coach Leon Baptiste.

So, by 7pm, we’d yet another Record to put up in lights . . .

LAURA on JEMMA:

‘I’ve trained with Jemma for about four Eloise had run 9:27 at Armagh in 2019 to years and she has come on so well. It is land the U20 Women’s Course Record in credit to our coach Andy Young for the way that particular event. There was a certain she has progressed. symmetry, then, in Megan Keith of Inverness I’ve noticed year on year she has been getting closer with the speed stuff. The past six months she has been faster still. But that will help to bring me on.’

JEMMA on LAURA: ‘Laura has taught me everything I know. I came to her at such a young age and she took me straight under her wing.

‘On and off the track I could not ask for a better training partner and friend. She has

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Muller GP

By Peter Jardine

M

ondo Duplantis raised the bar.

Jemma Reekie and Laura Muir raised the roof.

Indoor athletics often holds appeal in deep midwinter and seldom more so in the East End of Glasgow when #StormDennis started to deliver its menace with Biblical proportions on Saturday 15 February.

Inside the Emirates Arena, however, a sold out crowd was held in a thrall by some thrilling track and field action.

Duplantis supplanted his own World Record in a quite stunning pole vault competition; Reekie defied her position at the bell to come through and win a strong 1500m; and for Muir the second outing of a short indoor season gave satisfaction from ‘where I am at’ despite the disappointment at missing Maria Mutola’s WR mark for the 1000m.

Seven Scots in total were on the IAAF World Series stage and while the mixed fortunes with that number was almost inevitable, there’s a cogent argument for saying two victories and a third and a fourth (Guy Learmonth, Josh Kerr both in the 800m) represents well the recent progress for athletics in Scotland.

We’ve come to expect track magic from Muir, of course we have.

Five European titles and two World Indoor medals as well as a series of Scottish, British and European Records leads to that expectation.

Reekie coming towards her shoulder quite the way she has in 2020 is as exciting

Emirates Arena

Double act can conjure up track magic for the sport as it has been surprising for those maybe not paying full attention to her development.

Already comparisons with the rivalry of Seb Coe and Steve Ovett are surfacing – Yvonne Murray and Liz McColgan possibly another example. There are maybe parallels with the Scottish men at 1500m, too.

But, whatever happens henceforth, it looks sure to be captivating.

‘We are not going to be avoiding it,’ said Laura, when asked about potential battles ahead.

‘We train the same. We are going to be doing the same races – well, same competition. So we are going to clash at some point, definitely.

‘I am stronger at the endurance stuff and Jemma is better at the speed stuff.’

Reekie’s presence had cranked up the noise levels that Saturday afternoon when the circular track action began with a bang.

The 21-year-old produced a great surge over the last 150m or so to win the 1500m in the final few strides in a time of 4.04.07 – as she edged out Ethiopian Dawit Seyaum, who clocked 4:04.24 with Rabada Arafi in third.

It was a new Scottish Native Record for Jemma, with the time eclipsing the 4:05.97 set by Muir at the Emirates a couple of years ago.

‘It was a good race and a good confidence boost,’ said Jemma.

‘I was close to the finish and I just thought ‘I cannot be second here in front of the home crowd – I have to win’. So it was good to do it and a great feeling to cross the live.

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‘I’m 21 years old and loving every minute of it. I was here two years ago and got a good cheer off the crowd but the one I got this time was huge and I feel proud of myself for being able to deliver a victory.’

Muller GP

Emirates Arena

Laura for her part won the 1000m comfortably but couldn’t quite get close enough to the splits required mid race to really attack the World Record of 2:30.94 held by Mutola and clocked 2:33.47.

‘I just wanted to run as hard as I could even though from 600m or so it was looking difficult,’ said Laura, with the Polish pace-maker through the first 400m in 60.04, arguably a second down on where they needed to be even at that stage.

‘I think from where I am at, I am happy with that but I would have loved to have broken that world record. Almost but not quite - it would have been great to have done it here. It’s always a great atmosphere here.

‘That’s me done for the indoors. I’ll be back out training in the wind and rain tomorrow.’

Polish athlete Adam Kszczot took the win in the Men’s 800m in 1:46.34 with Learmonth running a Season’s Best for third in 1:47.16. Kerr wasn’t far behind in an indoor PB as he took fourth in a photo finish in 1:47.40.

‘I feel good, I did exactly what I wanted to do and ran it as true as I could,’ said Guy. ‘It’s a big step in the right direction and

Giant leap for mankind

S

weden’s pole vault sensation Mondo Duplantis smashed his own World Record with an astonishing jump of 6.18m.

It gave him a bonus payment of $30,000 to add to his win in the men’s pole vault final on what was a stellar day of athletics at the Müller GP in the Emirates Arena.

And, by the time he’d received the cheque, it was difficult to tell if Mondo belonged to Glasgow or Glasgow belonged to Mondo – such was his rapport with an excited crowd.

‘I can tell you – I would not have cleared the heights I did today without being able to feed off the energy coming from the stands,’ he told event in-field commentator, Iwan Thomas.

Fresh from clearing 6.17m in Torun the previous week, man of the moment Duplantis arrived in Glasgow looking for the

I can’t complain too much. That’s one of my highest place finishes at the Grand Prix events so it’s another big boost.’

Nikki Manson was seventh in the high jump with 1.82m as the Giffnock athlete went close with her second attempt at 1.86m.

her own Native Record, set in the Emirates Arena a couple of years ago. But it was not quite enough to progress. Adam Thomas clocked 6.76 in a very competitive second heat of the Men’s 60m.

Heather Paton was sixth in her 60m Hurdles heat with a run of 8.38 seconds, which was only four hundredths away from

By the time each or any one of these seven Scots return to competition at the Emirates Arena, after the Olympics and European Championships in Paris, so much more will be apparent about their status

victory and to try and better his own record.

American Sam Kendricks cleared a best of

Having sailed clear at 6.01m, the Swede turned on the style to break his own world indoor record with room to spare, sending the Glasgow crowd into raptures.

