Dirrans Sports, early 1960’s.   Hugh Mitchell (53), Charlie McAlinden (138), Pat McAtier (52), Bobby Calderwood (-4) and Davie Simpson (51)

Charles McAlinden was born on the 31^st of October 1932. By 1956 he had become Irish half-mile champion; and in 1959 appeared in the Scottish Athletics Yearbook with one mile in 4.20.3. His club was Babcock & Wilcox, Paisley.

For the earlier part of his running career, Charlie concentrated on shorter track races, and avoided running three and six mile events. However he was encouraged by Harry Fenion, the 1957 Scottish Marathon Champion, to try the 26 mile classic distance. In both 1964 and 1965 Charlie finished third in the Scottish Marathon, improving from 2.39.22 to 2.25.45 when finishing a meritorious fifth in the AAA Marathon at Port Talbot, when Bill Adcocks was the winner, followed by Brian Kilby, Juan Taylor and Alastair Wood. Consequently, when he lined up for the 1966 Scottish Marathon, Charlie McAlinden had hopes of running fast enough to be selected by Ireland to compete in that year’s European Championships. Certainly he was a much-improved athlete and, on form, was capable of a very good run.

However it would not be easy. The course was an undulating out and back route: from Westerlands in Glasgow, out to Vale of Leven and back. The weather was sunny and hot. Gordon Eadie of Cambuslang, the 1960 winner, was also competing, along with his clubmate Andy Fleming. Newcomers included Donald Ritchie (Aberdeen AAC) who was attempting his second marathon and only beginning his illustrious distance running career (especially as a world-class exponent of ultra-marathon racing). Another novice that day was Jack MacLean (Bellahouston Harriers), who took part in sixteen Scottish Marathon Championships in succession, starting with this one!

After a few miles, the leaders began to stretch the field as they maintained a good pace. Hugh Mitchell (Shettleston) had been told before the race that sub 2.25 would be considered for the Scottish team in the 1966 Jamaica Commonwealth Games Marathon, so he moved ahead, accompanied by Charlie McAlinden. Further back, Gordon Eadie was running in a group containing Donald Ritchie. There was little change in the positions as Singers Industrial Estate, the half-way point, was reached. The runners completed a circuit of the grounds before returning to the roads. After keeping up 2.23 pace to twenty miles, Hugh Mitchell had to drop back, leaving Charlie on his own and feeling ‘hunted’. An extra problem he had to deal with was that he did not drink at all on this especially hot day. His friend Tony McManus was meant to hand him a special drink at twenty miles, but the officials of that era followed very strict rules about water stations, and Charlie had to carry on without refreshment. At 24 miles, Hugh Mitchell dropped out.

Gordon made an effort to close the gap on the leader and chased hard through 20 and 23 miles. He moved into second behind Charlie McAlinden. However the strain of racing fast in hot conditions was forcing some runners to give up, and even the leaders were slowing down. Gordon could not manage to take the lead from a struggling Charlie, who found some strength in the last two miles to move away and win the battle in 2.26.31. Gordon Eadie finished in 2.28.19 and Andy Fleming, his Cambuslang clubmate and advisor, came third in 2.32.47.

The 1966 European Marathon in Budapest was indeed won by an Irish athlete – Jim Hogan, running for Britain! Although the Irish selectors sent home-based athletes to the European Championships, and ignored Glasgow-domiciled Charlie McAlinden, he did not give up. After he turned 40 years of age and became a veteran, he had a great deal of success, racing for Paisley Harriers and winning Scottish titles at 5000m, 10,000m, ten miles and marathon. In addition, although in the 1973 Scottish Veterans Cross-Country Championship he finished second, behind the great Bill Stoddart, Charlie went on to win that prestigious title three years in succession (1974-1976).

In 1974 the World Veterans Marathon Championship was held on the outskirts of Paris near Versailles, on a very awkward course, involving a network of cross-country paths. The clear winner (and first home for the Scottish team) was Alastair Wood (Aberdeen AAC), who reckoned that he did well to record 2.28.40. When a vehicle carrying the film crew got too close to the irritable leader, Alastair remembered that he waved vigorously and yelled, “Allez! Allez!” to make them retreat to a reasonable distance! Wood was supported by his Scottish team-mates: Charlie McAlinden, who must have been pleased to finish well up in ninth position; and another Aberdeen runner, Charlie Greenlees. The Scottish team finished first and won World Veteran Championship gold medals.

Charlie McAlinden returned to the Scottish marathon rankings in 1980 (2.32.25), 1981 (2.33.59) and, at nearly fifty years of age, in 1982 (2.34.15). Nowadays, these would still be considered very impressive Masters times. After retirement, Charlie retired to Aviemore, and enjoyed hillwalking.

2013 Athlete of the Year:

PETE CARTWRIGHT

There is little doubt that Falkirk Victoria Harrier Fiona Matheson (W50) is our female athlete of the year and that Clydesdale Harrier Pete Cartwright (M70) is the most successful male athlete, with no fewer than six individual victories in Championships organised by the British Masters Athletics Federation.

(Thanks to Brian McAusland for much of the following information.) An ex-professional footballer in Manchester, Pete moved to work with the G.P.O. at Stirling University as the resident engineer, and joined in a lunchtime run, as well as playing 5-a-side football. By the time he was 38 he met a very good runner, Derek Easton (nowadays a highly-respected coach), and started training seriously for his debut as a veteran at the age of 40 and joined Falkirk Victoria. Running took over his life, since he covered 70 to 100 miles per week in training with three track sessions thrown in. In the evenings after work he often ran 12 miles from Stirling to his home in Thornhill.

He was very successful. He won a round of the British Adidas Half Marathon series at Wilmslow in Cheshire, followed by what he calls “a streak of title winning”. At 1500 he won the SVHC, the British Telecom National Championship and the British Civil Service Championships plus a bronze medal in the Vets Commonwealth Games in Grangemouth. 1994 was a very good year. He took gold in the WAVA Games in Canada, running for Great Britain; and also won in America over 5 miles and 10 miles. His first individual titles on home ground were secured when he took the 1500 and 3000 on the same day at Kelvin Hall. He then won the 5k Road championship and was pleasantly surprised when his club named him their athlete of the year. Like everybody at the time he continued to race all over Scotland and he won his share of races but the standard of Masters Athletics was so high that hard-fought races did not always end in success. The highest honour of his career was when he won the Athlete of the Year Award for Central Scotland in 1999.

Pete Cartwright raced and trained until he was 55 before he switched to Mountain Bike Racing. Having raced motor bikes as a sidecar passenger in the Isle of Man TT and World Championships for 15 years and gone into SuperKart racing, using his fitness for the thrill of mountain bike racing was irresistible. In his first two years he won the Scottish Masters Series title and became totally hooked on the speed, jumps, single track and adrenalin rush of downhill speed. Like all bikers, however, he had a big accident which damaged several discs in his back and he had to spend six months having treatment. He made his return with the intention of taking on the British Championships against the very best riders from the four home countries. He made it to second in the series and then in the Welsh series he attempted an eight foot drop-off and things went wrong: he ended up with a suspected broken neck. On X-Ray he was told he was lucky that he only damaged the discs in his neck but that was enough for the doctor to tell him that any more disasters like that and there would be no more sport for Peter! So it was back to running.

That’s when he joined Clydesdale Harriers, teaming up with Bobby Young and subsequently Brian Campbell with the avowed aim of trying to bring some M60 British team titles back to Scotland. The Three Amigos trained hard – individually and as a group – travelled a lot and had a great time winning gold medals. Between 2004 and 2008, the trio contested seventeen BMAF M60 team championships and won an amazing thirteen of them. Their peak year

was 2005, when they were undefeated and victorious six times: the CC Relays in Norwich; CC Championships in Bangor; Road Relays in Sutton; 5k in Horwich; 10k in Strathclyde Park; and 10 miles in Bishop Stortford. Their final team gold medals were secured in 2008: the 5k Championship in Horwich. By then, Pete Cartwright had started a very successful M65 career, including a silver medal in the British and Irish CC International at Belfast in 2007.

