PB Magazine - Issue 1, 2022

www.scottishathletics.org.uk

£3.75

2022

Issue 1

PB Inside this issue: Best in the World - masterful M65 Paul Forbes Why you can’t win race for perfection Jessica Robson

The official magazine for members of scottishathletics

04 Contacts scottishathletics 05

From the Chair David Ovens

06 News: Road Champs Series 07 News: World Indoors 08 Recovering momentum Colin Hutchison 10 Lindsays National XC

issue...

12 Giffnock glory 14 DNA International 16

British Indoors

17 Record Breakers Sprinters star 18 Thanks for the memories

20 Grassroots Athletics: Officials 22 Grassroots Athletics: Masters

in this

Eilidh Doyle and Chris O’Hare

24 Grassroots Athletics: West End Road Runners 26 Grassroots Athletics: Pitreavie AAC

28 Grassroots Athletics: Newton Road Runners 30 Bera Ajala 31

Alix Still

32 Education: Hamish Armitt 34 Education: Eating Disorders

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

Issue 1

PB2022

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Chief Executive David Ovens

A

t the time of writing, it was the day after the final of the Scottish Athletics Indoor League, where I watched some great performances by our age group athletes, not least of which was an incredible jump of 2.02m by 16-year-old Matthew Tait.

Matthew obliterated his previous best and went top of the UK U17 rankings for the year. A few hours later, we heard the news that double Olympian Andy Butchart had broken a 45-year-old Scottish record for 10,000m with 27.36.

Over the winter, we have become accustomed to hearing about great performances by Scottish athletes: Scottish best by Neil Gourley over 5000m indoors; Murray Fotheringham breaking the Scottish U20 Indoor Men’s Heptathlon Record; World Masters records by Paul Forbes, Fiona Matheson and Alastair Walker; British half marathon record by Eilish McColgan and Scottish Indoor 200m record by Adam Clayton.

These are only a small selection of some of the performances served up by our athletes in recent months. However, they demonstrate that across all disciplines and age groups, from grassroots to elite, our sport is thriving and our coaches and athletes are delivering.

There are many reasons for the depth of success we are witnessing in Scotland at the moment. We have incredibly strong foundations with a club structure which is second to none, a vast number of experienced and committed coaches and a volunteer network across our clubs, officials, leagues, schools and communities who work tirelessly to support our sport.

But more and more in Scotland we benefit from incredible role models who have tasted success at the top level and yet will mix with our grassroots and young athletes, inspiring them to be the best they can be and to think that they too can stand on the podium at the Olympics or the Paralympics.

Whether it is Laura Muir and Andy Butchart mixing with our top club runners at the Lindsays Short Course XC or Owen Miller presenting prizes to young athletes in Dunfermline, our developing athletes have role models they can look up to and relate to who are truly the best in the world.

These athletes and their coaches know what it takes to succeed and that knowledge and experience is recycled within our athletics ecosystem.

In recent years, one of our most inspirational athletes has been Chris O’Hare, who announced his retirement as a professional athlete earlier this year.

David Ovens Chair Scottish Athletics

@OvensDavid

Role models helping us all raise the bar Chris has been an outstanding ambassador for athletics in Scotland and whilst I am sad to see him retiring, it is worth reflecting on his great career.

Chris represented Scotland at two Commonwealth Games and was an Olympian at Rio 2016.

Chris memorably won silver in the 3000m at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow in 2019 and won two further European Bronze medals in addition to several British medals – and, remarkably he ran sub 4 minutes for the mile 25 times. Chris also held the Scottish Record until quite recently, when it was taken from him first by Jake Wightman and then

by Olympic bronze medallist, Josh Kerr.

All three are Edinburgh AC club-mates, of course.

We wish Chris and his family all the best for the future and thank him for the tremendous contribution he has made to athletics in Scotland.

As the indoor season draws to a close, I am hoping for some strong performances by the Scottish contingent who are running for Team GB at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade at the end of March. Congratulations to Jenny Selman, Erin Wallace, Adam Thomas, Guy Learmonth and Neil Gourley for their selection, capping off a great indoor season for each of them.

Looking forward to the summer, there is a lot to be optimistic about. We have the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, wedged in between the Worlds and Europeans, where our elite athletes can hopefully shine and bring home a clutch of medals.

But for most of us whose aspirations are to participate for our clubs, to break a PB or simply just to compete in order to finish an event, then the domestic programme of league matches, open gradeds, regional and national competitions is something which we are all looking forward to.

Here’s hoping that the summer brings as much success for Scottish athletes and their coaches as we have experienced over this ‘Wonderful Winter!’

scottishathletics

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

NEWS

On the right road again scottishathletics were pleased to launch the Tru Wealth Scottish Road Race Championship Series for 2022 earlier this year.

The Road Running and Cross Country Commission have been working hard with event organisers to set up this series.

And we are delighted to have support for the Scottish Road Race Championship element from Tru Wealth – as well as the Road Race GP for individual athletes.

As PB went to print, the 10-Mile Champs were due to take place at Strathclyde Park to follow on from road events in March in Greenock and in Livingston.

Covid-19 restrictions over the past 18 months or so led to a number of cancellations and postponements in road racing so it has been good to see a number of those return or be scheduled for returns in 2022.

With support from Tru Wealth, the Commission and event organisers, we are looking forward to delivering Championship events – with medals for individuals and teams – across the traditional distances.

‘We are delighted to launch the Tru’ Wealth Scottish Championship Road Race Series

– with sponsorship support from Tru’ Wealth within a number of events around the country over the next few months,’ said scottishathletics chief executive, Colin Hutchison.

‘All the events are well-established but of course, as many will be aware, numerous road events have been postponed and/or cancelled over the past couple of years.

‘That made it really difficult for us to stage anything of a championship nature but we’re delighted to be getting to that point now.

‘We’ve actually been working with Tru’ Wealth for four years now. They originally emerged as sponsors of one of our biggest clubs, VP-Glasgow, and then further supported the sport via advertising in our member magazine PB and then further through sponsorship of individual athletes.

‘The idea for a road series sponsorship has actually been in discussion for a couple of years but, with events off, there had to be a lot of patience on both sides to wait until now.

‘Scottish Championship medals for individuals and for clubs should be coveted and cherished and we hope we can generate more status and excitement around our road events in order to help achieve that.

Sunday 3 April: Scottish 10-Mile Champs at the Tom Scott Road Races Friday 6 May: Scottish 5K Champs at the Sri Chinmoy Self Transcendence 5k at Silverknowes Sunday 15 May: Scottish Marathon Champs at Stirling Scottish Marathon Sunday 12 June: Scottish 10k Champs at Roon the Toon in Kilmarnock Sunday 2 October: Scottish Half Marathon Champs at Great Scottish Run in Glasgow

Help needed for Commission roles Sub-committees from those three Districts help deliver feedback from clubs and members to the Commission itself. Our Commission Convenors sit on the Board of scottishathletics.

There are currently vacancies for District representatives for East, West and North and the role involves:

Can you help in the development of our sport via a role on one of our key Commissions?

The Road Running and Cross Country Commission would like to hear from anyone keen to take up a role as a representative via

*Representing the views of District clubs at meetings of the full RR and CC Commission *Informing District clubs of the decisions of the Commission and to implement its policies within the District *Helping lead on organisation of District Championships

our three Districts – East, West and North.

*Arranging and selecting representative District teams when they are required

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Numbers have been rising significantly in

PB 2022 | ISSUE 1

cross country events in recent years, which of course is a big positive for the sport in competition and participation terms.

But that does raise issues around available courses and willing clubs to lead on staging championship events – we see the District roles on the Commission as helping in that regard.

If you are enthusiastic about our sport and would like to find out more about these volunteer posts, please contact the following – East – Sandra Hardacre – kiplac@talktalk.net North – Ross Cairns – rkcairns@btinternet.com West – Dawn Armitt – d.armitt@btinternet.com

Bunney featured in 1987, a Scottish athlete raced in the sprint final at the World Indoors and Adam did superbly well to land fifth place after storming through the heats and semis.

Here’s the summary of the Scottish performances:

Enjoying the journey

Erin Wallace (Andy Young, Giffnock North) - Ran 4:12.46 for fifth place in the 1500m heats - not enough to progress to the final, but a great learning experience again for Erin.

Guy Learmonth (Justin Rinaldi, Lasswade) - First appeared in the 800m, where he ran 1:49.13 for third place in the heats as only the top two progressed.

Five savour World Indoors

F

ive athletes were selected for the World Indoors in March as the second largest Scottish cohort in the history of this event – with eight in Birmingham in 2018 the only year to top the 2022 figure.

Adam Thomas and Jenny Selman made their Senior debuts in British vests; Neil Gourley and Guy Learmonth added to their championship experience; and Erin Wallace continued her representative progress after Euro U23 bronze last summer and an appearance at the 2021 Euro Team Champs.

And, when the dust settled after Belgrade, there was more history being made by sprinter Thomas in the Men’s 60m.

Guy duly returned to take the anchor leg with the 4x400m relay team, moving through the heats in third. In the final it was a sixth place finish for the British men.

Jenny Selman (Lewis Walker, Fife AC) – Came so close to the 800m final - a run of 2:02.00 in her heat put her in third place, only to see Canadian Lindsey Butterworth clock 2:01.99 time in a subsequent heat and take the finals slot by a single hundredth of a second.

He then delivered a solid run of 3:35.87 for sixth place in a final that was fast from the off and dominated by the Tefera/Ingebrigtsen battle for gold.

Adam Thomas (Laurance Kingsbury, Bracknell AC) - Ran 6.59 in his 60m heat, and 6.57 in his semi-final, both times taking second place and securing automatic progression. In the final he made it 6.60 for fifth place.

Individual finalists Gourley and Thomas could be satisfied with their efforts and Neil later reflected on the journey that had brought him to racing at the highest level.

‘There are some mixed emotions that I couldn’t get nearer the medals but I have to be happy with that,’ said Neil.

‘When I was young, all I ever wanted out of the sport was to represent my country one day, maybe get a Scotland vest, that would have been enough for me and I could have called myself a good athlete and had a good career.

‘Everything else is a bonus and it’s just about paying back the people that have put their faith in me at this point. Sixth in the world I wouldn’t have even dreamed of or thought I was talented enough. If I could go back to being young and struggling in this sport and tell myself that, I never would have believed it.’

Adam for his part didn’t seem to stop smiling other than for 19 seconds or so of sprinting.

‘When I look back on my three races, they have given me so much fuel for the summer season. I am targeting the Commonwealth Games and it would be very special for me to compete for Scotland in Birmingham.’

For the first time in 35 years, since Elliot

Neil Gourley (Ben Thomas, Giffnock North) Stormed the final lap of his 1500m heat to win in 3:42.79, taking him through the final.

M

A

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Competing over 10k, the European U20 Women’s champion took fifth place and landed team gold with two of her British BUCS team-mates on the podium.

asters athlete Fiona Matheson has been in fine form in 2022.

The Falkirk Victoria Harriers athlete set a new W60 best for 1500m with a run of 5:09.58 at our 4J Studios Masters Champs in February.