It was a first World Record witnessed by a Scottish crowd since 2006 when a Russian team achieved the women’s 4 x 400m mark.

Photos by Bobby Gavin

5.75m as he took second position, with

‘It just feels so good,’ said Duplantis, after a competition which captivated throughout.

‘I felt like I was over it and once I was going over, I knew I had it. You can’t tell how far away you are from the bar, but it felt like a good jump from the get go. I tried a stiffer pole and it worked out.

‘It’s the best little split second. Everything builds up to that little split second and the freefall was magical.

Belgium’s Ben Broeders setting a Belgian

‘It’s unfair to think I’ll break it every time I compete. I don’t think about it too much.

You don’t need to break a record to win every comp.

‘I want to win and that’s always the goal but firstly you’ve got to win and if I have the energy left then I’ll crank it up a bit.”

national record inscottishathletics third.

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Glasgow

Hat-trick hero Guy’s third indoor gold leads home nine Scottish medals stone to outdoors. But I have to get the job done at the Olympic trials.

‘Nine times out of ten I perform at the trials whereas other guys crack and crumble but I’ve got to focus on that.

‘I’m just taking one race at a time but the Olympics is in the back of my mind because of course I want to be on that plane to Tokyo and I want to be in the final.

O

ne year earlier on the very same bend of the Emirates Arena track, he hated being the fall Guy.

Fast forward to the British Champs back at the Glasgow venue and Guy Learmonth propelled himself to his third Indoor UK gold.

In fact, it was his ninth British Championship medal at 800m to make him the most decorated athlete in the male division of that particular event – quite a compliment given some of the great names of the past.

Guy’s gold led home a Scottish medal rush on the Sunday afternoon which become nine in total and now the Borderer has his sights firmly set on making the GB team for the Olympics.

‘Hopefully this British Champs gold is a sign of things to come,’ said Guy, who fell over in the Glasgow 2019 heats when he was captain of the GB team. This time, he hurdled Alex Botterill and surged on to win in an indoor PB of 1:46.89 with early leader Josh Kerr finishing fourth.

‘I want to go even quicker this year. I’ve always set my goals high and I know I can do that. As long as I stay in one piece, I firmly believe I can compete with the world’s best every week.

‘I’m training well, things are heading in the right direction and this is a nice stepping-

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‘The 800m is a tough event so I’ve got to be in one piece, keep training hard and keep my head down. It’s Manchester 2020 in my head, not Tokyo 2020 yet.

‘I feel I can go faster than I ever have. I want to run 1:43 – I’ve been wanting to do that for a few years. It might be a bit ambitious but if I get the right race and get stuck in and go for it, I don’t see why not.

‘I don’t set a limit on what I can run – there’s certain goals and targets along the way and once I hit them, I’ll move onto the next one.’

David Smith took silver in the men’s High Jump with 2.24m as Tom Gale won at 2.27m.

her best clearance being 1.84m – as Bethan Partridge took the title – but felt disappointed after being pre-event favourite.

Andrew Murphy, by contrast, was delighted with a third in the pole vault as he equalled his PB with a 5.00m leap after also going over 4.70m and 4.85m.

Murphy had set PBs the previous day in the shot at 14.18m and in the 60m Hurdles with 8.19 seconds.

Kilbarchan athlete Krishawn Aiken has recently had Scottish eligibility confirmed and he took bronze in the Men’s 400m final.

‘It was a tough field and I’ve run some of the races of my life in almost every round,’ he said, with Grant Plenderleith calling off from that race with a hamstring injury.

‘I love indoor racing and to medal in the final shows I’ve done all I needed to do.’

Scottish athletes took nine medals in total with Alisha Rees landing 60m silver on Saturday as Courtney MacGuire finished third in the pole vault.

‘High jump is always bittersweet, 2.27m would have been a PB for me but I can’t be angry with a 2.24m effort,’ said David, with Lewis McGuire clearing 2.15m to equal his indoor PB. ‘Coming out with no injuries is the main thing. A silver is a good start to the Olympic year so hopefully it’s all go towards Tokyo. It’s every athlete’s dream to be there so let’s see if I can make it happen.’

Nikki Manson took bronze in the Women’s High Jump with

Krishawn Aiken – landed 400m British Champs bronze

SPAR British Champs

Glasgow

Rich reward for Philippa and Jenny

P

hilippa Millage went into the British Champs in Glasgow with a point to prove.

And she left the familiar surroundings of the Emirates Arena having made it in emphatic style.

Jenny Selman was another Scot to walk through the door of opportunity and duly landed a superb silver medal in the Women’s 1500m.

Glasgow-based Millage is 39-years-old which, according to some people, is positively geriatric in athletics terms. But she took bronze in the 800m with a solid run.

‘I’m buzzing,’ said Philippa.

‘I knew I was in good shape and I felt comfortable running a personal best in the heats and I felt good doing that. There’s always an opportunity in a championships because you never know what’s going to happen. But never in my wildest dreams did I think there was a medal there. I was running thinking I ‘Oh my god, what’s happening here?’.

‘I knew I was in really good shape but sometimes it doesn’t translate to the track.

So it was good.

Millage not only set a PB in the heats but that 2:05.70 run was also a British Masters Record for V35.

‘You’d not believe how many people keep bringing up my age, it’s ridiculous,’ she revealed.

‘He’s the one who’s got me to this stage and level I’m. I feel like I deserve to be here now.

‘I had all of the Scottish records already but I didn’t have any of the British ones and this was really my last opportunity so that was in my mind,’ Jenny Selman was thrilled to take her silver - by one hundredth of a second - in the Women’s 1500m.

Holly Archer won the race but Selman had to fight hard for first ever British medal and a PB of 4:22.57 gave her the verdict over Jacqueline Fairchild for silver. ‘ I’m really chuffed,’ said the Fife AC athlete, who had seen her club-mates win the National XC at Falkirk the previous day.

