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2021

Issue 1

PB INSIDE YOUR PB MAGAZINE:

Brilliant Beth 5k

From public park...to European podium Silver lining for Zoey Clark at Torun 21 The oﬃcial magazine for members of scottishathletics

04 Contacts scottishathletics 05 Chief Executive Colin Hutchison 06 News: Athletics Trust Scotland 07 News: Beth Potter 08 European Indoors 10 Marathon in London

14 Interview: Frank Clement 16 Interview: Ian Beattie 19 Grassroots Athletics: Janice Hendrie 20 Grassroots Athletics: Andy Young

23 Grassroots Athletics: Annan and District AC 24 Para Athletics: Mel Woods 26 Obituary: Martin Hyman 27 Grassroots Athletics: Perth Road Runners 28 Interview: Morag Millar 30 Exercise Addiction

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

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22 Grassroots Athletics: Oﬃcials

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13 Marathon Project

Issue 1

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Chief Executive

Colin Hutchison

irstly, I hope this latest edition of PB finds you, your friends, family and fellow members in good health.

Many things have changed since the last edition and it is a great honour to have been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer for scottishathletics during this period. I am extremely grateful for the faith shown in me by the Board to lead the organisation and sport through this particularly challenging time and I look forward to continuing to work with you all in this role. I don’t think any of us would have envisaged the last year we have had when we entered the first lockdown on 24 March 2020. Athletics in Scotland has demonstrated tremendous resilience to navigate a path through the pandemic and hopefully we are now on the cusp of more stability in our everyday lives and in sport.

Colin Hutchison Chief Executive Scottish Athletics

@SALChiefExec

‘We know what the core priorities are for now – but we can’t lose sight of bigger picture, too’

All credit goes to the clubs, coaches, athletes and volunteers in athletics in Scotland who have worked so hard over the past year, in very trying circumstances, to keep the sport alive. The adaptability and innovation that has been shown has been tremendous with clubs utilising technology and increasing the use of virtual competition to keep athletes engaged. A special mention needs to be made to those that have taken on the unenviable task of becoming a Covid Coordinator for their club. Interpreting, understanding and communicating guidance alongside creating safe environments to train, has been an extremely challenging task and I would like to thank all those that have supported the safe return of the sport. At a national level, scottishathletics is grateful for the support of clubs, athletes, coaches, Officials and venues that have been able to help us facilitate a return to training and competitive opportunities where possible. Despite the challenges faced, and severely restricted events, our clubs, athletes, coaches and Officials have been tremendous in renewing their memberships and continuing to support scottishathletics through this period. This support is invaluable in enabling us to continue evolving our support for athletics in Scotland and in helping us to implement a recovery plan. Inevitably, the pandemic has presented significant challenges with periods of little or no training, few competitive opportunities, and a reduction in membership in some clubs and in scottishathletics. However, the fact that 35% of clubs showed an increase in membership in 2020 is testament to the great work clubs are doing and the solid foundations created. The immediate priority for scottishathletics

Action from the 4J Studios Open Series at Meadowmill remains leading the resumption of all athletics activity in a safe manner across the country. However, it is important that we also remain focussed on delivering the strategic initiatives set out in our strategy ‘Building a Culture of Success 2018-2026.’ Progress against the delivery of Building a Culture of Success has been impacted – that is inevitable given the pandemic’s widespread effect. But the objectives set out are still achievable. We need to lead and support the sport to refocus, engage again with our members and communities, and build back to the levels of participation and success that athletics in Scotland was experiencing prior to the pandemic. The growth of the sport in Scotland has been incredible over the past decade and scottishathletics, the clubs and all athletes and volunteers can use that experience to make us even stronger in future. If the last year has taught us anything then it is to prepare for the unexpected. Whilst the country is once again in a period of gradual reopening and the roll out of the vaccines is

progressing well, the sport needs to remain vigilant and ready to adapt. It has been uplifting to see training activity resume and we can all tentatively begin looking forward to the return of more events in 2021 and hopefully an exciting and successful Olympics Games for Scottish athletes in Tokyo. Athletics in Scotland is built on the solid foundations of great clubs and inspirational, committed people. scottishathletics will continue to put clubs and people at the heart of what we do. Despite the significant disruption caused over the past year, I believe the pandemic will present new opportunities to develop and grow our sport and there will be plenty good times ahead. Finally, thank you to you all for your patience over the past year. It has been an incredibly testing time for everyone and your commitment and support is greatly appreciated. I hope to see you all at events through the summer. Until then, stay safe.

scottishathletics

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

NEWS

Trust launched to help support our sport scottishathletics have launched a new charity to help safeguard the strength and vitality of the sport for years to come. The Athletics Trust Scotland has been in the planning since 2019 and will offer an avenue for those who wish to make an impact on the sport they love, by supporting it through fundraising, donation or legacy. Ian Beattie, who will stand down as Chair of Scottish Athletics in September after nine years in that role, will lead the panel of Trustees for Athletics Trust Scotland. The Board of Trustees also includes Eilidh Doyle, Scotland’s most decorated track and field athlete, and Paralympian Joanna Butterfield. Adding further expertise are Mark Munro, former CEO of Scottish Athletics, and entrepreneur Paddy Burns (of 4J Studios). ‘We’ve felt for some time that we need to look for other opportunities to generate funding for athletics in Scotland and we’ve discussed at board level a number of opportunities, and the idea of forming a charity came up and has had a bit of traction, over that last year,’ said Ian Beattie.

Sophie Mullins

ill O’Neil has joined the Board of scottishathletics as a non-executive Director – subject to approval from the AGM. The Garscube Harriers president and Masters athlete is a well-known figure across our club community and is ready to make a valuable contribution to the governance and overall strategy of our sport. Jill’s appointment will be up for agreement

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‘The idea was that we would set something up where people across all areas who have an interest in the different aspects of the sport, can give money to athletics if they want. In time, they will see their money being used to develop the sport across a wide range of areas. ‘Hopefully this can be an important part of the income generation for athletics in Scotland going forward.’ Athletics Trust Scotland has close ties with scottishathletics but it is an independent organisation, a charity registered in Scotland with its own Board and Chair. They will make decisions on the Trust’s direction and activities, in line with the national strategy for athletics in Scotland, ‘Building a Culture for Success.’ Athletics Trust Scotland aims to make a significant impact in: • Identifying, addressing and removing barriers to participation. • Supporting early access to young people and supporting them to remain active in the sport for longer.

using physical activity as the driver. • Changing lives through physical and mental health work and working with disengaged and disadvantaged communities in Scotland. • Promoting equality and diversity in sport. • Helping to enable better access and the construction of better facilities for access to athletics and running by improving the conditions of life for the persons for whom the facilities are primarily intended. • Helping those in need by reason of age, illhealth, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage to participate in the sport of athletics and running. • Creating the conditions for success in participation and sporting excellence.

• Supporting the advancement of education

https://athleticstrustscotland.org.uk/

scottishathletics hope to send teams to the Anglo Celtic Plate 100k again this year.

and Rob Turner and Kyle Greig took silver and bronze in the Men’s race.

The 2021 event has been scheduled for Saturday 21 August in Ireland – subject to travel restrictions nearer that time.

This year, there are hopes to send male and female teams to Ireland with up to five selections in each category. The event will include the British and Scottish 100k championships, as in previous years.

Scotland performed with distinction at the last edition of the ACP when it was held in Perth two years ago. Sophie Mullins won the Women’s gold in the British championships

at our AGM later in the year. Her arrival on the Board follows a decision by Sandra Frame, of Whitemoss AAC, to stand down during 2020. Sandra served the Board for six years from 2014 to 2020 as a nonexecutive Director. During that period, Sandra was very much involved in the Board decision-making and played a key role in scottishathletics on Equality and Diversity issues which led to scottishathletics being awarded Advanced Level status in the ‘Equality Standard for Sport’ late in 2019. ‘I’d like to thank Sandra for her contribution

The venue is the Mondello Park Motor Circuit Naas in County Kildare.

to the Board over a number of years and her dedicated support for the sport via that position – and indeed through other roles,’ said Chair, Ian Beattie. ‘Jill is someone with a lot of experience and knowledge of club athletics in Scotland and is keen to help us. We welcome her to the Board and look forward to her input and insight.’ Jill has also agreed to take over from Sandra as our Board Equality Champion (with that role again subject to AGM approval later in 2021).