Prior to that, Fiona had set a new W60 best at 3000m with Alastair Walker doing likewise at M65 – both of those runs in Glasgow.

Fiona took almost five seconds off the Record she had set a week earlier in England with a superb performance of 10:56.89. Alastair for his part clocked 9:59.02 to take that particular mark down below ten minutes for the first time ever (with the previous best having stood for seven years).

Paul Forbes feature – see pages 22-23

ndy Butchart came up with a superb debut at the 10,000m track distance as he landed a new Scottish Record.

Andy clocked 27:36.77 to eclipse a Scottish Record set 45 years ago by Ian Stewart at 27:43.03.

S

tacey Downie’s achievement in taking gold in the 4J Seniors 400m final at the Emirates Arena was significant.

It means the Edinburgh AC athlete now has completed a clean sweep of indoor Scottish titles across 60m, 200m and 400m to add to outdoor titles at 100m, 200m and 400m.

Stacey won the indoor 200m in 2009 and the 60m in 2011 and the outdoor titles as follows: 200m in 2008, 2009; 100m in 2011 and 400m in 2019. This matches Melanie Neef’s achievement.

Photos Mark Shearman

egan Keith came up with a very strong performance at the World Unis XC event in Portugal.

With Mhairi Maclennan following that up later the same day with Senior Women’s gold at the Inter-Counties XC, it was quite a day for female North athletes at XC! National XC coverage – see pages 1011

scottishathletics

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Recovering momentum

Colin Hutchison

Team effort sparks recovery Clubs grab the baton in fight against pandemic

By Peter Jardine

T

he second anniversary of the Covid-19 outbreak in Scotland elapsed last month with an expected fanfare across news channels and social media.

Few would dispute that the world seems a very different place from early March 2020 when, in athletics in Scotland, we were recovering from a Herculean effort to stage the Lindsays National XC in appalling

conditions at Falkirk and looking forward to road events and the outdoor track and field season.

Not to forget the small matter of the 2020 Olympics – which ultimately were delayed 12 months, like so many other, lesser profile events.

But any reflections on the past two years must certainly note the significant recovery achieved in the sport with a huge team effort from our members as athletes, club, coaches and volunteer Officials.

Momentum? There’s very clear evidence now that it is happening at a club near you!

Assessing the progress of the recovery has been an on-going (daily/weekly) task within scottishathletics at the National Governing Body but the overall signs are good.

After an initial and significant drop in membership during the second half of 2020 and then again in the opening months of 2021, when club activity and events were suspended by full lockdown, we’re thrilled with the response in terms of renewals.

8

And that backing has been replicated across other areas like event entries, coach education courses and Officials training – fundamentals for the health of our sport in Scotland.

PB 2022 | ISSUE 1

Days like the Club Relays at Linwood last September, at the close of the track and field season, also presented compelling anecdotal evidence of a revival – with a record number of teams entered for that particular event as clubs reached out again for the ‘baton’ of competition.

‘It’s very apparent and obvious that the global pandemic presented all manner of challenges for athletics in Scotland and indeed many other sports, too,’ said chief executive Colin Hutchison.

‘But, on the whole, it is clear athletics has responded tremendously well to the difficulties of Covid-19 and clubs, coaches, Officials, volunteers and have done a fantastic job of keeping athletics engaged and ensuring they’ve returned to the sport.

Recovering momentum

Colin Hutchison

‘I would certainly add our staff, Board and Commissions into that.

‘Long-term facility access and maintenance remains a concern with the financial impacts hitting local authorities and Trusts hard.

‘But, despite everything, we are seeing numbers return. We have had a very strong cross country season with great support for National events – including three Olympians racing at Lanark back in November.

‘The weather wasn’t too clever that day to be honest yet there was real enthusiasm and excitement as club runners were joined

by Laura Muir, Andy Butchart and Jake Wightman.

‘A couple of months prior to that, our final track event of last season, the Club Relays, saw a best-ever number of teams involved – I think that demonstrated emphatically the desire to embrace competition again from within clubs.

Scottish Athletics Membership Currently sitting about 12% down on prepandemic numbers but we have continued to see a gradual increase in membership since June 2021 with that trend continuing into January 2022.

From a low point of 9,700 on 1 May 2021, we are now at around 12,300. That is a rise of almost 27 percent (on the low figure from May 2021)

‘This winter we’ve been working hard as the NGB to stage the 4J Indoor Season and get cross country back to pretty much where it was early in 2020.

‘There’s no question that the recovery is taking a lot of hard work and a team effort and I would underline our thanks to the club for the support. That has been essential.

‘We talk often on our communication channels about the #SALtogether approach.

‘That’s because that’s what we believe works best for the sport with as many people as possible pulling in the same direction. And we are seeing that happen.’

As the National Relays often demonstrate, a strong team effort makes the podium.

Qualified coaches with current, in date, licence: Dec 2018 – 3205 Dec 2019 – 3160 Dec 2021 - 3204 Current and pre-pandemic numbers of qualified Officials and the initiatives in place for attracting/retaining them

Current and pre-pandemic numbers of registered clubs

547 pre-pandemic and 512 registered active officials now.

Currently sitting at 149 clubs and we were 150 pre-pandemic. We’ve had three smaller clubs not re-affiliated but we have also picked up two new clubs in the last 6 months. Club membership only decreased by 1% between 2021 and 2022 so still in a relatively strong position.

Online delivery of education and then in the last six months return to some face-to-face delivery.

Current and pre-pandemic numbers of qualified coaches and the initiatives in place for attracting/retaining them Coach education delivered online throughout the pandemic and when regulations have allowed we’ve delivered face-to-face.

Full education programme back up and running now. We have offered clubs early bird offers to give them the chance to book on a block of coaches from their clubs, and our coaching team and National Club Managers continue to link with clubs directly to support recruitment and retention.

No fewer than 24 clubs still have Club Together staff in place with many of these roles having a focus on the recruitment and retention of coaches.

Our Recruitment & Retention group have worked with our Officials Commission throughout the pandemic to engage officials online within their disciplines and as a wider group with the delivery of the Officials conference online.

The SA affiliated initiatives still in place for youth/entry level athletics such as Run, Jump, Throw Run, Jump, Throw is delivered directly through clubs and local authorities so we don’t collect stats nationally.

Approximately a third of our member clubs are involved in delivering RJT so good coverage across Scotland and the majority of these sessions have restarted.

(Most figures as at start of February)

scottishathletics

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#LindsaysXC

Falkirk

National XC becomes race down Memory Lane – and pathway to glory

Déjà vu as Mhairi and Jamie win again

By Peter Jardine

T

en years have elapsed since Laura Muir raced across the mud at Callendar Park on her way to gold in the U20 Women’s race at the Scottish National XC. Josh Kerr was a medallist that year, too, as the then Edinburgh AC youngster picked up bronze in the U15 Boys race.

As it has transpired, a scan of the record books confirms they were not the only future Olympians on podiums that day in February 2012.

Freya Ross won her sixth Senior Women’s National XC title in seven years and had only a few months to wait before being propelled into the marathon at the London Olympics following the withdrawal of Paula Radcliffe.

Derek Hawkins, winner of the Senior Men’s gold, had to wait a further four years before

he also became an Olympic marathon runner in Rio in 2016.

Olympic medallists Muir and Kerr were missing from Falkirk this year – Josh clocked a new British and European Indoor mile Record the following day in Boston – but their presence as inspirations for athletes (of all ages) the length and breadth of Scotland is not in dispute.

Young medallists mentioned their names time and again when visiting the podium and while there’s no way of knowing if the 2022 age group races featured future Olympians the pathway is clear.

Freya for her part raced the Senior Women’s event once again while Derek was in attendance coaching.

There was a more direct link with 2012 via the Senior Men’s podium. Andy Douglas followed Derek Hawkins home that day to take silver and he was third this year behind winner Jamie Crowe and silver medallist Ross Gollan. Andy’s bronze was thus his fourth medal in a ten-year period.

‘It was an honest race from the start today because in the first lap I found I couldn’t get to the front as I wanted to,’ said Jamie, who won by 18 seconds in 32.36 for the 10k course.

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PB 2022 | ISSUE 1

‘Ross took it out at a good pace and forced us all to move it along. Andy was coming through as well and my Central AC team-

mate, Hamish Hickey, was another having a good run.

‘As it happened, I worked out during that lap the places where I wanted to apply some pressure on the second one.’

The trigger point from Crowe was in the Antonine Wall section – near where his dad, Des, was stationed as a marshal. Two years ago, Des marshalled on the finishing straight and was caught on camera with arms aloft celebrating as Jamie won the gold he has now repeated in 2022.

‘The National XC means a lot to my dad, probably even more than to me, so he’s really chuffed I’ve now won it twice,’ added Jamie.

‘But it’s my favourite day of the year as well because the whole community of athletics in Scotland seems to gather together and you get great competition. It’s head-to-head and you contest the course and sometimes the weather and elements, too. I love it.’

#LindsaysXC

Falkirk was seventh in the U17 race on the day Muir won that U20 gold.

Crowe’s win led Central AC to their 11th successive in the Men’s race. Yes, they were winners back in 2012. Shettleston were close with Gollan’s silver and Lachlan Oates in fourth and ultimately were only seven points adrift. Cambuslang Harriers took the bronzes.

Gollan and Douglas on the podium was a cause for celebration by our hill running community. Such is the reach of our social media, that even the World Mountain Running Association joined in!

There was a hill running connection in the Senior Women’s race, too. Scout Adkin had ‘never been anywhere near the podium’ in previous years but had a good run for silver as Mhairi Maclennan won her third gold in four attempts.Morag Millar, who won gold in 2017, took the bronze this time.

Millar forced Edinburgh Uni Hare and Hounds athlete Holly Page into fourth but the Englishwoman did lead the students to emphatic team golds. Edinburgh AC were second and Central AC were third.

Maclennan for her part has been racing at Callendar Park for more than a decade – she

It’s a matter of record that only six women, since the Second World War, have won the National XC gold on three or more occasions. The aforementioned Freya Ross (nee Murray) has six to her name as does Christine Haskett-Price.

‘I love the National XC so much and it means an awful lot to me ‘I was not aware that few women have won it to win it for the third on more than two occasions,’ said Mhairi. time,’ she said.

‘That’s a pretty cool stat. I would never say ‘I felt that way when never about running the National XC and I won my first title trying to win it again. It’s a big part of my and probably even athletics life in many ways so, although I’m more so as I’ve been thinking and talking about a marathon at through a lot of things some stage, I’d still like to be back here in the past few years. racing again.’

‘I’m back representing Inverness Harriers and Ross Cairns is coaching me again. It might seem strange to have returned to someone who coached me in my early years but I’m finding an overall ‘back to basics’ approach is helping me.’

‘I love the National XC and it means a lot to win a third title’ Mhairi Maclennan

Inverness and Cairns had an investment in the U20 Women’s podium, too. Nobody was surprised to see Megan Keith win that race, as she led home an Edinburgh Uni Hare and Hounds 1-2-3 with Cera Gemmell and Hannah Anderson. Megan, of course, won the U20 Women’s title at the Euro Cross in Dublin in December.