‘It’s my first senior GB championship medal and I’m really pleased with that. It was the ‘They tell me I’ll not going to get any quicker kind of race that suits me well – slower at now but I think ‘oh really? Watch me’. So I the start and then a bit of a burn-up. like to prove them wrong.

‘It’s 100 percent a part of my motivation.

I’m lucky in that I’ve a coach who is very supportive (Bill Parker) and always tells me that age is just a number and that I deserve to be here.

‘I was aware of the other athletes and knew I had to fight really hard for a medal so for it to be silver by one hundredth is a great feeling. I’ve had a really consistent year and this is the reward.’

Tru Wealth Road Race Champs Series Graham McKnight, managing director of Tru Wealth, said: ‘We are delighted to formalise our sponsorship and continue to demonstrate our commitment to scottishathletics by adding the road race series, this is in addition to our support of track and field via clubs and individual athletes.

On the right road S

cotland international Annabel Simpson believes a bit more ‘noise’ around top races can stimulate even more interest in road running.

vests in road, cross country and hills in recent years.

‘Road is my favourite surface for running and I think mud should be left behind in the winter! We get a fair bit of traction for cross country in Scotland and we get a fair bit of talk about cross country events like Falkirk.

The Fife AC athlete was asked along by scottishathletics when we prepared a photo-shoot launch of a new sponsorship for seven Scottish championship events with ‘But I really do believe bringing these races Tru Wealth. together via a sponsorship can help promote road running even more.

And there couldn’t have been a better advocate than Annabel, who was adamant ‘When you think how excited folk get for that replicating the excitement of cross cross country medals or for their Senior country or track and field is within reach. or Age Groups podium moment in track and field – then I would love to see that Glasgow-based financial advisors Tru happening at Scottish Road Race Champs.

Wealth have been strongly associated with Hopefully this will help towards that and athletics in Scotland in recent years – first we can get more people running and more with sponsorship of VP-Glasgow and then people running fast. advertising with the governing body.

Now that partnership with scottishathletics is being extended to take in the five-race Tru Wealth Road Race Championship Series (known in recent years as the Road Race GP) Tru Wealth will also support the Tru Wealth Young Athletes Road Races in Greenock in March and the Tru Wealth National 6 and 4-Stage Road Relays later that same month, when Senior teams compete at Livingston.

It’s brilliant news once again for the sport with our current portfolio of sponsorships now complete for the time being and enabling us very much to improve the ‘event experience’ and aspects of media and communications around those events.

‘I think this is a great idea and I’m delighted to be one of the first athletes to hear about it,’ said Annabel, who has won Scotland

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Fellow Scotland international, Mike Christoforou, was just as enthusiastic.

‘I’ve raced a lot of these events in recent years – I think four out of five in the GP last year, missing only the marathon. I think the standard is pretty high already and we’ve seen that happen at Silverknowes for the 5k Champs.

‘We are also excited to explore other avenues of supporting scottishathletics clubs by launching a ‘Cash for Clubs’ initiative, giving members that use our services an opportunity to earn cash back for their local club .

‘As official partners, we are pleased to be able to offer mortgage and financial planning advice to scottishathletics members and welcome any members to get in touch if they’d like to discuss this further.’

Mark Munro, chief executive of scottishathletics, has been chatting to Graham McKnight for some time.

‘Graham is well-known to many in the sport already at club level at VP-Glasgow, where he has been a strong supporter of the club,’ said Mark ‘Over the past year or so, we’ve developed a link via advertising within PB magazine and through stands at some of our championship events. Tru Wealth were keen to take that link even further and the two road relay events and five further championships within five road races gave us the opportunity to expand the partnership.

‘I think one of the real positives for us is that the Tru Wealth Rad Race Championship Series – which has been known as our Road Race GP in recent years – will now have a stronger identity within the sport and beyond.

‘I believe there is real opportunity for us to develop these Scottish championship races given the rise in performances by our elite and club level athletes.’

‘It’s very tough to win a medal so if we can raise the level of competition then times will get faster for more athletes.’

The agreement with Tru Wealth will run for two years from the start of 2020 and is thus envisaged to take in no fewer than 14 Scottish championship events.

Graham McKnight of Tru Wealth and Mark Munro shake hands on the new agreement

Grassroots Athletics

‘Officiating can fill a gap in your l computerised results system was created I volunteered my services.

Parallel with this, I sometimes helped Arnold Black and Margaret McInally on seeding. In those days, it was a completely manual process When Scottish Athletics purchased Hy-Tek Meet Manager, the computerised system able to do both results and seeding, I moved my focus to work with this. The product itself has evolved over the years, and various Event Managers within SAL along with a small band of Officials like myself have upskilled ourselves on the programme. We now have a very useful computerised system.

For many years I was still only working at Championships – Leagues rarely needed SAL Officials for admin work.

Athletics mum Val Murdoch turned back to the sport to become an Official in 1999 after her husband was tragically killed in a car crash and her children left home for further education.

Two decades of enjoyment and constant learning later and our 2019 Official of the Year can’t wait to commit more time to help us help our sport.

Could you follow Val’s pathway?

Read on...

Q

How did you get first get involved in athletics?

Well, as it happens, via a truly life changing experience.

Both my children were involved in athletics; Iain in middle distance/steeplechase and

By the 2010s both my children were now living overseas and once again I had far too Lindsay in long/triple jump.(Iain represented much time on my hands at weekends, so GB at World Junior, European U20 and U23 what could I do? Try another discipline, of level.) course!

Family weekends were spent travelling all over Scotland/UK (and occasionally abroad) to attend numerous meetings.

In mid-1999 two things happened almost simultaneously – both children left home to go to University and I was unexpectedly widowed when my husband was killed in a car crash.

Family weekend activities as I had known for many years ceased almost overnight. To maintain sanity I had to fill those gaps - so I turned to athletics and becoming an Official.

I contacted the Office, and the next thing I knew I was on Declarations at the Indoor District Champs in January 2000. I’ve never looked back!

