PB Magazine - Spring 2017

Issue 1

PB ÂŁ2.50

2017

www.scottishathletics.org.uk

In this Issue:

Rodger Harkins on race to Australia

#LindsaysXC Great day in the Callendar

Why volunteer?

Why ever not...

The ofďŹ cial magazine for members of scottishathletics

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scottishathletics 05 Chief Executive Mark Munro 06 News 08 National XC 12 Great Edinburgh XC 14 That Picture Sequence 15 International XC Relay 16 Scottish Senior Indoors 18 Sheffield 20 Gold Coast 23 How Others See us: Susan Egelstaff 24

Coaching Review and 2017 Update

26 Track and Field Events 28 Inter-Club Champs 29 Track and Field Records 30 Law & District 32 Tweed Leader Jed 33 Perth Road Runners 34 Run Balmoral 36 ‘Why I love Being a Volunteer’ 38 Masters XC at Dundee

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

in this i

04 Contacts

Issue 1

ssue...

PB2017

enton. , Neil R le d ir g e n. ac er Pato Pete Br unlop, y, Heath D le r e u ti o a G ,K il Images tter, Ne e, elstaff, san Eg Moira Maguir s/Getty kins, Beth Po r Track, c u ti S , le ) s th r e r A e , d a n a h ie H n e h r is u L c e it R r it dg B R d Jed s. ees, Ro Darren rth Roa arman, Tweed Lindsay ark She Larty, Alisha R ock Harriers, rd Hughes (Pe Mark Munro, M , in Water, v , n a c a e y r r a h G o a o ic R M y m m b R il e g esli trath s: Bob wkins, Mora ners, K istrict), rison, L 017, S tograph a ad Run l (Law and D on Mor ndon 2 o R L , For pho ees: Callum H AC, Perth Ro o ) , s ic K e 10 , inset, Tim McN w tA Lesley he Toon me and ald and T , ti r Inter vie w and Distric ) e n d T o H L n ( J o o r T ( ec ,R he La tle for s arathon ce Scott , Stewart Fis cKinnon Clubs: al XC ti l) rs: Bru Ness M n a M to r o h o u n ti c a o ib ly lm L o N tr a r s Ca un, Con RunB o mson, s he win urgh R Clyne ( iming tw ela Tho t Edinb wkins a g a a Fraser e n r H A G , m k then cla t, u c c ll e e r la a ir B fo C D e . n vin –b Arnold rs: Athletics Olympia bby Ga nior Champs se ce from Photos by Bo e n S a h Adverti m r is tt fo er co rty. MacLa t success at S mand p Morag s: Com in , r to n p o in s io h v p P a to r Cove route obby G ’s cham Women lisha Rees en ld. Photo by B Senior A ie : ff e She ts Pag ords in Conten 20 Rec U h is Scott

air Love Manager Alasdh l Events .org.uk Nationa 6 796 14 athletics 07584 love@scottish ir. a h sd ala cott Allan S ach tice Co Appren rg.uk 5 392 1 0 letics.o 4 2 078 ttishath tt@sco co .s n a all itchell anager Billy M nd Project M tla k Jog Sco 4 198 cs.org.u hathleti 63 07801 nager@scottis a projectm bison o ator R Carol dministr rship A Membe 1 .org.uk 2 3 7 76 thletics 0131 4 ip@scottisha h rs membe rchbold e Clair A ministrator d A ts n Eve 5 k 76 733 thletics.org.u a 0131 4 scottish events@

cDonald – East Jamie M lub Manager lC .org.uk Nationa 0 199 thletics 37 ottisha sc 07776 @ ld a cdon jamie.m nager ldie are Ma Jim Go ons and Welf ti Qualifica 6 733 rg.uk 50 letics.o 07739 @scottishath ie ld o .g jim r t Office lopmen ns ip Deve Jo Steve nd Mambersh tla Jog Sco 1 39 734 0131 5 0 453 .org.uk 18 3 thletics 0 9 7 0 ottisha ns@sc jo.steve trator Adminis Dennis Joanne and Executive g in ch a .org.uk Co 8 athletics 76 732 0131 4 nnis@scottish e joanne.d – North ollison anager Julie M l Club M a n o ti a N .org.uk 9 592 63 ottishathletics 07818 n@sc o is ll o julie.m

n utchiso Colin H evelopment k fD o d a e H 5 cs.org.u hathleti 080 92 07983 hison@scottis tc u colin.h Ritchie ment Darren oach Develop fC Head o .org.uk 5 507 42 ottishathletics 07825 ie@sc ch it .r n darre s Service llan usiness Dawn A inance and B F f Head o 2 rg.uk letics.o 080 92 07983 n@scottishath a ll .a n daw itjer ime) Fran Sn Officer (part-t ve .uk Executi 3 tics.org 2 76 73 ishathle 0131 4 .snitjer@scott a francesc fin ic Sport Ian Mir d – Paralymp ea Event L 0 1 rg.uk 4 343 letics.o 07827 @scottishath fin ir .m n ia

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on loper Patters nt Deve Malcolm 18 Coach Eve 20 ct a p Im .uk nning) tics.org (Hill Ru 6 786 ishathle 50 @scott n o 07739 rs e .patt malcolm unro Mark M cutive Officer xe Chief E 6 .org.uk 433 85 ttishathletics o 07557 nro@sc u .m rk ma ollard Mark P ce Manager an Perform 2 980 .org.uk thletics 10 07584 ard@scottisha oll .p rk a m rdine ns Peter Ja ommunicatio fC Head o 4 .org.uk 6 1 868 thletics 07885 ine@scottisha rd peter.ja loper s Hawkin ch Event Deve rt Robe oa 2018 C ct a p Im nce) .org.uk (Endura 9 875 thletics 17 ottisha 07903 ins@sc k w a .h robert

ulawnik Lena Z dministrator k A cs.org.u Finance scottishathleti @ finance 6 3 76 73 0131 4 on McMah – West Lindsay lub Manager lC rg.uk Nationa 6 648 letics.o 79 ttishath 07918 cmahon@sco m lindsay. nnett lson-Be e Nicho Lorrain dministrator A Welfare 0 k 39 732 cs.org.u 0131 5 scottishathleti @ re a lf we -time) Duncan tor (part Jessica ce Administra n a rg.uk rm Perfo 0 letics.o 76 733 ttishath 0131 4 ceteam@sco an perform

Harkins ctor Rodger ire ance D .org.uk Perform 0 688 thletics 08 ottisha 07983 ins@sc rk a h r. e rodg er/Club ent Offic Malcolm ent Developm Shona m Recruit Officials er ic .org.uk Para Off 2 567 athletics 83 scottish 07731 @ lm o alc shonam Officer d Press ord yf tions an a ic Sue G n u Comm Digital 4 rg.uk 037 57 ishathletics.o 07880 ott ord@sc sue.gyf

Chief Executive Mark Munro Chief Executive Scottish Athletics

@SALMarkMunro

Good coaching and right mindset reap rewards

T

he last few months have been a fantastic high for the sport in Scotland and this was best encapsulated by the atmosphere at the Great Edinburgh International XC and Inter-District races early in January. I think it is fair to say that the roar that was heard that day in Holyrood Park as Callum Hawkins crossed the burn for the final time (well ahead of Sir Mo Farah) and turned into the last 150m of the race, was the loudest for a Scottish sports person out with any stadium event ever. It all made for a phenomenal spectacle. Interestingly, I was requested to provide evidence at a Scottish Parliament Committee recently where it was clear that the Government Ministers had one agenda - that there has been no legacy from recent major championships for sports participation. Whether this is true or not across other sports, I presented a paper that clearly demonstrated that the sport of athletics is clearly on the up – increased membership in clubs, increase in athletes competing across all age groups, improved media profile, athletes performing better on the world stage. I believe that no matter what way you break down that information, athletics in Scotland is doing well. And that success is definitely down to the efforts of clubs, club leaders, coaches, officials, event organisers and the athletes themselves. You should also be aware over recent weeks that Colin Hutchison has joined us as the new Head of Development and will oversee the Development Team with a focus on supporting club development, Officials, facilities, disability and coaches. This appointment allowed us the opportunity to re-structure and bring coach qualifications and ongoing coach development (CPD) closer together and a specific team has been created to accelerate our support to all coaches. This team will be headed up by Darren Ritchie as Head of Coach Development.

It has been extremely positive to see some good responses from athletes this winter. In particular, at the Masters National Cross Country Championship, participation was up by 51% on last year, the Age Group Track & Field Indoor Championships were up by 24% on last year and the Seniors Track & Field Championship Indoors by 26.5%. January to March is the busiest period for national events in the calendar and I would personally like to thank the Commissions for their fantastic work as ever and as always, our Officials do quite a remarkable job for long periods of time – thank you! I don’t usually like to praise individual staff members publicly. But, on this occasion, Alasdhair Love (National Events Manager) and Claire Archbold (Events Administrator) have done exceptionally well this winter. The highlight of the winter calendar is undoubtedly the National Cross Country Championships at Callendar Park. Once again, we saw some big numbers and fantastic racing across all age groups on a newly adapted course because of the erosion around the lake. However, this didn’t detract from a wonderful day and I would personally like to congratulate this year’s Scottish Senior Champions Callum Hawkins and Morag MacLarty. I would also like to thank Alex Jackson, John Rodger, Ron Morrison, their teams and of course Falkirk Community Trust , and Falkirk Victoria Harriers for providing us with another first class championship. We are also delighted that Lindsays have committed for a further four years to support the Lindsays Cross Country Season and their backing is invaluable to us. ************************************* Our top athletes continue to blaze a trail both on the international circuit and domestically. Since November we’ve witnessed European medals from all four representatives in Chia (Josh Kerr, Steph Twell, Andy Butchart & Callum Hawkins (individual bronze)); a string of Records from Laura Muir; and

stunning World Leading performances from Callum, Laura, Eilidh Doyle and Andy Butchart, with the latter breaking Scottish records indoors. We’ve also witnessed a bronze medal for Joasia Zakrzewski at the IAU World 100K; four British Champions (Eilidh, Allan Smith, Guy Learmonth and Eilish McColgan); a whole host of Scottish senior records/bests (Heather Paton, Butchart, Hawkins, Muir); a number of age group records, British junior medals and Masters World and British best performances. A senior staff member from another home country athletics body recently asked me why Scottish athletes were literally taking on the world all of a sudden. My response was ‘good coaching and a no-fear mindset’. It is absolutely true: we are fortunate to have some great coaches working with athletes who truly believe they can beat anyone on their day. In particular, Andy Young, Robert Hawkins and Derek Easton have shown that Scottish coaches based in Scotland can develop world class athletes. The recent success really started with Eilidh and then Lynsey Sharp, Laura and Chris (O’Hare) followed suit and now Andy and Callum are producing stunning performances almost weekly. Our hill racers and ultra runners have been there already for a number of years of course. We are also starting to see athletes following in behind them with the likes of Eilish and Chris (Bennett) both progressing rapidly and a number of juniors now setting their marks a lot higher. When you hear U20 athletes talking about Olympic Games in 2020 or 2024 there is definitely something stirring. At scottishathletics, we need to make sure we continue to raise the bar and support the ongoing development of all components and levels of the sport to ensure the future remains bright. It is a big challenge but one we must be ready to deliver on.

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

#peoplemakeathletics

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here was wide acclaim for many sportsmen and women on the New Year Honours list – with two Scottish Para athletes were recognised for their remarkable achievements so far in track and field events at global level. There were MBE awards for Rio duo, Libby Clegg and Jo Butterfield, our two gold medallists from the Paralympics in

NEWS

Brazil earlier this year.

Year Honours list!

Sprinter Clegg won a gold double in Rio while Jo set a World Record in the club throw event to also win gold.

That’s quite a double act, now . . .

Both were recognised in the New Year Honours list unveiled on December 31, 2016, for their ‘services to athletics’ and all at scottishathletics want to send our warmest congratulations to Libby, Jo, their families, coaches and friends on this wonderful news. Glasgow-based Jo is a member of the scottishathletics board and of course is part-coached by Shona Malcolm – who was rewarded with an OBE in the 2014 New

*Linda Nicholson is a well-known figure in the Borders in athletics and netball and was another recipient on the New Year Honours list. Linda was awarded a BEM medal for services to sport in the Borders - many congratulations! Scottish Para cyclist and triathlete Karen Darke started out in wheelchair athletics, also, and also received an MBE like Jo and Libby.

*********************************************************************************************************************** winning team which was won narrowly by James is the current West Highland Way nternational hill running will head for England last year in the Lake District. champion. Peebles later this year when the tough slopes of Cademuir hill will play host to ************************************** And, in Hong Kong, there was a win for the Junior Home International mountain Shettleston’s Casey Morgan in the Nine races for U17 and U20 men and women. here’s a special 25th anniversary Dragons Race – a two-day 50K and 50 Mile coming up in June for road runners at event. Morag was first on the Saturday and Teams compete from Scotland, England, Giffnock North AAC. second on the Sunday to take the overall Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales for the ultra title. City of Edinburgh Trophy, with countries The club’s popular 10K event in Rouken taking turns to host the event. Glen park on Glasgow’s south side will ************************************** celebrate 25 years on Thursday 8 June at This year it’s down to scottishathletics, 7pm. who have decided that routes based on the Cademuir Rollercoaster courses will be Admission fee for the 10K is being reduced scottishathletics will once again hold a GP perfectly suited to the event - which takes from previous years to £10 for SA members Series this summer for our throwers. place on Saturday 6 September. (£12 non-members) to mark the occasion. The four-event Series will follow a similar The races also incorporate the British All finishers will receive dry fit T-shirts as format to recent years and takes place on and Irish Junior Mountain Running well as water, fruit and other items supplied dates in April, May, June and September. Championships for each of the four separate by several sponsors. Specsavers have age-groups with the races open for nonLivingston’s Craigswood Stadium is the main been main sponsors for the past five years international runners to enter on the day. venue for the 2017 programme but we’re and deserve credit for supporting local delighted to confirm one of the meetings will community sporting activities and an event Event organiser Mike Pearson, from local be held in Inverness (on May 20) in keeping which has gained a reputation for being club Moorfoot Runners, said: ‘I organised with our policy to try and ‘rotate’ some of well-organised and well-stewarded. this in 2008 when it was held in the our events (when appropriate and practical). Pentlands, but it’s a particular honour to be The 10K course is challenging and is mainly asked by scottishathletics to organise this Entries are available online for each of the within the beautiful Rouken Glen park. event in Peebles. four meetings and these opened on our Giffnock North AAC members take real pride Events section on March 1. Entries will cost ‘It gives us a great opportunity to advertise in hosting this event and have provided an £5 per event, with the full Series costing the town to the mountain running athletics opportunity for thousands over the £16. No entries on the day. community in the UK and Ireland.’ past quarter of a century. Saturday 8 April GP1: Craigswood, Gregor Nicholson, who is in charge of the More details on the club website www. Livingston race operations, added: ‘We have tweaked giffnocknorth.co.uk the usual Rollercoaster race routes to Saturday 20 May GP2: Queens Park, fit the requirements of the Junior Home Entry is via Entry Central www.entrycentral. Inverness International guidelines set by UK Athletics. com Saturday 24 June GP3: Craigswood, ‘As a one-off, we’ll also be using these ************************************** Livingston slightly revised routes for this year’s Cademuir Rollercoaster races on Saturday Saturday 9 September GP4: Craigswood, cotland international James Stewart 12 August which scottishathletics will Livingston delivered a fantastic win in the United use as the trial races for selection of the States as he won the Rocky Racoon, Scotland teams.’ The events will incorporate the Hammerama the USA Ultra Trail Champs 100-mile race and IPC Throws competitions. We see (5 laps of 20 miles) in Texas. The Scotland selectors will be hoping that this GP Series as a real commitment to this can add to the Scotland team’s homeThe performance by the VP-Glasgow athlete, supporting Event Specific competition soil advantage as they try to win back the opportunities and to the throws community who is coached by Paul Giblin, was a City of Edinburgh Trophy for the overall in Scotland. We’d urge clubs, coaches and qualifying standard for the World 24-Hour athletes to support the events as much as Champs in Belfast later this this with GB PB 2017 | ISSUE 1 they can. and NI and should consolidate selection.