The U20 men’s race looked less predictable and so it proved as Hungarian-born Kristof Hornyik won in the colours of St Andrews University from the Central AC duo Ben MacMillan and Alastair Marshall.

Hornyik, as it happens, is a Dundee Hawkhill Harriers athlete. Which brings us neatly back to Muir in 2012.

Team Result Senior Men: 1 Central AC 114 2 Shettleston Harriers 121 3 Cambuslang Harriers 146 Senior Women: 1 Edinburgh Uni Hare and Hounds 177 2 Edinburgh AC 211 3 Central AC 228

Photos by Bobby Gavin scottishathletics

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#LindsaysXC

Falkirk

Nothing lucky about this Giffnock glory

By Peter Jardine

C

overing races in the younger age groups at the Lindsays National XC is both a labour of love and an examination.

The examination comes over a couple of hours at Callendar Park when trying to keep pace with six quickfire races at U17, U15 and U13 level and rapid reps between start, finish and podium not to mention feeding our social media outlets.

The passion and pride unfolds later, as stories emerge from clubs, coaches and thrilled parents – all of them helpful to illuminate what is always a special occasion.

Experience offers wisdom, of course, and first impressions that Giffnock North were sweeping the board in terms of team medals proved absolutely correct.

Reflections that a group of Inverness Harriers youngsters had pulled off an excellent achievement in winning the U20 Men’s team golds arrived a little later, as a fine example of the culmination of development-plus-performance.

Let’s start with that rash of yellow and blue from the south side of Glasgow.

There’s nothing new in Giffnock’s domination here – it mirrors Central AC at Senior Men’s level – but should be no less applauded for being repetitive.

An immediate observation would be that while Giffnock undoubtedly benefit from a large cohort of young athletes, there’s still hard work going on and going in. That is encapsulated

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in training sessions specifically with the National XC in mind and even pre-race visits to Callendar Park.

In short, it is no fluke.

‘I would argue that while we have quantity in terms of young athletes we like to think we work hard on quality, too,’ said coach Dudley Walker, with Giffnock top of the team podium for all six U17/U15/U13 races.

‘So we are delighted and trying to win all six was something we had in mind as a target.

‘Our young athletes and their coaches and parents put in an awful lot of work through the year so they deserve their moment at Falkirk.

‘We do place an emphasis on the Lindsays National XC throughout the year and work towards it. We’ve young athletes who attend club training sessions and also the Glasgow XC sessions – six across the winter - and all of that is about building towards Falkirk.

‘Of course, individual medallists help the points tally greatly but there’s always an unpredictability there so depth and the team element is important, too.’

Let’s head for Inverness. This report is essentially about U17, U15 and U13 but we can stretch a point to reach the U20 Men. Inverness won gold there thanks to the efforts of Luke Davidson, Lucas Cairns, Angus Smith and Euan Rollo. Coach Ross Cairns later pointed out that this group’s ‘journey’ began with U13 gold in 2017.

Behind every medallist there are stories – few better than the revelation that our U13 Boys winner was initially recruited via The Daily Mile in his school playground.

Truly it remains a great day in the Callendar.

Team Medals U13 Girls 1. Giffnock North AC 2. Harmeny AC 3. Gala Harriers U13 Boys 1. Giffnock North AC 2. Falkirk Victoria Harriers 3. Edinburgh AC U15 Girls 1. Giffnock North AC 2. Edinburgh AC 3. Falkirk Victoria Harriers

Team medals every year for largely the same athletes from 2017 through to 2022 really is U15 Boys 1. Giffnock North AC quite an achievement and a great template 2. Aberdeen AAC for other clubs in terms of retention.

3. Moorfoot Runners But a focus on Giffnock and Inverness can’t tell the whole story.

U17 Women 1. Giffnock North AC The individual medals were spread out 2. Garscube Harriers around the country from the likes of Ross 3. Falkirk Victoria Harriers County AC in the North to Strathearn Harriers in Perthshire to Team East Lothian.

Gala Harriers and Moorfoot Runners in the Borders were among those clubs to take team medals as did host club Falkirk Victoria Harriers.

U17 Men 1. Giffnock North AC 2. Harmeny AC 3. Team East Lothian

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International Athletics

DNA Kathryn Christie made her first Scotland appearance for seven years at the DNA event

Bridging the gap years

Athletes relish Scotland vests as DNA excites home crowd

By Peter Jardine

A

lisha Rees was mildly shocked when asked to be Scotland captain for the DNA Athletics at the Emirates Arena on the first Saturday of February.

Head of Performance and team leader that weekend, Mark Pollard, pulled the 24-yearold aside on the eve of the innovative meet and asked Alisha the question.

‘When Mark first asked me if I would like to be captain, I said ‘Are you sure you think it should be me?’ laughed the Edinburgh AC athlete who originally came through the ranks at Banchory Stonehaven AC. ‘The more I thought about it, though, I realised that I do have a lot of team experience and I even remembered being captain for a Scotland Celtic Games team when I was about 15 or 16. I have probably been racing for Scotland for about 10 years now.

‘And Mark pointed out I was now a maturing athlete and asked me to try and pass on some of that experience (having been at the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2015 and a number of European and World events with GB and NI).’

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Alisha did exactly that, both in a captain’s address on the Friday evening and indeed throughout the day on the Saturday.

The sprinter also came up with the perfect summary for Scotland involvement in the novel event . . .

‘Well, at the end of the day, we do not get all that many opportunities to compete for Scotland in athletics and certainly not in indoor events. So we just had to embrace it and enjoy it.’

We could not agree more.

Traditionalists may not have liked the twohour format, which somehow packed in no fewer than 11 events – eight on the track and three in the field, and there are certainly valid arguments about the head-to-head nature of the field events.

But, conversely, each event was projected into the DNA spotlight in the stadium and online with no other event taking place at that time. And teenagers in the audience told us they loved watching teenagers competing – with the likes of 16-year-old Matthew Tait in the high jump for Scotland (after call-offs).

Fellow teenagers Murray Fotheringham, Rebecca Grieve and Dean Patterson all featured in relay events and showed good composure to handle a lively atmosphere generated by around 3000 fans.

And if DNA can somehow fill the gap between elite level international competition and domestic championship competition – and that could be the level where it sits – then what’s not to like?

‘It was definitely a wee bit different but I think those in the stadium and those competing enjoyed it,’ said Allan Hamilton, who clocked a 60m PB that day.

‘There are other events they could bring and maybe it needs a bit more in a field sense.

The format there was completely different from a championship in terms of number of attempts and there was almost a ‘poker’ element to the high jump with athletes submitting heights without their opponent knowing.

‘As I say, maybe they can mix it up with events but DAN in Glasgow was a start. It is a different concept, yes, but worth a try.’

Allan for his part bridged a long gap in terms of competing for Scotland in an individual event and Kathryn Christie, who raced in the 2x2x200m Relay with Fotheringham, could relate that.

Seven years after an international appearance for Scotland at the Emirates Arena in January 2015, the 27-year-old pulled on a navy blue vest again. No wonder she felt a little emotional.

‘I competed for Scotland at an indoor match at the Emirates early in 2015,’ said Kathryn.

‘The years in between have been hard, yes.

Really tough at times. Just to be back at this kind of level, racing for Scotland in front of a crowd, means an awful lot to me.

International Athletics

‘It has been a hard journey (with surgery to both feet). Coming back feels good and I love the sport. To come back in a team race in a team event was good because it means you don’t think quite so much about yourself.

‘I will see how my fitness holds up over 2022 but potentially I could run some 400s as well as sticking with 200s.

‘The recovery after each of the surgeries just took far longer than we ever thought it would. And then the pandemic hit a number of events and championships which I might have featured in.’

The 2x2x200m Relay, with each athlete racing one lap of the Emirates Arena twice, was just one of the events ‘tinkered with’ as DNA Athletics seeks a novel approach via a two-hour format.

‘It was weird,’ smiled Kathryn.

‘There is so little time between the two runs.

You run a 200m leg and then you have to get in position to do it again.

‘My legs held up slightly better than I thought they would and I am happy with it and Murray and I got the baton round, which is the main thing.’

As if to underline our ‘filling the gap years’ theme, the headline act on February 5 had to be Jenny Selman.

Almost 13 years on from competing for GB at the European Juniors in Serbia, Jenny stole the show with a superb 800m Invitational run at 2:00.70 and then a Match win over the same distance. Not bad when you are standing in for one Laura Muir.

Selman’s journey now looks fascinating.

Seeing what’s next for DNA Athletics will be interesting, too.

It may not be hyperbole to suggest delivering ‘bridge’ events is a pre-requisite to ensure athletes fully explore fulfilling their potential.

DNA

View from the stands

By Katy Barden

I

’m a traditionalist at heart, and while I appreciate the need for innovation to keep our sport relevant in an increasingly competitive market, I can, at times, be ever so slightly resistant to change.

Why, for example, would expensive pyrotechnics lure me into buying tickets for rugby or football when I just want to watch the game. And why – when I love athletics – would I be tempted by a new format when the original was just fine?

With that in mind, I was looking forward to the DNA meeting but wasn’t sure what to expect. My four-year-old daughter Sophia, in contrast, had no point of comparison. This was her first ever indoor athletics event.

While it was disappointing that Laura Muir was injured, the resultant celebration of teams (rather than one superstar) was a good thing and ultimately contributed to our positive experience.

Most of us in the crowd were supporting the vest; it didn’t really matter who was wearing it. I loved the team competition.

an opportunity to represent Scotland was priceless.

Or it should be, which brings me to challenges.

The absence of Laura was unfortunate, but the absence of other big names was arguably controlled by shoe companies who increasingly, rightly, or wrongly, call the shots in our sport.

Is it naïve to think we should all be working together to deliver an event for the greater good?

I think it was also too complex in places. The infield presenters did a great job of keeping the crowd informed and entertained, but in a fast-paced two-hour programme, some events required excessive explanations.

The Emirates Arena is an impressive venue and Sophia was wowed by the set-up, but I think she’d have loved to see a quirky lightshow. In fact, even the traditionalist in me would have appreciated a little more pizazz, but it all costs money. Increased commercial support in future years could take it to the next level.

Overall, it was a really enjoyable afternoon.

My highlight was when the wee girl next to me told me that the Scottish girl in the 60m (Alisha Rees) lived near her grandad; ‘She the fastest girl in the world,’ she said, genuinely excited that she was there to watch her race.

Sophia met a wee girl who gave her a Saltire flag and they sat together, cheering every athlete in every event, waving their flags enthusiastically. Did they know what was going on? Probably not, but they loved being part of it – the start of an education, the next Innovation is great, and the DNA meeting generation of fans. was definitely a success, but it was the I thought the single-event focus was brilliant, simple things - the competition, the ability to inspire the next generation and the especially for events that don’t always get opportunity to back my team that won out the spotlight. Having the teams on the for me. infield was a simple but effective way of creating a fantastic noise and infectious energy throughout the arena, while creating

scottishathletics

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British Indoor Champs

Birmingham

Reasons to be cheerful In the Men’s Long Jump, there were not one but two Scottish medals – the first at the British indoors in this event this century, apparently!