Q

Please tell us a little bit about your journey as an Official?

I began doing work only for Championships, mainly on Declarations and sometimes in the Call Room.

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I’m a born administrator, so was in my element. Over a couple of years I became aware of seeding and results being within the overall ‘Admin’ roles, so when a (basic)

I thought the Start team looked an interesting role, so around 2013 I attended a beginners training course. Soon afterwards I was trackside, wearing a red t-shirt (seemed odd after years being in purple) and actually dealing with athletes rather than a computer.

So now I divide my time between Seeding at Championships and Starter’s Assistant duties at many of the leagues.

Grassroots Athletics

life – and be so much more, too’ about 25-45 when ‘life’ simply takes over careers, family, home etc.

Around their mid 40s people often reach the point when commitments become less (kids are growing up/moving on, careers become more settled) and they have more time in which to do something. They may also feel more confident generally within themselves to try something new.

I firmly belief officiating can certainly ‘fill a gap’. It’s up to each individual to decide how much time to devote to any new hobby and officiating is very flexible.

Q

How much do you enjoy your role and what are the aspects of it which keep you contributing to the sport?

I find that having these two very different roles within the same sport is an excellent way to keep my interest.

This takes away the nervousness of new Officials, since on the same day as they learn their discipline they can then do it for real.

My advice is to always think about doing more than one discipline – perhaps do your first one for a year or two and then consider branching out into another area(.

Not only do I work with different groups of Officials at different levels of meetings from grass-roots leagues to Internationals, but the It’s easy to combine more than one roles let me see how each part of a meeting discipline. When I moved into the interacts with all other parts. If one part ‘breaks’ the knock-on effect can be huge.

Each element is vital.

The technology aspect of the sport when I’m Seeding enables me to immerse myself in my natural admin ‘comfort zone’. The Starter’s Assistant role, however, allows me to be in contact with all ages and levels.

Q

What would you say to someone who might think about volunteering to help out or taking a first Officials course?

Most people who come into athletics as an Official usually have a connection with the sport, so I suggest picking an area that interests you.

Basic courses are held regularly at beginner level for all the disciplines (track, field, photofinish, start team etc). Where possible the organisers run such courses in the morning of an event and in the afternoon take the trainees out onto the track/field so they can immediately start to participate in their discipline.

Start team, I made it very clear that Championships were still Admin for me – but they (the Start team) could have me for everything else!

Q

We talk sometimes about trying to get ‘younger people’ in as Officials – but I think you believe that scottishathletics should be urging parents aged 45 plus to get involved?

Can you explain your theory?

Officials recruitment is hard in many sports.

I feel there is a period in people’s lives from

Probably the most important aspect is reliability rather than availability – no-one in the sport expects any official to do every meeting, but please turn up to the ones you agree to do!

Q

Would someone coming in as an Official at the age of 50, say, and volunteering for 10-15 years, be able to enjoy it and make a contribution to a vibrant sport in Scotland?

Without a doubt! In fact, why put an end date? You never stop learning in this role.

There is a recognised pathway in the sport going from Assistant Official right up to International Referee. But you can stop at any point along this pathway.

I learn something new at almost every meeting I attend – whether it’s through the people I interact with (athletes, parents, coaches, fellow Officials) to the level of the meeting I’m attending (I’ve worked from area leagues right up to Glasgow 2014).

Each has shown me something new.

When I retire from paid employment, my own plan is to increase my officiating role to do midweek events and not just weekend ones as I do currently.

Athletics in Scotland is such a forwardlooking sport and I cannot wait to be a part of the future.

I’m still buzzing from the unexpected but greatly appreciated 2019 Official of the Year award!

scottishathletics

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Grassroots Athletics

Gala Harriers

Photos by Neil Renton and Bobby Gavin

Created with the support of the Scottish Borders Athletics Development Group, Team Borders was set up to maximise numbers, providing competitive opportunities and ultimately, a performance pathway which didn’t previously exist. It’s an aspirational concept which brings together athletes from U11 to U17.

Success has come quickly, with the team winning the Forth Valley League for the last five years.

As athletes have progressed through the age-groups, their talent has also been carefully developed and nurtured.

Zoe Pflug - who led Scotland to Celtic XC U23 gold at the Stirling Cross Challenge in January - has benefited from the performance pathway and solid coaching structure put in place by Gala Harriers, in addition to regional funding provided by Live Borders.

The 19-year-old is now an Edinburgh University student and competes for Edinburgh University Hare & Hounds.

No mystery about Gala growth

By Katy Barden Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, was one of the original patrons of Gala Harriers when the club was formed in 1902.

When the club celebrated its centenary in 2002, former Scotland Manager Craig Brown was a guest speaker and shared his own stories – less criminal and more celebratory. He remains the last Scotland Manager to steer his team to a major tournament (FIFA World Cup, France 1998).

In spite of its famous connections, however, Gala Harriers is less about status and more about driving participation. Any success is a bi-product of the efforts of athletes and club officials.

From its early male-dominated days, it has evolved from a primarily road and

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cross-country club to an all-encompassing athletics club, a move driven in part by the growth of its junior section from the early 2000s.

‘I went straight into Neil’s (Renton) group when I joined the Harriers aged ten,’ she says.

‘My best friends were running too which made it so much easier. I just loved running and the group was so good and Neil was so positive.

‘We all trained together from U13 through to U17, boys and girls. There was no segregation and we all knew everyone and we knew how everyone was doing. Even now, all the juniors that I ran with cheer me on in my races and I hope I’m a good role model for them.

‘We had a handful of junior members to begin with, but now we have more than 100 junior members which is almost half of our total club membership,’ says Neil Renton, the club’s Head Coach.

‘The introduction of our junior section has made us think and act differently. We were historically an endurance club but not all kids are endurance athletes, so we had to adapt.

‘We’ve also developed an effective coaching structure to support the numbers of athletes we’re working with.’

As a founding partner of Team Borders, Gala Harriers has played a crucial role in the competitive development of young athletes from across the region and not just within the club.