Beth’s stunning 5k run

ully 14 years ago a young school-girl by the name of Beth Potter was a Record breaker – with a run of 4:34 taking down the Scottish Schools U16 Indoor best for 1500m. It is a mark which stands to this day and the then Bearsden Academy pupil is also listed among the outdoor records for a 1500m performance at U17 the following year (2008). Fast forward eight years from the second of those track runs and, in February 2016, Beth claimed the Lindsays National XC title at Falkirk for the second time and was en route to an appearance at the Olympics in Rio. So while there’s no dispute that a stunning 14:41 5k road run at the Podium 5k event in Barrowford, Lancashire, in March shocked many in athletics – including the 29-year-old herself – calling the triathlete’s calibre into question definitely seemed grossly unfair. The Scot’s time eclipses the 14:43 posted by Kenya’s Beatrice Chepkeoch as the global mark and the 14:51 held by Paula Radcliffe as the British Record. Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, Beth’s performance may not be ratified as the World and British Records. There

Five Indoor Records approved

hree top Scottish athletes have already made their mark on 2021 with Senior National Records now approved by scottishathletics. Our most recent Board meeting rubberstamped Records approved for ratification by our Track and Field Commission. Andy Butchart and Jake Wightman both broke Scottish Indoor records on the track over 3000m and 1500m in January and February respectively while Laura Muir took down the British Record for Women’s 1500m. In total, there are five new Records now being added to the all-time books with strong performances indoors also from Joe Ewing for the U20 1500m best and Zoey Clark for a 400m Native Record. We offer our warm congratulations again to these athletes and their families and coaches on these Record-breaking performances and the clubs involved in their

also seems to be a 14:32 run (by Joyciline Jepkosgei) from 2017 which is unofficially the world ‘best’. Regardless of how all the paperwork arguments unfold, Beth’s performance underlined her fitness and form after many years of dedication. She has spent the last four years training full-time as a triathlete and made history by ‘doubling up’ in two sports at the 2018 Commonwealths in Australia. ‘I do 25 to 30 hours of training a week and I have done for four years,’ she said, with much of the focus in the aftermath of her performance on her footwear. ‘The shoes help, but everyone has access to them. You have to work hard and be talented. Technology moves on.’ Nonetheless, she was surprised on the night as immediate post-race photos display. ‘I was convinced that the guy giving out split times was at the wrong marker, reflected Beth. ‘All the split times were a number lower than I expected - eight minutes when it should have been nine - so I was like: ‘What is going on here? This is mental’. ‘Entering the final lap I knew I had about one kilometre to go and the clock said 11.30-something. I thought they just hadn’t started the clock at the right time.’

Beth wins at Falkirk in 2016

development over the years. Senior Men 3000m Indoor – 7:40.85 Andrew Butchart (Central AC), Karlsruhe, Germany, 29 January 2021. World Athletics Indoor Tour – Gold Standard. Previous record: 7:41.05, Butchart, 2017) Senior Women 1500m Indoor – 3:59.58 Laura Muir (Dundee Hawkhill Harriers), Lievin, France, 9 February 2021. World Athletics Indoor Tour – Gold Standard. Previous record: 4:00.52, Jemma Reekie, 2020) Senior Men 1500m Indoor – 3:34.48 Jake Wightman (Edinburgh AC), New York, USA, 13 February 2021. World Athletics Indoor Tour – Gold Standard. Previous record: 3:35.72, Josh Kerr, 2019) U20 Men 1500m Indoor – 3:47.98, Joe Ewing (Edinburgh AC), Glasgow, 6 February 2021. 4J Studios Scottish Athletics Invitational. Previous record: 3:50.77, Ross Toole, 2005. Scottish Native Record 400m Indoor – 52.03, Zoey Clark (Aberdeen AAC), Glasgow, 6th February 2021. 4J Studios Scottish Athletics Invitational. Previous record: 52.38 Eilidh Doyle, 2018.

Joe Ewing: impressive U20 1500m run

scottishathletics

European Indoors Header

How problem-solving led Zoey to the podium (Via the garage gym and reps in the woods at the bottom of the garden) By Peter Jardine

ith a first class Honours degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Aberdeen, it should come as no surprise that Zoey Clark’s approach to the challenges posed by Covid-19 was to seek out practical solutions. In truth, the 26-year-old might have been forgiven for expressing her frustration at a lack of facility access or training partners for long spells of lockdown. Cancelled events didn’t help, either, in an Olympic year – be that first 2020 or now 2021. Instead, Zoey and long-time coach Eddie McKenna, looked upon the past 12 months or so as some kind of ‘problem-solving exercise’ to use her own words. Winning a fifth Senior International relay medal with GB and NI at the European Indoors in Poland, therefore, must be considered as another first class effort from Clark. A superb first leg run of 51.83 from the Scot set the platform for Jodie Williams, Ama Pipi and anchor runner Jessie Knight to claim

second place in an exciting track finale to the Torun 21 championships over the first weekend of March. The podium place was the fifth in a Senior event at European or global level for Zoey – and she has age group medals from both European U20s and U23s, too. First, though, how did she cope with those many months of Covid-affected routines? ‘Like everyone else during Covid-19 and the periods of lockdown, we had to adapt and adjust to training,’ said Zoey.

spaces close to where I live and I could run in those green spaces. ‘We got a gym set up in the garage because I wanted to keep some strength and conditioning work going through the winter. I actually thought it was all quite fun because I looked on it as a problem solving exercise.’ Hence the reason both Zoey and Eddie were sharing photos and videos across social media during the past six months or so of tough gym sessions or sprint reps in icy/ snowy conditions in an Aberdeen park.

‘Quite simply, we assessed what we had (in ‘We didn’t have facilities open or were terms of ‘facilities’) and what we could do to allowed to access them during #stayathome. utilise that,’ she recalled. ‘When we knew we wouldn’t have track ‘It wasn’t ideal, of course it wasn’t. But we access, we looked at what we had. I went for were determined to make the best of it. a walk about my local neighbourhood near the house – just to see what might be useful. ‘We’re all used to fancy facilities but a number of aspects of athletics are quite basic – often you can just get out for a run. ‘I was really lucky to have some green You don’t need a track to run. ‘If you can run up a hill, round a park or up a sand-dune then you can 100 percent maintain your fitness. You just have to try and do that and stay motivated.’ Now Zoey hopes Poland can be the platform for a successful Olympic selection bid. Aggrieved to miss out on the individual selections for Torun, she won’t lack motivation chasing a qualifying standard of 51.35. It terms of the relays, it seems fair to say it would be foolish of Christian Malcolm and company to ignore the Scot’s ability to deliver so regularly in the team event. ‘I’d love to be an ‘Olympian’ – that is the dream for all athletes I think,’ she said. ‘It is the biggest prize in our sport in many ways and I’m ready to try with my heart and soul to make that team.

PB 2021 | ISSUE 1

‘I hope the Olympics go ahead and I hope I’m there with GB and NI.’

European Indoors

Header

Track trio leave Torun with regrets

andid might be the best way to describe the reaction of our three individual competitors at Torun 21 after their respective performances. Andy Butchart and Neil Gourley both made finals while Guy Learmonth, competing at the European Indoors for the fourth time in his career, was eliminated at the semi-final stage on this occasion. All declined the option of offering up reasons or excuses for what they regarded as below-par outcomes. Butchart for his part clocked a fast time in his 3000m heat on the Saturday morning in Torun and then came home in seventh place in the final. Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen added the 3000m title to his 1500m win on the Friday with a strong run. Andy clocked 7:52.15 and finished a couple of places ahead of his GB and NI team-mate, Jack Rowe. Andy, however, was brutally honest with his post-race assessment, feeling he didn’t do himself justice on this occasion. ‘Firstly, it wasn’t good enough,’ he told British Athletics in Torun. ‘It was a really odd race in terms of there was just no space. I don’t know what the tactics were. ‘When the move went, I just wasn’t able to react and then when they get a jump on you, that’s it, it’s done.

‘It’s back to the drawing board. It’s good to be on the team and make a European final again and be in the top eight, but I want to be in the medals and today was just not good enough, so it’s onto the next one.’ In many ways it was a similar story with Gourley some 48 hours prior to Butchart’s final when he competed in the 1500m showdown.

happened and they had to push it on. I needed to be there ready for that move and I was a good 30m back.’ Learmonth for his part missed out on a final place as he finished fourth in his semi-final on the Saturday evening.

Neil ultimately settled for 12th place in a race packed with controversy. Initially Ingebrigtsen looked to have taken the title in 3:37.56 from home favourite Marcin Lewandowski with the 1-2-3 the same as at Glasgow 2019.

After a strong run to win his heat the previous day, Guy had been hopeful of progress despite a tough qualification process which ensured only the top two in each semi would progress.

A DQ decision against the Norwegian for stepping off the track then saw Lewandowski promoted to first - before a subsequent successful appeal from Norway ensured Ingebrigtsen did indeed win another European title.

Guy couldn’t quite get in touch with the leaders during the last lap and came home in fourth in 1:47.92 with the top four all 1:47 runs.

Neil had to contend with a bit of pushing on shoving right at the start but did work his way forward to fifth place at one stage over the course of the race. ‘It is hard racing 1500m indoors when you don’t get it right,’ said Neil. ‘I didn’t get it right and I’m disappointed with the way I reacted. Things like that can happen off the line and there was time to recover and I didn’t. ‘I worked too hard to get back to where I was but all the same I don’t know why I couldn’t at least challenge for a medal there. I should have been able to recover. ‘The pace was slow to begin with and then exactly what I thought would happen

‘I wanted to be up near the front straight away,’ said Guy. ‘The first 150m to 200m wasn’t where I wanted it to be and the race wasn’t what I expected. It’s very frustrating. I’ve prepared for everything, but I’ve been caught out today, so I’m disappointed in myself. We’ll just have to move on now onto the outdoors. ‘I opened up with an indoor PB straight away. I wanted to go on and run quicker indoors, but it hasn’t really materialised in the few races that I’ve had. Hopefully I can get a consistent outdoor season and run some quick times.’ If Torun 21 simply proves to be a trading post along the road to Tokyo and appearances at the Olympics, then the regrets will surely ease for Butchart, Gourley and Learmonth.

scottishathletics

Olympic Marathon Trials

London

Steph comes up roses in Kew Gardens

Photos by Mark Shearman

‘Late bloomer’ is ﬂower of Scotland

thletics in Scotland has been very fortunate in recent years to celebrate a number of British champions – indoors and outdoors and even across disciplines beyond track and field.

as a club runner - not among the elite - and finished in 2:32:38. Seven months later, in Valencia, Spain, she finished in 2:27:40 to get inside the Olympic qualifying standard asked by British Athletics.