A

s the British Indoor Champs drew to a close, it was fitting that Scots should go 1-2 in the last race of a busy weekend at the end of February.

Jenny Selman delivered a decisive late kick to outstrip Jemma Reekie in the Women’s 800m late on the Sunday afternoon.

To say Scottish athletes had ‘smashed it’ in Birmingham would be an understatement.

The 1-2 took the overall tally to 13. Scots have been accustomed in the recent past to around nine or so medals at this event.

Selman’s own success crowned a coruscating few weeks after a big PB in Glasgow on the same day she won the DNA women’s 800m.

If Jenny wasn’t aware of the impact then the social media ‘well done’ messages from Laura Muir, Liz McColgan and Eilish McColgan soon spoke volumes.

Murray Fotheringham took silver with 7.46m and Allan Hamilton landed bronze at 7.41m.

On the Saturday, Adam Thomas had taken a superb gold in the Men’s 60m final with a PB run of 6.56 seconds which shattered ‘I haven’t felt like this for a while - it’s the best the Scottish Record held by Nick Smith for a feeling and I can’t describe it,’ said Murray. number of years.

‘I got all my jumps in which was nice so it was nice to be consistent and I can’t ask for much more. I was just focusing on what my coach was saying and I just wanted to get the basics right.

‘I’m looking at the U20 Worlds and the first big competition will be the English Combined Events at the end of May. Decathlon will be my focus but I have the long jump as a back-up.’

Allan said: ‘I have been focussing a lot on running and my speed so very positive to take away a jumps medal.’

There were two medals coming along in the Men’s 800m, too.

In addition to the medal haul, sprinters Adam Thomas and Alisha Rees, and sprint hurdler Heather Paton (equal), had all posted Scottish Indoor Records on day one.

Guy Learmonth finished second to Elliot Giles and, behind them, Ben Greenwood delivered one of the best performances of his career to take a well-earned bronze.

‘Middle distance racing in the UK right now is busy! When the standard is so good then it pushes you on.’

PB 2022 | ISSUE 1

Heather Paton also equalled her Scottish Record for 60m Hurdles with a run of 8.28 seconds as she finished fourth in the final.

There were a number of other strong performances by Scots as they landed PBs or made it through heats.

‘I am really pleased with those performances and to finish with the win and become British Champion is just so exciting - I am over the moon,’ said Adam.

‘It is hard to keep coming back with a heat, a semi and a final but I felt I was recovering, building and improving each time. To have made the British team for the World Indoors is a great moment.’

British Champs: Medal Table

Ben said: ‘I’m really happy with that and I executed the race how I wanted to. The start list for the final was strong and second was possible if someone had a bad day but realistically third was the goal.

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And Alisha Rees took silver in the Women’s 60m final with a PB run of 7.31 seconds which broke her own Scottish Indoor Record in the event.

There were two Scottish medals in the Men’s High Jump competition. David Smith took a joint gold with 2.13m and Will Grimsey landed a joint bronze at 2.09m

‘It feels surreal to be honest,’ said Jenny, as she claimed a first British title shortly before her 31st birthday.

‘It is my first British Championship gold and I was not expecting it. I am in the shape of my life and have run big PBs recently so I was feeling quite confident but I haven’t run an 800 at a championships for maybe six or seven years.’

5434 points. Neil Gourley had to settle for silver in the Men’s 1500m; in similar fashion to Erin Wallace’s silver in the Women’s 1500m the previous day.

Howard Bell took bronze in the men’s heptathlon with a new points tally PB of

Gold: Jenny Selman (800m); Adam Thomas (60m); David Smith (High Jump; joint) Silver: Jemma Reekie (800m); Guy Learmonth (800m); Neil Gourley (1500m); Murray Fotheringham (Long Jump); Alisha Rees (60m); Erin Wallace (1500m) Bronze: Ben Greenwood (800m); Allan Hamilton (Long Jump); Howard Bell (Heptathlon); Will Grimsey (High Jump)

HeaderL Indoor Season

SprintHeaderR Records

D R O C RE !

S R E K BREA Sprinters break four indoor marks in five weeks

F

ive years ago the front cover of this magazine reflected what we felt were ‘green shoots of recovery’ in Scottish sprinting.

The main image featured Beth Dobbin and Alisha Rees with an additional photo of Grant Plenderleith and Cameron Tindle.

There was no attempt to suggest Scots were on the brink of world domination in sprinting, simply an acknowledgement that hard work by athletes and coaches had led to improved performances, GB and NI representation and Scottish Records.

Come the 2022 Indoor Season and that progress is being maintained is now not up for debate.

As it closed, all four Scottish Indoor Records for Men and Women over 200m and 60m had been broken over the space of a fiveweek spell.

Zoey Clark broke her own Scottish 200m Record at the 4J Senior Champs with Alisha Rees similarly over 60m when she took silver at the British Champs.

people see a performance and reach out with congratulations and encouragement and it feeds itself.

‘I feel fortunate to be part of that in Scottish athletics, with mother being from Aberdeen.

‘All of us are trying to push on the times and raise the standards.’

Adam had threatened Smith’s 6.60 mark on no fewer than three occasions in 2022 by the time he lined up in the British final, after two runs at 6.61 and one at 6.62.

‘I had Nick’s 60m Record very much as a target that weekend as I’d been close to it already,’ said Adam.

‘To get that in the final and win the race at the British Champs and make sure of selection for GB and NI was a brilliant feeling.

‘It was the culmination of years of hard work and also a true reflection of where I was at in training. In sprints, as in other disciplines, you are always looking to see if your performance can demonstrate exactly where you are at in training and that’s what happened that Sunday as I went through three races.’

SPRINTERS BREAK SCOTTISH RECORDS New Indoor marks set this year Men’s 60m: Adam Thomas 6.56 on February 26 Men’s 200m: Adam Clayton 20.86 on February 18 Women’s 60m: Alisha Rees 7.31 on February 26 Women’s 200m: Zoey Clark 22.36 on January 22

In America, Adam Clayton twice lowered the Scottish 200m Record held at the start of this year by Tindle. Then Adam Thomas took gold at the British Champs with a 60m run of Thomas has a 100m PB of 10.18, set last year, and making Team Scotland for the 6.56 which moved Nick Smith’s 6.60 mark Commonwealth Games is another goal. ‘off the books’. (All of the performances listed are subject to ratification processes).

The aforementioned Dobbin, Rees and Adam Clayton, who has been impressive Adam and Alisha, in fact, set the new 60m in America this indoor season, will harbour Records within minutes of each other and similar ambition. A clutch of sprint selections both won them places on the podium at the would help to underscore how the green British Indoors. shoots of recovery have become the Flower ‘Four Records falling this year is really good of Scotland. for Scottish sprinting,’ said England-based Thomas.

‘It is a small community but a strong one.

We all know each other and are in touch and athletes and coaches are supportive.

‘Where someone is based doesn’t matter;

Photos via British Athletics/Getty Images and Bobby Gavin

scottishathletics

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PB Interview

Eilidh Doyle and Chris O’Hare

Cheers, tears, staying

Icons Eilidh Doyle and Chris O’Hare h

By Peter Jardine

W

hen Chris O’Hare announced his retirement as a professional athlete early this year, Eilidh Doyle was one of the first to lead the chorus of applause.

The news echoed across the Atlantic as she paid tribute to her Team Scotland and GB and NI team-mate and, in many ways, a fellow ‘path-finder’ in leading track and field in Scotland forward this century.

Chris for his part can reflect on substantial achievement summarised by three European Championship medals, Scottish Records and no fewer than 25 sub-four-minute miles runs.

To recognise their achievement and contribution, we brought them together to reflect on their careers and on moving into retirement in a special feature for our YouTube channel (with Sue Gyford).

There were more parallel lines in their careers than might have been imagined given Eilidh’s time was based in the UK and Chris’s almost completely in the United States – after early development at Edinburgh AC.

Eilidh made her own retirement decision in June last year and stepped away from competition as our most decorated track and field athlete with a remarkable haul of 17 And the lines merged together on a couple of major medals. occasions in particular, the 2014 European Championships in Zurich and then five years later at the Glasgow 2019 European Indoors.

‘I went to the Europeans in 2014 as the favourite, ranked No 1 and expected to win a medal for GB and NI,’ recalled Eilidh.

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‘But it was so soon after Glasgow 2014 and all the mental energy and

focus that required had drained me. I hit a point in Zurich where I was telling myself ‘Do the next race, Do the next race’ and ‘Don’t think about medals’ and not much other than that!

‘So when I did win it, that was the best moment of my career and arguably my best ever performance.

‘It was not my fastest 400m hurdles but I still think it was my best performance – given the importance of it and the pressure of what had been happening for a couple of weeks.

‘It is my favourite medal. I am not an emotional person, really – well I am more since I became a mum – but I had a few tears in Zurich because I’d achieved my goal.’

Eilidh’s gold came on a Saturday afternoon (Lynsey Sharp won 800m silver) and the following day, Chris landed bronze in the men’s 1500m final.

‘I didn’t have a clue what I was doing in Zurich in so many ways,’ he said.

‘I went professional at the start of 2014, coming out of the college structure. There was a World Indoors which didn’t go too well.

And then there was the Commonwealths which was a bit of whirlwind – I had not been at London 2012, so Hampden was my first

PB Interview

Eilidh Doyle and Chris O’Hare

g fit and borrowed kit

have served our sport with distinction experience of a home crowd and how that made you feel representing Scotland.

‘I proposed to my wife (Meredith) that summer, too, and that was just after Glasgow 2014 and prior to Zurich. So it was quite a fortnight!

‘I got to the Euros and thought ‘I’m really tired’. But the heat went well and then there was some carnage in the final, with people falling down, even more than usual in a men’s 1500m. On the home straight, I sprinted through for bronze.’

Sounds good. But as the moment began to engulf Chris, he needed to see a friendly face. And borrow some kit.

‘After I had crossed the line, I had no idea what to do: nobody was telling me where to go and if I was to do a lap of honour,’ he said.

‘Eilidh appeared (with the 4x400m relay team) and just gave me a big hug which was really appreciated because it was a familiar face and someone I’d really respected in the years beforehand. It was pretty cool she was there just at the right moment.’

Eilidh laughed at the moment.

‘I should maybe have been more focused on the relay! But I was on the first leg so was close to the finish area and just ran over and gave Chris a hug.

‘It was a nice shared moment because, unless you are on a relay team and in that team situation, you don’t always get that at a big event.’

Within minutes, the 1500m runner was struggling into someone else’s trousers for the medal ceremony.

‘I don’t know whose trousers I wore for the medal ceremony, but it was one of the women’s 4x400m Relay squad,’ he recalled.

‘As you pack for the final, the GB team staff will always tell you to ‘take the Presentation Kit’ tracksuit. But I didn’t want to tempt fate and left the kit in the team hotel.

‘I ended up in borrowed kit.’