However 2012-2013, after Pete Cartwright’s 70th birthday, has been a year of even greater individual success. In October 2012 he won the BMAF 10k (41.30) and the 10 miles (71.03), with both events taking place in Essex. In November he was a close third in the British and Irish Masters International CC in Belfast. Then in March 2013, on the Lee Valley Indoor Track, Pete won the 1500 (5.31) and the 3000 (11.23). In August’s 10k road race in Glasgow he won a team gold medal, along with his Clydesdale Harriers chums Bobby Young and Brian Campbell. On the Outdoor Track at Birmingham in September, he won the 800 (2.45) and the 1500 (5.31) and was third in the 5000m (20.46). Oh, and he also won four Scottish Masters titles: cross-country, indoor 1500 and 3000m and 10 miles (70 minutes exactly)! In the Scottish Masters cross-country championships, Pete won the M55 category in 1998, M65 in 2008 and M70 in 2013, plus silver medals at M55 and M65 and two bronze at M60.

Pete adds: “I have won all the M70 SVHC or SAF races this year – from 1500 to half marathon. In the Polaroid 10k road series I was first in all 4 races and was awarded the overall title, despite having to drop down to the M60 category since there wasn’t an age-group for me.

The British and Irish Masters International CC will take place in Cardiff in mid-November. The Scottish M70 team has four competitors: Bobby Young, Brian Campbell, Watson Jones and myself, all from Clydesdale Harriers! I’m not sure this has happened before – all the runners from one club.

I put in about 50 miles training a week (including two track sessions) during the summer. In the winter I like to up the mileage a bit, cut out one track session) and put weight sessions in three times a week. I’m ranked No 1 M70 in the UK over 1500 and 3000 indoor plus 1500 outdoor and second over 10 miles road. I’m ranked No 1 M70 in Scotland from 800 to half marathon.

I think the most pleasing thing this year was doing the track treble: winning the three major 1500 titles (SAF Indoor, BMAF Indoor and BMAF Outdoor). I think that’s the first time that has been achieved in the M70 age group.”

Now in spite of all the achievements celebrated above, Pete Cartwright is a modest, cheerful man who deserves every success, since he trains exceptionally hard, has keen tactical awareness and a wicked change of pace. (Drug testing reveals one secret: he never even drinks alcohol, which some consider tantamount to cheating.) He is almost too good to be a role model – the temptation for his rivals is to retire immediately!

George on top of Cairngorm

George Mitchell (1945-2014) ran for Inverness Harriers and SVHC. He was an invaluable member of the Scottish team in the annual British and Irish Masters Cross Country International. Between his M55 debut in Cardiff (2003) and Belfast (2012), when he was in the M65 age group, he never missed a race: ten in succession, a tremendous record and a testament to George’s consistency and ability to peak for each year’s most important fixture.

George watched the Glasgow Marathon in 1983 and, at 37, was inspired to take part the following year. His training was typically dedicated and meticulous and he made an impressive marathon debut in a good time under the three-hour barrier. After that, he was frequently successful in 10k contests and the North District Cross Country League (three M50 Supervet titles). He first won a Scottish Masters CC Championship medal (M50 bronze) in 1996. His initial gold medal triumph (M55) was at Forres in 2003, when he stayed not far behind Colin Youngson until three hundred metres from the finish, before launching a tremendous sprint, to which his shocked rival (who had foolishly assumed he was well clear) could not respond. It has to be admitted that Youngson was a bad loser and moaned loudly to anyone within earshot. However, once he had eventually calmed down, the guilty Aberdonian made several humble apologies to George, who was magnanimous enough to accept them. Justifiably, George liked to tease Colin about the incident.

Although Youngson gained revenge in the 2004 championship at Cupar, when George Mitchell was third, this was the last time that Colin managed to finish in front of his rival, team-mate and now friend, who was truly a cross-country specialist. In George’s age groups, the only Scot who had much success against him was Archie Duncan of Pitreavie AAC. Overall, between 1996 and 2013, George Mitchell won four titles [M55 (2003), M60 (2006 and 2009) and M65 (2012)] plus five silver and three bronze medals.

Racing hard in Belfast

George’s record in the International was perhaps even more impressive, considering that he was racing against the best from the four home countries, plus Eire. In ten races, he was first Scot to finish seven times, and won eight team medals (four silver and four bronze). Between 2006 and 2009, he finished fourth three times and fifth once, agonisingly close to securing an individual award in this most prestigious event. Then, having turned 65, he finally won bronze at Glasgow in 2010, defeating England’s redoubtable athlete, Martin Ford. In 2012 at Belfast, George ended up third once again, 25 seconds in front of Colin (7^th place), who was proud to have been that close to his leader and, along with Stewart McCrae and Hamish Cameron, to be in the Scottish M65 team that came second to the Auld Enemy but in front of the other three nations.

 When George emailed the selectors to state that he was not fit enough to run the International in 2013, he wrote “First one missed in ten years. I cannot complain.”

With Team Mates at the Dublin International

George was a friendly, popular, respected man with a dry wit. One story involves a training companion and close rival who intended to race against George in a long road race. Before the start George gave him some friendly advice about sensible tactics. Then Coach Mitchell wrote on the race number pinned to his own back: “If your name is Danny, and you’re close enough to read this, you’re going too fast”! Another anecdote is that, when George won the Scottish Masters M65 title, he claimed to be ‘the fastest pensioner in Scotland’!

Colin and George

He trained hard and cleverly, peaked well, was tactically brilliant and could endure a lot of discomfort in races before producing a very fast finish. In addition, he contributed greatly to Inverness Harriers: committee work, advising and inspiring younger team-mates, and helping to organise training and races, including marking out the course. He held age-group Parkrun records in both Inverness and Aberdeen. Before a North District CC League race at Elgin back in 2010, George was chatting to Colin when a younger runner looked at the two white-haired ageing runners and laughingly exclaimed “Jack and Victor!” He referred to the two pensioner friends from the great Scottish television comedy series “Still Game”. Colin (a year or so younger) used to think that he was the one who ought to be compared to Greg Hemphill’s junior character. However George Mitchell was in so many ways a genuine victor and will be remembered and missed very much by many who were privileged to know him.

Back to Supervets

The questionnaire below appeared first in the Scottish Vets magazine and is reproduced with the permission of editor Colin Youngson.

(Doug Cowie continues to enjoy a long and successful running career. Nowadays, due to dedicated and varied cross-training, all-round he is the fittest over-60 that the editor knows! At Forres Harriers, he is an inspiration. This profile was written before the 2014 British and Irish Masters Cross Country International at Nottingham, when Doug, along with Frank Hurley, Andy McLinden and Tony Martin, won thoroughly-deserved team gold.)

NAME Douglas Cowie

CLUBs Forres Harriers/SVHC

DATE OF BIRTH 16/02/1953

OCCUPATION Leisure Supervisor

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE SPORT?

A friend and ex- RAF runner David Parsons who is still competing for Oxford City converted me from football to running in 1971.

HAS ANY INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP HAD A MARKED INFLUENCE ON YOUR ATTITUDE OR INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE?

Bob Wallis, my coach for nine years. He was also coach to Steve Jones and a host of other RAF and club runners. Without his guidance especially in the early days I am sure I would not have achieved as much as I have.

Donald Macgregor, Gerry Stevens (Reading AC) and Mick Woods (AFD) were all major influences at different stages of my running career.

Being involved with the RAF CX team through the 70/80s was an honour and a privilege for the ‘mere mortal’. During that period I was lining up in races with the best runners in the country never mind the RAF. There was Wild, Goater and Crabb from England, Jones, Jenkins and Hackney from Wales, Dion McNeilly was a regular with Northern Ireland and from Scotland there was Gordon and Steve Rimmer and Colin Donnelly.

WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU GET OUT OF THE SPORT?

Personal satisfaction of achieving goals set.

Health and Social benefits.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST EVER PERFORMANCE OR PERFORMANCES?

Winning the RAF Germany XC Championships when I wasn’t even considered a top 5 finisher.

Winning a European Masters Half Marathon silver medal and receiving it from Mrs Zatopek.

Winning SVHC CX Championship in my home town.