Few have topped the podium as unheralded as Steph Davis, however.

In 2020 she only managed two races, a park run, and a half-marathon which she completed in 71:14. Then came that a victory in the trials which suddenly grabbed the headlines.

The London-based Scot tasted track action with VP-Glasgow some 15 years ago and then competed for Edinburgh Uni Hare and Hounds in cross country. Ten years ago, Steph was third at the Scottish Unis XC a few months after finishing 126th in the National XC at Falkirk. Fast forward a few years and a surprise performance in a ‘fun run’ Berlin marathon saw her take the first steps that culminated in victory at Kew Gardens in London to clinch her place with GB and NI at the Olympics. As Stuart Weir of RunBlogRun put it: ‘is a Cinderella story, an athlete of immense talent who only took up the discipline three years ago.’ That first marathon was in Berlin 2018 when she ran 2:41:16. In 2019 she ran London

PB 2021 | ISSUE 1

At school, she recalls running against Lynsey Sharp in the 800m in Scottish Schools events. Invariably, Lynsey was first and Steph last – if the latter’s memory serves. ‘I was one of the best runners in my school - I wasn’t terrible but I was never on the podium at the national level,’ she recalled. ‘At that stage, I never thought about getting to this level.

That just shows that everyone’s journey is different and if you put in the hard work when the time is right for you, it can happen. ‘It wasn’t until recent years when I started chipping away at the marathon time that I realized there was something there, over the longer distance. ‘I started to think about the Olympics after I had run 2:32 in London in 2019 because it showed that I wasn’t so far off the Olympic standard. And when I was preparing for Valencia (December 2019) that was very much at the forefront of my mind.

Olympic Marathon Trials ‘But even then, I was hoping for a 2:29 and just to dip under the standard. Never did I think I would get 2:27. ‘In Valencia, I stuck with the group running at 2:29.30 pace but the pacer went too quickly. I was aware of this as I was checking times on my watch and I was freaking out a bit but I took a risk and it paid off. ‘That race was a big boost to my confidence and showed me that there was perhaps more to come, had my training block been more consistent and seamless. ‘But it showed me that the Olympics could definitely happen if I just had the right race in the trials.’. It would be a lovely story that she had watched Paula Radcliffe’s exploits and been inspired to go and do likewise. But it didn’t happen like that. ‘Growing up, at school I ran 800 - not very well - so I was always interested in watching the shorter distances. But in those days it was much more about track events in the big Olympic stadium than the marathon.

London ‘I’ve read Paula’s book [Paula, My story so far, 2004] which gives a good insight. I don’t recall watching at the time I think it’s more something I tuned into when I started my own that marathon journey, as I tried to learn from other marathon athletes. ‘But Paula is certainly an inspiration. From reading her book, you can see that she had a lot of grit and determination so I’ve certainly taken account of it and learned from her story.’ Fellow Scot Sarah Inglis finished in sixth place in 2:34.09 after a tough time in the latter stages of the race - but that time gives Sarah a qualifying standard for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. One of the pre-race favourites, Sarah didn’t think a crowded mass-marathon would have helped her. ‘I had a similar experience in Arizona (her debut of 2:29:41) with no crowds. I don’t think it made much of a difference.. ‘If it had been my first race I’d have said never again. Sarah put her experience down to not

PREPARE FOR GREAT... 03 OCTOBER 2021

training enough with the gels she planned to use. ‘The first bit felt easy and within myself but I felt sick from miles 16-18 and I couldn’t take any bottles or fuel and my pace just dropped off. ‘I tried self-talk, mantras, everything but the negative talk became overwhelming and I was so glad to see the finish line. ‘My grandmother said she felt so sad for me when she saw me sat on the curb at the end.’ Robbie Simpson was sixth in the Men’s race in 2:15.26. In a marvellous story-line, the men’s race was won by 39-year-old Chris Thompson in a new PB to book his ticket. *When the dust settled after the trials, Steph Davis and Steph Twell were named in the women’s marathon selection to join Callum Hawkins. Congratulations to all three and their families and coaches !

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Marathon Project Photo by Bobby Gavin

Project makes strides

even athletes were added to an extended scottishathletics Marathon Project last winter – including the likes of Sarah Inglis, Mhairi Maclenan, Jamie Crowe and Jonny Glen. The programme is now picking up pace again after a long spell where the lack of road race opportunities ensured many athletes missed genuine competition. It originally launched in 2019 with highly regarded coach Robert Hawkins in the lead role. The clear idea behind the Marathon Project was to try and develop athletes at that distance and improve standards to an extent to increasing the marathon cohort within the Team Scotland selected for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022. At that stage, 15 athletes were given support and asked to work with their coaches towards Birmingham. The Team Scotland qualifying standards are now confirmed as 2:15.12 for men and 2:36.49 for women. The Marathon Project sits alongside six other athletes who receive support from other sources – Scottish National Record holders Callum Hawkins and Steph Twell as well as Robbie Simpson, Derek Hawkins, Steph Davis and Para World medallist, Derek Rae.

debut run of 2:29.41 in Arizona last month. Unfortunately, Sarah missed out on Japan with a sixth-placed finish in the trials at Kew Gardens. The seven new names on our Marathon Programme are: Women: Sarah Inglis (Lothian RC), Mhairi Maclennan (Inverness Harriers) Men: Adam Craig (Inverclyde AC), Jamie Crowe (Central AC), Sean Chalmers (Inverness Harriers), James Donald (Dundee Hawkhill Harriers), Jonny Glen (Inverclyde AC). Glen for his part took on his first-ever Half Marathon in a small event at the East Fortune motorcycle circuit course in March and came home in 65:40 - a strong run on a very windy day in East Lothian. ‘Joining the Marathon Project is a great opportunity for me to progress my career forward,’ said the Inverclyde AC athlete, silver medallist at the Lindsays National XC last February with race winner, Central AC’s Jamie Crowe, also now on the programme.

So there are effectively now 28 athletes receiving support (from various sources) with ‘My strengths have always lay in the long marathon improvement very much on their distance. I’ve been seen as a potential asset minds. to the project after posting some decent times over 5k and 10k. One of those is Canada-based Inglis who went within 11 seconds of the GB qualifying ‘To be given the opportunity is really good, standard for the Olympics in Japan with a especially with the calibre of the group including Callum Photo by Justin Britton Hawkins and my team-mate Adam Craig. Scotland has a strong marathon group. ‘Obviously it is for my benefit but seeing Team Scotland progress at distance running, or mid-distance at the moment, is a huge deal.’

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Marathon Project leader Robert Hawkins said: ‘It’s

good to see the Marathon Project adding more depth and trying to adjust according to very difficult circumstances over the past year – with very few quality races available. ‘The 2020 National XC champions, Jamie Crowe and Mhairi Maclennan, are now involved and the 2019 men’s champion, Adam Craig, stepped up to international level and made a solid debut at the World Half Marathon Champs in 2020 (62nd place in 63:12) ‘Sarah Inglis has been working towards the marathon for some time now and her debut in Arizona was promising – going very close to the Olympic marathon standard (2:29:30) with a run of 2:29:41. ‘So there are some encouraging signs and we would stress that we see the Marathon Project as a medium to long-term programme geared to hopefully raising the overall standard of marathon running by Scots over a few years. ‘The nature of the marathon and the training loads involved often means athletes develop at different rates so we need a flexible approach.’ Mhairi Maclennan said: ‘It would be an amazing honour to compete for Scotland at a Commonwealth Games in the UK. That would be more than a dream come true. ‘I’m certainly looking seriously at the marathon and it’s good to have the backing and support of the project at this stage.’

Securing the future of athletics in Scotland Transforming lives Targeting medals Strengthening communities www.athleticstrustscotland.org.uk

PB Interview

: T N E M S S E S S A K N

Frank Clement

FRA

You have to see it, to be it

Scottish rivalries can ﬁre dreams By Katy Barden

rank Clement has a theory. It’s not quite Big Bang, but its impact is significant nonetheless.

‘When you’re growing up and you’re an athlete, you’re looking at world record times and stuff like that,’ says the 1976 Olympic 1500m finalist. ‘For me it was Jim Ryun of America, then it was Kip Keino and those guys and they were miles away. But when you went to the Highland Games you could rub shoulders with Lachie Stewart and Ian McCafferty and people like that and maybe have a chat with them, and you realise they’re just normal human beings. ‘That’s so important, that realisation that if they can do that, I can maybe do that. Clement continues: ‘We had three guys. I came on, then we had John Robson and Graham Williamson. In one year (1978), the three of us were in the top ten world times. ‘If you look at New Zealand, they had John Walker, Dick Quax and Rod Dixon; and if you look at our sprinters at that time, you had Cameron Sharp, Allan Wells . . . then the women came through, Yvonne Murray and Liz McColgan. So you have these wee clusters of good athletes. ‘What’s happening now has backed up my theory.’ Clement is specifically referring to the resurgence in recent years of Scottish distance running and, in particular, the men’s 1500m where the all-time list is headed by the current crop of Jake Wightman

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(3:29.47); Chris O’Hare (3:32.11) and Josh Kerr (3:32.52). Robson (3:33.83), Williamson (3:34.01) and Clement (3:35.66) follow in fourth, fifth and sixth respectively, with Neil Gourley (3:35.79i) ranked seventh fastest. ‘It’s fantastic to see all these guys knocking the times down, creating new Scottish Records,’ he says.