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Throws GP for 2017

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Records fall in Muir purple patch

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f anyone thought Laura Muir might slow up at the start of 2017 – after a superb 2016 which saw her end the year with a 1500m World lead – they were to be very much mistaken. Quickly. It has been an amazing January and February for the endurance runner crowned as Scottish Athlete of the Year last October and profiled in our last edition. Printing deadlines for this edition ensured we couldn’t cover the European Indoors (but even trying to capture all that happened in the previous couple of months is hard enough). The Glasgow Athletics Association Miler Meet on a Wednesday night in early January signalled the start of an exciting couple of months as Laura broke the British Record in the 5000m, taking Liz MColgan’s mark spectacularly (by 14 seconds) with a solo run of 14.49.12. Muir followed that up with a European Record at 3000m in Karlsruhe, Germany, on the weekend of February 4/5 – with Andy Butchart and Callum Hawkins also grabbing the headlines that weekend. This time, Laura ran 8.26.41 and headed Hellen Obiri, who was setting a Kenyan Record behind the redoubtable Scot, who this time was eight seconds faster than another Liz McColgan mark from the past. Then, to compete the Record hat-trick for January/February, no lesser a figure than Dame Kelly Holmes found her 1000m indoor mark snatched away as Laura set a new European and British Record with 2.31.95 at the Muller Indoor GP in Birmingham. ‘To beat Kelly’s record is amazing and to be so close to the world record is also very encouraging for me,’ said Laura, after being

paced to 600m by Jenny Meadows.

complain,’ said Eilish

‘It is every athlete’s dream to be running well every time you come out on the track and being injury-free. Hopefully I can carry this sort of form into the summer.

‘I had a long overnight flight from Kenya just before Sheffield and even though I was in such good shape, I picked up a cold so racing last week brought the illness out of me. So to be able to run that time today is encouraging.

‘I have worn my lucky spikes for all four of my national records so I am going to keep them safe for the future! They will be worth a bit now. ‘The crowd in Birmingham were so loud; I couldn’t hear myself breath. To have this level of support is something I am very grateful of and the fact that we will have this in London for the World Championships later this year will be a great advantage for all the British athletes.’ Six Scots were picked for Belgrade for the European Indoors and Eilidh Doyle admits the youngest member of this branch of the Tartan Army is now assuredly the leader of the pack. ‘Everybody’s been doing so well but obviously I’ve got a special connection with Laura because it was 2013 when she got her first senior vest at Euro Indoors and she was sharing a room with me,’ said Doyle. ‘Back then, It was great to properly meet her and watch her. You go back to Kinross and people would be asking about her. That’s really nice.’ At the Birmingham event, there were superb performances by Eilish McColgan and Steph Twell for 5th and 10th in a classy Women’s 3000m race. The current duo went to No 3 and No 4 on the Scottish all-time list with indoor PBs, both now ahead of Yvonne Murray. Eilish clocked 8:43.02 and Steph was at 8.45.95. ‘I was chasing the whole way but I can’t

Guy Learmonth had to settle for fifth place in the Men’s 800m but his 1.47.00 was a third indoor PB of the season – with Guy already assured of his selection for Belgrade.

Andy Butchart restricted his indoor season for 2017 to a short spell in the United States - but what an impact! First, the Olympian broke the Scottish 3000m indoor Record with a run of 7.42.97 at the New Balance GP event in Boston on a night when he took Ian Gillespie’s mark from almost 20 years earlier. Butchart followed that with his (at the time) World Lead mile run of 3.54.23 - the second fastest indoors by a Scot. And he rounded it off with a Scottish Indoor two-Mile best with 8.12.63, which emphatically shattered an 8.28 best held by Ian Strewart from the 1970s. Within that run, Andy lowered his Scottish 3000m Record to 7.41.05 - with these marks all pending the usual ratification processes. Not a bad start to 2017 for the Central AC hero!

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National XC

Great day in the Callendar Hawkins and MacLarty revel in mud

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arly into his third lap at Callendar Park, clear leader Callum Hawkins started to pick off some of the back-markers in the Senior Men’s race – as they embarked on their second circuit of just over 3K. One of them was Gerry Moss, committee member and coach at Gala Harriers. ‘C’mon Gerry, don’t let him get away from you . . .’ came the jocular shout from the sidelines. Moss, assuredly, won’t have been too bothered at seeing Hawkins disappear into the distance. A great servant of the sport, he’d already seen Gala Harriers athletes climb onto the podium in two of the age group races – evidence of good development work in the Borders.

And, of course, there’s no shame in losing out to an Olympian as every single other athlete in 647 finishers in the Men’s race discovered as Hawkins led home the largest field in this event for fully 30 years. Yet somehow that single cameo seemed to sum up perfectly another great day in the calendar which captures the very fabric of sport. As Hugh MacDonald, formerly of the Herald and now working for the Scottish Daily Mail and consistently the best Sports Writer in Scotland in recent years, put it so eloquently: ‘The conditions would inconvenience a Sherman tank – the hills are steep, the going is heavy and the rain

8

PB 2017 | ISSUE 1

is not mandatory but definitely traditional. ‘The Scottish National XC is a life-affirming event, with schoolchildren rubbing shoulders with both the serious adult amateurs and those who have the Olympics in their sights’.

Sports Minister, Aileen Campbell, pictured with the Senior Women’s medallists as champion Morag MacLarty is flanked by Sarah Inglis (left) and Beth Potter (right)

Correct. And 25 February 2017 will go down as another lodged for a lifetime in the memory banks of all who raced, with the event in doubt at 8am that morning after overnight rain caused severe flooding. As it turned out, Storm Doris was to be DQd. Hawkins, who won his second Senior title and fifth in total, was asked why on earth he chose to run Falkirk in between important Half marathon engagements in Japan and New York. ‘Cross country is where it all started for me, and Falkirk is where I won my first Senior title,’ he said. ‘I love the atmosphere at the National and wanted to race it if I could. When we realised how it fell in terms of my other races early in 2017, I wanted to do it. ‘Without being arrogant, you can’t race all the time when you’re at the top end. You don’t want to tire yourself out and miss important training. But it was good to be

back again and it was a different course and 10K instead of 12K. ‘I wasn’t looking to lead it for as long, I was hoping to sit in a bit, but it was a bit slow at the start so I just went for a run out to see what happens, to see if I could hold on. ‘That’s two Senior titles I’ve won and Derek (Hawkins) has two. It’s a bit off Bobby Quinn’s five but getting to that will be difficult over the years with Andy Butchart in the mix!’ Hawkins won gold in 33.34 from Dundee Hawkhill’s Kris Jones, who clocked 34.02. Shettleston’s Lachlan Oates came through for a fine third place. Callum’s Team GB and NI team-mate from Rio, Beth Potter, had to settle for silver in the Women’s race, as Central AC athlete Morag MacLarty established an early advantage which she never relinquished to win Senior gold for the first time at the age of 31. Lothian’s Sarah Inglis took third.

National XC Central AC’s yellow topped the podium, too, in the Senior Men’s and Senior Women’s race – with the Men making it Seven-in-a-Row even without the assistance of another Olympian, Andy Butchart, who restricted himself to a supporting role from the sidelines.

Age Group races

It was the day the Women’s race went up to 10K - and no fewer than 269 finished, the biggest tally since championships for men and women merged in 1994 and numbers were recorded. The Men’s finishers number of 647 is the best for fully 30 years as Sports Minister, Aileen Campbell, witnessed for herself the feel-good factor coursing through athletics in Scotland at the moment. ‘Definitely inspired by today,’ tweeted the Minister. MacLarty covered the new 10K distance for Women in 38.32 to win by a massive 67 seconds from Potter, with Inglis a further 11 seconds back. ‘The highs in sport do make up for the many dark moments when you are injured or struggling,’ said Morag. ‘When I ran up the hill on the last lap and heard the roars from the crowds around the club tents, it was a very special moment. I had a good lead by then but I only really relaxed when Andy Butchart told me to ‘enjoy it’. He’s been in that situation before so I thought then he wouldn’t be kidding me on about the advantage behind me. ‘The past few years have been so tough, but I train at Central and the group I’m with there is absolutely amazing. My boyfriend Lewis (Millar) has been helping me out so much, so I feel really lucky and really positive about how things are going. ‘I’ve never won it as a Senior so it feels special.’ Potter has a superb National XC record and had to fight for silver after falling while placed third early on. But, as she experiments with triathlon, the Olympian retained her sense of humour.

‘I went for a swim at one stage,’ she laughed. ‘I did had a foot problem the week before and I hurt that in the fall. At one stage I thought about dropping out but decided against. I’m very proud of my achievements in the National XC and with Morag well ahead just had to dig in and try and get silver.’ Central AC won the Women’s team title with 48 points from Edinburgh Uni Hare and Hounds on 76 and Metro Aberdeen on 90 points. In the Men’s, it was clear-cut again for Derek Easton’s Central as they won from Shettleston Harriers and Cambuslang Harriers with 68 points for their six counters. ‘We’re pleased to win it again because we have had real strength in depth today - I think all the guys were in the top 20,’ said Ross Houston, the Glasgow 2014 marathon runner and GB ultra international. ‘We’ve younger guys like Jamie Crowe coming through - he did really well for fifth - so I think it is down to other clubs to see if they can try and catch us. We even let that guy Butchart have a day off.’ As Hawkins prepared for New York, Falkirk was once again Central’s Park. Report: By Peter Jardine Photos: By Bobby Gavin

U20 gold for Gillian Black

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y its very nature, the National XC should of course be a truly nationwide event – with clubs representing the length and breadth of Scotland converging on Falkirk each February. That is exactly what happens, of course, but it still feels encouraging when those climbing onto the podium, as individuals or as teams, come from right across the geographical spectrum. It certainly felt that way at Callendar Park this year and started with the opening race, as Inverness Harriers claimed team gold in the U13 Boys race with Lucas Cairns taking silver behind Lasswade winner Harry Henriksen. Giffnock North, Edinburgh AC, Kilbarchan AAC and Fife AC and VP-Glasgow, were to enjoy their fair share of success (as is often the case). But right through to Aberdeen and Springburn getting in among the U20 Men’s medals there was a range of other clubs involved as the likes of Linlithgow, Garscube Harriers, Deveron Harriers, Banchory Stonehaven, Inverclyde AAC and Gala Harriers all made an impression. That helps make the occasion a special one and for Inverness it was the culmination of a ‘journey’ in more ways than one. ‘We’ve been working with these boys for two and a half years,’ said Ross Cairns, coach and dad to Lucas. ‘It’s always helpful when you have a group coming through and we’ve almost trained them as a team. They didn’t really have any time at Falkirk to warm-up with the earlier start for 2017 and after our bus left inverness at 6.30am. ‘But it is good to travel as a club and I think we were represented across every race with 40 athletes.

Men’s 1-2-3 – bronze medallist Lachlan Oates (left) and silver winner Kris Jones flank champion Callum Hawkins

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National XC ‘Winning National XC gold will encourage this group and others in the club so it has been a great day.’ Linlithgow’s Andrew McGill took bronze while the U13 Girls, Edinburgh AC were team winners, with Fife’s Anna Hedley coming out on top in the individual contest from Anya Maclean of Garscube and VPGlasgow’s Valencia Wright. Giffnock North’s Hamish Armitt, won the U15 Boys title over the 4.2K route, with another team prize captured by Kilbarchan. The other medals went to Chris McLew (Cambuslang) and Sunny McGrath (Deveron). For the girls, Lily Jane Evans-Haggerty scooped first place for VP- Glasgow, while Giffnock took team gold , too. The other medallists were Heather Barnes of Giffnock and Cera Gemmell of Team East Lothian. An impressive display of front running saw Edinburgh’s Freddie Carcas comfortably finish first in the U17s men’s race. He ran 21.25 over 5.9K to win from Inverclyde duo Ryan Gray and Cameron Watson. The team prize went to Kilbarchan. GB international Erin Wallace of Giffnock North won the U17 women’s title, clocking

23.56 to beat Aberdeen’s Naomi Lang (24.08) and Clare Stewart of Banchory Stonehaven (24.21). Wallace’s efforts helped Giffnock North to team victory, There was a parallel thread running through the stories behind the two U20 title wins – with both Gillian Black and Broc Drury having recently recovered from injury. Drury (pictured) had a short-term tendon problem which cleared in time for a recent good run at BUCS, which acted as a springboard for his win at Callendar Park. Black, for her part, was sidelined for almost seven months in 2016 with a stress fracture and has only really returned to action in 2017. Broc won in 25.45 over the 7.6K course after a tremendous battle with Kilbarchan’s Euan Gillham (25.54) and Springburn’s Jamie Williamson (25.59), who were second and third respectively. The team prize went to Fife AC. ‘It was a good race today and I was never comfortable until I crossed the line,’ said Aberdeen AAC athlete Broc. ‘I have to thank Ken and Joyce Hogg, my coaches, because I’ve made real progress

with them in the past 18 months or so. There’s definitely plenty happening in the North-East at the moment and you look back to people like Rhona Auckland and it inspires you.’ Black turned 19 the day before Falkirk and grinned: ‘I had a quiet birthday – by that I mean I didn’t get out a run! ‘Being out for seven months with a stress fracture was very tough so it is good to put that behind me. ’ The VP-Glasgow athlete won in 25.23 ahead of Forres athlete Macfadyen by 13 seconds and Kilbarchan’s Sarah Dempsey (25.57). Kilbarchan topped the team standings after the 6.8K event.