The highs of Zurich were repeated in Glasgow in March 2019 when Chris took silver in the 3000m final and Eilidh anchored home GB and NI in the 4x400m Relay. It was her last competitive race and likewise for Chris in terms of championships.

‘I hit a hurdle in Berlin at the Euros in 2018 and that got to me a wee bit,’ said Eilidh, looking back on disappointments amid numerous medal-winning moments, including three successive silvers in Commonwealths in 2010, 2014 and 2018.

‘I had been very proud of not making major mistakes in championships so I was asking

myself ‘What on earth just happened there?’.

Chris went through something similar in Berlin, too.

‘You have to try and pick yourself up.

Eventually you have conversations with key people – family, coach, support team, roommate – and try and somehow recover from the disappointment. Those make the highs feel even better.’

Doyle as it transpired ran the final leg in the 4x400m in Glasgow to take European Indoor silver in a team that also featured Zoey Clark.

‘I didn’t make the 400m final at Glasgow 2019 – and I wasn’t that gutted,’ said Eilidh.

‘That was a sign maybe that my heart was not quite in it. I ran the relay leg about a second and a half quicker than the individual so that’s maybe another indication.

‘Later, when I started to think seriously about retiring, I was looking back to see what my last race was . . . and running the anchor leg to medal at Glasgow 2019 felt right.

‘So there are some mixed feelings about it but I’m happy now that’s how it ended, if you like.’

Chris feels likewise and Glasgow 2019 was a great moment in the O’Hare family album.

‘I wasn’t thinking about retiring when I went into Glasgow 2019 – that came later when I’d injury issues,’ he recalled.

‘I enjoyed being ‘in the moment’ at the Emirates that weekend. Grandparents, parents and siblings were all there to watch and that was pretty special.

‘Looking back now, there are bookends there with Glasgow 2014 my first major champs and then bowing out at Glasgow 2019, as it transpired.’

Thanks for the memories . . .

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Grassroots Athletics

Officials

Why I find being an Official is enjoyable, worthwhile and fun

By Richard O’Grady Do you have an athletics background?

I have been running since I was 19 and since I’m now 68 that’s a good few years! I had to keep fit for my job as a Metropolitan Police officer and I took part in mostly 10k and half marathon events for many years.

When I retired from the Police, my wife and I moved to Scotland where I started endurance coaching with my local club, The Wee County Harriers in Clackmannanshire. I then became the Club Together Officer with Central Athletics Club in Stirling.

Eight years ago I started having knee problems and eventually I had to have a knee replacement so that was the end of my running.

encouraging others and love seeing people develop as Officials or as athletes.

Endurance coaching was becoming difficult due to my knee replacement. With officiating, I am still able to work in the sport encouraging both young athletes and young or new Officials.

What is your favourite moment as an Official?

My favourite event is the ‘SUPERteams’ event for U12s. It is fantastic to see all the enthusiasm from the young athletes and I I was approached by the then Start Discipline love to encourage them as best I can.

Lead with scottishathletics to become an Official and, because of my career as an There’s an indoor event at the Emirates instructor and operational police officer in Arena and an outdoor event at different the firearms division, asked if I’d like to start venues across Scotland. Both are always some of the local races around Forth Valley. hugely popular and it can be very chaotic . . . but so fabulous to be part of.

Where are you in your officiating journey?

Not actually an officiating moment but my best personal moment in 2021 was to I have been a starter now for seven years. receive the Raymond Hutchison Trophy I am now the Start Discipline Lead for for services to officiating awarded by Scotland coordinating all the starters and scottishathletics. It was a lovely surprise trying to recruit new starters and starter and quite an honour. assistants.

What do you love most about officiating?

I am currently a level three starter and level three starter’s assistant. But I have also As a Discipline Lead, I love encouraging, taken timekeeping and photo-finish courses. supporting and mentoring the young and I have undertaken these roles at events new Officials as they develop. although not as much as I would like as we I also encourage other senior Officials to are short of starters in Scotland, so there’s guide them and support them. I have always limited opportunity for me to do the other enjoyed helping others as part of my job jobs. and now it is great to be able to do it in my I am in the process of going for my level volunteering role. four.

We recently held a virtual Level 1 starting What interested you about officiating? course with people joining from across Scotland. They are a mix of ex-athletes; It was really the perfect way to stay involved parents who have children competing or who once I wasn’t competing. I really enjoy have just left home for college; others are club Officials who now want to move on into PB 2022 | ISSUE 1 a national level.

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What are your ambitions in officiating?

My target is to get my level four qualification as both a Starter and Starter’s Assistant. Although I would love to go to a Commonwealths, Europeans, Worlds or even Olympics, I feel my age is against me as I will be 70 in 2023 so it may not be achievable. But I will certainly strive towards getting to one of them.

What would you tell others thinking about becoming an Official?

I would say go for it! If you want to be part of athletics and enjoy watching the sport, it is a fantastic way to be involved.

It is a very worthwhile and enjoyable volunteering role. You can get as involved as you want to, progressing along the Official’s pathway from club level, to district, then region and national levels or just stay working at club or local level. It’s up to you.

It’s also great to see the athletes you once saw doing club runs now representing Scotland or becoming Olympians – for example, Andy Butchart who now competes for GB. Describe in three words what officiating means to you.

Enjoyable. Worthwhile. Fun.

Grassroots Athletics

Officials

Officially rewarding . . . from Liz in 1986 to Laura in 2019

By Joyce Wighton Do you have an athletics background?

I was a club athlete when I was at high school encouraged by my teacher. I took part in middle distance and cross-country when I first joined a club – Shettleston Harriers Ladies which later became City of Glasgow AC. Latterly I did the 400m hurdles and I would sometimes do a few different events. By the end I was running the 400m hurdles which was usually at the start of the meeting, I’d get the club some points and then move over to officiating for the rest of the programme.

Where are you in your officiating journey?

I’ve been officiating for 40 years. My dad really got me into officiating. Like many parents he would take me to the track then have time to spare while I was training or competing. So, my dad would get asked to rake the long jump pit. Eventually he was asked to take the officials exams.

He wasn’t so keen on taking an exam, so I rather flippantly said “if you take the field exam, I’ll take the track exam” and that was that. From then we both started officiating together, took the various exams and moved up the officiating ladder together. Looking back, it was great to have a shared hobby.

When he passed away a few years ago it was lovely to have those memories.

I stopped competing in my early to mid 20s and moved into officiating mostly as I didn’t really have time for the training as well as studying to be an architect. I did some team management and took the officiating exams and moved up to achieve Level 4 track (previous referee grade).

I have been the track referee, a track judge, a track umpire, and I have done some photo finish.

In Scotland I am also sometimes the National Technical Delegate or the Meeting Manager where I manage the championship and look after all the officials.

What is your favourite moment as an Official?

With over 40 years as an official I have many special moments.

I have witnessed many great competitive moments. At the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, I was a Track Judge and witnessed Liz McColgan win her 10,000m gold medal in the pouring rain.

More recently I was Track Umpire when Laura Muir did the double at the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow in 2019. It is always special to see Scots win on home territory.

In the 1990s I was an official at the Special Olympics in Glasgow. It was an amazing week and at the closing party a group of six young athletes, with Downs Syndrome, danced to Whitney Houston’s “One Moment in Time”.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house and this the example I always give when people ask why I do officiating.

My highlight is probably being Chief Track Judge at the Commonwealth Games in my home city of Glasgow in 2014.

What do you love most about officiating?

I have always enjoyed helping others and I think this is why I love officiating so much.

My role is to ensure everything is fair and I like to ensure fairness. To be able to provide quality competition and help youngsters understand the need to compete fairly is so important.

I enjoy working with the athletes and other Officials. I’ve made great friends and we have such a laugh together while doing our work. We are all volunteers but we look to do a good job while still having an enjoyable time.

What are your ambitions in officiating?

I am very lucky that I get the chance to do some big meetings and I would like to carry on doing that as I really enjoy it. I have applied for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham so we will have to see if I am successful, although I recognise the English officials (as home nation) will get priority. If I am selected it will be amazing as it would be my third Commonwealth Games.

Now I am retired [from my job as an architect and manager with a local authority] I will maybe try to take the Level 5 course and exam. I enjoy a challenge and it might give me more access to management of meetings or perhaps even enable me to work towards being an International Technical Official.

I’d definitely like to do more Para athletics events.

What would you tell others about becoming an Official?

I would recommend it and say go for it. It is fun and you meet lots of new people – committed officials and volunteers as well as young athletes and top-class experienced athletes.

We have such camaraderie at the events.

You feel you are doing something worthwhile and rewarding.

I have just taken over as Discipline Head for Track in Scotland, so I am involved in trying to recruit new officials and getting them through their qualifications, especially some younger people. It is possible to fit officiating in around your other commitments and we can accommodate you.

Using just three words describe what officiating means to you: Rewarding. Fun. Challenging.

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Grassroots Athletics

PB Interview

Paul Forbes ran his first 800 race in 1969 – now he is V65 World’s best

I

t would be grossly unfair on an excellent career at Junior, Senior and International level to suggest Paul Forbes became an overnight sensation at the age of 65. A misconception, even.

He represented Scotland three times at the Commonwealth Games, after all, and has been running since the age of 12 with only a ‘career break’ in his 30s and 40s to interrupt that long-running story.

Yet there was something marvellous about the response to Paul’s M65 800m World Record run at the Emirates Arena shortly before Christmas.

Our social media channels lit up at the bulletins and suddenly he was making

headlines in Athletics Weekly.

On our Twitter feed, the Edinburgh AC athlete’s efforts drew compliments in a number of other languages as ‘Planet Athletics’ reflected on 2:15.65 for the M65 Record (held previously by Irish athlete Joe Gough at 2:16).

Of course, the flip side is the man himself is living proof that success in athletics doesn’t happen overnight. He’s firmly of the view that the hard yards in training are what make the difference.

‘I’ve been racing 800m since I was 12,’ Paul revealed.

‘I was brought up in Oxgangs in Edinburgh and Peter Hoffman lived a couple of doors away. He went on to become an Olympian and I went to the Commonwealths three times so we didn’t do too badly in athletics.

‘One day in 1969 I was playing football with my pals when they grabbed the ball and said they were headed off somewhere. I asked if I could tag along.

‘We went down to the ash track at Saughton and they lined up for what was to be a race over a couple of laps.

They told me to stand at the side if I was intending to run. When the pistol went off, I went straight to the front.’

With absolute certainty, Paul revealed he ran 2:31 that day. He was hooked.

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‘At the club, Eric Fisher was one of my first coaches and Bill Walker coached me as well. You started off with

one coach and progressed to the next one as you improved and got older.

‘They are still involved and you see Eric enjoying the moment when Josh Kerr won that bronze medal at the Olympics – and rightly so.

‘I haven’t run my whole life. Well, not quite.

I stopped after the 1986 Commonwealths for a spell. What happened? I got a job and a family came along!

‘Tom McKean was coming through towards the end of my time and I loved watching him run. Tom was superb.

‘I still followed the sport but I was only dabbling in it a wee bit for a number of years through my 30s and 40s really.