Winning European Duathlon gold medal in 2011.

YOUR WORST?

2ATAF XC Championships 1980. We were competing against the Belgian, German, Dutch and American Air Forces, I was expected to be first scorer for the RAF but had a disaster and finished 9^th scorer out of 9!

WHAT UNFULFILLED AMBITIONS DO YOU HAVE?

Steve Prefontaine was my first running hero and I would like to visit Coos Bay, Oregon.

OTHER LEISURE ACTIVITIES?

I cycle quite a lot, swim twice a week and enjoy walking with my wife.

WHAT DOES RUNNING BRING YOU THAT YOU WOULD NOT HAVE WANTED TO MISS?

Through running I have had the good fortune to have travelled the world.  In 2004 I was an escort runner when the Olympic Flame went on its global relay. In 2007 I took part in a similar event travelling to 42 cities in Brazil prior to the start of the Pan-Am Games and in 2012 I was involved with the Olympic Torch relay.

CAN YOU GIVE SOME DETAILS OF YOUR TRAINING?

For 30 years I ran an average of 80mpw, as did most decent club runners of that era but now my training is geared to staying fit and healthy.

Sunday             Easy 3 hour cycle or 60-75 minute easy running.

Monday           2 hour cycle with a bit more effort.

Tuesday           Early morning swim and Harrier session in the evening.

Wednesday     Easy 2 hour cycle/ Water Pilates.

Thursday         Harrier session.

Friday              Early morning swim/Thighs Bums ‘n Tums exercise class.

Saturday          Running or cycling efforts.

That’s the gist of it. As the winter approaches I will do less cycling and more jogging.

The best thing I have done in recent years is to cross train, supplement running with swimming and cycling – exercising but recovering at the same time.  Pilates and core strength workouts have also proved beneficial.

My Favourite Race.

My first serious race was a Services XC league race in November 1971.  From that day many races have been run, over many different surfaces and over many different distances. Although I specialised in the marathon XC was always my favourite discipline and my favourite race was the RAF XC championships.  I was always taught it was not how you performed in December or January that mattered, more importantly how you performed in the Championships in February. I first contested the RAFs in 1971 finishing in 235^th position.  The following year I was 68^th then 32^nd.  I did it 21 times, my best position being 13^th.  That day I was 8 seconds off 8^th place with the top 8 being current internationals.  My final appearance came when aged 41 when I finished in 25^th place.

Marathon Memories

My first attempt could have been my last. 1974 Inverness to Forres, got knocked down after 9 miles and woke up in hospital with the doctor sewing my arm up.

Next attempt – 1975, 2.40, was a member of the RAF Kinloss team that won the RAF  Team Championship.

1981, Boston! A must for any marathon runner. 7000 runners all had to qualify unlike the London marathon which has turned into the biggest ‘Fun Run’ in the world. I did 2.31 for 372^nd place and my friend who did 2.39 was 960^th!

1983, RAF Championships, 1^st in 2.23, a breakthrough after running 2.30/2.31 five times.

1985, Paris 2.21.14 my pb.

1985, Aberdeen, 2.26 – represented the ‘Rest of the World’!

1986, Aberdeen, my first Scottish selection.

1987/88, Marine Corp Marathon, Washington DC.  14,000 runners both years and I finished 8^thand 9^th in 2.27 both years and at the 20 mile mark there was a pipe band playing Scotland the Brave – both years!

1988, GB vest, Singapore. Did 2.30 but considering the heat and humidity was pleased to finish 30^th out of 3000+.

2001, Moray marathon, Scottish Masters Champion.

2003, Chicago. My 50^th marathon in my 50^th year. Did 2.47 which was good enough for an age group silver.

50 marathons of which 34 were run overseas. A pb of 2.21 and a slowest time of 2.47 and 19 times below 2.30.

Favourites;     Swinderby 1983 – RAF Champion.

                        Boston – an unforgettable experience.

Marine Corp Washington DC – very well organised and the best road surface, they call it the marathon of the monuments.

Singapore – first GB vest.  Race was a week or so before Christmas – magical.

Frankfurt Marathon – I’ve always said you can’t beat German organisation.  14,000 runners all got hot showers, 14,000 runners and their families all got hot food!

Chicago – my last. It was preceded by a week in Boulder Colorado staying with Steve Jones and while there I met former Olympic champion Frank Shorter and former World champion Mark Platjes.  The race itself had probably the best atmosphere of them all.

Robert Marshall running for M65 Scottish Masters 2013

NAME  Robert Marshall

CLUBs  Morpeth Harriers and SVHC

DATE OF BIRTH 29^th July 1948

OCCUPATION Retired Director, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing.

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE SPORT 

In my penultimate year at Strathclyde University I was talked into joining the cross country team. The prospect of free travel to various university venues, followed by convivial drinking evenings was too much to miss out on.

I did little more than make up the numbers, however I did master the skill of standing on my head and drinking a pint of beer.

HAS ANY INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP HAD A MARKED INFLUENCE ON YOUR ATTITUDE OR INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE?

 I have to give thanks to Innis Mitchell for his encouragement in those early days.

On leaving university I joined Bellahouston Harriers and ran most of the time with Jimmy Irvine. Although I never thought of it as such I guess Jimmy was my first ever coach, and along with Jim Alder (Morpeth) they have been the two most influential people in my running career.

At that time (early ‘70s) I occasionally ran with a group of “super vets”, on a Saturday afternoon. The group included some of the greats of Scottish athletics……….Gordon Porteous, John Emmet Farrell, Andy Forbes and the irrepressible Jack McLean. The pace was pleasant, quite undemanding, however the conversation was inspiring.

It would have been impossible not to have been influenced by the successes of these three and by the total enthusiasm that exuded from Jack.

Serendipity.  In 1975 my wife and I decided to go and work in central Africa, on the border of Zambia and Zaire. By pure chance there were two other expat runners living in the same town.

One was a runner called Dave Camp, a Morpeth Harrier who had represented UK at the steeplechase. The previous year he had beaten Malanowski (the Polish Olympic champion) in a Europa Cup match.

Through Dave I learned what hard training was all about, especially interval training, and the discipline of running twice a day.

There was no track, we measured out a grassy field, ran mostly barefoot and watched out for snakes. Hippos left big footprints that you could turn an ankle on, but they only came out of the water at night so that was okay.

I returned to the UK a much improved runner.

 More luck.  I got a job in the pharmaceutical industry and was based at Morpeth. Early on I met Jim Alder and a young lad called Archie Jenkins (who always seemed to finish just a few seconds in front of me).

At this time, late 70’s and throughout the 80s the north east of England was a great place to be for running. Just about every race was contested by athletes who were truly world class (Alder, Foster, McLeod, Spedding, Cram et al.). They all seemed keen to turn out for the local races. To be merely a good club runner meant that you had to be close to international standard.

Jim Alder and Morpeth Harriers pulled it all together………..I owe them such a debt of gratitude.

WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU GET OUT OF THE SPORT?

The thrill of still being able to run, to compete and to meet interesting and inspiring people. In fact as I’ve got older it’s become even better.

The fun of it all and the memories.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST EVER PERFORMANCE OR PERFORMANCES?

I’m a big fan of the Parkruns. Accessible to all, with an element of competition if you so choose. The volunteers are heroes

Parkruns publish age graded performance, and as you get older it provides an opportunity to make comparisons. Interestingly when I put my PBs, done in the 70/80s, into the age graded calculator on the internet and compare them with now they’re not so different (85-90%). So, I’ve managed to be quite consistent overall, nothing too flash.

So far as individual performances are concerned I’d have to break it down into 3 categories:

Cross Country.

I don’t do mud (see later). To compete in a multi lap, firm course, suits me just fine and with that in mind I think that in this category I’d have to nominate winning the 2014 British Masters over 65 XC.

The race was made easier for me by the hard work of Beryl Junnier and Jenny Forbes. I got some shelter from the gale by hiding behind them (although there’s not too much flesh to hide behind!!). It became a hard fartlek session, attack the hills and glide down the other side, the three of us just stayed together. Thanks ladies.