Celtic Nations XC in Cardiff

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cotland claimed four wins from six races at the Celtic Nations XC in Cardiff in Janaury – as many of our young athletes distinguished themselves with fine performances. The British Cross Challenge in Blackweir Park in the Welsh capital was the perfect backdrop for the Celtic Nations XC races therein and adding to the feel-good factor were three overall race wins – with Anna Macfadyen’s superb success at U20 level backed up in lower age-groups by Lily-Jane Evans-Haggerty at U15 and Anna Hedley at U13 that day. Let’s start with the Scotland U23 performances and double gold in that agegroup as the Men and the Women both dominated. These athletes competed in the Senior Races at Cardiff and it should be noted Scotland had a few U20 athletes racing in an U23 age bracket in a Senior Race (who says cross country is straight-forward?). In terms of individual places reported upon herein, we will focus here on the Celtic Nations XC races. Scotland U23 men actually went 1,2,3 thanks to the efforts of Michael Ferguson, Logan Rees and Connor Maclean.

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The U23 Women went 1,2,4 thanks to the performances by Mhairi Maclennan, Louise Mercer and Annabel Simpson to also bring home team golds. The team were backed up by Catriona Graves. Anna Macfadyen is starting to make a real impact at U20 level in British terms and her terrific performance took British Cross Challenge and Celtic Nations XC gold. Backing her up in a team sense were Clare Stewart at sixth and Gillian Black in eighth with Scotland and Ireland tied on 15 points. The team were backed up by Naomi Lang. After initial computer error (which went on alphabetical order), it was confirmed Scotland had beaten Ireland with third counter Gillian one place ahead of the third Irish athlete. The Scotland U20 men selection featured GB internationals Sol Sweeney and Ben Greenwood and the Perth Strathtay duo did not disappoint. Sweeney was second and Greenwood was fourth with Alex Carcas at nine for Scotland to take silver medals and so nearly the golds. Ben brought home the Celtic bronze medal (with an Irish B athlete not counting for those) while Sol’s overall fourth place in the race will keep him high in the British Cross

Challenge Series standings. The team were backed up by Tristan Rees. Scotland U17 Women (pictured above) certainly looks a promising age group and so it proved as they finished three in the top five in the Celtic Nations XC for a dominant success. Eloise Walker was second with Cera Gemmell in fourth and Heather Barnes just behind in fifth. Jessica Macleod took seventh place, also! The Scotland U17 men found it tougher but there was an outstanding individual run for Hamish Armitt to take the Celtic Nations XC gold, with Robert Sparks in 11th and Joe Ewing in 17th. The team were backed up by Drew Pollock. Many congratulations to all those athletes, and their families and coaches who represented Scotland in Cardiff. We would also like to thank the team managers for their hard work and commitment over the weekend - Neil Renton, John Rodger, Sophie Dunnett and Sandra Hardacre.

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Great Edinburgh XC

‘I know how far Callum has progressed’ – Mo Farah Local hero has to settle for second

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of a gap, but I slipped a bit on one of the last bends. I don’t know if that would have made a difference, though, because Kiror is a quality athlete.

hen Callum Hawkins led the Olympic marathon in Rio last August, his name was trending on Twitter in something like 60 countries around the globe.

‘Over the last year or so I’ve just developed the thought of ‘just go out, if I die, I die, but just go for the win’; if it works then great things can happen, but if I fall short then I’m still way up there.’

Back on the home soil of Holyrood Park at New Year, the 24-year-old Scot had to content himself with enthralling a few thousands spectators at the Great Edinburgh XC and pushing one million TV viewers to the edge of their seats.

Kiror has his sights set on the 10,000m in London – like Mo – and a week after Edinburgh he clocked 61.14 for a half marathon victory.

For the best part of 24 minutes, Hawkins dominated a thrilling Senior Men’s 8K before being over-hauled by American visitor Leonard Korir in the final few metres to lose out by only a single second. Trailing in Callum’s wake came the European Cross Country champion KenyanTurk Aras Kaya, triple Holyrood winner Garrett Heath of the United States and double Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah. Not to forget the rest of the whole GB and NI contingent and Team Europe. It is the very definition of irony that the noise generated by the home crowd in Edinburgh maybe cost the local hero dearly as he couldn’t hear or sense Korir making his last-ditch bid to catch him on the finishing straight with 24.03 to 24.04. Nonetheless, what a performance it was and what a reaction it provoked with that TV audience on BBC Scotland double the 500,000 average who watched Manchester United in FA Cup action against Reading at the same time and more than 10 times the 45,000 average figure across the UK attributed to Pro-12 rugby action. Before our very eyes, Hawkins has become a headline act and Farah for one is not surprised. ‘Fair credit to Callum – he is a great athlete now and that was a great performance,’ smiled Mo, after what could well have been his last Edinburgh XC appearance. ‘From the get-go he made it really hard for us today and the previous year he was right

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Farah, who finished in seventh place, said: ‘It was a hard day at the office. You’ve got to be honest with yourself – it wasn’t what I wanted but it is where I am. The last bit of training hasn’t gone as well as I would have wanted. up there with the leaders until Garrett Heath made his move on the last lap. ‘I know how much he has progressed and it his ninth place in the marathon in Rio was a very good performance.’ With Farah moving to marathon after his final track events at the London 2017 World Champs, a ‘re-match’ may have to wait a year or two with Hawkins for the time being able to savour being the first British athlete to beat Mo in any race since Ricky Stevenson and Steve Vernon did so at Edinburgh in 2010. In doing so, he served notice on a burgeoning Scottish talent which has been apparent now to domestic audiences for many years in less profile venues like Falkirk and Cumbernauld. The difference on January 7 was that Holyrood Park became like Hampden at Glasgow 2014 and roared him on – with Farah further back the field. ‘I thought I had the race won – I couldn’t hear (him coming behind) because of the crowd,’ smiled Hawkins. ‘I’m pleased with the way I ran, but obviously a bit disappointed to get beaten. I gave it my all. I noticed there was a bit

‘But this is a team event and I wanted to come out here and represent my country. Cross country is where I started as a kid and it is always fun. It is good for the youngsters competing today and getting the support of these crowds.’ If it was Mo’s last appearance at Holyrood, then it is worth recording that for the second year in a row he spent almost as much time signing autographs and posing for selfies as he did racing 8k. For the second year in a row, he fully acknowledged and appreciated his young followers to set a good example

Great Edinburgh XC

MacLarty and Jones land Inter-District titles

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hen Morag MacLarty won the InterDistrict title in January 2015, a mid-race snowstorm endangered the Senior Women competitors with hypothermia. The Central AC athlete declared on that occasion it was the ‘worst conditions I’ve known’ for a race but this time it was positively benign in Edinburgh on January 7. It was the same outcome, however, as MacLarty put another period of injury concerns behind her to dominate virtually from gun to tape.

as a role model. Beth Potter, who had been under the weather around the time of her last cross country appearance in Liverpool, performed well to finish in 14th place in the Senior Women’s race over 6K. That was fourth in the contingent of 12 GB women and Steph Twell wasn’t far behind Beth in 16th place as the sixth Brit on the day. There was a 13th place for Sol Sweeney in the Junior Men’s race as he finished fifth out of the six GB and NI team. ‘I’m reasonably happy with it in my first appearance in a GB and NI vest,’ said Perth Strathtay athlete Sol. ‘I was in the leading group for a good spell but it opened up a bit on the last lap.’ It was tougher for Giffnock North AAC’s Erin Wallace as she finished 17th place after suffering a nasty spike injury.

‘It was a good run and pleasing – and I surprised myself because you don’t usually have to race as early as that and actually that made me apprehensive,’ said Morag, who won by 15 seconds. ‘The weather was good deal better than a couple of years ago, too. That was the worst conditions I can recall for a race! ‘I’ve had a few months now injury-free and good training so that is the most pleasing thing. It has been a really tough three years or so and while I’ve had some good results I’ve not been able to follow them up because I’ve lacked consistent training. ‘But at the moment I’m happy with some good training partners and content in my job as a dentist.’ MacLarty won it from West champion Nicola Hood as the North’s talented U20 athlete, Anna Macfadyen of Forres Harriers, took third place. Morag’s win helped the East edge the team award from the West by six points with the Scottish students in third place as Mhairi Maclennan and Louise Mercer completed the top five. Dundee Hawkhill athlete Kristian Jones won the Senior Men’s race with the Welshman representing the East District as he completed a pretty remarkable week – with wins on three surfaces for the GB international orienteering exponent. Jones had won a 5K road race in Wales and the Scottish 3000m indoor title in midweek at the Emirates Arena to make a great start to 2017. Luke Traynor, who had paced Jones in the 3000m, finished second over 8K of XC for the West, with Jamie Crowe coming through strongly for third place for Scottish Students.

‘Luke helped me out with the 3000m and I did ask him if he would be kind enough to drop out again,’ grinned Jones, who clocked 25.33 to win by 12 seconds. ‘I was actually worried that if he was close enough to me on the last lap I would be caught on the finish so I did all I could to make sure that didn’t happen. It has been a good week but I am very tired now. ‘I am doing a University course sponsored by the R and A in St Andrews so I live in Dundee and travel over to St Andrews. I joined Dundee Hawkhill and I’ve been in Scotland for about 18 months.’ The East won the team race by five points from the West. There were a couple of fine performances at U17 level with both Men and Women contesting the Scottish Inter-District medals within the Junior International races - which features U20 athletes. On the female side, the top three of Clare Stewart, Eloise Walker and Naomi Lang all succeeded in taking ‘scalps’ from the selection by USA, GB and Team Europe. Stewart, in fact, beat five of those athletes. The U17 Men could not quite bridge that gap but there was a good contest for the medals with the front three covered by 17 seconds as Freddie Carcas won gold for the East from the West’s Ryan Gray and Cameron Allan for the North. Stewart led home the East U17 Women to success while the West took the U17 Men’s crown by only two points. In the U15 races, there were gold medals for the West in an individual sense with wins for Hamish Armitt and Lily-Jane Evans-Haggerty. The East won the U15 Boys team race and the West won the U15 Girls team race. There were U13 gold medals for East duo Harry Henriksen and Anna Hedley. The West won the U13 Girls team race and the East took the U13 Boys team title.

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Great Edinburgh XC

e simply could not bring out this edition of PB and cover the Great Edinburgh XC without taking the opportunity to use these superb photos – taken by Katie Dunlop that day at Holyrood Park.

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No lesser a figure than the President of European Athletics, Sven Arne Hansen, very quickly Tweeted the picture with the message: ‘I really love the passion, dress and emotion of the Scottish Athletics fans #WeNeedMoreOfThem.’

Katie posted the large image on scottishathletics Facebook and on Twitter and, safe to say, the reach and coverage ‘snowballed’ from there.

Via ourselves, Athletics Weekly picked up Katie’s image for their publication and, on our own social media channels, the European Athletics President was soon being

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urged to bring the Euro Cross to Scotland – he didn’t seem to rule it out by any means! So now we produce the whole strip of pictures which capture perfectly what the interest which cross country, and live athletics, can command in Scotland with the likes of Callum Hawkins now a world class exponent. Photos: with thanks to Katie Dunlop

International XC Relay

Photo by Bobby Gavin

Scots savour relay podium again

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couple of years ago, Nigel Holl, then chief executive of scottishathletics, went public with a stated aim to seek to create more opportunities for Scotland to compete at international level. The Great Edinburgh XC International Relay was very much in its infancy at the time, after a 2 x 1K baptism, but that particular race has grown visibly in 2016 and 2017. Add two or three significant road running opportunities, such as the high profile Armagh 5K, and it’s pleasing to claim the goal, to an extent, is being delivered upon. What is certain is that the International 4 x 1K Relay at Holyrood Park has become both an exciting spectacle and a positive, learning experience for Scottish athletes. Laura Muir, Josephine Moultrie, Ross Matheson and Grant Muir were our first four representatives back in 2015 and since then no fewer than a further 13 athletes have worn the Scotland vest. Muir led Scotland home in 2016 but this time captained GB and NI to claim the Stewart Cup, with Scotland A in third place only one second behind the United States. Laura’s anchor leg was by far the fastest women’s split and she said later: ‘As the captain for the Great Edinburgh XC event, I wanted to put in a great performance for the team. ‘When I saw the other guys and girls placing well, I knew I had to deliver as well – luckily the legs were feeling ok (after a 5000m indoor run the previous midweek). ‘I’ve not really been used to being the one

to watch before but it’s great that people are recognising that I’m running fast and I just want to try and keep that up.’ Neil Gourley delivered a great run for Scotland A, taking the team up from seventh to first in his third leg before debutant Jemma Reekie’s anchor leg.

Neil Gourley hands over to Jemma Reekie

Jake Wightman and Mhairi Hendry were the other team members who enjoyed that special podium moment in front of family and friends and wearing Macron Scotland kit. For Gourley, though, there were negotiations to be had with his University coach to make sure he took his place on the start-line for the third leg. ‘I enjoyed it and it is a fun event,’ smiled Neil, who represented Scotland B a year ago. ‘I ran last year and the atmosphere was great so I wanted to do it again when the invitation came through. But first I had to negotiate with my coach, Ben Thomas, because they did want me back in the United States on January 2. ‘The college are supportive, though, and hopefully that run I’ve managed will

convince them it was worth it me being here! ‘I think it was a real team effort because Jake had a strong run and Mhairi, too. Then, on the last leg, for Jemma to run like that against very experienced athletes and get us to third place was great for her and for us.’ The B team definitely had a development look to it with Ben Greenwood, Michael Ferguson and Steph Pennycook all involved while for Philippa Millage it was just reward for some really fine performances in her mid-30s. ‘I was delighted to get a first Scotland vest at any level and pleased for my coach, Bill Parker,’ said Philippa. ‘2016 was a great season for me with PBs over 400 - 800 and 1500 and training is going well so I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do in 2017.’

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Header Seniors Scottish to be keeping. Then, in an exciting Women’s 800m final, Mhairi Hendry grabbed the gold in 2.05.27 and in doing so dragged silver medallist Jemma Reekie to a Scottish U20 Indoor Record and European U20 qualifying standard with 2.05.52 (beating Hendry’s existing Record). For bronze medallist Erin Wallace, there was the significant consolation of a Commonwealth Youth Games qualifying standard with 2.06.84. Paton is not 21 until April but has really come of age in her favoured event over the past year. Three times now she has won the Scottish sprint title and on January 28 she had the Native Record of 8.50 firmly in her sights.