‘At one stage, I reached 12 stone and decided I’d better do something about it – I’ve always been lean and fit.

‘Six years ago I snapped my ankle and the doctors told me I would end up walking with a limp. My feeling was I’d make sure that didn’t happen. Parkrun came on the scene and I sort of came back via that – running 27 minutes then 25 minutes and then 20 minutes.’

Paul leads or ‘coaches’ a select group of Masters athletes and twice weekly sessions at the Emirates are key as he works with Paul McMonagle (Cumbernauld AAC), Mark Gallacher (Cambuslang Harriers) and Graeme Gemmell (Bellahouston Road Runners).

‘My training is probably best described as ‘old school’,’ he laughed.

‘I run four days a week and two of those are recovery sessions with two more intense track sessions. The track sessions are absolutely key. A lot of road runners, fast guys who are Masters athletes, don’t do enough track work.

‘I don’t do strength and conditioning or gym work or anything like that – although I do

‘Scottish talent is coming through without doubt’

Grassroots Athletics

PB Interview

Eat, Sleep, Run, Repeat watch what I eat and drink. Well, my wife watches it for me, truth be told! The weekly mileage is no more than 20 miles.

‘The week of the M65 Record run I felt good and all the guys were running well. We were all in the 2:14-2:17 bracket, put it that way.

‘I had come off the 4K cross country at Lanark feeling great and thinking ‘I need to find a race.’

‘But you still need everything to fall into the place on the day to get any kind of Record.

That applies at every age and stage in athletics – and thankfully it all went well. The response I’ve had from the ‘athletics family’ has been brilliant.’

Lanark? Yes, the 800m runner took on 4K of cross country in the run-up to his 65th birthday to help keep his fitness ticking over.

His 15:26 run actually placed Paul 246th out of 423 finishers.

It also allowed him to enjoy a day which will be remembered for some time by those in attendance as three Olympians raced with the masses – winners Laura Muir and Andy Butchart as well as Jake Wightman.

So how does he feel about the Class of 2022?

‘It’s terrific for the sport to see the athletes that have come through in recent years,’ he added.

‘I do feel athletics in Scotland was in the doldrums there for a number of years a wee while back.

‘But the talent is coming through again and, without a shadow of a doubt, these guys are World class. We’ve seen that in Doha in 2019 or the Olympics this year.

Leader of the banned But Paul turned down Australia move to return for Team Scotland

N

ow the story can be told. Paul Forbes turned down fame and a fortune as a professional runner in Australia because he wanted back in a Team Scotland vest at the Commonwealth Games – despite being made a ‘scapegoat’ in 1978.

Forbes served a one-year ban from international athletics after being adjudge guilty of ‘misbehaviour’ while at the Games in Edmonton in Canada.

The initial sentence was two years with reports from the time confirming the Edinburgh athlete and John Robson were found guilty of drinking and being in the women’s quarters at the team accommodation.

If it was a sink-or-swim moment in his career, then Paul can look back with no little pride at silencing his detractors by not only making the Scotland team for two more Games, but making the 800m final both in Brisbane in 1982 and Edinburgh in 1986.

‘It was excessive to say the least and it’s crazy to look back now and see the power these administrators had to pick you or not pick you. Or to ban you, in my case.

‘I used it as motivation to be honest. I knew I could get faster and I just made up my mind to make it impossible for them to leave me out of 1982. In the end, I went in 1982 and 1986 and reached the final at both of those Commonwealths.

‘Here’s another story. Early on in the ban, I was contacted by athletics agents from Australia. They offered me a chance to race on the professional circuit there. It was £15k a year and a house – and £15k was a lot of money in 1978-79.

‘But I wasn’t interested. I knew I could have a good career as an amateur athlete and I wanted to wear that Scotland vest again.

‘We were caught out being somewhere we should not have been and the team management, the Commonwealth Games Scotland committee were none too pleased,’ he recalled under gentle questioning.

‘Listen, I didn’t feel ‘shame’ or ‘embarrassment’. It was a different era and they were looking for someone to blame because the overall team performance in athletics hadn’t been good. If you look at reports in the media from then, they use the word ‘scapegoat’.

‘We were not sent home. That’s been reported once or twice but it didn’t happen.

We did get our knuckles rapped and the initial ban I was given was for two years – that was then cut to one year ban from international competition.

‘Nowadays there would be a lot of headlines and coverage, definitely. But, as I say, I just got my head down and actually the ban worked in my favour in some ways because I was able to really focus on training hard.’

Photo by: John Scott

‘It rubs off on others. I was at the Short Course XC in November and three Olympians were racing. The weather was horrendous but it was still a very special atmosphere.’

It is abundantly clear that our #SALtogether audience – who think so much of our current Olympians – feel similarly warm towards our stalwart Masters. *Paul also broke the World mark for the M65 Indoor Mile with a run of 5:04.02 in London in February. American Paul Condon had held that record at 5:11.43.

scottishathletics

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Grassroot Athletics

West End Road Runners encourage new members to stay.

‘It’s very intentional how we pitch ourselves,’ says Jack.

WERR make valuable strides

By Katy Barden

anything during that period of uncertainty, it was to take care of people’s mental health alues are fundamental and well-being.’ beliefs that guide our behaviour, but With the country in lockdown, WERR adapted without purpose, they are to ensure that its members could stay empty words. motivated and engaged.

V

When West End Road Runners (WERR) was set up in 2016, the club’s founding members grasped the opportunity to create meaningful values - accessibility, inclusivity and transparency - that would underpin their actions.

The club built a strength and conditioning programme called WERRtual that was

‘It was one of the first things we did,’ says chairman Graeme Jack.

‘The clubs around us are long established and highly regarded, so there was no point in trying to replicate what they did. We started off with a fairly simple set of principles, the main principle being that we needed to be delivered on Zoom. They also launched runner-centric. We looked at the runners in WERRopoly, an innovative and inclusive the area and we built our club for them.’ digital challenge that focused on mental health and well-being as well as physical WERR – winners of the Innovation Award fitness. at the 2021 4J Studios scottishathletics Annual Awards – has grown from between 10 to 15 members at launch to around 130 (Senior section only).

‘We felt an existential threat as a result of the pandemic, but we were determined to get through it,’ admits Jack, who credits the club’s creative, community-inspired activity for growing its numbers.

‘At the time, we saw that Strava had done research that indicated that mental health, perhaps to an even greater extent than physical health, was a motivation for a lot of the running community.

‘That research came out at a time when we were trying to work out what to do, and it galvanised us . . . if we were going to do

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Members got involved by running around Glasgow’s west end, choosing their own pace and distance, or by completing special challenges.

Members were also challenged to create a west end heat map by attempting to run every street and lane in the west end of Glasgow. The concept evolved to form a running guide where members were asked to run and map their favourite routes.

The publication, ‘Run Glasgow’s West End’ was subsequently sold and raised around £2000 for Scotstoun foodbank. It is now incorporated into WERR’s new member induction pack.

WERR’s values and community engagement activity have helped to attract members, but initiatives such as the club’s buddy system

‘It’s not just about the words, but about action as well. If people come to try you out, you want them to stay with you. We’re quite keen to make sure that happens. We see some of the friendships growing from that initial twoweek period, people who had never met each other before but develop as close friends, and we love to see that.’

The club has also invested to ensure that its model is resilient and scalable, and during 2021, 22 WERR members completed UK Athletics’ Leadership in Running Fitness course, enabling the provision of safe, wellstructured sessions for its members under the guidance of head coach Colin Thomas.

A further six members have just completed the Coaching in Running Fitness course to support the club’s ambition to enhance its coaching capability across different running surfaces.

‘In the most challenging of Covid circumstances, WERR has played a key role in supporting the physical and mental health of its members whilst maintaining a strong community which recognises effort above all,’ concludes the chairman.

‘I am very proud of the achievements of the club and its members, and I see a strong appetite and desire to maintain our unique culture and values which have served us so well since 2016.’

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Grassroots Athletics

Pitreavie AAC

Pitreavie relish passing on the baton – athlete to athlete, generation to generation

By Katy Barden

P

itreavie AAC’s commitment to succession planning and legacy is reaping benefits for the club and its members.

McDonald, our first Olympian, to where it is now, the sport has grown professionally, and the club set-up reflects that,’ says Pitreavie President and coach Paul Allan (pictured with Laura Muir).

‘We were one of the few clubs - still are one of the few – to have its own club house on the premises (it was completed in 1997).

That was a huge step forward.

The Fife club celebrated its 65th anniversary in 2021 and has grown substantially since its cinder track days.

‘When the indoor facility opened, which I think at the time was only the second one in In addition to a thriving junior section of Scotland after Grangemouth, that also had around 120 athletes, it has a senior section a huge impact for athletes, especially for of 260 athletes - which includes track and those in technical events.’ field and a jogscotland group which feeds into the PAACE (road running) section of the Named 2021 Track and Field Club of the club.

Year at the 4J Annual Awards, Pitreavie’s success isn’t measured by performance It boasts a fast-growing FrameRunning alone - although the fact that four athletes group of around 15 for young athletes with were selected to represent Scotland at disabilities, and importantly, it benefits from the 2021 Manchester International (U20) first class facilities befitting one of Scotland’s speaks for itself. It is also measured via top clubs. accessibility, enjoyment and appeal.

Retaining family members and developing young athletes across the generations is particularly meaningful.

‘That’s one of our big successes,’ says Allan.

‘Families see the club as a great option for their kids having had so much enjoyment during their own time here.

Pitreavie AAC has also enjoyed notable success since its inception, with four club members competing at the highest level for Team GB at the Olympic Games.

‘If you think back to the days of Linsey

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‘I think one of the biggest challenges we’ve faced in recent years is being appealing.

When I was a boy growing up, you had three clubs in the area that were well known; Pitreavie for athletics, Carnegie Swimming Club and Spartans for gymnastics. That was kind of it.

‘These days, my word, kids have so many options and that’s the biggest challenge

that the sport has faced; being appealing amongst all the other millions of things they can now do.’

In addition to the benefits that great facilities bring, Pitreavie credits the success of Run, Jump, Throw and the formalisation of young athlete programmes for retaining interest and enjoyment amongst its juniors.

‘When I joined it was a bit like, ‘Join in with whatever group has a space’, but now there’s a full programme you can buy into,’ says Allan.

‘With Run, Jump, Throw in particular, those who are keen to compete can transition into the groups that are there, but the programme is also offering something for those who just really enjoy training and meeting up with their friends.’

Similarly, its jogscotland group, ‘Ready, Steady, Go, Pitreavie!’, is also transcending

Grassroots Athletics the social-elite boundary. Those who are signed up can access an approved structure led by qualified coaches.

Social runners have the ability to get involved in a safe, controlled, environment, while those with more competitive ambitions can move across to the club’s PAACE section.

Pitreavie AAC Sarah Duff was a 200m bronze medallist at the 4J U20 Age Groups in Aberdeen last summer

Regardless of level, the roll of honour board in the clubhouse reminds members of their fellow Pitreavie athletes who have made it to Olympic Games, World and European Championships and Commonwealth Games, and shows them what’s possible.