On the Roads

On time alone I suppose my best would be the Brampton “10” in 50:00….I think of it as a 49:60.

In 1986 I finished 3^rd in the Scottish marathon. I chased Don McGregor all the way up from Leith to Meadowbank and the gap never changed from 28 secs.

On the track.

In 1980 I turned out for Morpeth at Gateshead stadium in a GRE Cup match. I won the 10000m in the morning in 31:30 and then ran the 5000m for additional points in the afternoon in 15:22.  Neither run was a PB but it was a satisfying, unusual, double.

YOUR WORST?

The potential is there any time I put spikes on country.

I finished about 300^th+ in the Northern XC once, at a place called Pity Me, Co. Durham. Oh how appropriate was that name and how merciless were the gang at Morpeth in mocking me. I’m no fan of muddy cross country (Pity Me probably scarred me for life!).

Worst injury.

Maybe not the worst, but certainly the most memorable. Somebody ran into my side just as I was going over to the start line at Tollcross this year. I never gave it a second thought during or after the race, but whilst driving home, on the Edinburgh bypass, I experienced an exquisite pain at the top left of my chest. It transpired that I had a cracked rib, although at the time I endured a more worrying self diagnosis

WHAT UNFULFILLED AMBITIONS DO YOU HAVE?

I enjoy road racing, and most of all road relays. And at the top of the pile has to be the   National 12 man relay at Sutton Coldfield. Despite running for a great club we never achieved medals, such was the standard. Once again, everybody turned out for their clubs and it was a real who’s who of British athletics.

So, the last ambition is to run for an over 65s team and gain a medal at Sutton Park.

OTHER LEISURE ACTIVITIES?

I play occasional golf, but it’s just too time consuming (and I’m not very good!).

From about age 45 to 60, because of business commitments, I had less time to commit to serious running. However, I did keep “jogging fit” and to create a challenge I completed the Munros. Every now and then I get a bit twitchy and think about embarking on the Corbetts.

I’m interested in quantum physics. Even the most unlikely event has a probability of occurrence……….a bit like winning a medal at XC!

WHAT DOES RUNNING BRING YOU THAT YOU WOULD NOT HAVE WANTED TO MISS?

The people, the characters, the training and the competition. It contributes to good health and fantastic memories.

Despite my aversion to mud I have to admit that the Masters’ International is the highlight of my year. It’s just like being a student again…..a hard race, followed by a night of over indulgence and laughter (and you even get expenses from Davie!).

CAN YOU GIVE SOME DETAILS OF YOUR TRAINING?

It is appropriate now to measure my “mileage” in kilometres, the rationale being that it takes just about as long in training to run a km as it used to run a mile.

In the 70/80s at Morpeth we did quite high mileage, 100 was not exceptional. 80-90 was about average.

I now do about 90-100km per week, some of which is twice a day (4 or 5 times a week). My morning run is a slow 7 km, mostly round the local golf course. I tend to regard the benefit more for injury management.

Training fits into different phases:

Sometimes I’ll just do slow distance runs for a while.

More often, if not racing, I fit in 3 sessions a week, comprising:

A long run of 15-20 kms, a fartlek run of 10k and finally an anaerobic threshold run of about 25 mins at my half marathon pace. The latter is often done on a treadmill, again at age 65 it’s a bit about injury management and prevention.

If more race specific then I replace the threshold run with an interval session of 10 times 2 or 3mins with a 1 minute recovery. I can’t maintain this phase for too long (ca. one month), and I always do one of the two (interval or threshold) on a treadmill.

Any other runs are then done on the roads at a steady pace, not too fast.

Only since I‘ve got older have I bothered with stretching. Now I do about 3 sessions a week (calfs, quads, hamstrings and IT band).  I’m not sure of the benefit, but some people swear by it.

It was at this point that I sent off a draft response to Colin Youngson. In typical pedantic ex schoolteacher mode (our very own Ichabod Crane!), he informed me that my grammar and spelling were okay, but the narrative needed more substance.  “Do not feel constrained by the questions”………..so here we go, PART TWO.

The ageing process. I mentioned that I got back into racing proper, following a 15 year sabbatical, at age 60. Having made the decision to race I decided to try a few “fast” runs. I measured out a mile using my car and attempted an “eyeballs out” run. I did about 6min 10 seconds. Thinking the distance must be wrong I remeasured it with the car. Still a mile.

So, the car must be wrong, I bought a GPS watch………….the car was proved correct, I had aged. Oh dear, and worse still it actually felt like 4:45 pace.

Running in the 60-64 age group is really tough. No matter how well you run you’re likely to be close to the back of the field (especially in the international). Not good for the ego, and it requires much more of a time trial mentality, a very different mindset.

Moving into the 65+ has been refreshing, it feels like racing again.

Running against the ladies, a privilege afforded to the over 65s.

I am well accepting of defeat now; however I can recall the first time I was beaten by a woman. The Great North Run in the 1980s. Inside the final mile she just ran away from me, amazing pace. The lady was Rosa Mota, she was most impressive and did win Olympic and European golds.

This was the start of a slippery slope. Since then I’ve been beaten by Batman and Superman, but never yet a gorilla nor a banana.

On the subject of impressive runs I think the one that made the biggest impression on me was seeing Ian Stewart (of Birchfield) running second leg in the E to G, for Aberdeen AC (1972). I believe that Colin has already mentioned this in a previous edition of the newsletter. It really was very special to watch. He was doing about four and a half minute miles and by comparison everybody else just looked pedestrian.

Training.  I’ve seen lots and copied many.

Fundamental to them all seemed to be a high volume of miles; the quality within appeared more varied. Yet from the permutation of approaches there was a standard, lasting over about 3 decades, which we can only reflect upon but no longer witness. Were it not for the times set, and by so many, it could just be put down to the reminiscences of an aged generation.

Many races are now won around Scotland in times that would have been little more than a hard training run.

Try as I might I could never get inside 2:20 for a marathon. Our very own Colin Youngson and Alastair Macfarlane were comfortably inhabiting the region of 2:16 to 2:20, as were another 100 plus runners throughout the UK. And then there was another league of runners probably 30 to 50 (or more?) who could do 2:10-2:15.

It would be churlish to demean many hard training youngsters who are willing to pound the roads, tracks and trails in all sorts of weather, all credit to them. But I am bemused as to how the overall standard has slipped.

Laura Mahady at the 2013 European Veteran Indoor Athletic Championships in San Sebastian.

She won the W55 800m in 2.27.84, bettering the world record 2.29.66 she set when winning the BMAF Indoor title at Lee Valley less than a fortnight earlier.

Laura was also 2013 W55 World 800m and BMAF 800m and 400m Champion Outdoors.

1. Name:Laura Mahady
2. Date of birth:20.02.58
3. Club:Aberdeen Amateur Athletic Club

4.         Can you list your PBs?

200m 28.7; 400m 61.05; 800m 2:19.5; 1500m 4:50.73;

1mile 5:26.00

5. How did you get started in the sport?

I have always enjoyed running, and ran daily for years just for the feel good factor it gave me. I began running competitively in 1996.

6.         How did you get involved with your club?

In 1998 my children and I took part in a local race, I was first lady, and my children were first, second and third respectively in the children’s race. We were approached by a member of AAAC and asked if we would consider joining the club. A few weeks later we joined the club.

7.         What do you feel you get out of the sport?

I get so very much out of the sport: there is the feel good factor which comes with running; I love a challenge; I enjoy the training; athletics has given me a social life with like minded people; it is something my son and I do together – we are in the same training squad; there are the achievements and the sense of fulfilment; athletics has become part of my identity; it has changed my career and working life….10 years ago I moved from being a lecturer in Psychology, to being a lecturer in Sports Psychology.

8.         What would you not have wanted to miss about being involved in the sport?

I wanted to run competitively as a child, my parents were approached by members of Hawkhill Harriers but my mother blocked all suggestions that I start spending time training; she feared my school work would suffer. I always told myself I would do it some day. I would hate to have never have had the opportunity.