Raising the bar Perform When It Counts. When scottishathletics launched the phrase as a full-blown strategy, the idea behind it was that everyone within the sport should be looking to raise the bar or up their game. No matter the area of the sport – athletes, coaches, volunteers, administrators within the governing body – the belief was that creating the right culture is essential to generate success. Unity of purpose from various facets of the sport is another and, in many ways, we saw examples of both at the Scottish Senior and U17 Champs. Big entry numbers – almost 600 athletes were on start-lists – hinted at a growing

desire to compete when it counts. Then, albeit despite many of Scotland’s very best athletes being marked absent, a clutch of those who were in Glasgow delivered. In Senior terms, David Smith (pictured above) and Heather Paton were probably the standout performers with the high jump champion clearing 2.21m to meet the Gold Coast qualification standard while the English-based hurdler raced to a Native Record with a PB of 8.37 for the Women’s 60M Hurdles. Just below that, Alisha Rees had a gold medal double to celebrate with her 200m winning time of 24.18 breaking a 35-yearold Scottish Indoor U20 record held by Olympian Linsey Macdonald. Good company Allan Hamilton wins from Cameron Tindle

‘That’s three Scottish titles in a row and the Native Record so I am absolutely delighted with that – and the PB,’ said Worcesterbased Paton, who qualifies for Scotland via her Scottish father, Billy McGinty, who played rugby league for Scotland. ‘I knew the Native Record was at 8.50 and that was definitely a target for this indoor season. I ran 8.40 a couple of weeks ago and it felt quite comfortable so I was hopeful for the race here in Glasgow that I could improve on that. ‘But the big thing is to do it in a championship final. I won here last year and then in the Seniors at Grangemouth but there’s that little bit more pressure when you are standing on the start-list – in fact, we had to wait quite a while for our final because of a few false starts. So you have to perform when it counts. ‘I was pleased to run for Scotland at Loughborough last year and wear the vest today. I’m looking toward the European U23 Champs in Poland this summer and hopefully I can make the GB and NI team for that.’ Later, as social media went into overdrive on our #SALChamps hashtag and with ‘Facebook Live’ coverage, there was a great example of the unity previously mentioned. Former sprint hurdler Pat Rollo went on Scottish Athletics Facebook to congratulate Heather and urged her to ‘break my longstanding 100m Hurdles record’. Elsewhere, Allan Hamilton edged out Cameron Tindle in the Men’s 60m final, where they both clocked PBs, while Ben Greenwood impressed in the 800m with a big indoor PB.

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Mhairi Patience won the 400m final in 55.85 with Irish athlete, Emma Mitchell, taking the Women’s 1500m title. In the field there were Women’s golds for the likes of

Scottish Seniors

Alisha claims spotlight Mhairi Hendry wins from Jemma Reekie Gillian Cooke (long jump), Carolyn Harvey (triple jump), Anna Gordon (pole vault) Rachel Hunter (shot). Hamilton took the 60m in a new PB of 6.73 with Tindle’s 6.81 taking him to third on the Scottish all-time list at U20. Allan was third in the long jump. ‘It’s not quite what I was hoping for but I will take it,’ said Allan. ‘The PB in the 60m tells me I will jump much further this season. I am running faster than ever before, that’s the bottom line. ‘My blocks slipped a little bit so maybe I could have run even faster in the 60m. But it is a PB and Cammy did as well, so it was decent race.’ Kilbarchan athlete Andrew Murphy saw off Francis Smith to win the 60m Hurdles, although Smith did come up with a Scottish V35 best performance. Alec Thomas headed his twin, Kade, to the 200m title with 22.01. Chuxx Onyia won the Triple Jump with 15.85 as Aidan Quinn took second with another PB. There was a W55 World Record in the 500m from the redoubtable Fiona Matheson. The Falkirk Vics athlete had been torn between racing in the Masters XC and at the Emirates but 4.56 broke the existing World Indoor 1500m mark at W55. Congratulations, Fiona! *The Scottish Seniors was part of the Team Scotland Series – a collaborative approach to National Championship events in a number of sports. BBC Scotland were in attendance at the Emirates and we hope to do live stream coverage from Grangemouth on August 26/27 for the Seniors and U17s outdoor champs.

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thletics aficionados in Scotland have whispered in conspiratorial tones for a while now about the talents of a 17-year-old sprinter called Alisha Rees, but the teenager may have blown her cover at the Scottish Senior Indoor Championships at the Emirates Arena. This powerfully-built prodigy from Banchory, Aberdeenshire, ended the day with two national titles to her name, the 60 metres and 200m. She ran a PB of 7.51secs to land the former and won the latter in a time which shaved 200ths of a second from Linsey MacDonald’s under-20 record, which had stood for fully 35 years. Having brought a silver and a bronze medal back from the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa in 2015, Rees is now just 0.27s away from reaching the Commonwealth Games proper on Australia’s Gold Coast next April. She turns 19 the day after the closing ceremony and don’t bet against it being a dual celebration. With a name like Rees, it may be no surprise to find that the Banchory Academy pupil has some Welsh blood coursing through her veins. Her father hails from Llanelli, but Rees is as Scottish as they come. ‘People say I’ve got an English accent and a Welsh last name, but I do it all for Scotland,’ Rees said. ‘I’ve lived here all my life.’ Athletics appears to be her true calling, but the Welsh like their rugby and one look at the broad-shouldered Rees in action provokes the thought that perhaps, had things gone differently, she might have been in the women’s Six Nations. In fact, the teenager does have form for thundering down the wing – but on the football field rather than the rugby pitch.

With echoes of Scottish women’s football star Kim Little, also brought up in Aberdeenshire at Mintlaw, Rees put in some of the hard yards when playing among the boys in her school football team. ‘I’ve always wanted to do rugby and I’ve always thought I’d be quite good at it,’ said Rees. ‘But I played football when I was younger and when I was 13, 14, I considered it as my main sport. I liked being part of a team. But I was quite shy back then, so while I really enjoyed it, I never saw myself becoming good at it. ‘Becca Flaherty was in my team and she’s now at Liverpool Ladies. I was doing athletics at the same time, so I wasn’t sure which to go for. But I love athletics and I love competing every weekend.’ Rees, who also won silver at the European Youth Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, last year, hopes to thrive in the slipstream of British sprint stars such as Dina AsherSmith and Desiree Henry, even if some already see her potential to move up to 400m. ‘I feel like I’ve grown more confident in the last year,’ added Alisha, coached by Willy Russell. *At the England Athletics U20 Champs, Rees collected a bronze and gold medal double in the sprints – as she set new Scottish U20 Records in each event. Alisha clocked 7.43 in the 60m semi-final to break Jenna Wrisberg’s 7.50 record and then went to 23.79 to win the 200m title in Sheffield. Photos by Bobby Gavin Report by Stewart Fisher (The Herald)

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British Indoor Champs

cottish prospects for the British indoors seemed to weaken somewhat when it became apparent Laura Muir preferred Birmingham to Sheffield, Andy Butchart and Lynsey Sharp favoured an indoor season in the United States, and Chris O’Hare, Jax Thoirs and a couple of others missed out on Yorkshire for different reasons.

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off the plane from training in Kenya and was to race no fewer than 30 laps of the 200m track over a 23-hour period, as she competed at 1500m, too.

After successive medal hauls of seven some 12 months previously and eight back in 2015, the collective strength might have been a concern.

‘It was a very slow first one kilometre but I was confident in my kick at the end and I felt strong over the course of the race,’ said Eilish, who won in 9.05.07 from Steph’s 9.05.30

We need not have worried. Once again, Scottish athletes beat a path to the podium to take nine medals – four of them gold – to make it an 8-7-9 haul for the past three indoor seasons. The tally of four golds, for Eilish McColgan, Eilidh Doyle, Allan Smith and Guy Learmonth, matched the 2015 tally, which at the time had not been achieved since 2009. The Women’s 3000m witnessed a Scottish 1-2 for the second successive year. Steph Twell had won from Josephine Moultrie in 2016 but had to defer this time to fit-again McColgan. The champion wasn’t long

‘I have the qualifying time from outdoors so I knew in the back of my head that I just needed to finish in the top two. I’ve got another opportunity at the Indoor Grand Prix to run a fast time next week – that’s where I’ll go for a PB, but today was all about going for the win.’ That was on Saturday evening and the following afternoon, there was almost another double Scotch in the 1500m – with this time placed second and fourth claimed as Eilish took silver with 18-year-old Jemma Reekie just outside the medals. Doyle had savoured an unbeaten start to 2017 ahead of Sheffield and maintained that sequence at the championships. First at the break in the Women’s 400m final, Eilidh had to use all her 400m Hurdles strength to hold on for a 52.63 victory after a slow first 200m, with Laviai Neilsen clocking 52.86 just inches ahead of Lina Nielsen, who was rewarded with a 52.89 personal best. ‘I knew it was going to be really tough – I raced Laviai out in Vienna and she really pushed me, and that was where I ran my season’s best, so I knew it’d be more of the same here today,’ said Eilidh.

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Smith placed sixth on 2.17m. ‘I’m happy with winning the British Championships – it’s always nice, and it’s the first time I’ve beaten Robbie, too,’ said Allan. ‘He’s one of the big boys, so there’s a positive to take from that. Guy Learmonth was the next Scot to feature in a final and his victory was never really in doubt in the 800m as he led from the start to finish; clocking 1.48.19 to win the British Indoor title once again. ‘I am absolutely over the moon,’ said Guy, who is back living in Berwick and being coach again by Henry Gray. ‘It has been a rough 18 months for me so there was a lot at stake. I’ve started the indoor season pretty well and have continued that this weekend. I knew I had to finish in the top two to guarantee my spot in Belgrade but I really wanted to win the British title – it means a lot.’ In the Men’s 400m final, there looked to be a bronze medal at British level for Jamie Bowie as he came home in behind Jarryd Dunn and Cameron Chalmers - but unfortunately a DQ decision denied the Team East Lothian athlete a medal. The other two medals arrived as Mhairi Hendry and Courtney MacGuire both claimed bronzes.

‘Over the final lap I could feel people behind me but I didn’t really know what was going on, so I just thought ‘keep digging and digging’, so I’m delighted to just get the win and secure the spot for European Indoors.’

Hendry worked hard for her third place in the Women’s 800m final as she clocked 2.05.22 with Emily Dudgeon taking fifth place. MacGuire cleared 3.94m in the pole vault to win bronze.

Allan Smith won the high jump British Indoor title for the second time in three years as he replicated his 2015 success.

There was a PB indoors for Grant Plenderleith in the 200m final which earned him bronze while Heather Paton unfortunately struck the second last hurdle in her final.

Smith’s first time clearance at 2.25m proved enough on countback to take the honours in a tight competition, with David

Photos: British Athletics/Getty Images

London 2017

Watch our Para stars in London he organisers of the World Para Athletics Championships in London this summer are offering an unmissable opportunity for Athletics clubs across the UK to attend the Championships at a discounted price.

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action are four of Scotland’s stars from Rio 2016. Stef Reid will hope to go for gold in the T44 long jump while Libby Clegg, Jo Butterfield, Maria Lyle and Samantha Kinghorn each plan to impress in their respective events.

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Thursday 20 July – 7-10pm – 14 finals including T37 400m (Georgie Hermitage), T34 400m (Hannah Cockroft) and F32 Club Throw (Stephen Miller) and heats of the T36 400m (Paul Blake)

The Organising Committee are eager for Scotland’s clubs to play a part in the most highly anticipated World Para Athletics Championships in history.

This special offer applies to all club members, officials, young athletes, committee members and their families looking to attend in groups of 15+.

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Friday 21 July – Evening 7-10pm – 16 finals including T36 400m (Paul Blake) and the T38 400m (Kadeena Cox) and heats of the T44 200m (Laura Sugar)

Taking place between 14-23 July at the London Stadium, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the Championships will feature 1300 athletes across 213 medal events over 16 unforgettable sessions of action. Athletics clubs will have access to five sessions, featuring 53 finals, for just £3 per child (16 and under) and £5 per adult, giving clubs at the heart and soul of Athletics the opportunity to watch their heroes from the Rio 2016 Paralympics.

Sessions on offer for this price:

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Saturday 22 July – Morning 10am1pm – Nine finals including T44 High Jump (Jonathan Broom-Edwards) and heats of the T37 100m (Georgie Hermitage) and T38 100m (Sophie Hahn and Kadeena Cox)

Among the athletes hoping to be part of the

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Saturday 15 July – 10am-1pm – six finals including the T44 Long Jump (Stef Reid) and heats of the T35 200m (Maria Lyle), T53 200m (Samantha Kinghorn) and T33 100m (Toby Gold and Andrew Small) Sunday 16 July – 10am-1pm – seven finals including F42 Discus Throw (Aled Davies) and F44 Discus Throw (Dan Greaves) and heats of the T11 200m (Libby Clegg)

To express an interest in club discount offer, clubs must complete the ‘Athletics Clubs offer’ Application Form found at

http://www.london2017athletics.com/ sportsgroups

Gold Coast 2018

Let the race to the Gold Coast begin...