Josh Kerr and Jake Wightman in action and Frank at the 197

Success breeds success, but while fast times generate a buzz across the sport, ultimately, it’s positions – and medals – that matter. The ability to race is crucial and chasing the clock, a common tactic in today’s frequently paced events, can potentially be detrimental to success.

‘He’s quite a good athlete, he’s very levelheaded, but at the minute - and I was the same at his age - it’s all about PBs, it’s all about improving your times. And that can become, arguably, a bit more important than racing the races.

‘I see it in my grandson,’ says Clement, referring to the talented Livingston AC teenager Andrew McGill who made his Scotland debut at the Run Stirling International XC in January 2020.

‘If an athlete’s in a race and they don’t think ‘I’m going to win this’ but ‘I might get a PB’ - if that becomes too dominant a feature in your mind - then there’s a wee danger that you might forget the main reason that you’re in it - to get in the 1-2-3.

PB Interview

Frank Clement

‘It’s fantastic to see all these guys knocking the times down, creating new Scottish Records.’ ‘The three big ones I was involved in, the European Champs in Rome, Commonwealth Games in Edmonton and Olympic Games in Montreal, the main thing was that they were very different to just going away for a weekend, racing and coming back again,’ he recalls. ‘Those things you could take in your stride. In our day, when you went to a major event like that you were away from home for two or three weeks and it was a different way of living for that period of time. I found that something that I really had to get my head around.’

in the 2019 World Champs 1500m Final... 76 Olympics in Montreal

‘Most of the time I raced to win the race, that was the aim, even though I knew that the guys I was racing against had a better pedigree than me, faster times. You had to go through a fairly detailed mental rehearsal for how you might win the race, some kind of justification, and that’s a different approach to just going into a race, week in and week out, and just following the pack and getting a good time.’ Clement, a former British 1500m and Mile record holder, British champion and Olympic finalist, worked full-time as a contract engineer at the peak of his career. His approach, described with almost brutal simplicity, was to run the races, get picked for an event the following weekend, fly out, race, then come back and pick up the training again until the next race because he had to work. ‘It was great fun’ he says. ‘It was like a pastime more than a total dedication to the task of being an athlete, but it was a fun pastime that got me round the world and brought lots of excitement.’ The challenge, as a result, was the change of mindset required to adapt to life as a fulltime athlete - and time on his hands - when major championships came around.

Following Clement’s retirement from competitive athletics, he worked for Glasgow City Council in events - including as Race Director for the Glasgow Women’s 10,000m - until his retirement in 2008.

‘...you might forget the main reason that you’re in it to get in the 1-2-3.’

He was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the Frank Clement’s grandson 2019/20 Andrew McGill New Year’s Honours List, but, like everything else, his celebration was delayed. ‘It’s absolutely lovely,’ he says of the recognition. ‘What happens is, you get those four or five years when people know who you are and then it all goes away - and that’s good because you can go back to being a normal worker, a normal father. ‘But it’s nice to be reminded, because it means you think about it for a wee while and this one here (BEM), this will give us a chance to get the whole family together. It will be a wee event and, at the minute, the thought of having a family event is just brilliant.’ Despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Clement - who is still actively involved in the sport as a founder member of Linlithgow AC and co-organiser of the club’s popular 10k, as well as a mentor to his grandson - remains positive. ‘Our feeling is that as soon as we can have races we’ll be inundated,’ he says. ‘I think there’s pent-up expectation. I’m not worried about a decline, I think there might be a resurgence in some ways - an imminent ‘explosion’ within the sport.’ From no events to a packed calendar, from training to racing, from club vests to international vests, from theory to practice – athletics, we all hope, will be back with a bang. Photos: Mark Shearman and Bobby Gavin

scottishathletics

PB Interview

Ian Beattie

By Peter Jardine

he London Olympics loomed large when Ian Beattie assumed a key role for athletics in Scotland early in 2012. The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games were still very much in the middle distance horizon. Frank Dick had left the building and Ian, with previous Board experience with sportscotland plus club connections and umpteen marathons and ultra runs, was installed as our new Chair. With weekly summits with chief executives Nigel Holl, Mark Munro and now Colin Hutchison, he has spent much of the past nine years with an ear close to the ground and an eye on multiple operational projects. But the bigger picture, the wider vision for athletics and running, has never been far from his mind, either. Instrumental in our current strategy ‘Building a Culture of Success’ he is adamant that the responsibility for the wellbeing of the sport should be spread far wider than one or two individuals – be they Chair, CEO or Laura Muir. That broader view prompts Ian to sketch out a landscape where sport plays an even bigger role than it does at the moment in Scotland’s collective culture, economy and mental and physical health. ‘I believe sport has a hugely important role to play in the overall success of any country and has the potential to help the Scottish Government achieving a number of national outcomes,’ said Ian.

‘Unfortunately I do not think the potential of sport of a ‘factor for good’ is fully recognised by any of the political parties, and because of that we miss out on a lot of

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‘We need the kind of politic smoking ban legislation – a we look at sport and physic population in Europe by 2030? opportunities to recognise the positive role sport can play across areas such as physical ‘If we set that goal what would we need to and mental health, education, crime, the do to achieve it? Could we get all of our environment and economic wellbeing. political parties to recognise this is not a ‘If governments fail to recognise this party political issue, and work together to importance at a ‘macro’ level, any sporting achieve it? initiatives risk lacking a strategic rationale, and become no more than one-off projects. ‘We need the kind of political thinking that ‘What a difference there could be if our leaders recognised this and treated it as a much higher priority. For example, could we set a goal of Scotland having the healthiest

brought in our right to roam and smoking ban legislation - some big initiatives that change the way we look at sport and physical activity.’

PB Interview

Ian Beattie I think we would be more successful if we targeted the ‘could be persuaded’ category and continue to build the numbers. ‘So if we have 50 percent taking part at the moment, let’s try and make that 60 percent. And then work from there. If we can make participating in sport more and more mainstream, then we build momentum. ‘I am very much in favour of clubs linking with schools, but as I have highlighted above I think this needs to be against a much clearer strategic framework of what we are actually trying to achieve, and how this can be supported in the longer term. In fairness, that momentum for athletics in Scotland was certainly building very strongly indeed in the years between Glasgow 2014 and Glasgow 2019 – the European Indoor championships where five Scots won medals and Muir herself claimed a memorable double gold. All in front of sold out crowds at the Emirates Arena. Talks were on-going with the Government and sportscotland about a national indoor training centre (for athletics use only) and hopes high for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. The global pandemic intervened – but Ian firmly believes the progress has only been temporarily stalled. ‘As members are well aware, it has been a very difficult time for our clubs, athletes and coaches, with the very limited competition opportunities and long periods where clubs have been unable to meet up at all,’ he reflected.

cal approach which brought in the a big initiative that changes the way cal activity.’ says IAN BEATTIE As things stand in Scotland, the Sports Minister who reports to Holyrood also carries a (weighty) portfolio which includes responsibility for Public Health. Given in Scotland that currently covers a drugs death crisis as well as the Covid-19 response, it is asking too much for any one individual to be ‘on the ball’ around key issues in Scottish sport. ‘A cabinet level Sports Minister would be a positive step forward,’ said Ian, with scottishathletics having pitched this to Holyrood.

‘We should be discussing how to introduce more sport to the school curriculum – that for me should be fundamental. ‘Many private schools have a ‘sports afternoon’ once a week; could this be considered in the state sector and what would the benefits be? ‘Governments have been very keen to target the ‘hard to reach’ areas and have supported this through various funding initiatives. ‘I’m not convinced this is the right strategy.

‘However we have also seen a lot of great work in the way the sport has tried to respond to the situation positively, through initiatives like virtual training sessions, virtual events, online coaching sessions and amended forms of competition when allowed. ‘Many clubs have also seen an opportunity to attract new members from the large number of people who have started running during lockdown, helped by our ‘Keep on Running’ campaign. ‘We appreciate the fact people have been able to continue running throughout the pandemic, but the sport of athletics is a lot wider than running. It has particularly difficult for our field athletes and for athletes needing access to facilities and equipment that has not been available. Turn to page 18

scottishathletics

PB Interview

Ian Beattie

Continued from pages 16 and 17

it seems likely Scots will be well-represented within the GB and NI team once again. ‘I am really looking forward to the Olympics,’ said Ian. ‘Covid-19 issues will make it very different from previous Olympic Games, but seeing the top athletes in the world compete across a range of sports should inspire many people. ‘From a Scottish perspective we have a number of athletes who have genuine opportunities of winning medals, but none of us are under any illusions about how difficult winning Olympic medals actually is. I am sure our athletes will prepare as well as they can and we know they will be very well coached; we all hope that it can come right for them on the day.’

Winning mindset...Ian interview in PB back in 2017 ‘Event income is important to both the clubs ‘Those difficulties have applied to athletes across the whole spectrum, from our elite and the governing body itself, and the lack of through to our juniors, although our very events has reduced income from this source top level athletes have been given various significantly.’ exemptions and allowed to compete. ‘The situation has also presented financial challenges for us and our clubs. Membership numbers have fallen, somewhat inevitably, because of the reduction in activity across the sport.