9.         What has been your best / most satisfying performance?

Finland 2009, World Masters Championships, W50 800m. I felt like I was taking on the world. I was so determined, but also rather fearful. My mantra was: ‘This is mine’. I would rather have died (but only once I got over that finish line first) than let anyone beat me. The first lap I was very controlled but when I heard the bell go I knew it was time to see what I could do. I clocked 2:19.5 and set a new European record.

10.       And your worst?

My first international event was the World Masters Indoors in 2008 in Clermont Ferrand. I felt completely overwhelmed by it all. I ran in the 3000m and the 1500m. I achieved bronze in the 3000m but ran 30 seconds slower than I had done just weeks earlier.

11.       Can you give some details of your training?

I do 9 sessions a week, three or four of these sessions are completed with coaches, Joyce and Ken. I do an easy recovery run on a Tuesday and a 9 to 10 mile off road run with friends on a Sunday. My other three sessions are spent in the gym on the machines and using weights.

12.       Has any individual or group had a particular influence on your running or attitude to running?

There are many people over the years who have inspired me; my father was a competitive sportsman until he was 64 so I have never seen age as an obstacle. Several years ago at a Scottish Masters Championship I witnessed a jaw dropping performance by Esther Linaker. I was told that day that she was the fastest woman in the world in her age group.  I thought that was the most amazing achievement, and it was something I immediately aspired to, but never thought I could achieve. My coaches, Joyce and Ken Hogg, have made me the athlete I am today, their dedication and hard work is reflected in our squad, and we are all very supportive of one another.

13.       Do you have any running ambitions that are still unfulfilled?

I just want to keep training, running and competing for as long as I can.

14.       Are you or have you ever been involved in other sporting activities?

I was THE sporty child at school: netball, gymnastics, hockey, athletics. I could never get enough. A few years ago I did some cycling and competed in a few duathlons.

15.       You have run the Masters Cross Country International a few times, what are your memories of the event?

The camaraderie amongst the team is great, you are running not only for yourself but for the team and for Scotland.  Wearing that Scottish vest makes me feel proud.

16.       What are your views on the administration of the sport in Scotland?

I am always humbled by the efforts that everyone in the sport puts in. So many people giving of themselves in terms of time and resources. The outside world has little idea that the sport is run by volunteers.

17.       Is there anything you would like to see from the SVHC that is not there at present?

I would like to see more SVHC athletes encouraged to take part in these big international events. In particular, Scotland has produced some world record holding female masters athletes, eg Esther Linaker, Janette Stevenson, Fiona Matheson, Sandra Branney . It is unfortunate that some of these ladies have not attended these events and claimed their rightful place on the podium.

18.       Tell us about your day job.

I lecture in Sports Psychology at the University of Aberdeen.  Filling this post came about as a direct consequence of being a Psychology lecturer who ran and competed.

19.       What do you do to relax?

I have a real problem relaxing. Going for an easy run along the River Don with my dog is my idea of relaxation.

Laura’s list of achievements in the sport is quite remarkable and it is maybe appropriate to list them in tabular form so that they can be appreciated – major records have been added at the end in red.

* This record was broken twice!   First at the British Indoors, then at the Europeans.

When asked about her favourite races, Laura replies that the 800m in Finland in 2009 when she achieved her first world title and European record.   Also rather special was the Aberdeen Sports Village Mile in 2009 when she ran on home soil and, with the support of family, friends and Aberdeen AAC clubmates, she won in a British record time.   The European Indoors in San Sebastian, in 2013 is also memorable in that she achieved an age-group world 800m record the week before travelling to Spain  with the result that she was so scared that someone would run faster in the European Championship that she went out really hard and kept running as hard as she could – and improved on her own world record!

Given her talent and enthusiasm for the sport (and the 10 mile Sunday runs with runners of the calibre of Mike Murray, Peter Wilson and Peter Jennings, the table will need extending ere long.

Brian Gardner responded to the questionnaire with typical thoughtfulness. Although injury has forced him to retire from running IN 2014, he has found another outlet for his unquenched desire to train and race. As you will read below, despite numerous operations, he has achieved a great deal during his athletic career. Successes he chose not to mention include: Scottish Masters CC titles at M45 and M50; Scottish Masters track wins at 1500, 3000 and 5000; International CC bronze medals in M50 and M55 to go with his M45 triumph; and first places in BMAF M45 10,000m and M50 ten miles. Before all that, he won the British Masters Modern Triathlon (swimming, running and shooting)! He was an invaluable part of the Scottish Masters team in the annual 5 Nations International CC, contributing to four team silver medals and one bronze in three different age groups.   In 2001in the Five Nations Masters International at Falkirk, he won M45 team gold for Scotland with Keith Varney, Gerry Gaffney, Archie Jenkins and Nicol Maltman making up the team.

Brian’s Competition Record (appended) makes interesting reading. Plenty of success despite so many injuries! Some very impressive times especially at M40, M45 and M55.   Training before his solo M45 triumph at Croydon in 2004 he was ‘climbing twice a week and lifting heavy (for me) weights twice a week, as well as consuming my usual diet of hills, cross-country reps and long runs.’

We wish him the very best of luck in his new sport.

NAME  Brian Gardner

CLUBs  Swindon Harriers and SVHC

DATE OF BIRTH  25/03/56

OCCUPATION  Active Lifestyles Team Leader, South Gloucestershire Council

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE SPORT?

I always liked running around as a child but when I was invited to trial for my primary school’s area sports team, I was too shy to join in!  It wasn’t until I ran cross country for my Boys’ Brigade team that I finally plucked up the courage to join Airdrie Harriers just before my 17^th birthday.

HAS ANY INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP HAD A MARKED INFLUENCE ON YOUR ATTITUDE OR INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE?

In my last year at Airdrie Academy, my PE teacher, Bobby MacLean, a former Shettleston Harrier, coached me and helped me believe in myself.  When I left school, Airdrie Harriers amalgamated with others to form Clyde Valley and I joined Tommy Boyle’s group.  Under Tommy’s coaching my 800m time came down to 1:57 and I won my only senior Scottish Championship medals: silver and bronze at 4x400m – by age 20, when I left Scotland to study and work in England and became a cross-country specialist.  I’ve been self-coached ever since, although I’ve been influenced by club stalwarts and leaders such as: the late Keith Scott (“You’ll never run faster until you run faster”) of Newbury; Pete Molloy (a World Champion who cited me as an influence in his recent comeback); Howard Moscrop (another World Champion, who also took Swindon into the British League) at Swindon; and SVHC’s Archie Jenkins (always up for it), Colin Youngson (always eloquent) and Davie Fairweather (always there).

WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU GET OUT OF THE SPORT?

In my job I should say health, wellbeing and an active lifestyle but it’s none of those!  It’s planning and training to the best of your ability – given your limitations – to race as well as you possibly can in the most important competitions.  It’s that proud feeling when you go into work on a Monday knowing that you ran a good race at the weekend, and you keep that feeling to yourself because it’s special to you.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST EVER PERFORMANCE OR PERFORMANCES?

Only one contender: winning the ‘home’ international cross country (M45) at Croydon in 2004.  The build up to the race couldn’t have been better for me: I was winning cross country races outright and setting lifetime pbs on the road.  I had planned and trained to the best of my ability and this was the most important race.  Although I’d never finished higher than 12^th overall before, I knew that if I concentrated and held my nerve, this could be my time.  We were held up in the sleet at the start while the organisers found a 1^st aider (!) It was difficult to keep warm but I made a cautious start and then threaded my way through the field.  With about a mile to go, I knew I was the leading M45 and first Scot overall but England’s Jon Cordingley was trying to get past me.  I surged to hold him off several times until I sprinted clear in the home straight.  Crossing that finish line was the proudest moment of my life.  And it was only after finishing that I learned that I was 5^th overall; I had no idea that I’d moved so far up.  The support from team mates was heart warming.  I’d planned and trained for that win and finally ran as well as I possibly could.

YOUR WORST?

Too many contenders!  For every performance I was proud of there were at least twice as many that were a disappointment; sometimes because of injury or surgery but mostly because I ran like a donkey.

WHAT UNFULFILLED AMBITIONS DO YOU HAVE?