When Eilidh Doyle retired in 2021, Nicole Yeargin joined the club - an almost seamless baton exchange - and went on to represent Team GB in Tokyo, continuing an impressive tradition of Pitreavie athletes gaining international honours.

Success at the top, however, means very little without the structure to support development at grassroots level and the ability to keep athletes, especially through their teenage years, at the club.

Pitreavie has gone some way to addressing that by creating a successful initiative where its junior athletes (16 years+) gain coaching assistant qualifications.

‘They gain skills and it keeps them involved,’ says Allan.

‘When they go off to Uni it gives them the chance to come back at weekends or holidays and pick up some paid work and help out with camps. It’s providing another legacy, getting them involved and putting something back into the club.’

Heart issue won’t stop brave Sarah On the face of it, not much had changed.

S

arah Duff opened her 2022 indoor season with a 60m lifetime best (8.00) at the Scottish Student Athletics Indoor Championships at the Emirates Arena in early February. Her last competitive outing, also a PB performance at the Emirates (Scottish Student Athletics Opening Match), was in October 2021.

Yet quite a lot had changed. In fact, deviating slightly from the more traditional approach to winter training, the Pitreavie AAC athlete, who had earned her first Scottish under-20 vest earlier that summer, had heart surgery.

‘It’s obviously a big thing, but you just have to accept it,’ says the laid-back 20-year-old who was treated for atrial fibrillation, a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate.

‘I only found out the year before that I even had an issue. I didn’t stop training as such - I was told I could keep going as long as it wasn’t bothering me - and I wasn’t scared because they (the episodes) never happened when I was running. I had to watch it in training but it didn’t stop me.’

Pitreavie AAC marked the retirement of Eilidh Doyle, pictured with young son Campbell, with a special presentation

In spite of that, and with surgery pending, Duff had an incredible summer from a performance perspective. She clocked PBs over 100m (12.32/12.23w) and 200m (25.02) and represented Scotland at the Manchester International (U20).

‘I couldn’t have asked for any more,’ she says.

Covid, which she has now endured on three occasions, has impacted her comeback, but it’s all about perspective.

‘It’s not really gone to plan,’ she laughs.

‘After my surgery I felt quite good; not quite a new person, but I did feel like it had made a difference to my energy and stuff, but since I got Covid in November I’ve been tired constantly, so I’ve just not trained the same.

‘I’m not too worried about it because I ran my best season ever last year after missing all of last winter, so I’m not too stressed. I’ve done it before, so there’s no reason why I can’t do it again.’

Performance aside, Duff, who is studying civil engineering at Heriot Watt University, knows her attitude has served her well.

‘A lot of my friends in the group were like, ‘How do you just keep going?’. People saw that you don’t have to be the best you can be every week - I’d often miss parts of sessions because I was struggling or whatever, but I’m still getting back to where I was - so it gives people the drive to keep going.

‘No matter what happens you can always come out of it. Nothing has ever really gone the way I want it to go, but I don’t put too much pressure on myself; it is what it is and I know it’ll figure itself out.’

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Grassroots Athletics

Newton Road Runners

How new club Newton started at a pub

By Katy Barden

T

heir luminous vests shone brightly against the grey skies above Callendar Park as they contributed to the vast array of club colours lighting up the Lindsays National XC. After a two-year absence ‘the National’ was back, and for the first time, Newton Road Runners were part of it.

‘They absolutely loved it,’ says founder, coach, and former president Jenna McCallion.

‘It was a big thing for them, but it’s given the club confidence to get involved in future events.’

Originally from Cambuslang in Glasgow, McCallion founded Newton Road Runners in 2016, initially as a jogscotland group. She was motivated by the desire to meet people, to make friends in the local community and to get more women involved in running.

‘I actually contacted the local pub (the Newton Arms) and asked if we could use it as a meeting point every week,’ she laughs.

‘They said, ‘absolutely’, and they put on free tea, coffee, and water for us, and they still do that every week.

‘I’ve never run competitively, but I’ve always been known as ‘the wee social runner’ about Cambuslang and I know so many people, so I started recruiting people quite quickly.

I think we had around 50 on the first night.

It was men and women, but predominantly women.

‘I’d have been quite happy for us to be a feeder club for Cambuslang (Harriers) initially, but our numbers were growing so much we were actually becoming a big force on our own and we were a bit like, ‘we can do this ourselves’.’

McCallion speaks warmly of the club’s relationship with its more competitive neighbour. Their groups often train together, while coaches across the two clubs share the delivery of sessions. Newton, a seniors only club, also signposts interested juniors to Cambuslang.

‘If you were to ask me why Newton is different (to other clubs), I think it’s friendship, being able to connect with people and knowing what they need,” she said.

Newton Road Runners became affiliated to scottishathletics in 2019 and has evolved to attract younger members who join with the incentive of a friendly, pressure-free environment but with the potential to step up and challenge themselves if they choose to.

Membership currently stands at around 110.

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‘I think that’s what I’m most proud of,’ says McCallion, who stepped down from her role as president during lockdown.

‘I feel like I’ve always had that vision for Newton, it was always my dream to have a club, develop it, grow it, have it affiliated - it’s actually all happening in front of me and I’m so proud of that.’

Lockdown was tough for everyone, of course, but Newton Road Runners had to pull together more than ever when one of their members, Cat Gaskell, died unexpectedly during that period.

‘We went through a hard time as a club,’ says McCallion. ‘We were all devastated. We organised a wee memorial race for her that raised a lot of funds for McMillan because Cat was meant to be doing London Marathon (for McMillan).

‘We had a great outpouring from the running community, and we had a lot of clubs taking part in the run. We were all there to support each other.’

Since then, one of Newton’s members has delivered a Mental Health First Aid course for the club and there are plans in place to deliver another session due to demand.

While it’s not a position they’d have ever chosen to be in, they’re creating something positive from a heart-breaking situation.

The running community is a special one and it brings out the best in people. The fact that Cambuslang Harriers opened up their tent to Newton’s first timers at the Lindsays National Cross Country Championships is a perfect example of everything that is good about the sport – and one of the many reasons why they’ll return in the future.

‘Cat would have loved cross country,’ McCallion relfects. ‘That would have been right up her street.’ *For more about Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid programme: http://www.smhfa.com/

Grassroots Athletics

Bera Ajala ‘I said to myself that if I was going to the US, it had to be a school that was highly academically ranked and, if it wasn’t, I’d have stayed in the UK. I wanted to be in a system that could produce good athletes and produce good scholars, so when I got the offer from Michigan, I jumped on it.

‘I really enjoy it and the facilities at Michigan are crazy. I have to tell myself every day this isn’t normal, this isn’t something that’s just given to everyone, and I have to take my opportunities and do the best I can.

‘To go anywhere in the NCAA in terms of sport, it’s about the competition. Back home it’s quite easy to be top three, four, five if you really put in the work, but here you can put in so much work and still not be at the top, so it really pushes me to be better as a person.

‘We have similar physical traits, we do similar stuff in the weights room, so it’s who wants it more and who’s more focused, and I really thrive in that environment.”

Ajala is coached by Jenny Ashcroft at Michigan but continues to value the support and input of his Edinburgh AC coach John Scott.

Leap of Faith Triple jumper Bera keeps believing

By Katy Barden ‘I’m the type of person, I look at stuff, and I’m like, ‘how can I be the best at this thing?’,’ says Edinburgh AC’s Bera Ajala, the Scottish U20 triple jump record holder (15.89m).

Such a proactive attitude has served the University of Michigan-based athlete well.

Born in the Republic of Ireland to Nigerian parents, Ajala moved to Edinburgh while still at primary school. He later attended George Watson’s College where he discovered his love of athletics.

‘I tried a lot of events and I was pretty decent at all of them,’ he says.

‘I’m always trying to improve, so that whole summer I was grinding away, trying to get better, and I found the passion for it because I realised that athletics was a sport where

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everything relies on your work. If you put in the work, you see the output.’

Ajala joined Edinburgh AC where he was given the valuable advice to keep his event options open.

‘I just went along with that. We would go to YDLs (UK Youth Development League) down south and I’d do four events. I’d just do random events that I enjoyed, but I think that helped me overall because I wasn’t stressed and focused on one event at a young age and burning out later on. I found my event after a while.’

Consistent with his approach to sport, when Ajala chose to move to the US for college he refused to compromise on quality.

‘My family and I knew I wanted to take athletics to the next level, but I didn’t want to disregard school,’ says the computer science major who is also a student ambassador for Stackwell Capital, a business committed to promoting generational wealth in black communities and reducing the racial wealth gap.

Their collective hard work paid off when he was selected to represent GB and NI at the 2021 European U20 Championships. Later that summer, Bera jumped a Scottish Junior record of 15.89m at the 4J Senior Champs to go fifth on the all-time list.

Although this year’s Commonwealth Games and a qualifying standard of 16.42m - might come around too soon, his ambition and willingness to be the best version of himself endures.

‘I think to myself ‘what if?’,’ says the 19-yearold who, if successful, would become Scotland’s first triple jump representative at the Commonwealth Games since national record holder John Mackenzie in 1994.

‘It’s going to be a big ask, but if I put myself in positions where I can jump far with good competition and with good training behind me, then it’s definitely possible.

‘I’m aiming for the NCAAs in June, and to be competing well in the US, even to get to NCAAs, I need to be jumping close to Commonwealth Games qualifying. So that’s why I’m very much aiming towards it this season.’

Ajala considers again, how can he be the best?

‘Every day you can have a little bit of fun,’ he says. ‘But, at the end of the day, if you want it, you have to go and get it.’

Grassroots Athletics

Alix Still

n a c eri dream

Am

Why Alix loves living her

By Katy Barden

I

t was a brave move for a 16-year-old, but Alix Still was committed to her American dream.

The Aberdeen AAC athlete took a leap of faith – a considerable jump even for a combined eventer – when she crossed the Atlantic to study in 2016.

She had done her research and had identified the IMG Academy in Florida, the world’s most prestigious sports, performance, and educational institution, as her school of choice.

One month after finishing runner-up at the Scottish Athletics CE Championships (U17), and with her family’s backing, Still started her new life in the US. ‘It had always been my dream to move over to America,’ says the now-21-year-old.

‘I would watch movies and you just see the lifestyle, it’s so different and I felt like there were more opportunities for me.’

Still is currently in her final year studying American Studies at the University of Virginia, and after earning second-team AllAmerica honours in 2021 (indoors), she has her sights set on earning her first Scottish senior vest at the Commonwealth Games this summer.

It’s been a challenging start to the year, however, first recovering from a prepandemic hamstring tear that was only diagnosed in November 2021, then recovering from Covid itself.

‘I’m further ahead at this point (January 2022) than last year when I was in great shape and really healthy, so it’s been a good start,’ she explains.

That Still is even in a position to compare her fitness to 12 months ago - where the bar was set high - is reassuring. She had an impressive 2021 indoor season, recording a pentathlon best (at the time) of 3974 for third at the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championships in February. It was a performance which elevated her from 11th to second on the Scottish All-Time list, only 122 points short of Aileen Wilson’s Scottish national record (4096) which dates back to 2002.

javelin especially can improve.