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hree years on from Glasgow 2014 and it is only natural that the marvellous memories of Hampden begin to fade more with each passing season. From Libby Clegg’s golden moment to Mark Dry’s bronze medal celebration and the sights and sounds of Eilidh Child (now Doyle) and Lynsey Sharp savouring emotional laps of honour in front of a home crowd at the national stadium. Come the closing ceremony, Kylie Minogue turned the spotlight towards Australia and now Gold Coast 2018, which seemed so distant back then, very much looms large on the horizon. A year hence and Scotland’s best athletes will be heading Down Under to prepare for another Commonwealth Games and thoughts will turn to the podium prospects. Performance Director Rodger Harkins has seen this particular wheel turn a number of times during his coaching career and has been handed a lead role for Gold Coast 2018. Rodger, who in fact has had experience of coaching an athlete to every Games since 1986, will be Head Coach next April. But, before then, comes the selection scramble – which is already off and running via some very decent winter performances. ‘We’re just over a year away from Gold Coast 2018 and it is always exciting at this stage in the Commonwealth Games cycle,’ said Rodger, in a special interview for PB. ‘The selection period is open for most

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of the rest of the year and that means opportunities for athletes to put themselves into contention for selection. ‘So many Scottish athletes have stepped up over the past 18 months or so that we’ve more than a few now who are performing at what I would call a global level - we saw that with the big representations in Team GB and NI for the Olympics in Rio. ‘A Commonwealth Games in the southern hemisphere at that time of the year – normally it could be difficult to prepare for. But I’m seeing quite a few indications from athletes in various recent performances out of kilter from the ‘normal’ track and field season to give me an awful lot of encouragement.’ Having said that, the bar is set higher than it was for Hampden. ‘The standards being asked for in order to be in the frame for selection are higher this time around,’ added Rodger. ‘Glasgow 2014 was an exceptional circumstance in many ways – selection then, and I am talking across all sports, was based on the potential to finish in a top eight place. That was based on the results from the three previous three Commonwealth Games. ‘This time, for Gold Coast, the Commonwealth Games Scotland General Selection Policy is looking for the potential for a top six finish. As I say, that is across

all sports and those are the parameters we need to work within. ‘Inevitably, that is going to mean there is a real fight on for places in Australia. ‘It is going to be tough to get on the team but what I would say is that those selection standards will drive up performances – and that’s good for our sport. ‘Effectively, those that make it will be real contenders for the podium or the final in their events and I think I can safely say – even at this distance – that Scotland will have a very strong team.’ For those who believe they may be in contention, the important preparation should have long since started. ‘The other point that is important for athletes and coaches with ambitions of being selected is the level of Competition required for qualifying standards to be accepted permit Level 3 and above,’ explained Rodger. ‘The Selection Policy states that it is the responsibility of athletes and coaches to be aware of this and ensure the competitions they are taking part in are of the appropriate level. ‘Opportunities coming up soon include Loughborough, the District Champs and the British Champs. Later on, you have the Manchester International and then the Scottish Seniors. That’s just naming five

‘I’m sure we’ll have a really strong team’

Gold Coast 2018 opportunities off the top of my head and there will be plenty of others. ‘When planning the competition schedule for the outdoor season, coaches should be looking at this.’ Harkins, who coached Lee McConnell to the Olympics three times and who followed Stephen Maguire into the Performance Director post with scottishathletics towards the end of 2014, is looking forward to Australia and has already been heavily involved in the preparations. ‘It will be a real honour to lead the Team Scotland track, field and marathon athletes into competition at Gold Coast 2018 as Head Coach. ‘Looking back, I’ve been involved in a great many of what I call the ‘Commonwealth Games cycle’ over a number of years in the sport and, in fact, have coached athletes to compete at every Games since 1986.’ In October 2016, scottishathletics President Leslie Roy was appointed as a General Team Manager by Commonwealth Games Scotland for the Gold Coast 2018 Games. Leslie has Games management experience stretching back to 2002 and, leading on transport and logistics, will carry out a similar role to her responsibilities at Glasgow 2014. ‘I am absolutely delighted and privileged to once again be part of Team Scotland’s General Team Management and I am looking forward to the challenges and experiences that the Gold Coast will bring,’ said Leslie. Leslie will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of Team Scotland transport and logistics. This will include liaising and communicating with the Team Managers of all 18 sports regarding planning travel to Australia and co-ordinating team freight and equipment. The responsibilities also include co-ordinating the transition of Team Scotland members and their equipment from the Team Camp in the Sunshine Coast to the main village in the Gold Coast as well as to satellite villages and Team functions. ‘This will be my fifth Commonwealth Games and it is something very special and rewarding to be able to help athletes achieve their goals at a Games,’ added Leslie. ‘I visited the Gold Coast in October 2016 and the venues look absolutely superb.’ Joining Leslie and Rodger in a Team Scotland post is Julie Mollison. Assistant Team Manager for Athletics at Glasgow 2014, Julie will now step up to the Team Manager role for the Gold Coast. Mollison, currently one of our three National Club Managers, has been involved in various team manager roles within scottishathletics for the past 10 years.

Callum Hawkins displays individual bronze and team gold at Euro Cross (photo by Mark Shearman) and crosses the line in Japan for Scottish Half Marathon Record.

From local heroes to global TV stars . . .

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o say the scottishathletics social media channels were ablaze on the Saturday night of February 4/5 probably doesn’t begin to cover it. Even First Minister Nicola Sturgeon found herself being tagged – in a cheeky request to declare a national holiday, as World Leads were recorded across three continents. It really was an extraordinary 12 hours or so as Laura Muir broke the European 3000m indoor Record in Germany; Andy Butchart ran a 3.54 mile indoors in New York to top the global rankings; and Callum Hawkins set a Scottish Half Marathon Record in Japan. Muir’s race was live on Eurosport, Butchart’s was broadcast on NBC in America and Hawkins featured live on TV in Japan. Not a bad 1-2-3 in terms of achieving global domination of the television markets! Callum was the third of the trio to run that weekend – as he took on the Karagawa Marugame Half Marathon in Japan and clocked 60.00 The occasion fell only a few days after the Great Scottish Run measurement in Glasgow had confirmed the course last October was short – an error that costs the Kilbarchan AAC athlete his 60.24 time that day. The Road Running and Cross Country Commission have since confirmed that all Scottish Half Marathon medals from that day will stand (as awarded).

So, with that news breaking as Callum flew to Japan, was he more motivated than ever on the start-line? ‘Maybe just a tiny wee bit,’ grinned the 24-year-old. ‘But the bottom line is I knew I had a really good time in me – whether it was Glasgow last October or Japan this February. ‘We flew out early deliberately to get properly ready and it was my first time over there. We arrived on the Wednesday morning their time and even though I did a fair bit if sleeping over the next couple of days, I did do 10 miles on the Thursday. ‘The conditions were good on the morning of the race. It was a wee bit slippy with rain but the temperatures couldn’t have been better and there was no wind – so it was ideal. ‘I was expecting a good time but what I didn’t expect was to be leading by almost a minute in the closing stages. The last 5K were a wee bit uphill and when I turned into the stadium I saw the 59 something and of course you are chasing to get under the hour mark. ‘Right up to the last few strides I was hoping for it and only afterwards do you ask yourself ‘could I have saved a second here or there?’. It is only natural when you see

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Euro Cross 2016 Germany and then Andy following on in the Mile indoors in America. ‘I was more focused on my own run, of course, but I caught up on it all a bit more later on before flying home. I guess it was quite a night for Scotland and for Scottish Athletics.’ Indeed. There had been a hint of things to come earlier in the winter, when Hawkins and Butchart were in the vanguard for GB and NI at the Euro Cross in Chia, Italy. After a terrific battle, Callum came up with Scotland’s first ever Senior medal at the Euro Cross in third placed behind two Kenyan-born Turks and Andy had to settle for fourth. 60.00 but I can’t really be disappointed with how I ran.’

‘I got out a lot better than I thought I would - I thought I’d be chasing but I saw Andy take it on and I thought ‘I’ll do it with him’,’ said Callum at the time.

It was also Scotland’s third World Lead of the weekend . . . ‘I was aware of that pre-race, yes, but not with too much detail,’ Callum told PB. ‘I’d seen a few mentions on Twitter early in the morning, with Laura storming the 3K in

‘He almost got me - I fell off a bit about 4 laps in - but I managed to get it together. I wasn’t a fan of the mounds on the course; I felt like I was losing time over them, but when I got back on the flats it was about trying to break the two Turks, but they were

too strong for me. ‘I think between me and Andy that one day he’ll probably beat me and the next I’ll beat him – it’s that even between us, but we both went for it. We’ve both only really been at it properly in the sport for four or five years, too, so we’ve still got a long time left in our careers. ‘I think that is the strongest senior men’s team we’ve had, maybe ever. We have four Olympians – in our top four we had a sub 13:10 guy (5000m), a sub 61 guy (half marathon) and two sub 28 guys (10km). It is a really strong team and we are really pleased to come out with the gold. Butchart, who is coached by Derek Easton, said: ‘I’m happy – Callum delivered a medal and has put a lot of work in, but I definitely think if you want to beat the top guys you have to go for it, and for us to be that close to them and compete properly against them is great to see. Television audiences across the globe are bearing witness to it, too. If they can maintain momemtum, the Australian TV market could be added to the list come Gold Coast 2018.

If you’re going to put yourself through hell, you might as well do it in heaven.

24.09.17 Marathon | 10K | 5K | Wee Nessie lochnessmarathon.com GUARANTEED MARATHON ENTRY AVAILABLE NOW

The Event Frontrunners

How Others See Us

Susan Egelstaff

Robust club structure is vital for the future By Susan Egelstaff

Olympian Susan Egelstaff represented Scotland in badminton at the Commonwealth Games but is now turning her hand to a career in journalism as a columnist and writer with The Herald and The National. Susan has shown a keen interest in athletics recently and the piece reproduced here first appeared in the Herald after a visit to the Scottish Schools Indoors.

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Earlier this week, I spent a day at the Scottish Schools’ Indoor Track and Field Championships which took place at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow’s east end. Over the course of two days, more than 1,300 boys and girls from 200 schools all across Scotland ran, jumped and threw but this was much more than a mere school sports day. Almost certainly, at least a couple of members of the next generation of Scotland’s athletics talent will have been present at the Emirates this week. A particularly notable performance came from Erin Wallace from East Renfrewshire who broke 2016 Olympian Beth Potter’s 1500m age-group record but the 16-yearold was just one of a number of young athletes who have the potential to make the notoriously tricky transition into the senior ranks. The youngsters certainly do not have to look far for inspiration at the moment, with Scottish Athletics at an all-time high. In Laura Muir, we have a world No.1. In Eilidh Doyle, we have an Olympic medallist. And in the Hawkins brothers, we have a pair of distance runners who have the potential to make a real mark on the global scene. And these are to name but a few. No fewer than 15 Scots made it into the British

track and field team for Rio 2016, the highest number for more than 100 years. That the majority of Scotland’s Olympians learned their trade in their home country has had an impact on the next generation of Scottish athletes. When I spoke to race winners at these Scottish Schools Championships, they were acutely aware of the fact the current Scottish internationalists came through the same system that they are currently a part of. The importance of this cannot be underestimated. While young athletes may see Usain Bolt as a hero, it is somewhat harder to relate to the Jamaican superstar than it is to relate to someone who grew up around the corner from you. The success of Scottish athletes has not happened by accident though. At the end of last year I spoke to the chairman of the national governing body, Ian Beattie, who stressed time and time again that, five or six years ago, the organisation decided to put a concerted effort into developing their club system. It is, therefore, no coincidence that the athletes who benefited from being a part of those clubs are now excelling on the world stage. It is a model that every sport is Scotland should take note of. There are still too many sports which, in my view, rely too heavily on having one national centre and are hell-bent on having everything coming out of there. I have heard first-hand stories of young athletes who have been cut out of the system due to their reluctance to commit to training at their national centre. Bear in mind that national centres are primarily in the central belt and with kids still at school, attendance can often require considerable travel. In contrast, athletics made it their priority to ensure that the standard of their local clubs was raised meaning that almost every kid had high level training on their doorstep. Of course, the majority will still never make it to Olympic

standard but with this system, the only barrier is themselves. In contrast, the focus on one single performance centre disqualifies too many young athletes on the basis of logistics or finances. It is not merely the manageable logistics of a club system that make it important though. By its very nature, a national centre separates the very best from the up-and-coming. It was a real eye-opener to speak to young kids at the Scottish Schools Championships who trained with the cream of Scotland’s elite. 14 year-old David McNair from Kilbarchan trains with Callum Hawkins. Joe Ewing from Edinburgh trains with Lynsey Sharp. There will be more examples. The value of seeing an Olympian – and their training methods – up close and personal cannot be under-estimated. The benefits of being part of a club system where teenagers can often train with world-leading athletes means that it raises the entire standard. It is no coincidence that, in the sport I spent over two decades in, badminton, there has never been a club structure and so the gap between the top layer of players and the next one down is shockingly vast. It remains to be seen if Scottish Athletics can maintain this level of elite performance. Sport does go in cycles and this could, potentially, just be a random high point. This seems unlikely though. The evidence at the Scottish Schools Championships suggests there are plenty of young athletes to fill the shoes of Laura Muir, Eilidh Doyle, Andrew Butchart and the rest. Developing a robust club structure does not happen overnight. But Scottish Athletics has proven that neither does it necessarily take decades. There are few sports in Scotland which are growing at the rate of athletics both at elite level and grassroots. It shouldn’t take a genius to spot the link between that improvement and a strong club system.

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Coaching

#SALCoach

Coaching Review and 2017 Update

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arren Ritchie was appointed Head of Coach Development at the end of last year – with the clear of bringing coach development together with our qualifications pathway.

Chief executive Mark Munro said: ‘One of my biggest frustrations in recent years is that we have never quite managed to bring coach development together in unity with our qualifications delivery. ‘Creating this specific unit will ensure this now happens automatically and will be headed up by Darren Ritchie, who will now manage the qualifications and administration staff and components. ’There have been a number of recently identified areas to develop and prioritise that will bring coach qualifications and CPD together and develop a clear pathway for learning. ‘One of the main aims in my role, along with the Development Team, is to work closely with clubs and support them in the development of the coaching structures, identify any gaps in expertise and experience and develop an action for coach development within the clubs,’ said Darren. ‘We’re looking to progress coaches up the coaching pathway; thus creating a better, more knowledgeable workforce with more expertise.’

Setting the scene – The current coaching landscape in Scotland

Coach Qualifications Whilst recognising the challenges of having to regularly recruit and train new coaches, one of our other key aims is to ensure we have more coaches operating in clubs with a Level 2/Athletics Coach award or higher. Following a review of the level of qualifications of coaches across Scotland, see figure 1 (below), we can see that the predominant coaching workforce, with over half of our active coaches are Coaching Assistants, with just over 30% of our coaches at Level 2/Athletics Coach award. figure 1

During the review, a lack of technical knowledge was highlighted in hurdles, jumps and throws and this was reflected in the number of coaches progressing through the Event Group Coach Qualification. Going forward, the aim is to increase the number of coaches progressing through the Event Group Coach Award, especially in jumps and throws.

Coach Development For those who are already qualified, scottishathletics offers a wide range of Coach Development opportunities to help you improve your coaching skills and experience. The Coach Development Programme will provide a clearly-structured programme of continued professional development (CPD) that will be appropriate to the level and experience of the coach. The new plan will offer education on athletic development & physical preparation, technical development and the planning of these elements throughout the coach development pathway, locally at clubs, regionally and nationally.

Local Coach Development Within the review, we also looked at the number of coaches who have progressed through the Event Group Coach Award. Two years ago, UK Athletics introduced the new Event Group Coach qualification and to date, 63 Scottish coaches have successfully completed the award; 27 Speed, 25 Endurance, eight Jumps and four Throws.

Through local coach development opportunities, we aim to raise the standard of coaching practice within Scottish clubs. These opportunities are designed to increase the base level of coaching knowledge and expertise in developing the athlete, ensuring they have the physical qualities to run, jump and throw.

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newly qualified coaches, providing content of “what to coach”, to add to the “how to coach” covered in the qualification courses.

Regional Coach Development These coach development opportunities will be delivered within each of the Districts in Scotland (East, West, North) throughout the year. Athletic Development & Physical Preparation II is designed for coaches who are responsible for the physical preparation of the athlete, and continues to develop the foundation movements that underpin the sport specific action.

Technical Coaching Clinics The new addition to the coach development programme is the introduction of Technical Coaching Clinics. These are a series of event specific technical workshops that supports the content contained on the Athletic Development & Physical Preparation I & II courses and the Athletics Coach (or Coach in Running Fitness) qualification, but also adds to the knowledge and practice base of established coaches. The aims of the Coaching Clinics are to primarily support Coaching Assistants & coaches who have achieved the Athletics Coach Award, providing a structured learning environment for athletes and coaches based around LTAD ‘learn to train/ train to train’ principles (coaches working with athletes at U13/U15).