I never won a World Championship.  But I didn’t win many national titles, either, so maybe I had ideas above my station.  The same season that I won the ‘home’ international I went on to win a poorly supported European Cross Country Championship in Sweden.  I felt that I was on a roll and really wanted to try and win something at the next level.  I didn’t run overseas again until 2008, when I was 5^th(M50) in the World Cross Country Championships in France.  That’s the closest I got.

And I suppose that your last pbs are all unfulfilled ambitions: for instance, in 1984 my 5,000m time came down from 15:09 to 14:58 to 14:53 to 14:44 and I was dreaming about how much more I could improve.  But I missed the next four seasons and never ran any quicker.

Track pbs: 1:57 (800m), 3:57 (1500m), 8:28 (3,000m), 14:44 (5,000m), 30:58 (10,000m) – all age 28

Road pbs: 15:52 (5K – age 48), 25:43 (5M – age 48), 32:51 (10K – age 44), 72:01 (HM – age 48) and then there was a doubtful 50:45 for the Tom Scott ‘10’, aged 23, on the old Law to Motherwell course, back in the day when road race measurements were more creative.  In the tea bar after the race that day I overheard this comment: “They keep saying that the course must be short but every time it’s measured it comes out as a good, solid nine and a three quarters.”

OTHER LEISURE ACTIVITIES?

Swimming; Game of Thrones; walking the dogs (two Springer Spaniels); English Literature; big Rugby League fan; occasional gigs e.g. My Ruin, Wednesday 13, Queens of the Stone Age; lifelong supporter of Airdrieonians…

WHAT DOES RUNNING BRING YOU THAT YOU WOULD NOT HAVE WANTED TO MISS?

Team mates, exploring the countryside and mainly the training and competition.  I’ve had to miss a lot of that over the years, having had ten operations.  The latest was in May, 2014 and that was the third in just over a year.  I’ve had more comebacks than Frank Sinatra but this time – for the sake of the future health of my joints – I’m finally calling it a day… permanently.  However, I have found a new sport: open water swimming!  Just six weeks after handing back my leg brace and crutches and buying my first wet suit, I swam my first race in a lake.  And did okay!  So, I still have team mates, exploring the countryside, training and competition.  And I’ve made another comeback, with a difference!  There is life after running!

CAN YOU GIVE SOME DETAILS OF YOUR TRAINING?

During the cross country season I followed a staple diet of cross country reps, steady runs and a long run on Sundays.  The training was always progressive e.g. adding a rep or reducing the recovery and working towards a peak for the major championships.  The track season was similar except the reps would be shorter and at 3-5 different paces e.g. 800m/1500m/3,000m.  These sessions were usually on grass rather than on the track.  At various times of the year I’d run hill reps, build-ups and differential runs.  During the past twenty-five years or so, I incorporated cycling and swimming, as I could no longer sustain relatively high mileage.

Much of my running has been on the Wiltshire Downs.  There are two training runs I remember most of all.  One day, I was on top of Cherhill hill in dazzling sunshine, looking down on a blanket of fluffy clouds with the odd tree or church spire poking up here and there.  And I thought: all the non-runners are down there in the fog; you have to run up here on your own steam to See the Light.  Another day, on another hill, I came across a group of people flying model aeroplanes and I asked them: “Spot of flying?  Me, too!”

These days I swim 10km per week in five sessions made up of various sets, mostly in a pool but also in a lake.  I also do five or six core stability sessions of around twenty minutes each; these were originally rehabilitation exercises and have developed into an almost daily habit.  I wear a pedometer twice a week – once during the week and one day at the weekend – and make sure I walk at least 10,000 steps on each of those days.  And I have one rest day per week.

Now that I’ve had a taste of open water competition, I’ll be getting some coaching in the pool this winter with a view to maintaining good health and tackling a full season next summer.  I might come back home to swim a race in a loch.  Wish me luck!

Brian Gardner – competition record

1974 (Junior): 1^st Scottish Schools 2,000m Steeplechase

1975 (Junior): 1^st Scottish YMCA 1500m

1976-1996 (Senior): Inter-county standard cross-country runner; decent club standard track runner; no individual honours at national level; pbs that would stand up well nowadays (those of us of a certain generation all say that) but were commonplace in the heyday of UK middle distance: 1:57, 3:57, 8:28, 14:44, 30:58.

1993: 1^ST UK Masters Modern Triathlon, 2^nd Biathlon

1996-2013: complete record at national & international masters championships (age category position only) and significant others; Scot = Scottish Masters, UK = British Masters, B&I = British & Irish Masters International; Euro = European Masters, World = World Masters, Wsx, Oxf, Ava Lge = Wessex, Oxford & Avalon cross-country Leagues; T&F = track; XC = cross-country; i = indoor

1996 T&F (M40):7^th UK 800m & 5^th 1500m, 17^th 5K road; 2:01 800m (age 40)

1996/97 XC (M40): 11^th Scot XC, 22^nd UK XC, 18^th B&I XC; won Wsx Lge

1997 T&F (M40): 4:10 1500m (age 41)

1997/98 XC (M40): 3^rd Scot XC, 13^th UK XC, 14^th B&I XC; won Wsx Lge (senior & master)

1998 T&F (M40): 5^th UK 1500m; 4:11 1500m (age 42)

1998/99 XC (M40): 5^th Scot XC, 11^th B&I XC; won Wsx Lge

1999 T&F (M40): 2^nd Scot 5,000m, 27^th World XC & 1^st ‘B’ 5,000m; 15:40 5,000m (age 43)

1999/2000 XC (M40): 3^rd Scot XC, 25^th UK XC, 15^th B&I XC; won Wsx Lge

2000 T&F (M40): 2^nd Scot 1500m & 3^rd 5,000m, 2^nd UK 10,000m; 4:14 1500m & 9:07 3,000m (age 44)

2000/01 XC (M40): 3^rd Scot XC, 11^th B&I XC; won Wsx Lge; 32:51 10K road (age 44)

2001 T&F (M45): 1^st Scot 1500m & 1^st 5,000m; 4^th UK 5,000m & 1^st 10,000m; 15:45 5,000m in British League, 33:13 10,000m (age 45)

2001/02 XC (M45): 5^th UK XC, 5^th (&1^st team) B&I XC; won Wsx Lge, won Ava Lge (senior & master)

2002 T&F (M45): injured

2002/03 XC (M45): 2^nd Scot XC, 8^th UK XC; won Wsx Lge

2003 T&F (M45): injured

2003/04 XC (M45): 1^st Scot XC, 1^st Scot 3,000m i; won Wsx Lge

2004 T&F (M45); 1^st Scot 5,000m, 4^th UK 10,000m; 4:17 1500m (age 48)

2004/05 XC (M45): 3^rd Scot XC, 3^rd UK 3,000m i, 1^st B&I XC, 1^st Euro XC; won Wsx Lge (senior & master); won seven races against all ages; 15:52 5K, 25:43 5M (93.3%), 72:01 HM (all age 48); 2^nd to 2004 Olympian & club-mate Matt O’Dowd in first Swindon HM.

2005 T&F (M45): injured

2005/06 XC (M45): injured

2006 T&F (M50): injured

2006/07 XC (M50): 6^th B&I XC; won Wsx Lge

2007 T&F (M50): injured

2007/08 XC (M50): 1^st Scot XC, 3^rd UK XC, 1^st UK 10M road, 3^rd B&I XC, 5^th World XC; won Wsx & Oxf Lges; 74:43 HM (age 52)

2008 T&F (M50): injured

2008/09 XC (M50): 5^th B&I XC

2009 T&F (M50): injured

2009/10 XC (M50): 3^rd Scot XC, 3^rd UK 10M road, 11^th B&I; won Oxf Lge

2010 T&F (M50): injured

2010/11 XC (M50): injured

2011 T&F (M55): 1^st Scot 1500m, 2^nd UK 800m & 2^nd 1500m

2011/12 XC (M55): 3^rd Scot XC, 4^th UK 1500m i, 5^th UK 10K road, 5^th UK XC, 3^rd B&I XC; won Oxf Lge

2012 T&F (M55): 3^rd UK 5,000m; 9:57 3,000m (age 56)

2012/13 XC (M55): 2^nd Scot XC, 5^th B&I XC; won Oxf Lge

Operations: 1980 (X2), 1986, 1988, 1995, 2002, 2006, 2013 (X2), 2014

Brian Gardner’s memoir: Section Fout

Anne Docherty has sprung upon the Scottish and British Masters scene, at a mature age but with considerable success. With luck, her freshness, enthusiasm and friendliness should ensure several more years of varied and interesting achievement in challenging sporting events.