Gala Harriers graduate: Zoe Pflug

Grassroots Athletics

Gala Harriers ‘It’s a different story if there’s no coach to work with, but in Zoe’s case, she’s got a great coach up there in John Lees.

John sets her sessions and feeds back to me, and I see her at races. We’ve helped her by creating a pathway, and although she’s no longer a Gala Harrier, that’s still something for us to be really proud of.’

‘Neil is focused on making you love running.

He keeps you healthy and ensures you’re enjoying it. He gets you to the point where you’re ready to transition to a successful senior and he knows when it’s time to stepup and make a change.’

Although the Harriers loss is the Haries gain, Renton is pragmatic.

‘If an athlete goes off to uni, then it’s the right thing for them to join the University club or a nearby club – it’s life experience,’ he says.

Led by Club President Charlotte Hendry, the initiative, which started in April 2019, is already proving successful with around 20 people per week taking part.

‘The group started in April 2019 and it’s grown throughout the year,’ she says. ‘We currently average about 20 people per week.’

Across all age groups, Gala Harriers athletes have earned District and National vests, as well as winning individual and team titles.

Arguably the greatest inspiration, however, has come from the competitive opportunities offered to the club’s junior athletes who are thriving within the Gala Harriers set-up.

‘It’s great for the club to see athletes progress to district and national standard,’ adds Renton.

‘We took two U12s teams through to the Emirates for SUPERteams,’ says Hendry.

‘But it’s equally important to see Harriers of all ages taking part in events throughout the year, such as the Borders XC Series. It’s a simple concept, but it’s a great vehicle for introducing kids - as well as older athletes who are new to the sport - to cross country.’

‘It was an amazing experience for the kids to compete on the same track as the European Indoor Championships, and to see themselves on the big screen.

‘On the way home, one member said to me, ‘I’ve run on the same track as Laura Muir!’.

‘What’s more inspirational than that?’

MAKE A DAY OF IT!

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Both challenge and race use the stunning trails starting at Abbotsford on the banks of the River Tweed. Abbotsford is a historic house in the Scottish Borders, near Melrose, on the south bank of the River Tweed. It was formerly the residence of historical novelist and poet, Sir Walter Scott.

“Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford remains today as one of the most famous houses in the world.”

In its continued drive to increase participation at all levels, Gala Harriers has also launched a Couch to 5K programme.

Event Sponsors

BE COMPETITIVE

FAMILY FUN

Grassroots Athletics

Many happy road runs

By Stuart Miller Members of Bellahouston Road Runners swapped their usual routes around Glasgow’s southside for a track session to remember as part of the club’s 20th birthday celebrations.

More than 70 members displayed the club’s distinctive purple and white vest at the Emirates Arena on Saturday 25 January to mark the occasion, with a series of 1-mile races over the indoor track.

‘It was a lot of fun, with lots of support around the track as members took part in the various heats,’ said club president Richard Leyton.

‘If we can secure new permanent home in Bellahouston park, it would set us up for the next 20 years’ Richard Leyton President BRR members, or more widely, to encourage more people to give indoor track running a try ‘Perhaps the most fun of the morning session was the impromptu relay race – I think we had eight teams of eight – with each team member running a 200m leg. It was a bit chaotic with everybody wearing the same tops!’

With the racing finished, members gathered ‘The facilities are fantastic and we had so for a series of training talks at the Glasgow much positive feedback from everybody Green football centre, which included who came along that we’re having a think a presentation from Glasgow Triathlon about what we might do in future there with Club’s lead coach Vicky Begg on sport psychology and mental preparation for training and racing.

The busy celebrations were fitting for a club that has barely stood still in its short history: membership has grown to more Bella RR trio of Louise Ross, Ann than 200 strong Robin and Jane McNeilly on the from what was just podium at Cumbernauld with Louise a small gathering (No 391) in action (right) of people in the car PB 2020 | ISSUE 1

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park at Bellahouston ski centre in the club’s fledgling months.

‘We are a club of members with a broad level of interests and paces,’ added Richard.

‘We have some members who run up hills, others who do marathon upon marathon and some people who run just to be able to eat cake. The variety keeps things interesting and is a spur to try different events and learn from others’ experiences in training.

‘We have a friendly, welcoming club and people are not intimidated to come down and that is a big thing about our club.

We’re building on great work from our membership over the years, with contributions and innovations that developed and grew the club.’

Part of the club’s success can be traced to its close relationship with Glasgow’s parkrun events. Leyton helped

Grassroots Athletics bring parkrun to Scotland for the first time in Pollok Park in 2008, and several members now serve as senior organisers at the weekly parkrun gatherings at the Pollok event, as well as at Queen’s Park, Drumchapel and, for juniors, at Rouken Glen.

‘The club was a big part of helping parkrun start in Scotland, through members turning up to practice events and volunteering,’ he added.

‘It is also something that feeds into membership. There was a fear that parkrun would undermine club running but actually we see it has the opposite effect.’

‘Bella Road Runners have become adept at staging larger events too, from Renfrewshire AAA cross country events, to its own flagship 10k road race – named after stalwart of Scottish distance running and founding member Jimmy Irvine. The race regularly attracts more than 600 runners each November.

Recent years have also brought success in competition for the club.

Coach Louise Ross said: ‘Our Women’s team has been crowned Scottish half marathon champions three times in recent years, and the women’s vets team has been on the top of the podium at the national cross country championships in both 2017 and 2019, winning bronze the year in between. There have been a few selections for the British and Irish Masters cross country championships too over the years.

‘We are also seeing newer talent develop.

Catriona Macdonald has represented the West district in recent events, and recorded an excellent seventh-placed finish at the British Cross Challenge in Stirling in January – she really glides over the mud.’

The many successes of Bellahouston Road Runners, and its contribution to local life in Glasgow, was acknowledged in a recent motion submitted to the Scottish Parliament by Glasgow MSP Johann Lamont shortly before the club’s 20th birthday celebrations.