#SALCoach

Coaching

The clinics will target events with low numbers of technical expertise, specifically in hurdles, jumps and throws and will take place in each of the three Districts across Scotland (East, West and North) to ensure maximum involvement with clubs and coaches. The following is a list of outcomes from the Technical Coaching Clinics:

National Coaching Conference

• Greater understanding of how physical preparation can help improve skill acquisition and develop technique

Coach Licence renewal

• Technical Progressions, looking at the sequential progressions and how these may differ from athlete to athlete

All qualified coaches will have a UKA licence, which details their qualification and the expiry date of their licence. The expiry date is directly linked to their PVG disclosure expiry date. Six months and three months prior to the expiry date, every coach will receive a reminder email from UKA about the expiry, advising them to complete a PVG and have it signed off by the welfare officer in the club. It is the coach’s responsibility to renew their licence before their licence expires. If your licence is due for renewal and you haven’t received a reminder, please contact the office at welfare@scottishathletics.org.uk

This year, the Coaching Conference forms a core part of the National Coach Development Programme and will involve a series of practical sessions, seminars, and workshops led by international and expert coaches. Date and speakers TBC.

• The use of effective drills and activities • Practical opportunities to develop coaching observations and interventions

National Coach Development Athletic Development & Physical Preparation Courses The Athletic Development & Physical Preparation (AD&PP) workshops will continue with level III & IV, where coaches look at the different training methods in applying external load. AD&PP III will look at the use of medicine balls, plyometrics, dumbbells and strength bands. In AD&PP IV, we introduce the use of the barbell and the coaching of the Olympic lifts.

National Training Days One of the biggest additions to the Coach Development Calendar for 2017 is the introduction of National Training Days. Through the National Training Days, we aim to be excellent at delivering the basics, through the following curriculum: Physical Competency Assessment of athletes – support coaches through Physical Competency Assessment (PCA) process, ensuring the athletes have the physical competencies to do the ‘technical stuff’. Develop technical proficiency of athletes - develop a deeper knowledge and understanding of the technical model. Identify, examine and consider the performance demands of event(s) – what are the performance determinants of the event, and examine the transfer of training to performance; why you do, what you do. The main outcome of the National Training

The Coach Development Team Days is to provide objective data for the coach and the athlete in assessing the effectiveness of their programme and make appropriate coaching interventions. The plan is to deliver three training days to invited coaches and athletes, over the winter period (September, November and March).

Coaching Networks Towards the end of last year, scottishathletics hosted the first Coaching Network Sessions for like-minded coaches who are working, or have worked with performance athletes in their event. The concept around the Coaching Network Sessions is for coaches to discuss, share knowledge and their experiences around a topic that is related to their event/event group; thus, creating a constructive learning environment for all. To date, the coaching network sessions have been led by National and International level coaches such as, David Parker (Throws), Femi Akinsanya and Peter Stanley (Jumps & CE), Tony Hadley and Jared Deacon (Speed), and Mike Johnston and Robert Hawkins (Endurance). These sessions will continue to take place throughout the year

Head of Coach Development Darren Ritchie darren.ritchie@scottishathletics.org.uk Qualifications and Welfare Manager Jim Goldie jim.goldie@scottishathletics.org.uk Coaching and Executive Administrator Joanne Dennis joanne.dennis@scottishathletics.org.uk Welfare Administrator Lorraine Nicholson-Bennett welfare@scottishathletics.org.uk

remember to follow @scotathletics for all your latest news and updates.

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National Outdoor Track & Field Championships 2017 Event

Dates

Venue

Entry Method

Entries Open

Entry Deadline

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Entry Fees National Championships

District Championships

Senior Masters U20 U17 U15 U13 U12 SUPERteams Junior/Senior Relays

Senior U20 U17 U15 U13

£10.50 £10.00 £9.50 £9.00 £7.50 £7.50 £25.00 per team £10.00 per team

Combined Events £10.00 £9.00 £8.50 £7.50 £6.50

Senior and Masters U20 U17 U15 U13

£15.00 £13.50 £12.00 £11.00 £10.00

How to Enter For the District Championships & U12 SUPERteams t *OEJWJEVBM &OUSJFT "MM JOEJWJEVBM FOUSJFT XJMM OPX POMZ CF NBEF POMJOF BU XXX scottishBUIMFUJDT PSH VL t $MVC &OUSJFT 5IF $MVC &OUSZ QSPDFTT XJMM CF BWBJMBCMF POMJOF DPNQMFUFE GPSNT NVTU CF DPNQMFUFE BOE FNBJMFE BMPOH XJUI GVMM QBZNFOU EFUBJMT UP FWFOUT!scottishBUIMFUJDT PSH VL t 461&3UFBNT FOUSZ QSPDFTT XJMM CF BWBJMBCMF POMJOF PS DPNQMFUFE GPSNT NVTU CF DPNQMFUFE BOE FNBJMFE BMPOH XJUI GVMM QBZNFOU EFUBJMT UP FWFOUT!scottishBUIMFUJDT PSH VL FOR ALL OTHER EVENTS - ALL ENTRIES WILL BE COMPLETED ONLINE ONLY AT XXX scottishBUIMFUJDT PSH VL NO INDIVIDUAL ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED BY POST OR BY EMAIL. FOR ANY PROBLEMS OR QUESTIONS PLEASE EMAIL FWFOUT!scottishBUIMFUJDT PSH VL scottishBUIMFUJDT EP OPU BDDFQU MBUF FOUSJFT GPMMPXJOH UIF DMPTJOH EBUF GPS FBDI DIBNQJPOTIJQ FWFOU 0OMJOF FOUSJFT XJMM DMPTF BU NJEOJHIU PG UIF DMPTJOH EBUF *G ZPV FYQFSJFODF BOZ QSPCMFNT QMFBTF FNBJM FWFOUT!scottishBUIMFUJDT PSH VL BEFORE NJEOJHIU PG FBDI DMPTJOH EBUF &NBJMT TVCNJUUFE BGUFS UIJT UJNF XJMM OPU CF BDDFQUFE

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Entry Information t Scottish club athletes and any unattached athletes participating in these Championships must be up to date members of the scottishBUIMFUJDT Membership Scheme. Register online at www.scottishBUIMFUJDT.org.uk or email NFNCFSTIJQ@scottishBUIMFUJDT PSH VL for more information. t $MVC BUIMFUFT GSPN UIF SFTU PG UIF 6, BSF FYFNQU GSPN UIJT SFRVJSFNFOU XJUIJO B SFDJQSPDBM BSSBOHFNFOU XJUI UIF PUIFS OBUJPOBM BTTPDJBUJPOT t " ESBGU UJNFUBCMF XJMM CF NBEF BWBJMBCMF PO UIF XFCTJUF CFGPSF FBDI DIBNQJPOTIJQ XJUI B QSPWJTJPOBM UJNFUBCMF QSPWJEFE POF XFFL JO BEWBODF PG FBDI DIBNQJPOTIJQ FWFOU 1MFBTF OPUF UIFTF UJNFUBCMFT BSF 1307*4*0/"- BOE BSF UIFSFGPSF TVCKFDU UP DIBOHF QMFBTF LFFQ UIJT JO NJOE XIFO CPPLJOH USBWFM BDDPNNPEBUJPO CBTFE PO UIFTF UJNFT scottishBUIMFUJDT BSF OPU SFTQPOTJCMF GPS BOZ DIBOHFT UP ZPVS BSSBOHFNFOUT EVF UP UJNFUBCMF DIBOHFT t 8IFO FOUFSJOH online ZPV XJMM SFDFJWF BO FNBJM DPOmSNBUJPO GSPN UIF QBZNFOU QSPWJEFS 4BHFQBZ *G ZPV EP OPU SFDFJWF UIJT QMFBTF DPOUBDU scottishBUIMFUJDT PUIFSXJTF ZPVS FOUSZ NBZ OPU CF SFHJTUFSFE t Please keep a note of any email reference number and bring this to the Championship as proof of entry. scottishBUIMFUJDT SFTFSWF UIF SJHIU UP EFDMJOF FOUSZ JG QSPPG PG FOUSZ JT OPU TVCNJUUFE PO UIF EBZ PG DPNQFUJUJPO t $MVC FOUSJFT QPTUNBSLFE BGUFS UIF DMPTJOH EBUF XJUI PS XJUIPVU UIF DPSSFDU FOUSZ GFFT XJMM OPU CF BDDFQUFE /P JOEJWJEVBM FOUSJFT XJMM CF BDDFQUFE CZ QPTU t 2VFSJFT SFHBSEJOH MPTU QPTUBM FOUSJFT XJMM OPU CF JOWFTUJHBUFE XJUIPVU QSPPG PG QPTUJOH TIPXJOH FOUSZ QSJPS UP UIF DMPTJOH EBUF

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Anti-doping Rules All athletes and athlete support personnel are bound by British Athletics/IAAF Anti-Doping Rules (which can be found on the British Athletics website: www.britishathletics.org.uk). In particular, athletes should ensure that they register any use of prescribed medication containing prohibited substances prior to any use or (in emergency cases) immediately after use (forms can be downloaded from the British Athletics website). To check the status of your medication please consult the UK Sport Drug Information Database at www.uksport.gov.uk/did. For further information please contact the British Athletics Anti-doping department on 0870 998 6732 or 0870 998 6766.

Inter-Club Championships

T

he track and field season of 2016 was another year of outstanding success for Scotland’s athletes on the international stage. And the legacy of London 2012, Glasgow 2014 and then our own #SALfab15 at the Olympics in Rio has continued to impact on the growth of the sport on the domestic front with, as one example, record numbers in the Age Group Championships. When the results of the Scottish Inter-Club Championships were finalised, Edinburgh Athletic Club had won four out of five of the overall categories based on the best 10 scoring athletes (with an athlete only allowed to count once). However, the specific event titles were shared between Kilbarchan (two), Giffnock North AAC (two), Central AC (two) and Inverclyde, VP-Glasgow, Glasgow School of Sport and Pitreavie AAC (all one apiece)and Edinburgh (five). The event titles were based on the best five scoring athletes. There were some very close finishes with Edinburgh AC only 14 points ahead of VP-Glasgow AC in the battle for the U20 overall title, for example.

place at the National Coaching Conference on September 24/25 at the Emirates Arena. In all, no fewer than 17 nominated club coaches took advantage of the opportunity to attend the Coaching Conference. In addition, the winning clubs were sent a winner’s Logo, for display on their website and it is a testament to how highly these are regarded that they appear in a prominent position on the club websites around our sport. For the 2016 season, championship events at 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m on the track were included in the Endurance results for the first time to broaden further the competition. For the forthcoming 2017 season, results from the Club Relays in April will be included in the Sprints and Hurdles results. Huge thanks to Arnold Black who has again collated the results using the SATS scoring tables and also to Moira Maguire.

Clubs who were event group winners in any of the Age Groups were invited to nominate coaches from within the club coaching set up, who worked with the athletes contributing to the club’s success, for a free SCOTTISH CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS 2016 Senior Sprints 1 Kilbarchan AC 4269

U20 Sprints Edinburgh AC 3162

U17 Sprints Central AC 2834

U15 Sprints Edinburgh AC 2263

2 Pitreavie AAC 3 Aberdeen AAC

Aberdeen AAC VP-Glasgow AC

2801 2721

Giffnock North AAC 2637 Aberdeen AAC 2636

Dunfermline T&F Pitreavie AAC

Senior Endurance 1 Central AC 4360 2 Edinburgh AC 3972 3 Aberdeen AAC 3881

U20 Endurance Kilbarchan AAC 3245 Fife AC 2831 Edinburgh AC 2748

U17 Endurance Inverclyde AC 2710 Aberdeen AAC 2673 Giffnock North AAC 2476

U15 Endurance Giffnock North AAC 1823 Glasgow School of Sport 1815 Edinburgh AC 1609

Senior Jumps 1 Giffnock North AAC 3987 2 Edinburgh AC 3927 3 VP-Glasgow AC 2110

U20 Jumps Pitreavie AAC 3424 Giffnock North AAC 3291 VP-Glasgow AC 2663

U17 Jumps Glasgow School of Sport 2883 Pitreavie AAC 2354 Giffnock North AAC 2303

U15 Jumps Edinburgh AC 2357 Glasgow School of Sport 2081 Cumbernauld AAC 1784

Senior Throws 1 Edinburgh AC 5034 2 Kilbarchan AAC 4249 3 VP-Glasgow AC 2741

U20 Throws Edinburgh AC 3497 Inverness Harriers 2770 Kilbarchan AAC 2731

U17 Throws VP-Glasgow AC 2973 Inverness Harriers 2756 Edinburgh AC 2135

U15 Throws Inverness Harriers 2551 Edinburgh AC 2310 VP-Glasgow AC 1202

Senior Overall Edinburgh AC 8866 Kilbarchan AC 8038 Central AC 7957 Aberdeen AAC 7831 VP-Glasgow AC 7534

U20 Overall Edinburgh AC 7019 VP-Glasgow AC 7005 Kilbarchan AAC 6636 Pitreavie AAC 6617 Giffnock North AAC 6092

U17 Overall VP-Glasgow AC 6228 Pitreavie AAC 5921 Giffnock North AAC 5759 Edinburgh AC 5687 Aberdeen AAC 5566

U15 Overall Edinburgh AC 4907 Inverness Harriers 4127 Glasgow School of Sport 4087 VP-Glasgow AC 3849 Giffnock North AAC 3781

1 2 3 4 5

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PB 2017 | ISSUE 1

2109 1907

U13 Overall Edinburgh AC 2748 Giffnock North AAC 2703 VP-Glasgow AC 2611 Central AC 2531 Falkirk Victoria Harriers 2212

D R O R EC F

our Scottish Olympians broke National Records on seven occasions during a superb summer in 2016 – with those performances now established ‘on the books’ of scottishathletics.

Track and Field Records

Host of new marks are ratified 63.38m performance in Sweden in July now ratified as the new National Record for that event.

over the past summer with Howard Bell, at U20, and U17 athlete Holly McArthur setting new marks.

Andrew Butchart, Eilidh Doyle, Laura Muir and Lynsey Sharp were all in superb form, with Butchart and Sharp setting National Records in Rio and Muir setting those in the 1500m and the mile.

Percy also set a Native Record at just under 60m at the Scottish Senior Champs at Grangemouth in August with all of these among those considered for approval by the Records Committee and subsequently rubber-stamped by the Track and Field Commission.

There has also been progress on new events and a couple of historical performances and all at scottishathletics would like to forward our thanks to the Records Committee for their hard work and diligence in up-dating these lists.

And British discus champion, Nick Percy, pushed out the distance in his event on three occasions since early June with a

Alisha Rees set U20 National Records at 100m, while Combined Events has also seen Scottish Records at age group level

OUTDOOR RECORDS

U17 Men:

NATIONAL RECORDS

1500m, Adam Scott, 3.52.07, BMC Grand Prix, Manchester, 14 May.