Anne, not long after the marathon start

Anne  after the race receiving her British Masters Marathon gold medal

NAME Anne Docherty

CLUBs Forres Harriers and SVHC

DATE OF BIRTH 11 March 1945

OCCUPATION Retired College Lecturer

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE SPORT?

I had never been a runner – just couldn’t do it.   But I have always been a swimmer of sorts.   My husband and I used to regularly walk in the hills and had quite a few Munros under our belts.   However, he broke his ankle and it never repaired very well, also he now has 2 new hips, so our hill walking days sadly are over.   I tried the gym for a while, but I am never happy being inside.

With great fear and trepidation one day I stood at the front door, clad in my hill walking gear with old trainers on – heart beating rapidly before I had even started – and I set off for a trial “run” in the woods behind our house.   Once out of sight of any one I found I could sort of gently run.   I decided that as I was nearly 60 (10 years ago)and retired from lecturing, this could be my challenge, and started to “run” about 3 times a week for about 30 minutes around what is now my “cosy woodland route”.   Two neighbours whom I did not know very well, Fran and Jackie, eventually persuaded me to join the Forres Harriers, running slowly and patiently with me.

HAS ANY INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP HAD A MARKED INFLUENCE ON YOUR ATTITUDE OR INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE?

I could not run to the extent that I do without the support of my husband – who is always there to encourage me.   Also my family and grandchildren.   There is nothing more thrilling than hearing them call “Come on Nanna”, waving their home made banners.   Also of course my two friends and neighbours, as above, who are great supporters.   However, without the support and friendship of my fellow Forres Harriers and Club Captain Susan, I would be just another old grannie!   I am certain that I would not have achieved so much without belonging to the Harriers.

WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU GET OUT OF THE SPORT?

An opportunity to get out into the fresh air and explore new places.   I am now very brave, and have discovered all kinds of exciting places when running in unfamiliar areas on my own.   I also get a feeling of freedom, a sense of identity and fitness.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST EVER PERFORMANCE OR PERFORMANCES?

Probably winning the Loch Ness Baxters 10K for F60+ this year.   It was my pb and just felt good all the way – topped by a most unexpected win on a perfect day.   Also I am very pleased with my recent performance in the Speyside Duathlon, which was just about my toughest challenge so far!   Winning the 2014 BMAF W65 Cross Country was just amazing as I am not at all a confident Cross Country runner as I fall over a lot!

YOUR WORST?

I always do my best, and therefore don’t ever feel I have a “worst” experience even if times are slow.

WHAT UNFULFILLED AMBITIONS DO YOU HAVE?

None.   I just take each day/challenge as it comes.

OTHER LEISURE ACTIVITIES?

Swimming and cycling.   Triathlon.   Quilting.   Walking.

WHAT DOES RUNNING BRING YOU THAT YOU WOULD NOT HAVE WANTED TO MISS?

The friendship of fellow runners.   A sense of fitness which without running would have been difficult to achieve.   Exploring both local and new areas.   I am never afraid to stop to enjoy the view or experience!

CAN YOU GIVE SOME DETAILS OF YOUR TRAINING?

It depends on what I am training for.   I always run about 5 days a week.   For a marathon up to about 50 miles a week – including one day hills and one day speed.   I always follow a training plan as much as I can.   If I am also training for a triathlon I include swimming and cycling as well, fitting everything in as much as possible.   I do find that when I fit in swimming and cycling with marathon training, I feel on top form.   I am doing that just now.   I hope to run in the Thanet Marathon , my 16^th marathon, near Margate in September, and the week after that to take part in the Grantown on Spey triathlon.

When I am not training for a marathon I probably run about 30 miles a week.

(Shortly after completing this questionnaire, Anne reported as follows. “Have had a great two weeks! Won the W65 gold medal in the 2014 BMAF Marathon Championships and was also first W60 in the Thanet Marathon. It was really hot and hilly – probably the hardest marathon I have run, as I just wasn’t expecting such testing conditions. But very well organised and a lovely atmosphere. In the Grantown Triathlon I won the Vintage prize – think that is for first Female over 60, and knocked over two minutes off my previous best – that was the fourth time I have done it. Again I found it hard and hadn’t realised that I had done much better than before.”)

_____________________________________________________________________

Bobby in the Edinburgh to Glasgow

Bobby Young is a fixture on the Scottish athletics scene.   He seems to have been here for ever but only took the sport up in his mid thirties – later than most of us – and proved to have a natural aptitude for it.   He also thinks about the sport a lot and has been giving advice and trading theories on training for some years now but he is first and foremost a competitor.   If we look at his career in the sport we might learn a bit about him.  His most recent exploits have already been added to the website on the ‘Three Amigos’ page.   I first met Bobby in either 1980 or 1981.   I was coaching two very good first or second year senior men in Robert McWatt and George Carlin: Robert had run in the World Cross-Country Championships in 1978 and George should have made that team but had given blood on the Tuesday before.   I was going out to do the first three miles with them before turning and returning to the Baths and this guy joined in as we left the Bruce Street Baths.   The pace was quite brisk but the guy kept running comfortably and chatting away.   The first mile went by and he was still there, and the second and  I was struggling before the relief of the three mile marker came up but Bobby (for he it was) was still running very comfortably so I left them to get on with it!   I’ve taken an interest in his career ever since.   Some runners – especially those coming late to the sport – are awkward and stiff with a stride length like advanced rigor mortis but Bobby isn’t at all in that category.   He is a smooth runner and always looks comfortable.   But first, before we go on to the profile proper, Bobby has filled in the questionnaire for us and we will start there.

Name:   Robert Young

Club:   Clydesdale Harriers

Date of Birth:  4 November 1943

Occupation: Retired teacher

How did you get into the sport initially?  A work colleague was part of a group of recreational runners led by David Andrews of Springburn Harriers. They ran five mile loop of Pollok Park on Saturday mornings. In December 1979 I joined them some Saturdays. Probably averaging less than 5 miles a week for a year. In early 1982 we decided to enter the 1982 London Marathon so more regular Saturday mornings were follow by a 15 miler. Finishing in 3:03 followed by 2:47 at first Glasgow Marathon that year and serious running was off and running.

Personal Bests?

Track:   1500m in 4:20.5 Vets Champs 

              3000m in 9:22.5 British Vets Kelvin Hall 1994 age 50

              5000m in 15:54 League meeting Crownpoint. 

             10000m in 33:26

Road:   10k in 32:59.

             10 miles in 52:21 

            Half Marathon in 72:27 Kirkintilloch 1990

            Marathon in 2:36:15 Lochaber 1989 

Has any individual or group had a marked effect on either your attitude to the sport or your performances?   SVHC has been a great incentive to compete and improve.   This led to British Masters competition and and eventually to World Masters events.

What do you consider your best ever performance/s as a runner?  

World Championships Gateshead 1999  Gold British Team XC and Marathon (with Individual Bronze). Fourth 5000m and seventh 10,000m.

World Championship Brisbane 2001 Gold British team XC and Marathon Bronze, fourth 5000m and Bronze 10,000m

Winning M60 Gold in Dublin at British and Irish International XC after 18 consecutive years of competition.  

And your worst?   I tend to forget those immediately!

What do you do apart from running to relax?   Travel when possible, hill walking (lots before running got started), a bit of golf (my 15 – 25 sport).

What has running brought you that you would not have wanted to miss?   Meeting a great bunch of men and women.   Unlike some sports, runners are nice people to have as friends

What goals do you have that are still unachieved?  Winning International Cross-Country again.   (NB: 2018 Swansea Won second Individual Gold !!)

Can you give details of your training?

Since starting in 1980, over 3 decades training went through several phases.