The club’s immediate focus now, though, is on the future and finding a new home.

Talks are ongoing which could result in the club moving in to an unused former bowling club pavilion inside Bellahouston park.

‘It is quite exciting if we can get it because it would get the club its own permanent base, and set us up for the club’s next 20 years and beyond,’ said Leyton.

When someone starts running and asks me how to get better, I tell them: ‘Join a club’.’

Bryan Burnett We all eventually find our tribe – the people who make us comfortable and allow us to be our true selves.

‘Folk with similar interests, new friends who feel like old friends, who provide support, encouragement and most of all – acceptance: ‘You are one of us.’

‘Maybe that didn’t come at school, at university or in the workplace but it came to many of us when we found our running club.

‘I found mine in Bellahouston Road Runners and it’s wonderful to see the club celebrate a milestone birthday this year.

‘Jimmy’s enthusiasm, his welcoming tone and his determination to get all kinds of people out running spoke powerfully to me.

I joined the next night and never looked back.

‘Within only a few weeks I was hooked. I got picked for a team for the first time in my life! At school I was always last to get chosen for team sports: ‘Suppose we’d better take Burnett then!’. This was so different.

‘When someone who has just started running asks me how they can get better I always tell them it’s not about the shoes, the diet or religiously following the training schedules in the latest issue of Runners World. It’s about finding a club and getting stuck in.

‘It’s amazing to think that we have over 150 affiliated clubs in Scotland. Whether you are a hardcore track nut or someone who just wants to get out for a run twice a ‘I joined Bella about a year into their existence and being at the club felt like week with like-minded individuals, it’s good slipping on a pair of favourite running shoes. to know there are others who share your It was just like my shoes - comfortable, common purpose. provided great support and made me a ‘As scottishathletics members will know, whole lot faster. being in a club is not just about what ‘I didn’t actually mean to join the Road happens on training nights. It’s the group Runners. I’d actually intended to join runs at weekends, the team-mates cheering another local club, but had been putting it you on at races and the lifelong friendships off for weeks. I was way too nervous to turn that are made during the toughest of up thinking everyone would be faster, fitter sessions. and way more experienced than me. Proper runners.

‘Our clubs are often referred to as the backbone of our sport. They are the glue ‘Then one day, out for a run in Pollok Park, that holds the sport together. Whether I bumped into Bella’s founder members, your club is celebrating the 20th or 120th Jimmy and Sandra Irvine. Jimmy had a anniversary it’s well worthy of celebration. habit of talking to random strangers about running and sure enough he got talking to me and chatted at length about their new scottishathletics club.

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Grassroots Athletics

Fife AC

Running in the family

By Katy Barden

W

hen Ben Sandilands ran for Scotland at the Antrim International Cross Country in January 2018, he made family history.

Over 100 years previously, his great, great grandfather George Sandilands had also earned his first Scotland vest, finishing fourth in the 100 yards at the Scotland v Ireland international athletics event at Ibrox Park, Glasgow in 1910.

‘I didn’t know about my great, great grandfather until my Pops gave me his 1910 Scotland Cap after my own debut for Scotland in Ireland,’ says Sandilands (Ben).

‘I’m very proud to have it.’

Although George Sandilands, a member of Edinburgh Harriers, had started out as a sprinter, he left an endurance legacy which included the donation of the East District League shield. The Sandilands Shield was first presented to the Senior Men’s winners in 1927-28 and it remains the oldest trophy in the East District League.

Sandilands donated other trophies,

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too. One is currently presented to the first person across the line in Fife AC’s Boxing Day handicap race in Kirkcaldy and another, in memory of his daughter Doris, was historically given by Fife Schools to the winning senior girls track team in the Fife Championships.

Sandilands was an architect by trade, and according to the Dictionary of Scottish Architects, sport had always played a large part in his life.

‘When young, he gained international recognition as a member of the Scottish Athletic team and later served as a judge and timekeeper for the Scottish Amateur Athletic Association for over 35 years,’ the website states.

‘He became President of Kirkcaldy YMCA Harriers, was Fife’s representative on the Physical Education Committee of the YMCA and a member of the Scottish CrossCountry Union. He was well known in gymnastic circles and was also a keen swimmer and boxer.

On the football field he played for Heart of Midlothian FC and

later became a director of Raith Rovers FC . . .’

He died in Kirkcaldy on 10 December 1967 aged 84, but his son George (191485) followed in his sporting footsteps and also ran cross country (for Kirkcaldy YMCA).

Great, great grandson Ben is now blazing his own trail.

Since his Scotland debut in Antrim at the age of 14, he’s enjoyed success regionally and nationally both on the track and in cross country, including leading Scotland East to silver with in impressive second place at January’s Inter-District Cross Country Championships in Stirling.

‘I joined Fife AC just before I turned 11,’ he says. ‘I love running and I have a great training group and great coaches (Steve Doig and Andy Scott).

‘I’d definitely like to run for Scotland again and I’m looking forward to running in France this summer as part of the Fife Olympiad team.’

Masters Athletics

George Black

Salute to the ‘Stenturion’

By Katy Barden ‘I’m an Arthur Lydiard man,’ explains 80-year-old George Black, when asked about his training.

Lydiard, whose training methods are based on building a strong endurance base and periodisation, has been referred to as one of the outstanding athletics coaches of all time.

‘I had the pleasure of meeting the great man,’ says Black.

‘Henry Mutchamore brought him up to Meadowbank to do a talk. I had bought Lydiard’s book when I first started running in 1982 and everything I did was based on that.’

Lydiard’s training is governed by a set of five principles that apply to runners of all abilities – general conditioning (marathon type training); hill repetitions; strength

endurance; speed endurance; and peaking.

Such principles have served Black well.

His successes over the years - which are varied and many - include British and Scottish Veteran Half Marathon titles, a series of international cross-country podium finishes and a range of national records across the age groups, as well as a European Duathlon title (over-65s) and twice World Duathlon Championships silver medal (over-70/80).