Men: 3000m, Andrew Butchart, 7:45.00, British Athletics Grand Prix, Birmingham, 5 June. Discus, Nick Percy 61.27, NCAA Championships, Eugene, 10 June; 61.78, Throws Meet, Helsingborg, 11 July.; 63.38, Throws Meet, Helsingborg, 22 July. 5000m, Andrew Butchart, 13:08.61, Olympic Games, Rio De Janeiro, 20 August (Note: records earlier last summer by Butchart and Percy have previously been ratified) Women: One Mile, Laura Muir, 4:19.12, Bislett Games, Oslo, 9 June.

U17 Women: 400m Hurdles, Holly McArthur, 60.23, UK Under-20 Champs, Bedford, 19 June. Heptathlon, Holly McArthur, 5051, Scottish Champs, Aberdeen, 3 July.

Olympic stars – Andy Butchart and Lynsey Sharp both broke Scottish Records racing in the Olympic final in Rio in the 3000m and 800m respectively. Pictures by Mark Shearman

U15 Boys:

400m Hurdles, Eilidh Doyle, 54.09, Herculis Meeting, Monaco, 15 July.

Triple Jump, Miraji Ahmed, 13.63, EA Champs, Bedford, 28 August

1500m, Laura Muir, 3:57.49, Anniversary Games, London, 22 July. 3:55.22, IAAF Diamond League, Paris, 27 August

U15 Girls:

800m, Lynsey Sharp, 1:57.69, Olympic Games, Rio De Janeiro, 20 August NATIVE RECORDS Men: Discus, Nick Percy, 59.90, Scottish Championships, Grangemouth, 14 August

Below we list the detail from two separate meetings, with these performances now ratified as Records (in whatever category or age group)

Javelin, Keira Waddell, 38.59, Throws Grand Prix, Livingston, 23 July. 41.93, Celtic Games, Swansea, 6 Aug Hammer, Kirsty Costello, 53.95, EA Champs, Bedford, 27 August *300m, Jade Hutchison, 40.18, Open Graded Meeting, Grangemouth, 7 September

NATIONAL RECORDS

*4 x 300m, Central AC (Abigail Davison, Shona McLay, Katie Sharkey, Emma Mailer), 2:49.40, Scottish Champs, Aberdeen, 3 July.

U20 Men:

(* new event)

Decathlon, Howard Bell, 6623, Scottish Champs, Aberdeen, 3 July.

U13 Girls:

U20 Women:

1500m, Emma Johnson, 4:44.32, Schools Championships, Grangemouth, 11 June

100m, Alisha Rees, 11.73, UK Women’s League, Swansea, 4 June. 11.63, UK Under-20 Champs, Bedford, 18 June.

4 x 100m Relay, Central AC (Mia Glen, Coirilidh Cook, Katie Burr, Amy Kirkpatrick) 53.33, Scottish Championships, Grangemouth, 14 August

The 4 x 300m metres for U15 boys, U17 women and U15 girls were contested for at the relay championships on 3 July. As they now have championship status, they are eligible to be recognised for records. In addition to the performance noted above, the following historical performances were ratified as the inaugural records. U15 Boys: 2:34.78 Edinburgh AC (Silvano Marcantonio, Josh Kerr, Jake Roulstone, Sandy Wilson), UK YA League Final, Manchester, 2 September 2012. U17 Women: (Club) 2:48.83 Edinburgh AC (Rosie Wilson, Erin Boddie, Kirsty McKean, Hannah Cameron), UK YA League Final, Manchester, 2 September 2012. (National) 2:40.93 Scottish Schools AA (Elizabeth Musgrove, Katie Purves, Hannah Cameron, Kelsey Stewart), UK Schools Games, Sheffield, 14 September 2013.

scottishathletics

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Grassroots Athletics

Law & District

Law & District AAC

Warming up for a special year... T

o say 2017 will be an exciting time for Law & District AAC may be something of an understatement – with 50th Anniversary celebrations looming large later this year!

So, with the club in good health and looking forward to that landmark moment, we asked Lesley McNicol to reflect on the forthcoming celebrations, recent progress and forward plans . . . ‘Law & District AAC were established back in August 1967 in the small village of Law, just outside of Carluke. ‘The club has evolved over the past 50 years and we are still the only athletic club in the Clydesdale area; now having three main training bases throughout Lanarkshire in Biggar, Carluke and Wishaw. ‘Recently we were extremely fortunate to secure a grant from the Celebrate Big Lottery Fund to host an athletic 50th Anniversary Celebration event in the summer at John Cumming Stadium for the local community and our club members, and we are expecting over 200 participants. ‘This will be followed by a formal civic reception in September 2017 at New Lanark Mill Hotel where we will see past and present members attend, as well as representatives from our partnerships.

‘Law & District AAC is one of a number of clubs who received Direct Club Investment in 2012 as part of the Club Together Initiative from sportcotland and also received contributions from North Lanarkshire Council and South Lanarkshire Leisure & Culture.

‘Our popularity in the community has seen many young club volunteers giving up their free time to coach and we are extremely proud of our Athletic Leaders and Coaching Assistants who have stepped up to the mark.

‘The investment over four years enabled us to employ a Club Together Officer and this role gradually evolved and has now become a Business Administration Officer. ‘Since early 2012, our membership has increased from fewer than 200 to over 350 athletes as we have established a good working partnership with many local schools and with our two local authorities in North and South Lanarkshire. ‘During the past year we have worked very hard at sourcing grants for new indoor and outdoor training equipment for all three of our bases and are delighted to have received over £15,000 from many different funders. All much to the benefit of our athletes and coaches. ‘We have become very active in the community, regularly assisting at school Sportshall, Cross Country or Track & Field events and thus inviting requests from Active Schools for Come & Try or Taster sessions within both local authorities.

TOM SCOTT MEMORIAL ROAD RACES This year also sees the club celebrate 25 years of hosting the Tom Scott Memorial 10 Mile Championship Road Race (at Strathclyde Park on Sunday 2 April). Bob Benyon, the only club founder member still active within Law & District AAC, is also the convenor of the Tom Scott Road Races and is sure to be in the thick of all our celebrations over 2017. Bob has worked very hard with our club cross country captain, Bobby Hill, over the last few years, showing him how the Tom Scott Road Races are managed and convened. Bobby has since set up a new website for the Tom Scott Road Races, as well as a Facebook page. He regularly throughout the year keeps the Tom Scott event in the public eye by posting updates and useful pieces of information on Facebook, keeping everyone’s interest in the race.

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PB 2017 | ISSUE 1

The Tom Scott 10 Mile Championship Road Race has sold out for the past couple of years with record fields and looks set to continue that trend again in 2017.

Grassroots Athletics

Law & District

MAKING SOCIAL MEDIA WORK

L

ike many clubs in Scotland, Law & District are reliant on volunteers taking on roles within the club to try and ensure a smooth operation of the organisation. And now they are using social media to raise the profile of their volunteers, connect with the club and promote athletics in their community. Lesley McNicol said: ‘We are always looking for new volunteers and like to raise the

‘We currently have around 15 Athletic Leaders aged from 14 to 18 and 11 Coaching Assistants aged 16 to 18, all of whom regularly coach in the local community during school holidays at Athletic Camps held by the local authorities. ‘As a club, we are very keen to encourage our young people to become involved in coaching and are excited to receive a grant from Comic Relief for £3800 for 20 Coaching Assistant courses for 16 to 24 year-olds and for an Athletic Leader course for 24 of our 14 to 16 year-olds. ‘Many of our existing young Coaching Assistants have used their experience and knowledge to gain employment within their local authority, coaching children under the age of 12, whilst continuing with their own training and their studies at school/ university. ‘Our club is based over a large geographical area and we have found many children cannot make their way to a club venue. Therefore, under the guidance of Head Coach Pat Kelly, we decided to take the club to a venue the children could reach. ‘With the help of NL Active Schools Coordinators we now have an Athletic Hub in North Motherwell for children age 7+ which has been running for over a year and a satellite club in Shotts, both of which are run mainly by our young people, under the supervision of Pat Kelly.

profile of our existing helpers by posting their ‘story’ on social media, detailing how they became involved in the club, why they did so and what the gain out of it. These stories have been very popular with many hits on both Facebook and Twitter. ‘We find social media to be a huge success within Law & District AAC, with our most popular Facebook post to date having reached over 3500 people. ‘We work it with six administrators who can

‘The club also played a big part in organising and supporting the first NL Track Challenge at Wishaw Sports Centre for pupils in P5 during the summer and many local UKA Officials attended, too. ‘In terms of scottishathletics, Law & District AAC has signed up to the Club 20:20 Modernisation programme and the also the National Leaders Academy.

fb.com/lawaac/

@Law_DistrictAAC

update Facebook or Twitter whilst out and about at any time of day or night and thus our news feeds are regular with up-to-date information. ‘We promote Facebook to our members and parents/guardians as it is the easiest way for us to distribute information urgently. We also provide a small Facebook window panel on our club website for those who do not have Facebook access so they can keep in touch, too. We find it all works well.’

now sell our club kit online via our website, both changes have saved volunteers a lot of time and effort. ‘These steps forward have modernised our club for the better but we are very proud of our history, too! Which is why everyone at Law & Districts feels 2017 will be special’

‘After attending workshops and seminars held by scottishathletics, we decided to change our governance from an Unincorporated Association to a registered charity (SCIO). We are now able to claim Gift Aid on the membership portion of our club fees and also have access to grant funds specifically aimed at Charities. ‘Our main reason in changing our Governance was to protect our committee members and any liability now lies with the club rather than individuals. ‘We are really keen to use the new Club Portal, provided by scottishathletics in conjunction with GB Sport and look forward to having all club business and accounts recorded and stored in the one location, with easy access for committee and board members. ‘We have taken on many of the thoughts and ideas from Club 20:20 and have modernised our membership fee collection by changing to monthly standing order and

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31

Grassroots Athletics

Tweed Leader Jed

TLJT set the pace in the Borders Cameron Tindle sprints to silver medal and a PB at the Scottish Seniors in 2017 – and with Richard Kilty the previous year (photos by Bobby Gavin)

B

ruce Scott was among the founder members of Tweed Leader Jed Track club and has helped coach Cameron Tindle to the global stage at U20. In a special piece for PB, Bruce looks at the club’s roots and its development over the past few years.

developing our coaching structure, which will remain a work in progress.

Tweed Leader Jed Track (TLJT) was formed only eight years ago – back in 2009 – but there are clear signs now that it can continue to develop athletics talent. And it has become home for athletes from seven to 70.

The club won the New Year sprint for a second year running in 2016, producing the first lady winner in 147 years (Jasmine Tomlinson). Our athletes broke six Border schools records. We had a number of age group national finalists and won over 70 races at the Border and Highland games.

Previously the club took the form of a nonaffiliated group of predominately sprinters, with a smaller group of middle distance runners. In the main part, the athletes would compete at the Border and Highland Games circuits Founder members John Steede, Bruce Scott and Tommy Finkle were all very active on the Masters scene, with all three holding various Scottish sprint titles. John indeed is a former M55 world champion over 400M. Other founder members, Charlie Cochrane and Alan White, were also competing at the Border games. They saw their mission as to identify and develop young talent in the central Borders. Since gaining affiliation in 2009, building blocks were put in place towards a Foundation Club accreditation award from scottishathletics in 2013. Now we are

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On the track, TLJT are producing results that are not always seen. This year, for instance, we have helped guide Cameron Tindle to the World Junior 200m final.

Our younger athletes were very prominent for the Composite team Borders and team captains, Angus Bryce and Christie Rout, picked up the trophy for the Forth Valley League Division 1 title for the second successive year. Six of our athletes were ever-present for Edinburgh AC, with three athletes competing in the British YDL finals at Bedford. All three returned with individual medals Laura Munro, Emily Dagg and Jazmine Tomlinson. The meteoric rise of Cameron Tindle has had a very positive effect on the younger athletes, who watch and copy his style at training. Trained by Bruce Scott (TLJT) and Henry Gray (Eyemouth), Cameron has inspired the younger athletes at the club. His performances in getting to the final of the World Junior 200m were incredible. His competitiveness in the final, shown live on

Euro Sport, was there for all to see. And this after setting PBs in the heat and the semifinal. Against the best in the world he was clearly in the mix. The Scottish U20 Athlete of the Year will focus this year on the European Juniors, with Commonwealth games qualification a very realistic goal, too. So the evidence is there that TLJT are developing talent and continue to do so. It is realistic that some will experience a similar journey to Cameron in the near future. We are very aware that Track and Field is a late development sport. Keeping athletes within the sport beyond the developing years is difficult; as most youngsters leave the area, in pursuit of careers and at the same time dropping athletics. We are like so many other clubs in Scotland in that respect . . . still hunting for that formula to retain athletes. We train juniors from the age of seven and we have two athletes over the age of 70. We have training sessions at various venues, including Tweedbank outdoor sports centre (400m synthetic track) Monday, Wednesday and Sunday; Jedburgh sports centre (sprint track) Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; Earlston Primary School hall, Friday (winter only). Grass sessions in the summer months are held at Earlston High School (Friday) and Woodend playing fields in Jedburgh on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

Perth Road Runners

Grassroots Athletics

Perth Road Runners

P

erth Road Runners have been around since the mid 1980s.

But the growth of parkrun in the Fair City has led to a recent upsurge in membership and activity. Here’s the view from Perth RR – by Richard Hughes.

