Grassroots Athletics: Perth Road Runners

Club together! Alan so glad he made the leap

By Matt Gallagher, Perthshire Advertiser

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

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

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

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

Alan (62), who admits himself he is not the fastest by any stretch of the imagination, has never looked back since fi rst reaching out to the club in 2017.

‘Five or six years ago I started running again,’ explained Alan.

‘I put a little bit of weight on and, when into my 50s, I thought I better do something about my health. Runners. I’d known about the club, but never thought I was good enough.

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

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

‘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.’

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 these events were not solely confi ned to elite athletes.

‘Joining a club gives you all sorts of opportunities to fi nd out about different events,’ Alan explained.

‘Events ranging from the 5k parkrun down at the North Inch every week to marathons and ultra-marathons. I’ve not quite gone that far. ‘I even had an ambition to take part in cross country.

‘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.

‘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.

Alan recalled: ‘The club’s activities were ended overnight, races were cancelled and parkrun was cancelled.

‘But the club set up a virtual challenge. We couldn’t run together, but we would run a 5k on our own and send in the times.

‘That kept a lot of us going and we had something to work towards. It was a great help for us.’