As PB went into the final stages of production, the Olympics in Japan were still going ahead. Chasing places on the team was a priority and

And Olympic finalist and five-times European champion Muir is adamant that everything possible should be done to facilitate a return to full training and event competition. ‘There are so many great reasons for sport, particularly sport for youngsters, to be prioritised and as we make our way out of this latest lockdown,’ said Laura. ‘The obvious physical benefits of getting outside and running around are clear for all to see - but the mental and social benefits are just as important.

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The feeling lingers that won’t change one iota when he leaves office.

‘If reading this article or watching me race gets just one child or one family out today to play sport or try running, then that is a success!

As Covid-19 restrictions begin to ease, clubs have started to resume training sessions but there remain huge challenges for athletics in Scotland to meet and clear as we strive to recover momentum and growth.

It’s a mantra that Ian Beattie has promoted for nine years.

sport can bring at every level.

Together we can grow again says Laura aura Muir has highlighted the importance of sport to Scottish culture and society and believes it must be given significant priority.

As Andy Young, who coaches Laura Muir, Jemma Reekie, and indeed Laura herself, mention elsewhere in this edition, the pathway from grassroots to elite is very much apparent in Scotland.

‘As a child, a lot of times the thing that gets us into a sport, and the thing that keeps us there, is the friendships that you form.

‘I started athletics at about 11 years old through cross country at my primary school. I made it onto the cross country team, where I competed in regional events. I was not winning the races but just absolutely loved running.

‘Once it’s safe to do so, it’s important to prioritise the return of sport, and the social elements that come with it, for children across the country.’

‘From then I went to join a local athletics club that one of my friends went to and gradually built up my training.

Muir’s love of running, a passion she can trace to primary school, is only trumped by the sheer delight at the thought of a new generation being motivated by her achievements.

‘I remember how encouraging my primary teacher and headteacher were. I think they just really wanted us to enjoy sport and did not put any pressure on us, which was lovely.

‘I’m so lucky to be able to run for a living and even more thrilled that, by doing that and by talking about my running, I can potentially inspire others to give sport a try.

‘I always remember when being down at the track on club nights what seemed like a big group of people all helping one another.

‘I think that’s the role that we have to play as elite athletes, to tell our story and to continue to do what we love - so that others can see the opportunities and benefits that

‘Whether it was parents giving kids a lift, various coaches taking different training groups or some of the older athletes looking after the young ones, everyone was so supportive of one another.’

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Grassroots Athletics

Janice Hendrie

Memories mean more than medals for Inverclyde inspiration Janice Athletics helps young people in life as well as in sport By Gary Keown

he medal sits, gathering dust, in a cabinet at home. The memories, though, radiate as much light and joy as ever.

through the presentations of the British Empire Medal to them both.

Jimmy, who served with the Royal Engineers in World War Two, had spent more than 60 years promoting badminton in the west of Scotland. He inspired his daughter, making her own move into coaching junior runners in It is a state of affairs that reflects perfectly the mid-1980s after becoming a PE teacher the attitude which Janice Hendrie still uses to something natural and fulfilling. guide her long and prestigious career as a volunteer coach within athletics in Scotland. Sharing moments that colour lives has always been Hendrie’s motivation. Even now, Memories are the currency by which she with people she has worked with past and measures her success and there are few present at Inverclyde AC, meeting up around more special than the one of that magical the neighbourhood and reliving old tales of day in Greenock’s Municipal Chambers back shared experience serves as her fuel. in August 2015 in which she was honoured for services to sport and wellbeing That unforgettable occasion she enjoyed along with her late father with her father shortly before he took Jimmy ill, finally passing away aged 91, was a celebration of the gifts sport had given to them and others. How it had shaped their existences and honed their relationships.

The medal was nice, as medals always are, but Hendrie has always understood the most meaningful prizes tend to be kept in the heart rather than worn round the neck. ‘My dad died at the beginning of 2017 and that day we got our medals together was one of the last times he was really good,’ recalled the sprightly 65-year-old, who also won BBC Scotland’s Unsung Hero award in 2013.

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‘It is a really, really fond memory for me because everybody was so happy. My

dad actually took not well a couple of days after, stopped driving and just went downhill from there. ‘For him to have had that experience was great and it was lovely that he was able to enjoy it. ‘My dad was a fantastic coach and he was my role model. He set the standard and coaching became a natural thing for me to do. ‘It was really linked up to my profession as a teacher as well. ‘I just get a great deal of satisfaction from seeing children achieve something - and it doesn’t mean getting a medal or anything. Just seeing them feel good about themselves makes me feel good. ‘It’s not even about what they do later on in athletics. It is just about how they are getting on in life. Being happy. When you meet people you dealt with, even if they didn’t keep doing their sport, you tell old stories and remember great times you had together.

Grassroots Athletics That is a special thing too. ‘I was always introduced to folk as my dad’s badminton failure, though. I was the oldest in the family and played the least - because I preferred volleyball at the time.’ Hendrie’s coaching career hasn’t only been about making friends and having fun, though. Of the thousands of kids she has dealt with down the years, many *have* gone on to become accomplished performers at the highest level. Hendrie, who carried the Olympic torch on its travels around the UK in 2012, also served as team manager for Scottish Schools and crossed paths with so many of our biggest track and field stars. In Laura Muir and Jake Wightman, in particular, she saw two youngsters who proved what confronting disappointment and failure in sport can do for character and resilience longer term. ‘Not all of those athletes had good experiences at that stage of their careers and you have to help them get over that,’ said Hendrie, now seven years retired from her old job in the PE department of Notre Dame High School in Greenock. ‘I saw many like that and a lot went on to do well. They had the resilience to take something that wasn’t a good first-time experience and do something about it. ‘Laura, for example, never got into a Scottish Schools team. She always just missed it, but she had that desire. ‘Jake was a great example too. He went right up in my estimation because of his courage. ‘When he was 16, he was picked to run at the UK School Games and withdrew because he didn’t feel he was performing well. ‘So many would have been frightened to do that and I think it was a really brave thing for such a young boy to do. I hold him in such high esteem. ‘Athletics just offers so many opportunities for development. You are an individual in these events, other than the relays, and you need to learn to socialise and get on with people as well. ‘You learn to stand on your own two feet and it will be great when we get over these difficult times we are living through and can get back to that again.’ *This article first appeared in the Scottish Daily Mail’s ‘Grassroots Sport’ section

Andy Young

'Without the role club volunteers play, elite success is impossible' By Andy Young Andy Young coaches a number of elite Scottish athletes and has been hugely instrumental in the rise of Laura Muir and Jemma Reekie. After guiding the star duo to a series of superb performances last year, he was named as 4J Studios Performance Coach of the Year at our 2020 4J Studios Awards. But Andy is acutely aware of the pathway in Scotland which leads from grassroots to elite and is always keen to highlight that link . . . 'Grassroots sport is crucial to success at elite level but, in reverse, elite highperformance sport is really important to helping drive grassroots participation in many sports. 'It’s a symbiotic relationship in which if both aspects of sport are to succeed long-term, it needs both parts of the sport to do well. 'Seeing people from your country do well and be appreciated for this success encourages youngsters to want to try or continue to pursue the sport. It is the shop window for so many sports.

continuous work and effort — it’s not just sit back and admire the successes when they happen. 'It requires people prepared to give up their time and make efforts to make it happen at all levels of the sport.

'If you flip the coin, generally the wider the base of the pyramid — the grassroots in the case — the more likely you are to uncover the talent in the community, and the more who are likely to ultimately make it to the upper echelons of elite sport in later years.

'The work that volunteers at clubs up

'Hopefully if you can get both parts of the sport doing well you can help create a continuous cycle that goes on for many years.

would be impossible to have the success

'But, like most things in life, it requires

and down the country do should not be understated. They form such a crucial part of future success. 'Without the role these volunteers play, it at senior or international level we have today in many sports.'

scottishathletics

Grassroots Athletics

Oﬃcials

#PeopleMakeAthletics We couldn’t do it without our Oﬃcials 10 years, we moved back to the Glasgow area and once again were involved in the setting up of Cumbernauld Amateur Athletic Club from the aspect of a parent.

Ann Carter receives the Raymond Hutcheson Trophy for Services to Officiating from Margaret Brown at our 2016 awards (photo by Bobby Gavin)

thletics in Scotland is built upon the dedicated contribution of so many individuals working together. To put it another way: it is the volunteers who make the sport happen. We’ve seen that recognised in recent years via our own governing body annual awards; the Honours List and other awards; and indeed via our communication channels with a series of #PeopleMakeAthletics articles. Our qualified scottishathletics Officials sit at the very heart of that and we are always pleased to acknowledge and celebrate those in purple and red who give so much time and effort to our sport. Bob and Ann Carter fit that category very well and have been real stalwarts over the past 40 years or so. Here’s a bit more of their story . . . ‘In 1968 we moved to Annan and, after a period of time, we got involved at the birth of Annan & District Athletics Club,’ Bob and Ann told PB magazine. ‘Bob sat on the initial club committee and our son and daughter competed. After

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by the late Eddie Taylor.