‘

The green vests of Perth Road Runners are fast becoming an ever-increasing presence at races in Perthshire, Scotland and beyond. A recent surge in club membership has seen it almost double in size in the last two years; with numbers reaching 162 by the end of 2016. Although primarily a road running club, members also compete at other disciplines, including cross-country, hill races and track. The club promotes itself as Perth’s ‘friendly and welcoming’ club with runners of various abilities and goals. Recent expansion has partly been attributed to the local parkrun, which has been a huge success in Perth ever since the inaugural event at the North Inch park in November 2013. Indeed, many of those who started at parkrun are now mainstays in the running club and committee. In 2016, the club staged two ‘takeover’ days at parkrun, where club members filled all of the usual volunteering positions and donated money to the continued success of parkrun, thus acknowledging the benefits it has brought to Perth and the club. Perth Road Runners vice-chairman, Stuart Fraser, was also instrumental in establishing a junior parkrun in Perth, one of only eight events in Scotland. During the 2016 season, the club twice broke its record turnout for a championship race with 48 runners taking part at Strathallan road race in June, followed by 49 green vests competing at Pitlochry 10k

in September. In addition to regular training and monthly social events, the club also organises two local races: the Tay Ten mile race in Perth and the Brig Bash five mile race at Bridge of Earn. Both races receive warm praise for their organisation, atmosphere and, in the case of the Brig Bash, the infamous post-run spread of sandwiches and cake! The race sub-committee works in tandem with the club committee to ensure continued success of these events. The annual club championship comprises local and national races, ranging from 5k to half-marathon, while there is also a Summer and separate Hills series for those who prefer shorter or more undulating challenges. Last June, the club also undertook a relay event in aid of local charity C-R-Y who screen for cardiovascular defects in young local adults, raising over £1500 in the process. Starting at Dundee parkrun, the event involved a number of challenging relay sections on the way back to Perth. That same month, the club also welcomed 401 marathon runner Ben Smith to Perth, with many green vests joining him on one of his marathon legs in the Perthshire countryside. The regular club run is a Tuesday night, starting at Bells Sports Centre, while the Thursday session, depending on the time of year, is either track intervals, or hill repeats on the trails of Deuchny and Kinnoull woods. Long-term coach Colin Keogh recently left after 10 years, so a number of club members are now undertaking Level 1 and 2 coaching badges. The club has recently been represented at numerous marathons around the globe, including Edinburgh, London, Paris, Boston,

Chicago, New York, Tokyo and Marrakech. Peter Ritchie and Duncan Ryan recently completed the ‘big six’ world marathon majors; while Kenneth Stewart is one of only five runners to compete at all 15 Loch Ness marathons since its inaugural year. A number of runners have also recently progressed to ultra-marathons. In December, 48 club members completed the annual Marcothon challenge, running at least 3 miles or 25 minutes every day throughout December, covering a combined total of 6000 miles in the process. Organised group runs and camaraderie via social media helped support each other through an arduous month. These achievements, and many more, were celebrated at the club’s annual awards in February. The challenge for the future will be building on these successes and ensuring the welcoming, friendly atmosphere that has existed since 1985 continues for the next generation of Fair City runners.

’

scottishathletics

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20 years of RunBalmoral

Balmoral’s big birthday Balmoral estate, beginning with the Apollo duathlon which comprises a 6K run, then a 15K mountain bike stage before ending with a 5K run. That’s followed by the environmentally stunning TRAC 15-mile trail race and, for younger athletes and beginners, the TRAC three-mile Wee Trail race.

BY FRASER CLYNE

Y

ou can follow in the footsteps of Olympic stars and world record holders when the 20th Balmoral races take place over the weekend of April 22/23. Paula Radcliffe got the event off to a spectacular start back in the late 1990s by setting a world record for five miles on a day when the beautiful grounds of the Deeside estate were blanketed in a layer of crisp snow and television cameras beamed live coverage of the dramatic proceedings to millions of viewers. Since then, many of the planet’s greatest runners such as Kelly Holmes, Sonia O’Sullivan, Gete Wami and Paul Tergat competed with distinction at the summer home of the royal family, enjoying the scenic splendours of the secure traffic-free courses set within the shadow of Lochnagar and the Cairngorms National Park. The meeting has grown over the years and is now firmly established as an exceptionally strong and popular community and family event. Nowadays, RunBalmoral attracts 5,000 participants over its two days and the programme of races caters for every age group from primary school level up to vintage veterans. Top north east runners Rhona Auckland and Robbie Simpson, now established GB and NI internationals, cut their teeth by competing in the children’s races at Balmoral before going on to excel in the senior events. In fact, Rhona still holds the women’s record for the 5K while Robbie is recordholder for the 10K and the 15-mile trail race. The men’s 5K record stands to Scottish Olympic star Andy Butchart. ‘The sheer energy, enthusiasm and camaraderie shown by all those who take

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And, to mark the 20th year of the races, a new competition – the Repsol Sinopec Devil of Deeside Challenge – has been introduced, and it has been quick to capture the imagination. Competitors have to take part in four races held over the two days. They’ll start off with the 5K and the 10K on the Saturday, before doing the duathlon and the 15-mile trail race on the Sunday. Local Heroes: Rhona Auckland and Robbie SImpson have starred at RunBalmoral. part every year never ceases to amaze me,’ said RunBalmoral Chairman James Knowles. ‘The superb atmosphere which prevails throughout the weekend is created not only by the runners, many of whom are raising money for charity, but also by the thousands of spectators who come along to join in the fun.’ The action kicks off on the Saturday when 1,000 enthusiastic youngsters take part in the MPH primary schools 1.5K boys and girls races. That’s followed by the Kongsberg Maritime secondary schools 2.5K which attracts hundreds of 11-15 year-olds. Another 1,000 runners then tackle the ConocoPhillips 5K before the day ends with more than 2,000 in the Stena Drilling Tartan 10K which features the famous Balmoral hill and offers a special prize for the first kilted male and female runners. The second day allows competitors to explore the remoter wilderness areas of the

The men’s and women’s winners, based on fastest cumulative times, will each receive a specially commissioned hand-crafted trophy and all participants will be given distinctive shirts to wear, making them easily identifiable in all the races. There’s also a Saturday Corporate Team Challenge. Each team must field four runners in the 5K and four runners in the 10K. The finishing position of each of the four runners in each race will be added together to give an overall score and the team with the lowest combined total from the two races will win. Full details at www.runbalmoral.com

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Grassroots Athletics

Volunteers

‘Why I love being a volunteer’ We keep saying and it and don’t tire of saying it: the sport of athletics can’t survive without the assistance of our dedicated Officials and volunteers. At every level from the start of the pathway at clubs to elite events in the Diamond League and Olympics, there’s always someone required to lend a hand. Carolyn McKinnon ‘joined up’ as a volunteer only a few years ago and already she describes it as a ‘life-changing’ experience and something she expects to be doing for the foreseeable futue. Similarly, Angela Thomson became a Clydesider for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and from there became involved in other events as a volunteer. Angela was on declarations for scottishathletics during the Indoor Season at the Emirates Arena. We asked both to answer a few of our questions about Why I love being a Volunteer. Why did you get involved? Carolyn: I’ve always loved sport - of any kind. I was a keen runner at school. I swim, ride, ski. I’ve tried tennis and golf and badminton. I may not be very good at them all - but it’s about the taking part for me. So I remember clearly being with my family and friends when the 2012 Olympic torch coming through Clarkston and watching the volunteers on that day absolutely beaming

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as well as the crowds getting carried along on the euphoria and at that moment I knew I wanted to be part of ‘that’ from a personal point and not just a spectator point. Angela: I caught the volunteering bug after being a Clydesider at the Commonwealth Games and have stayed involved in sport since then. What kind of things have you done so far and how was the volunteering experience? Carolyn: How long have you got? I have marshalled at more road races in Glasgow than I can remember over the year but my first big volunteer role in sport was as a Glasgow Life Ambassador for 2012 and being a way finder for people coming to the Olympic football at Hampden.

of my life. The people I’ve met and the opportunities to learn new skills have all added to the overall feeling of achievement. I’d never seen a competition hurdle up close - now I’m a bit of a pro and preparing and laying out a full flight of hurdles in record time! Best moment of the entire competition? Walking off the track to a full to capacity crowd singing ‘500 Miles’ by The Proclaimers. Scottish Athletics Indoor and Outdoor Season - I came along to volunteer in 2014 to get an insight into how athletic events work from Declarations through to the medal ceremony before the big event that summer. Who knew there were so many stages? I have helped out each season (mainly indoor) since then and I have marvelled at the development of some of our young people who have grown in strength and confidence through sport.

Whilst not one of the biggest Olympic venues the buzz and excitement around the event was so much fun. People from all over the world were in my city, on my doorstep and loving the Scottish hospitality and humour . . . just possibly not the Carolyn McKinnon (second left) in London with fellow volunteers weather so much! Since then I have had many volunteer roles; here are a few: Commonwealth Games - Pre-Games Volunteer Interview & Trainer then at Games time, a Field of Play Team Leader. To date probably one of THE best experiences

Volunteers

Grassroots Athletics

Angela Thomson with GB Olympian Polly Swan at a Scottish Hockey Team GB day. They don’t all win - but they all try. Working alongside the SA Official has also been great fun. I’ve learned a lot about rules and regulations, challenges and achievements and I hope to keep learning and developing my knowledge in the years head. British Athletics - Since Glasgow 2014 I have volunteered with British Athletics at some of the bigger events in Glasgow and in London. Anniversary Games 2015/2016 and the Glasgow Gran Prix 2016. With the knowledge of the events and many of the people who also volunteer I have built a network of like- minded people and we come together as team to get the job done. It’s not always easy but that would be boring. I’m off to the Diamond League event this summer at the Olympic Stadium to work and meet up with friends, then we’re back again for a fortnight for the IAAF World Championships in August! Beyond excited and proud to be part of the event. Angela: ‘I have volunteered for Commonwealth Games, World Gymnastics championships, Scottish triathlon, Scottish hockey, Scottish Athletics and Ignition car festival and Revolution cycling series. The experience from every event has been excellent. I have also been fortunate enough to volunteer with my younger sister, so it has been something we’ve done together as well as being part of the team on the day. What do you think others may enjoy it, learn from it or contribute? Angela: I have made many new friends. I have had backstage access to venues and seen how things work behind the scenes.

Also, everyone works as part of a team and you learn new skills that can be added to your CV. There a volunteering Facebook group called Vamos which is a great way for anyone wishing to volunteer to learn of any opportunities and also help groups like Scottish Athletics use, if they are looking for volunteers to help with a specific event.

Carolyn: By human nature most people like to contribute and see an end result.

There is a bit of a feel-good factor at the moment around our Events – do you think being part of that can make helping out fun for those involved? Angela: Yes, definitely, because everyone who volunteers wants to have fun and enjoy the experience. From personal experience, if I attend any event and feel I have received good customer service, then it makes the event more memorable. Carolyn: Without a doubt. Glasgow is still

Volunteering isn’t a ‘me’ thing, it’s a ‘we’ thing Carolyn McKinnon I think if people came out to volunteer more and could see that their input helped make an event run more smoothly, they would feel they’d achieved something personally. Volunteering for me isn’t a ‘me’ activity it’s a ‘we’ activity. We made that happen, we did that we’re going to do this! Yes, there are times when you have to do things on your own and you may get some personal praise for that; but there is nothing better than that group feeling of pulling together to make something better. I have worked alongside many experienced volunteers and many young people who are volunteering for the first time. Both groups have something to offer. Sometimes however I think some of the young people in our communities think that they need ‘experience’ to volunteer. if only they knew they just needed to be willing and available.

riding on the crest of the Commonwealth Games 2014 wave. However, there have been so many other big events in the city like swimming, gymnastics, badminton, cycling etc and that has allowed many more new people to join the fun. I love coming to events and seeing familiar faces, but I also like working alongside new people who bring new chat and experience to the event. I do think however, that having the same faces at the big events can be a intimidating for new volunteers and people need to be mindful about that. I love to learn and I love meeting new people so I can’t wait to see what else comes my way in volunteering: 2017 in London, 2018 European Indoor Championships in Glasgow. Whatever happens, volunteering with be part of my life for the foreseeable future.

Want to help? www.scottishathletics.org.uk

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Masters XC

Masses of Masters compete at Dundee

R

ecord fields contested the Scottish Masters XC Champs at Camperdown Park, Dundee.

Dave Hanlon and his army of Dundee Hawkhill Harriers are to be thanked for hosting the event on January 28. They were rewarded with a total number of finishers of 446 which is a record by about 150. The weather was not so kind varying between dry spells and showers but the snow did not start until the last runner crossed the line! It all started with the Woman’s race of 6km that is run in conjunction with the Men’s over 65 age group races. Champion Lesley Chisholm, Garscube, successfully defended her title from silver medallist, Dianne Lauder of Gala, as ultra specialist Joasia Zakrzewski, Dumfries RC, took third.

Lesley Chisholm (Garscube)

The W45 championship was won by Karen Kennedy, PH Racing Club, in their first championship, from far-travelled Karen Lyons, Highland HR, and Fiona Dalgleish, Gala Harriers.

Last year’s W45 champion triumphed again in the W50 race winning by some distance from the multiple Masters and National medallist Susan Ridley, EAC, who was closely followed by her team-mate Jill Morrow. A very tight finish in the W55 race saw Lynne Stephens, Fife AC, take her first title by two seconds from last year’s champion Sonia Armitage, Aberdeen AAC, with Fiona Carver, Corstorphine just six seconds behind that. The 2015-6 W55 runner up, Isobel Burnett,

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Carnegie H eased to the W60 title this year followed by the Fife AC pair Innes Bracegirdle and Margaret Martin. Deirdre Hoyle, Bellahouston H was the only finisher in the W65 race and thereby became champion. Anne Docherty, Forres H, outpaced Elizabeth Gilchrist, Ferranti AAC, to retain her W70 title. Jane Askey, Fife AC the W65 runner up in 2008-9 became the first ever W75 title holder. The Women’s open team title was retained by Gala H with Dianne Lauder, Fiona Dalgleish and Anya Campbell with a total of 28 points, with Edinburgh AC second with 38 points and Fife AC third with 86 points. After removing W40 and W45 athletes and open team medallists and rescoring the W50+ team results showed a win for Carnegie H with 50 points from EAC with 51 points and Dundee RR with 61 points. The most amazing aspect of the Men’s O65 race was the number of medals presented. Three medals were awarded at the M80 level for the 3rd year is a row with James Pittillo, Teviotdale H, who has been 2nd for the last two years moving up to the champion’s spot from Arnott Kidd and William Drysdale, Law & District AAC. Multiple champion Stephen Cromer gave Dundee Hawkhill H their well-deserved title of the day in the M75 category. The perennial Robert Young, Clydesdale, regained the M70 from Patrick Kelly, Law & District AAC and Gibson Fleming, Westerlands XC Club. In the M65 category, there was a win for Hamilton’s Andrew McLinden from secondplaced Alex Hamilton, Highland HR, and third-placed Tom Scott of Fife AC. The men’s 8km championship was just as exciting as the Women’s race with the result in doubt until the last moment.

But Jethro Lennox, Shettleston H, won it from Cambuslang’s Robert Gilroy with Ruairidh Campbell, Montrose and District, taking third. Bobby Quinn achieved his goal of adding the M50 title to his previous M40 and M45 ones winning from Nick Milovsorov, Metro Aberdeen RC, and Stan MacKenzie, Cambuslang. The M55 race was won by another perennial winner, Cambuslang’s Colin Donnelly, with Patrick O’Kane, Strathearn, in second and William Jarvie, Portobello, in third. The M60 race looked like Jethro Lennox a club trial (Shettleston) with all three medallists Edward Stewart, Paul Thompson and Francis Hurley in that order representing Cambuslang. The open team race was no less exciting with Cambuslang continuing to dominate but this time only just. Costorphine AAC the only team to beat Cambuslang in this event in the last 10 years equalled the Cambuslang total of 60 points but lost on the count back. Hunters BT were third with 99 points. Cambuslang also won the M50 title. With thanks to Ron Morrison

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