Her current heptathlon best is 5371, achieved with victory in the Virginia Challenge ‘It would give me a huge buzz (to be in April 2021. Scotland’s Commonwealth selected). It’s every kid’s dream to go to Games qualifying standard is 5564. an Olympics or Commonwealth Games, While the points differential may not be but just having the opportunity to represent significant, her testing winter - coupled with Scotland and to have the Scottish support the expectations of an early US summer in Birmingham . . . that’s another great season - has taught her that success isn’t thing, my friends and family could come and solely determined by points, but also by smart decision-making to get the best out of watch.’ herself.

‘I wouldn’t say I’m outstanding in one event particularly, I’m kind of level playing field, so I prefer to work on every single event little by little and that helps my confidence,’ she admits.

‘I don’t go into an event thinking I can beat everyone in the field, but I know what I need to do to get my points, and that’s what matters to me.

‘I’d love to qualify for the Commonwealth Games early in the season and not have to worry about it.

‘If I can get my hurdles and long jump right, they’re two of my strongest events, and my 800m (within the heptathlon) is pretty strong, so that’s probably where I can gather up the most points. I’ve had problems with the high jump in the past, I just haven’t been able to nail down my approach, so I definitely need to get more consistent with that, and I think I can make up points in the throws too - the

Still is living her American dream. ‘It has changed my life,’ said. If she continues to impress in the heptathlon, her Scottish dream could become a reality, too.

If you’re interested in moving to the US to study/train . . .

‘Reach out to people. Email people, text them. If you’re serious, go online, find contacts, and get in touch.

‘I’d love to try to help people if they want to come over here. I’m having so much fun, I have so much more confidence and it has changed my life.’

If you’d like to chat to Alix about her experience, you can get in touch with her via email in the first instance: alixstill22@gmail.com

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Education

Hamish Armitt and being sensible with how you plan out the week

Photo by Mark Shearman

‘I‘m training on average 25 to 30 hours a week: 10 in the pool, 12 on the bike and eight on the run due to me training the other two sports. I don’t have to do as much volume on the run – around 80 to 90km.

COPING WITH DIABETES

‘Staying patient helps me cope with Type 1 Diabetes’

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amish Armitt landed team gold with GB and NI at the Euro Cross in Dublin in December – after a fine run took him to 10th place in the U20 Men’s field.

The Giffnock North AC athlete had previously competed at the same event in Lisbon two years earlier when he made his GB and NI debut.

National XC gold medals at U13, U15 and U17 had already demonstrated his talent and hard work, but the past few years have not been easy for Hamish or indeed his family – after a Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis.

Giffnock North’s Clare Stevenson coached Hamish when he was 11 and spoke to him for the club website in a revealing insight to tough times, staying patient and remaining focused.

STRESS FRACTURES ‘In late February 2020, I was diagnosed with five stress fractures. These were caused by a combination of overtraining on the run and nutrition, (showing how important it is to eat enough and not overtrain for confidence reasons – trust your plan!).

PB 2022 | ISSUE 1

‘Before the diagnosis I was pretty successful so I worried I’d never be as good or it would hinder my performance. This is not the case.

‘I didn’t really get too down about it because it was completely outwith my control. I just really tried to focus on controlling my sugars so I could still perform at my best.

‘So, unfortunately, running was completely out for around four to five months. I missed my whole summer track season and most of my triathlon season.

‘However, I received great support from the Scottish Institute with rehab and I focused a lot more on building strength in the gym. It also allowed me to work on my weakness, swimming, so I really concentrated on developing that and built up to around 30 to 35km a week in the pool, which massively improved my swim. I also replaced the time I spent running with more hours on the bike.

STRONGER ATHLETE ‘Basically, what I’m saying is injuries can seem really bad at first but if you work on other areas, you can come back an even better and more rounded athlete.

‘Triathlon really helped me compete this winter in XC as I still had fitness from the bike and run, and was still fit enough even with only one to two months of serious running training before my main XC races.

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‘When I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (it was in 2017: I was 15 years old) it was a big change to my life.

‘The first year was tough adjusting to having to use insulin but a key thing for me were the libre sensors. With that system I was able to constantly monitor my glucose which is really important for your health.

‘Routine also helped a lot as through trial and error I was able to work out when to eat before different types of sessions and what works best. You just need to understand what impact certain food has on your sugars at certain times.

HAVE PATIENCE ‘My biggest bit of advice would be to be patient. It took me a lot of time to understand how and when to use insulin.

GOOD TIME MANAGEMENT

‘I’ve had loads of times when I’ve been really frustrated or down when I don’t manage my insulin intake correctly and I have to miss sessions due to my glucose levels being too low or high.

‘In terms of balancing triathlon training, it just comes down to having good time management

‘The only way I learned was through trial and error. It’s not something you can learn to control easily. So, you just need to make sure you don’t lose hope.’

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

Education

Eating Disorders

You can’t win the race when chasing perfection And why asking for ‘help’ was Jessica’s biggest victory when fighting Eating Disorder As part of Eating Disorders Awareness Week earlier this spring, Law and District AAC athlete Jessica Robson wrote about her history with an Eating Disorder. Jessica is a member of our recently created Young People’s Forum.

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alk of eating disorders can bring an uneasy feeling. I think it’s one of those things we know is a big problem, but in our uneasiness it’s easier to brush the issue under the carpet than to face it head on.

I have no intention to mention here what diagnosis I received, go into depth on how an eating disorder impacted my life, or speak of the underlying issues behind its manifestation.

This isn’t about me, really. I simply want to use a few thoughts from my own lived experience to join the growing number of athletes who are speaking up, shedding light on an often-misunderstood problem.

we’ve met, maybe we haven’t. Perhaps we’ve chatted about the weather in a portaloo queue; maybe we’ve shaken hands at a finish line because we happen to have crossed one close to each other; we might even have unwittingly been in each other’s company countless times over several years, never exchanging anything beyond smiles of acknowledgement.

In that respect, I’m no different to anyone else you may or may not have crossed paths with. You can look with your eyes and see my club vest, my style of running and who’s company I’m in. You cannot see an eating disorder. It does not define me as an athlete and is far from the most interesting thing about me as a person.

These are not examples of reasons to justify brushing over the problem, but all the more reason we need to talk about it. An invisible problem is still a problem.

I didn’t see myself represented in my perception of what I thought an eating Chances are you’ve no idea who I am. Maybe disorder was. Then, the more I tried to figure out what was going on in my head, and the more knowledgeable I became, I learned PB 2022 | ISSUE 1

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that eating disorders are more prevalent in athletes than in the general population.

This helped and led me to begin to make sense of what was happening. Still, I was convinced I didn’t fit the bill and couldn’t voice my concerns.

If this was such a big problem in sport, why did so few people seem to be talking about it? Why did it need to be kept quiet - was there something to be ashamed of? What would anyone think of an athlete claiming to have a problematic relationship with food and exercise, when by nature that’s what we’re supposed to be good at?

Education Throw all this on top of the false perception that an athlete’s mental strength makes them immune to requiring any sort of help and you can see where I had difficulty. I’m not the first person to have battled with these misconceptions, and unfortunately I won’t be the last. We can, though, have the conversations necessary to break down these misconceptions so that athletes can speak up and receive support sooner.

It’s odd to think that some of the traits that make the sporting world so attractive to a person are the same traits that could potentially create a vehicle for total chaos.

A constant drive for improvement, a few perfectionist tendencies, the determination to leave no stone unturned - there are any number of powerful traits that can facilitate great success in sport but, if left to spill into every single second of daily life, can become rather problematic.

Even while an immersion in sport may not directly cause an eating disorder, and vice versa, combine the two things and they’re going to get pretty wrapped up in each other. In my experience, anyway.

I do not in any way believe that sport alone caused my illness. I do, however, feel there are blurred lines between commendable commitment and an unhealthy obsession; between admirable dedication and total burnout; between inspirational effort and a means of self-destruction.

Perhaps that’s why there is a haze between when the fun way of life shifts from ‘appropriately-structured’ to ‘detrimentallyinflexible’, or when what started as pure joy

‘It’s all too easy to hide a problem behind the mask of a hard-core athletic identity and a genuine love for the sport.’

Eating Disorders

Be aware of warning signs ‘There are several studies that confirm that there is a higher prevalence in eating disorders amongst athletes compared to their non athletic peers. This includes all levels from grassroots all the way through to elite level.

body image or training. These are just the medium the individual uses to avoid emotional risk. The culture within sport in general creates the ideal environment - the pressure and high expectations, the focus on performance.

‘Eating disorders are biologically based mental illnesses. While many individuals will attribute their behaviours to a specific comment, in reality most individuals who develop an eating disorder have a genetic predisposition.

‘Throw in unhelpful language around ‘lighter makes you faster’, ‘no pain no gain’ , ‘more is better’ and it creates a narrative leading to dysfunctional thoughts and then behaviours.

‘If you put this particular personality perfectionist, determined, self-critical, obsessive and compulsive into the right psycho-social environment, you create the perfect storm for an eating disorder to develop.

‘An eating disorder never delivers and, in fact, if not responded to in a lot of cases can lead to career over even before it has started, due to the devastating physical consequences that can occur through restrictive eating and being underweight.’

‘It is also important to raise here that an Eating Disorder is not about food,

Renee McGregor Leading sport and ED specialist

turns into a measure of self-worth and an unwinnable pursuit of perfection.

It’s all too easy to hide a problem behind the mask of a hard-core athletic identity and a genuine love for the sport. I think all of this can make identifying a problem - not just in others, but in ourselves - incredibly difficult.

I don’t claim to know what the solution is to such a complex problem in our sport, but I know it certainly isn’t silence. I’m no expert; I’m speaking purely from personal experience, but I truly believe we can dramatically improve the outlook for athletes suffering from eating disorders.

It’s not a problem we can look at and see It was painful to acknowledge that something with our eyes - we need to talk. I dream of I love so much had become a channel growing old in this sport that fosters and through which to express a deeper problem. celebrates strength - in every sense of the word - and I hope that I can do so with the Nevertheless, what matters is that I did knowledge that we are far more open about make that acknowledgement and I could now and aware of eating disorders than when I promise anyone, it’s the best thing you can started out. do.

This is me talking and I hope others will I mistook mental illness for mental follow. weakness, and in my determination to be nothing but strong I trapped myself. So, it’s *The scottishathletics website has quite incredible to now know that saying useful information and links on eating ‘help’ is actually the strongest thing I’ve ever disorders/disordered eating in athletes, done. including an online course, at https:// I turned the tide and used those powerful www.scottishathletics.org.uk/about/ traits for good again. I have a newfound welfare/duty-care/mental-healthappreciation for the joy I find in my running wellbeing/ and a new respect for its place amongst the other loves in my life.

The road to recovery is a long one, and I’m certainly not at the end of it yet, nor can I put a date on when I will be.

But I don’t see why that means I can’t speak out in support of a future in which other athletes don’t feel they have to suffer in silence. I hope what I have shared here can encourage even just one person to take a step in the right direction.

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