‘After a period of time we joined Shettleston Ladies, where our daughter was coached in the Javelin

‘We duly became involved in coaching - Bob in the shot and discus and Ann with the javelin. At this point, we travelled with the Club and got involved in officiating. ‘Over time it became inevitable that we had to choose whether to coach or officiate and we chose the latter. This was in the early 1980s. ‘We progressed through the grades and by 1986 we were Level 4 (old Grade 1) and were chosen for the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. ‘We have judged at many major Championships – Scottish and UK Internationals – both indoor and outdoor – as officials and referees including the British Masters in Lee Valley Birmingham. We also officiated at the World Masters in Gateshead, Puerto Rico in the Cariibbean, Lahti in Finland and Riccioni in Italy. ‘For many years we sat on the Officials’ Commission – Bob as Field Rep. and Ann as Services to Members . We also were involved in the Facilities side of the Commission, visiting Stadia to deem them fit for purpose. Ann also organised many a good curry night for Officials after an event !

‘Uniforms have changed over the years – for the better. At one particular International Event in the Kelvin Hall the male officials had to hire Evening Suits and Bow ties. The ladies were supplied with long skirts that were so awful they went into the rag bag after the event. Try raking the pit in a suit and bow tie and spiking in that long skirt in the sand. ‘We have met many people of different nationalities over the years – it has been a marvellous and enjoyable experience. ‘But the time has come for us to hang up the clipboard – and wet suit – and we would not have changed a thing. What we will miss is the camaraderie of our fellow scottishathletics Officials. ‘We wish all our colleagues All The Very Best for the future.’ Good Luck to Ann and Bob from all within the sport in Scotland.

ASK SHONA Shona Malcolm OBE is our Officials Development Officer. Shona is the point of contact for all Officials issues and there is also a section on our website – see Officials tab on www.scottishathletics.org.uk Anyone interested in finding out more about becoming an Official, or wanting details on up-coming courses, should ask Shona. Email: shonamalcolm@scottishathletics.org.uk Phone: 07731 832 567

Grassroots Athletics

Annan and District AC

Hats oﬀ to Annan By Katy Barden Outside of Scottish athletics aficionados and those who were present, it’s not widely known that 1980 Olympic 800m champion Steve Ovett – representing Annan and District AC - finished fourth in the 1989 Scottish National Cross Country Championships at Wilton Lodge Park in Hawick.

club secretary and junior coach Mhairi Pringle. ‘We had ‘spell your name’ workouts, moving games for all the family, socially distanced runs, PE with Joe and the ‘search for the elusive toilet roll’ – the Seniors were so clever with that one. You’ll probably see it hundreds of times with other clubs but I think, ultimately, it was probably our club that started it. It was quite novel.’

While he may have missed the podium, the former world record holder (1500m, one mile and two miles) significantly raised the profile of the small Dumfries and Galloway club he’d recently joined.

The club took part in a diverse range of virtual events including races, quizzes and SUPERteams and in one case, set up a Just Giving page which raised £200 for the NHS in Scotland.

Fast forward to 2020 and the club’s profile was again raised when it was awarded the 4J Studios Innovation Award at our annual awards as recognition of itsfine work during lockdown.

Family members also got involved, and one of the mums (age 91) knitted hats with ADAC (Annan & District AC) which were sold to Senior members and raised £250 for Dalbeattie Day Centre.

Indeed, while the energy to create fun and motivational activities waned for many throughout the year, in Annan’s case the very opposite was true.

Collectively, their efforts were both inspired and inspiring.

‘They definitely didn’t lose interest,’ laughs

Annan and District AC, originally Annan Harriers, was formed in 1976 as a hill and road running club. It evolved to include a track and field section in 1977 and now welcomes athletes of all abilities from eight years old through to Seniors and Masters.

motivate children. If you couldn’t motivate the parents, the children didn’t get involved.’ With a good pathway in place, however, there is potential for Annan – who celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2016 - to not only survive, but thrive. Just prior to the pandemic, they adopted a Run-Jump-Throw group in nearby Moffat and now, in partnership, they’re providing increased participation and competition opportunities for young athletes. ‘I’d like to think that things will improve, but it will take a bit of work and a bit of time,” says Pringle. ‘We’ll have to seriously think where we’re going - everything is different. Folk are still finding it hard to go out, and when they’ve got no focus it’s very hard to keep them. But we will get going again.

Pringle admits that while the Seniors will likely enjoy a ‘This has also brought us an opportunity resurgence in membership postfor a changing of the guard, so we’re trying Covid-19, overall their numbers to encourage new blood - and then, when will have taken a bit of a hit. we get the chance to enjoy life, we need to ‘‘Before all this carry-on started, enjoy it. It will get better.’ we were sitting between 50 Annan and District AC has proven itself to be and 60 adults and nearly a small club with a big heart and bundles of 100 children, but we just felt energy. While names like Ovett have given we couldn’t really ask for a it headlines, its legacy, without doubt, will membership last year.’ be its close community of members and ‘In the Seniors, we have lots of in particular, how it helped them through new faces, but it was an awful lockdown. lot easier to motivate adults scottishathletics in lockdown than it was to

Para Athletics

Mel Woods

Wheels within Wheels ‘I want to see where racing can take me’ says MEL WOODS By Graeme Macpherson

hree years on from the accident that changed her life forever, Melanie Woods is looking forwards rather than backwards. Hit by a car while out on a cycle in the Highlands in January 2018, the then 23 yearold suffered a serious spinal cord injury that has left her paralysed from the waist down. She spent the next seven months in hospital convalescing and undergoing draining and intensive physiotherapy. Rather than wallow in self-pity, however, the former PE teacher took the opportunity to realign her life goals. A sports enthusiast, Woods travelled to Colorado to learn how to sit-ski and started playing tennis. It is wheelchair racing, though, that has become her focus. Back living in Glasgow, Woods joined up with the Red Star club and committed herself full-time to learning this new discipline. There may come a time, she concedes, when she may have to consider returning to work. But, for as long as she is making incremental progress, the British 400m bronze medallist wants to devote as much time as she can to the track. The recent announcement from British Athletics that she had been awarded a place on the Paralympic Futures Academy Programme was a vindication of that decision. ‘I’ve put off getting back into work for now in pursuit of something that I enjoy,’ she says. ‘I don’t know how long that will be feasible

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for but it’s my focus for now. I want to see where racing takes me. ‘After my injury I felt it would have been unrealistic to work a day job and also train. Or, if I had, it would have been a lot tougher to make a success of athletics. ‘Getting on the Academy programme helps on that front. But mostly it’s just nice to get recognition that you’re on the right path after choosing to devote all your time to one thing. ‘I’ve played team sports all my life so when I took up wheelchair racing I wanted to prove to myself what I could do. And that’s stuck with me. I’ve got into a routine and getting consistency with that. I’m learning what best motivates me.’ There remain, naturally, physical and mental challenges three years on from that lifechanging accident. But Woods remains upbeat about her change in circumstances and the opportunities that have arisen as a result. ‘I would say I’m still adjusting,’ she admits. ‘I’ve settled into a new lifestyle but new challenges come up every day that I would never have thought of a year ago. ‘One of the first things I learned to do was drive as I knew I was going to need my independence. And that makes a huge difference in being able to go where I want, when I want. ‘I had to change my perspective on what I thought was important and what gave me happiness. Now I’ve got a whole new list of opportunities that I wouldn’t have had if I didn’t have my injury. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been hard. But it’s about trying to move forward in my life and make the most of it.’

After the frustration of 2020 when most events were cancelled as a result of the pandemic, the Anniesland-based athlete hopes this year will provide fresh opportunities to race, even if the Paralympics will likely come around too soon for her at this stage. ‘My main aim for this year – as it was last year – is to travel and compete internationally. I just need to build up my race experience as I’m pretty new to the sport. The one I’m really looking forward to, hopefully, is Switzerland which is a popular event on a really fast track. ‘Tokyo is maybe ambitious! That would be a bit of a push at this point in my career. There are European standards that need to be met. There’s a European competition that’s at the back of my mind – if I can qualify.’ Next year’s Commonwealth Games are also in her sights, with her first marathon pencilled in as a trial. ‘That’s definitely a target for me,’ adds the Rodger Harkins-trained athlete. ‘There are two events in my class so the aim this year is to try to fit a marathon in and see if that will set me up for qualifying times. Wheelchair racing is different to running in that you wouldn’t normally be able to do a 1500m and a marathon. *As PB went to print, Mel was called up British Athletics for first time to represent GB and NI at the WPA Europeans. Six other Scots also selected: Libby Clegg, Kayleigh Haggo, Maria Lyle, Stef Reid, Ross Paterson, Alexander Thomson. *A version of this article first appeared in The Herald.

Obituary

Martin Hyman

lympian, GB international and British Record holder, coaching guru, stalwart volunteer, a legend of our sport, a public institution who changed so many people’s lives for the better. Just some of the descriptions and tributes which were paid following the sad news of the passing of Martin Hyman. All of the above, and many more, are fitting and apt for a man who was among our Honorary Life Members and will be a huge loss to the sport of athletics and running in Scotland. He was 87. Everyone at scottishathletics sends our deepest condolences to Martin’s family and many friends across the sport. Trying to pull together some of the achievements and accolades is a tall order for someone with such a rich life as Martin – but it is well worth the effort for someone who so often went the extra mile for others. Let’s start with a few reflections from Alex Jackson, who worked with Martin on so many Road Running and Cross Country Commission events and meetings. ‘Martin moved to Scotland from England to teach at Livingston in 1979 and duly joined Livingston and District AAC,’ recalled Alex. ‘In his time here his contribution to staging events, coaching, training sessions is huge and cuts across a number of disciplines of athletics including road, cross and hills.