The Fife AC runner kicked off 2020 with a well-publicised age-group world record for four miles, clocking 30:10 at the Portobello

Promathon. His end of year target is the World Duathlon Championships.

Black’s performance in Portobello may have gone largely unnoticed by the passing crowds on the sea front, but the flash of Not bad for a man who only started running fluorescent pink from his Nike Vaporflys at the age of 42 after a 20-year break from captured the attention of more observant any sort of sport, then had a heart attack six athletics fans. years ago.

‘I love them,’ says Black.

‘I was out on my bike and although I had no pains or anything, I knew something wasn’t ‘I read something about them in a magazine right,’ says Black, a former racing cyclist. or on Facebook and I thought it was hype, but I thought I would try them.

‘I cycled home, went to bed and I felt Now I’d recommend them to anybody. It’s horrible. I phoned my pal, a doctor, and it a superbly made shoe and I reckon the turns out it was a heart attack. Sometimes benefit is definitely four percent. That’s me you just don’t know you’re having one.’ being brutally honest, based on my own performance.

While that may be the case, Black is arguably one of a kind.

‘I’ve found a tremendous difference and the cushioning is unbelievable. There’s nothing He has previously endured the agonising tricky about them, they just work. They pain of multiple vasovagal attacks, episodes make you want to run fast.’ so intense they can cause him to pass out, covered in sweat.

The basic premise of Arthur Lydiard’s training is to fully develop the potential of ‘I had one at work once and my secretary an athlete first, then add speed – and Black, thought I was dead,’ he says, matter-ofin spite of his age, continues to achieve factly. that.

The heart attack, it seems, was just a mild inconvenience in comparison, and it certainly hasn’t held him back.

‘I know not everybody can come straight back to exercise from a heart attack and, of course, you should get the ok from your doctor first. But they took me in, fitted a stent, and I’m fine.

‘There’s a group of us at Fife AC, the ‘stenturions’. We’ve all had stents fitted and the group’s gradually increasing. We’ve all had the operation and we’re all back exercising again.’

‘I call it putting on the boot polish,’ he says. ‘You put the boot polish on and let it harden. Put another layer on, let it harden.

‘You keep doing that - then you just get a duster and give it a light rub and you get a lovely deep shine.’

There’s no quick win - even in Vaporflys but the end result is worth the effort.

scottishathletics

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Hill Running

New Season

Reaching for great heights ************************************* The British Athletics Hill and Fell Running Championships starts exceptionally early this year on Saturday 14 March, in Wales, with the Aran Race.

As PB went to print, top Scots were making plans for the long journey to Wales, with a good number of runners entered from Carnethy HRC, Lochaber AC and Shettleston Harriers. ************************************* The scottishathletics hill running season kicks off with the Senior Champs at Stuc a’Chroin on Saturday 2 May. The scottishathletics Junior Champs also act as the selection race for the JHI and they take place at Cademuir Rollercoaster, Peebles on 15 August.

Jacob Adkin won gold at 2019 European Mountain Running Champs

T

o say Scottish hill runners ‘smashed it’ in 2019 might be something of an understatement. Jacob Adkin won European glory, Andy Douglas won the WMRA World Cup and that duo plus Robbie Simpson guided GB and NI to European team gold for the first time.

Now our hill runners are preparing for the start of the new season with a whole series of events coming up at junior and senior level.

Here, Angela Mudge, our scottishathletics Lead on hill running, outlines a number of the key events and opportunities coming up over the next few months . . . ************************************* This year, Ambleside, England hosts the U18 International Youth Cup on a beautiful course.

Scotland will take four junior (born in 2003 & 2004) girls and boys to the event.

Unusually, the trial will be held on the actual championship course on Friday 8 May. If you’re interested in racing please contact Angela Mudge (angela.mudge@scottishathletics.org.uk) who will be co-ordinating travel to Ambleside.

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The junior league (U20, U17, U15 categories and races for younger athletes) has three new races this year.

These races are designed as a gentle introduction to hill running. *************************************

North: James Espie (theelusivejakalope@gmail.com) West: Kenny Richmond (Kenny.richmond@ntlworld.com) ************************************* The first GB International opportunity is the European Mountain Running Champs, held in Cinfaes, Portugal on an up and down course.

In 2019, of course, Jacob Adkin won the championship and the senior men took team gold with Scotland’s Andy Douglas and Robbie Simpson completing the team.

The Snowdon International is on Saturday 18 July, where Andy Douglas and the Scotland men’s team stormed to victory in 2019. ************************************* Scotland plays host to the uphill only trial, on Sunday 27 September, for the World Mountain Running Champs in Lanzarote.

This will be on a very fast course where Senior athletes will run approximately 13km with only 750m climb.

The Senior UK Inter Counties Champs return Like last year, the World Long Distance to Llanberis, Wales on Saturday 23 May. Mountain Running Course is on the same weekend, over 44km and 1900m of climb.

This year, the Junior UK Inter-Counties Scotland’s Charlotte Morgan, champion Champs will have an U15 category for the a couple of years ago, will be hoping for first time. This is at West Nab, on Saturday another top ten finish.

30 May. The trial is on Sunday 12 July on the Selection of the Scottish District teams Snowdon trail marathon. will be based on current form in hill races and over the British Championship race in Wales.

Please contact your District Rep (listed below) if you are interested in competing in either the senior or junior Inter Counties: Central: John Stevenson (jgsruns@ hotmail.com) East: Helen Bonsor (hbonsor@ hotmail.com)

Scottish hill runners gathered for training weekend at Birnam in late February

Education

RED-S

BALAN act

CING

Why your training load, nutrition and recovery are vital

By Katy Barden

E

arlier this year, Edinburgh University Hare and Hounds organised an awareness raising session focused on RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport).

The event - hosted by Dr Nicky Keay, an expert sport and dance endocrinologist, and Renée McGregor, a leading sport and eating disorder specialist, aimed to highlight the symptoms and risks of RED-S and provide resources and information to help maximise health and performance.