‘Martin didn’t care what level you were at – he just wanted to help’ Martin was there to time these, in winter with starting in 2002 after a major fall-out his head-torch – like his passion for the sport between the hill running community and – burning brightly. SAL,’ said our current Convenor, Hugh Buchanan. ‘As a coach, Martin would give as much time and enthusiasm to an International athlete as ‘This led to the en-bloc resignation of the he would to a beginner. That dedication was previous Commission. In that role, Martin reflected and acknowledged in 2007 when was then very influential in getting the he became an Honorary Life Member of relationship between hill running and SAL scottishathletics. back onto an even keel. ‘Above all, he was a modest man who seldom mentioned his own achievements in ‘I would add to Ted’s contribution that Martin the sport.’ was very committed to being a mentor to athletes and event organisers, drawing on Those achievements were considerable his educational approach as a teacher. He and included a 10,000m appearance at the also took a holistic view of athletes and 1960 Olympics in Rome, a British Record would support them in many aspects of their over six miles on the roads, and England lives beyond athletics.’ appearances at the Commonwealth Games. He is said to have considered himself weaker at cross country than on the track or Hill running former World Champion, Angela Mudge, also benefitted from his experience the roads – yet he finished third in a World Cross. and wisdom. Ted Finch of Lothian RC paid tribute to his friend’s huge commitment to grassroots sport: ‘Martin’s whole coaching philosophy was that it should be ‘athlete centred’ by giving athletes the information they needed and advice based on his experience. But the choice of activity was then up to the runner who could then reflect on and learn from that experience.

‘On road running, he devised the National Road Relay laps at Livingston Murieston in 1988. When that venue became difficult because of traffic issues, he came up with a new venue at Livingston Almondvale in 1998. ‘He was a founding member of Lothian That venue then became the long-standing Running Club and made a huge contribution home of the highly-popular National Road over many years. Relays. ‘Whether it was racing, team management ‘On cross country, he led on many East or event organisation, Martin’s preparations Championship and League meetings at were meticulous and he expected everyone Livingston and Broxburn. else to be as organised as he always was. ‘On the hills, he was the course designer for the 1995 World Mountain Running Championships at Holyrood Park in Edinburgh and also organised many hill races around the country. Over the years he organised numerous Junior Hill Running training weekends. ‘His Meadows Intervals training sessions in Edinburgh on a Tuesday night are legendary. Just about every Tuesday night since the early 1980s

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‘Martin didn’t care what level you were at he just wanted to help. He was famous in Edinburgh for his Meadows session every Tuesday night starting at 7.55pm on the dot. He was probably at Lothian sessions seven days a week.’ Martin Hyman was originally from Jersey, the Second World War prompting a hasty retreat to mainland Britain. His upbringing cannot have been easy as he attended 10 different schools. ‘I learned some things twice,’ he once recalled. ‘And missed out other things altogether.’

It’s abundantly clear that so many who crossed his radar will now reflect: we ‘Outside of athletics Martin also made significant contributions to the coaching of learned plenty. British Elite Orienteers. Martin (right) celebrates third at the World International Cross The Tuesday Meadows session was initiated as part of that coaching programme.’ In keeping with his many volunteer roles, Martin also somehow found time to serve on our Hill Running Commission. ‘Martin was convenor of the Hill Running Commission for a period

Grassroots Athletics

Perth Road Runners

Club together! Alan so glad he made the leap By Matt Gallagher, Perthshire Advertiser

here is often a perception that you need to be at elite level to join a running club.

Runners. I’d known about the club, but never thought I was good enough.

‘I even had an ambition to take part in cross country.

‘I got in touch and asked about joining a slower group.

‘They do have a little bit of an elite side to them. But there are plenty of plodders like me. We get lapped, but it doesn’t matter. Even at my level it is competitive.

And at times that very thought may have stopped certain people from taking the first step and signing up.

‘I’m not one of the fastest, never have been. But I’ve always enjoyed aerobic exercise and distance running especially.

But Perth Road Runners are keen to stress that they will always offer a friendly welcome to anyone interested in getting involved.

‘I like the feeling of relaxation that it brings and the feeling of wellbeing after you have trained. The club has been very encouraging and there will always be a group for you.’

Two current members who are thrilled they decided to see what all the fuss was about are Alan and Sue Bothwell.

‘I’ve managed to run some pretty decent times. Sometimes you get into a little bit of a lull but you always strive to get better.’ There remained a determination to improve last year, despite the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic completely changing the sporting landscape. A March lockdown resulted in the cancellation of events and club training sessions in person.

Soon Alan found himself venturing off across the country to take part in a wide range of events. Again, he was keen to point out that Alan (62), who admits himself he is not the these events were not solely confined to elite fastest by any stretch of the imagination, has athletes. Alan recalled: ‘The club’s activities were never looked back since first reaching out to ended overnight, races were cancelled and ‘Joining a club gives you all sorts of the club in 2017. parkrun was cancelled. opportunities to find out about different ‘Five or six years ago I started running ‘But the club set up a virtual challenge. We events,’ Alan explained. again,’ explained Alan. couldn’t run together, but we would run a 5k ‘Events ranging from the 5k parkrun down at on our own and send in the times. ‘I put a little bit of weight on and, when into the North Inch every week to marathons and my 50s, I thought I better do something ‘That kept a lot of us going and we had ultra-marathons. I’ve not quite gone that far. about my health. something to work towards. It was a great ‘But you find your level and you always have help for us.’ ‘I was getting a little better and decided to your friendly rivals that you like to race. scottishathletics take it to the next level by joining Perth Road There is the friendly competition.

PB Interview

Morag Millar

Mother of all battles Morag winning ﬁght against post-birth trauma and self-doubt By Katy Barden

t is commonly said that comparison is the thief of joy. That comparison may be to a previous version of yourself, or it may be to others.

Former European junior and Commonwealth Youth Games 1500m champion Morag Millar refers to a race early in her pregnancy – an East League Cross Country fixture in Broxburn – when she overheard comments that she was quite far down the field and not having good day.

pregnancy than I did, but it was actually the breathlessness that was really stark initially,’ says the Central AC athlete, a multiple Scottish national champion. ‘I just found running pretty hard. Even when I got to a bigger size, I didn’t actually find the running that much harder. It sounds ridiculous, but my actual size wasn’t the issue - biomechanically I was still able to move ok - it was the breathlessness.’ ‘Millar’s experience of running through pregnancy was, at times, challenging, but labour, birth and the months that followed tested her mentally and physically.

keep on running (throughout pregnancy) then I’d be fine.’ She wasn’t. After a five-day labour filled with intense pain and sleepless nights compounded by an epidural disconnect and being unable to have morphine due to the risk of respiratory depression, in addition to the baby being positioned back-to-back an episiotomy and eventual assisted delivery with only gas and air for pain relief, Mollie was born on Thursday 4 June weighing a healthy 8lbs 3oz. ‘It felt like I was being ripped apart,’ she recalls.

It hit her hard. Although she finished second, ‘I was totally complacent’ she laughs, referring to her ‘planned’ return to running. the reality of her performance, in particular how she felt, was far removed from her ‘I just thought that because I’d been able to expectation. She compared it to her previous self.

Following labour, Millar had a paravaginal haematoma as a result of the tough delivery. It became infected and she required readmission for IV antibiotics. She says it’s the worst pain she’s ever experienced.

‘Looking back, I know this sounds terrible as some people have it a lot worse during

Her community midwife later told her the vast majority of first time mums who have a back-to-back baby have a Caesarean section.

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‘She said I should be really proud of myself’

‘She said I should be really proud of myself,’

PB Interview

Morag Millar

says Millar, who, you get the sense, rarely applauds her own efforts. Fortunate to have a garage equipped with cross trainers, including an elliptical which reduces the risk of impact injuries, Millar commenced her return to fitness at around four weeks postpartum. A couple of weeks later – by chance rather than design – she tried her first ‘run’. ‘I was out a walk and had to rush back for a patient (Millar runs a facial aesthetics clinic, in addition to working part-time as a dentist and on Covid vaccinations) ‘That was at about six weeks and it felt alright, so I thought I’d try a wee run. By run, I mean 10 x 1min walk/jog and the jog wasn’t even a jog, I was tip-toeing, I was leaking and it felt horrible. That’s when I knew. I think I might have tried two consecutive days, but I thought ‘this isn’t right’, I felt like my insides were going to fall out. ‘I contacted Eilidh (Doyle). I knew she’d seen a pelvic health physio and I asked if she’d recommend her. She (the pelvic health physio) assessed me and she was really honest – she said I’d have to work really hard but I’d get there in the end, I’d just have to be patient. ‘The thing was: I felt so damaged and so not ok that I thought ‘what if I’m never back to normal?’cWhen she said I’d have to work hard I thought ‘that’s fine, I can do this’, and it was actually a big relief as I’d felt totally lost and really down.’ Millar’s experience has led her to become a passionate supporter of women’s postnatal care. ‘It’s so important that everyone has a pelvic health exam after six weeks,’ she says. ‘In France they do it as routine, it’s part of antenatal and postnatal care. But it’s not routinely done here. I wouldn’t have known if hadn’t been for someone contacting me on social media after seeing my Instagram posts about my pregnancy and running in pregnancy and the issues I was having so I feel very fortunate.’ ‘It’s good that people are talking about it more. Plenty of people have run and come back to running after giving birth, so why have people not been talking about it before now? It’s like periods and REDS: people are becoming more aware.’ Millar’s official pelvic health physio-approved return to running came when Mollie was 15

I think I forget the progress that I’ve made and I get a bit impatient. He’ll remind me how far I’ve come. weeks old. She started with one mile, then a day off, then two miles, and a day off. It was slow progress, but it was positive. Most importantly, she was in one piece. Prior to a heavy fall at the end of January, Millar was running 70 miles per week. She sets her own training, which alongside crucial pelvic floor exercises, includes morning buggy runs with Mollie, evening solo runs, Thursday tempo, Saturday session and a Sunday long run - but her husband Lewis is a key to making it happen. ‘Lewis has been really supportive – it helps when you have a partner that understands. ‘I think I forget the progress that I’ve made and I get a bit impatient. He’ll remind me how far I’ve come. When I fell, I was totally freaking out, I felt like I was getting back to how I was and Lewis said to me, ‘I think you were getting fit very fast, so maybe it was a

good thing’. I wasn’t sure about that. With so few races scheduled but major events, including the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, gaining prominence, Millar can afford to build steadily. She admits her history of trying to achieve qualifying times isn’t good, but she has confidence in her racing ability and believes that the Commonwealth Games 5000m qualifying time of 15:46.86, just short of her road PB of 15:49, is possible. Millar’s husband Lewis is her voice of reason, and with social media providing positivity as well as unhealthy points of comparison, he keeps her on track, both literally and figuratively. ‘The problem with the world is that intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence,’ wrote poet Charles Bukowski. It resonates with Millar. She’s honest and brave and has already overcome some of the toughest physical and mental challenges she’ll ever face, including opening up about trauma that has given her nightmares. But now it’s personal. She has to believe in herself. *To keep up to date with Morag Millar’s progress, in addition to tips and advice (particularly related to getting back to running after having a baby), check out her Instagram @moragmmillar

scottishathletics

Education

Exercise Addiction

When exercise becomes an addiction Rest and recovery should be key aspects within training programmes for athletes and coaches By Dr Rebecca Robinson & Dr Emily Todd

• Spending a large or increasing amount of time doing exercise that might not be raining, resting, repeating, is a pattern related to the time needed to attain a goal that every runner from beginner to elite, (or needing a higher amount to get the same junior to veteran, becomes accustomed level of satisfaction) to: but can spending more time doing the sport that you love be damaging? And can • Reduction in other activities or social life to we do too much? accommodate training

Dedication, discipline and commitment are aspirational traits in an athlete and we - as athletes, coaches, professionals within sport - may normalise these within the criteria for being a high level sportsperson or committed amateur.

• Continuing to exercise when this impinges on other aspects of health or interpersonal or work commitments

Exercise addiction describes a compulsion to exercise and a dependence upon exercise that usually results in excessive amounts relative to a goal or to what is sustainable for health.

As a healthy athlete or as a coach of athletes, it can be important to review motivation for training. This can help ensure time spent training is through meaningful exercise, or for the enjoyment of sport, with additional rehabilitation and add-ons (such as strength training) planned, but where there is clarity regarding time when training is completed, and adherence to rest when this is advised.

Regular athletic training and exercise addiction may often overlap and addiction can exist in otherwise healthy athletes, but its features can become problematic in a similar way to other addiction disorders when these have a negative impact on a balanced life, relationships and emotional wellbeing. How is it possible to recognise exercise addiction? Some signs to look out for can be the following:

• Being unable to control exercise, which may include stopping when this is needed

The ability to rest as part of a regular programme, or in management of illness, injury or other circumstances, is important reflection of a healthy attitude to balance. The following cases are examples of how exercise addiction might present:

Case 1: Training as a coping

• Feelings of withdrawal when not exercising, strategy or not able to exercise (which may include impact on mood, sleep, increased anxiety or During Lockdown in the UK in 2020, athlete A, who usually balanced life as a successful irritability) national level distance runner, was off work PB 2021 | ISSUE 1 from his fulltime job for several months

on furlough. He usually trained six days a week, running 1-2 times per day. As family were at home and their usual patterns was disrupted, with no demands from work, it seemed easy to go out for a little longer than planned. He felt he had additional time to complete strength work and fuel for his increased training. Over a period of two months, training volume slowly increased slowly at first, but ultimately increased by 30%. Athlete A was tired and struggling to maintain mood and sleep which he attributed to balancing family care in the change of circumstances. When he developed a sore Achilles he continued to run, despite understanding the need for rest. Ultimately the injury stopped him from training, but he continued to cross train and sustained a groin injury. On accessing physiotherapy remotely, the physiotherapist enquired about his mood, assessing that he was very distressed at the inability to train, and it was recognised by the athlete that without training, his mood was very low. In exercise addiction, behaviour is continued despite harmful consequences. It can become increasingly difficult not to surpass the intended amount of training. An injury or illness can reveal an exercise addiction that has developed gradually, and this may present as an alteration in mood or loss of coping strategy that seems disproportionate to the loss of an exercise activity. In such cases, it is important to manage the presenting injury that stops training, but important for the athlete to recognise their reasons for overload in training.

Education Within sport psychology, work with athletes can investigate motivation and can help the individual be aware of personal drivers for enjoyment and reward, so that they can attain a balance. This can help build recognition about when they might be asking too much of their physical activity or sport to meet multifactorial lifestyle needs. Recognising this imbalance can be supported by health professionals, selfrecognition, work between an athlete and coach, and discussing issues with fellow athletes as well as family can widen a support network.

Case 2: Impact of over-training

Exercise Addiction Dr Emily Todd (on right) energy deficiency syndrome can occur and should not be missed in the athlete who is overtraining due to exercise addiction. Presentation in RED-S is often also with fatigue, typically cessation of menstrual cycles in the female athlete, and may present with a bone injury due to the combination of high training load but also reduced recovery and unmet nutrition needs, in the context of low hormone Looking at whether the motivators for levels due to the body’s training are healthy or unhealthy is also response in trying to save energy important.

Athlete B is a 22 year old talented athlete who went to university on a sport scholarship.

How to recognise exercise addition and get help

She usually trained four times a week as a middle distance runner and enjoyed playing hockey and also drama alongside her studies.

This article outlines some of the key features of exercise addiction and it is hoped this might help athletes and their coaches to recognise when a love for sport becomes less healthy.

When she began university, she felt driven to prove that she was worthy of the scholarship and was determined to train harder and longer. She added her own sessions to the university track schedule, so that she was training hard most days, and also joined new friends at university for easy paced runs. After three months, her performance was dropping, with increased frequency of colds disrupting her training and she felt tired all of the time. She felt very frustrated that even despite her hard work she was not progressing. Training can be driven forward by positive reinforcement of good results and achieving goals, but over-training causes performance to deteriorate because there is a limit to the body’s ability to adapt, at a musculoskeletal, central nervous system and psychological level. This can present as the underperformance syndrome - where fatigue is a main presenting feature, but in which impact to the body’s energy systems (hormonal dysfunction), immune health and digestive health as well as mood and sleep can be affected. Negative reinforcement then occurs because the athlete is not meeting the goals that they have set, despite training harder. This is often seen at a time of transition, such as from junior to senior level. Where athletes train beyond the energetic needs of their body and sport, relative

Asking some of the questions – to oneself and in a supportive training group can be helpful. Sport and exercise and training for goals has very important positive physical, psychological and social impacts, and a lifelong enjoyment of sport can be transformative for many peoples’ lives. However, a recognition that sport should not be the ‘be all’ for an individual can help to nurture other aspects of their lives. This becomes important for wellbeing, but also crucial for times when exercise is not possible, safe or accessible.

A healthy motivator may be pure enjoyment of the sport, a process-driven race goal or learning new skills. Less healthy motivators might be a perception that the athlete needs to run fast to be happy, to attain praise or validate themselves, or a feeling that they ‘should’ train when they feel ill or tired or at the expense of other aspects of their balanced lives.

Other issues not to miss It is possible to suffer from exercise addiction and meet energy needs adequately (primary exercise addiction), but the compulsive exercise is also seen in those with eating disorders (secondary exercise addiction). It is essential to identify athletes with eating disorders who do need specialist input because these have significant health consequences.

Obsessional compulsive disorders might also present as compulsive over-exercising and specialist mental health support is important to help the individual return to healthy For further individual support, seeking advice behaviours. from their GP can be a gateway to help from Although exercise can be very helpful for a sports or clinical psychologist or sports mental health, including for those with medicine professional. personal mental health disorders or stress in Treatment for exercise addiction is best their past, some people can turn to exercise managed by a mental health professional as their main way to deal with trauma or with expertise in sport, but can also be stress. Formal help to build a balanced self-led. coping strategy or to maintain self-esteem is important for longer term resilience. Changing behaviour begins with recognition and a wish to change and there are some Dr Rebecca Robinson types of intervention that can help such as Consultant in Sport and Exercise Medicine cognitive behavioural therapy. Centre for Health and Human Performance and English Institute of Sport Some outcomes of (CBT) can be learning how to become more flexible with an Dr Emily (Dudgeon) Todd exercise plan and develop new coping skills Commonwealth Games athlete 2014 to manage distress rather than relying solely scottishathletics on exercise. If someone is struggling with exercise addiction, discussing with a coach is recommended.

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