RED-S is a complex subject, but we’ve aimed to summarise some key notes below which we hope will provide an overview of the discussion, in addition to signposting for further information.

What is RED-S? RED-S is a condition caused by low energy availability, where nutritional intake is insufficient to cover the energy demands of both exercise training and bodily processes.

It has formerly been known as the female athlete triad.

Low energy availability can have adverse effects on many biological systems, such as menstrual function (periods), endocrine system (hormones), musculoskeletal (bone and muscle), gastrointestinal (digestive),

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cardiovascular system (heart and circulation), immune function and growth and development.

may experience a variable selection and/ or varying degrees of the health and performance consequences of RED-S.

As a result of these changes to physical functioning, many aspects of sports performance may be negatively affected, including decreased response to training, impaired co-ordination and increased injury risk. Likewise, there may be psychological effects that either cause, or are the result of RED-S.

Low energy availability can arise unintentionally with increased training loads not matched by increased nutrition intake, or intentionally where low body weight confers an athletic or aesthetic performance advantage.

What RED-S is not . . .

RED-S is not exclusive to female athletes.

High profile male athletes who have experienced RED-S include cyclist Chris Boardman, an Olympic gold medallist, who retired in his early thirties with weak bones – one of the most serious consequences of RED-S - and low testosterone.

‘There are three variables you can control – your training load, your nutritional input and your recovery,’ says Dr Nicky Keay.

‘If you get this balance right your hormones will be maximised resulting in optimal health and therefore performance. If not, you’re under-selling yourself.’

Boardman’s nutritional intake was insufficient to cover his training demands and the basic needs of his body, ultimately inducing an energy-saving mode that impacts health and therefore athletic performance.

RED-S is not exclusive to elite athletes, either. In fact, non-elite athletes can be more at risk as they’re less likely to be surrounded by medical support and experienced practitioners.

Why is RED-S important?

Everyone responds slightly differently to low energy availability and athletes

Renee McGregor

Education

RED-S

RED-S Awareness Session - What They Said:

What to look out for in yourself and others In female athletes, having periods is key. It is medically incorrect that periods stop because you’re an athlete.

Having periods is a sign of healthy hormones, and as noted above, healthy hormones are crucial to maximising performance.

Abi Plowman, EU Hare and Hounds: ‘Renee and Nicky provided a great overview of the dangers of RED-S, but arguably more importantly, the physical and mental benefits of fuelling training properly. These are subjects that should matter not only to elite athletes, but to anyone who exercises, as well as to doctors and coaches.

Other things to look out for include a difficult relationship with food/exercise; change of behaviour, mood and sleep patterns; initial and then steady weight loss; injury and illness; digestive problems; and stagnation or deterioration of athletic performance.

High risk individuals include those who are high achievers; determined; selfcritical; obsessive; sensitive; perfectionists; and compulsive.

‘We can all be this person,’ says Renee McGregor; ‘but the key is being aware of it.

‘Perfectionism is often seen as a badge of honour, but why do we need to keep fixing something when we’re already great? Perfectionism usually develops as a response and need to seek approval, but sometimes we need to be ok with where we’re at. This isn’t really talked about and is fundamentally one of the problems.

‘What so many people experience is an echo chamber – they hear the same thing over and over so they start to believe it. But we all need to be challenged.’

Advice and further information

Whether you are a coach, teacher, parent or friend, communication is key. Having a discussion with your athlete, son/daughter or friend is a priority in order to determine what steps need to be taken to address any issues and support optimal health and ‘If you’re comparing yourself to someone you performance. wouldn’t normally be compared to, you’re setting yourself up to fail.’

‘It’s a difficult one, but communication and conversation is the best way to deal with Note that you don’t have to experience all this,’ says McGregor. ‘If, for example, you’ve of the above symptoms to have RED-S. It’s been asking your friend to come out and most likely that you will only experience they continue to say ‘no’, then ask them a few symptoms and possibly none in the why or when works for them. Help them early stages of low energy availability. see they are different and it’s affecting your friendship.

The role of social media ‘Question their beliefs. If they don’t think ‘I have a love/hate relationship with social they’re good enough, ask them where that media,’ says McGregor. thought has come from. Most of the time these perceptions and beliefs come from an ‘Take Instagram as an example. Think about assumption. You need to get them to think the people you follow. We tend to follow differently.’ the people we’re interested in, the same types of people, so we get a confirmation If you’re concerned about your own - or bias, it’s validation. If you want to believe someone else’s - training practices or that something is the best, and you follow approach to food and training, particularly people that believe that, it validates that in relation to RED-S, you can find more behaviour - it’s what we want to hear. It advice here: becomes our truth. www.health4performance.co.uk ‘Actually, it’s important at times to be a https://reneemcgregor.com/ purple cow. If you’re driving along the road https://trainbrave.org/ and you see sheep and cows, you don’t https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/2019/04/22/ think much of it, but if you saw a purple relative-energy-deficiency-in-sport-red-scow you’d pay attention. recognition-and-next-steps/

‘Addressing RED-S is no doubt a huge challenge for many, but Renee and Nicky highlighted the importance of openly talking about it, not only to raise awareness of the condition, but to question our motivation for making certain food or exercise choices, and to support our friends and family who may be struggling.’

Lydia Blythe, EU Hare and Hounds Female Captain and event organiser: ‘I think the knowledge and information provided by Renee and Nicky is crucial for the longevity of female athletes, specifically within running, and I hope that we can all continue to make RED-S more well-known and addressed within sport. ‘ Holly Little, Queen Margaret University and Scottish Student Sport XC Champion 2019: ‘I thought that it was so important to understand and it became evident that, in fact, a lot of people don’t know and/or realise the severity of it.

‘I learned how wide the range of consequences are if you neglect even one part of your body and the information spoken about was actually pretty scary!

‘It was really comforting to know that there are so many people out there that want to make a difference and change things surrounding RED-S and that the awareness of it is definitely expanding.’

scottishathletics

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