During M40 period racing over 50 races a year, training was fairly normal. About 50-70 odd miles a week:  Tuesday and Thursday hard run with Harriers, race Saturday and long run (16ml) on Sunday. Races were from 1500m, 3000m and 5000m and 10,000m track, 10k, 10 milers, Half marathon and Marathon (3-5 a year). Most PB’s set during this period. Except the 3000m indoor which was set at age 50 in British Masters in Kelvin Hall in 1994 at 9:22.5. 

Although running distances up to marathon, weekly mileage never went above 50-70 miles. Beyond this fatigue or injury was a possibility. Marathon training would be about 12 weeks building up to long runs 20-22 miles. Very important run was a marathon pace run, building up to 15 miles at 6 min miles. This meant that first 15 miles of the marathon was fairly routine and only 11 miles of real effort.

For shorter races on track and road, Tuesday and Thursday were speed sessions. One was maybe 12x400m in 70-72 with 30sec recovery. The other maybe 10x 1000m in 3:00-3:10 with 60 sec recovery. A race on Sat and longer run maybe 16 miles on Sunday. That left 3 easier days. 

Do you have any thoughts on current training and/or racing theories that you would care to pass on?   eg.  Big miles or low mileage?   Steady running or always hard?   To stretch or not to stretch? 

Funnily enough I never stretched at all and never really suffered an injury as eighteen consecutive International Cross-Country appearances would indicate. Eight visits to physio/chiro in all that time. But good warmup and strides very important. With increasing age the length of adequate warmup increases significantly ( 3-4  miles of running)

As he says above, Bobby took up running for the first time in December 1979 when he was thirty six with some friends and work colleagues.   A five mile run at 9:00 am in Pollock Park on Saturdays turned into a twice yearly handicap race and Dinner.   He had a go at several races including the Springburn Cup, Round Cumbrae and the Glasgow University Race over the next two years before there was a group decision to run in the second London Marathon and the first Glasgow Marathon – both in 1982.   These resulted in times of 3:03 and 2:46 after which training became more regular.

He got up to 60/70 miles a week with a couple of speed sessions and the regular long Sunday run became standard practice.  Bobby joined Clydesdale Harriers and ran a couple of dozen marathons and recorded 2:37:18 in Glasgow in 1986.   His lifetime best for the marathon came at Lochaber in 1990 when at the age of 46 he ran 2:36:15.   He regularly ran 10K’s in 33 minutes, 5K’s in 16 minutes, 10 miles in 54 minutes and half marathons in 72 minutes testified to the quality of his running at this point.    Regardless of his age, Bobby was more than holding his own in open senior competition.   He competed more than most and on all surfaces.

On the road, his first Edinburgh to Glasgow relay was in 1986 when he ran the third stage.   As a newcomer to the sport in the early 80’s he was in a Clydesdale team that had many very good runners – Phil Dolan, Douglas Gemmell, George Carlin, Derek Halpin (an under rated runner), Bobby and Jim Shields and youngsters like James Austin would have made it hard for anyone new to the sport to break into the team but when his chance came in ’86, Bobby was in there.   He stayed in the team until  mid 90’s running in ’87 (7th stage), ’88 (8th), ’89 (7th), ’90 (7th) and ’91 (7th).   At this point, young runners such as Des Roache, Ewan Calvert, Grant Graham, Ewan Calvert, Allan Adams, James Austin and company kept him out.   His running continued to improve and he was in the team again in 1998 (7th), 2001 (7th) and the last ever in 2002 (7th) when the race ceased to be.  Bobby would have been in the 2000 team but John Hanratty and himself were in Ireland with the Scottish vets team that weekend.  ’86 was also his first run for the club in the 6 stage road relays when he turned out on the fourth stage (the second long leg) – a race he would appear in many times over the following decades.   His marathon race record is in the table below.

NB: This list is not exclusive, there were also runs at Inverclyde, Loch Rannoch and others!

As a distance runner in Scotland he ran of course in all the championship cross-country races at county, district and national level becoming a valuable, consistent and dependable member of the team.  His cross-country record for the club is in Table 2 below.   Bobby was also a  member of the excellent club track and field team of the late 80’s and 90’s turning out in 5000m and 10000m for the club all over Scotland.  It is however as a superb veteran runner that Bobby is best known around Scotland, indeed all over the UK.    His notable track performances include the following:

1987:   10000m   Wishaw   pb 33:26

1990:   Scottish indoor champs 1500m  Gold    4:25   +   3000m Gold   9:24

Scottish masters T & F 1500m  Gold  4:27   +   5000m  Gold   16:00.8

1994:   Scottish indoor champs   1500m  Gold   4:29   +   3000m  Gold   9:31

Scottish masters T & F 800m  Gold  2:16   +   1500m  Gold  4:36   +   5000m  Gold  16:26

British Masters indoor 3000m  Gold  9:22.5  pb

1989:   Scottish masters  1500m  Gold  4:21   +   5000m  Gold   16:18

2004:   Scottish indoor champs   1500m  Gold  4:57   +   3000m  Gold   10:24

Scottish masters T&F  1500m  Silver   5:01   +   3000m  Gold   10:24

British masters T & F 1500m  Gold  4:54   +   5000m  Gold   17:39   +   10000m  Gold   37:40

In 1988 he took part in the first ever British Veterans International at Wrexham where he won the bronze at M45 – Pete Cartwright had also been invited.   Bobby then ran in the British Vets International for 18 consecutive years until 2005 when he won gold in the M60 category.    On the World Veterans stage, he competed in 1999 at Gateshead in the World Vets Track and Field Championships winning team gold in Cross Country and Marathon in which he also won the individual bronze.   Then in 2001 he went off to Brisbane in 2001 for the World Veterans Track and Field Championship winning team gold in cross country, team bronze in the marathon and individual bronze in the 10000 metres.

And that is one of Bobby’s biggest virtues as an athlete – he is very competitive and goes looking for good competition.   Among all these races, which ones does Bobby himself rate most highly?    We asked him for his career highlights and they can be found at this link.

The table below  shows his record in Scottish Championships which is summarised in the first 10 rows and successes further afield follow.

Bobby has run in 23 Cross Country International races out of a possible 27.   The breakdown of this remarkable record is as follows

All of the above gave Bobby a total of 7 individual medals (1 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze0 and 19 team medals (2 gold, 12 silver and 5 bronze).   Since the above table was constructed, he has run in Dublin in 2022 when he was 79th and the team of Normal Baillie (75th), Bobby, Peter Cartwright (80th) and Jim Scobie (80th) won the silver medals.    Then in 2023 in Glasgow’s Tollcross Park, he he was 80th and won the Gold, Peter Cartwright in 81st won silver and Jim Scobie (83rd) won bronze to take the M80 Team championship.

With Bob Rosborough before a track league 10000m at Crown Point

2. A Closer Look At Bobby’s Scottish National Cross Country Championship Record

• indicates race missed through injury or illness.  

To that remarkable list, we can now add the following.   It is clear that the word ‘retired’ above has no real meaning for him.

2015. Gold.    Kilmarnock.     71

2016  Silver.  Forres.              72

2017. Gold     Dundee.           73

2018.   5th.     Kilmarnock.     74

2019.   Gold.   Hawick            75

2020.  Gold.    Johnstone.      76

21 Medals

Total Championship Medals: 8 Gold   4 Silver    9 Bronze  

We said that he was an insatiable competitor – check out Power of Ten where he has 260 races listed!   They range from 1500 metres to marathon, they cover indoor racing and out, venues ranging from Glasgow to Australia and on all surfaces (boards, road, country and hills.)   They cover the period 2000 to the end of 2014, like all these athlete profiles the list is not comprehensive and furthermore it  doesn’t include club championships or races.   The races listed for 2014 in the extract below are listed for interest: there are 41 in total and I make it twenty five first places.   Check the actual extract below.   Go to Power of 10 for the full list.

Is that not impressive?   What does it tell me?   It tells me that we have here a man who really and truly enjoys his sport.   Very popular with other runners, Bobby is a runner’s runner whose enthusiasm has never dimmed..

IN NOVEMBER 2018, BOBBY WON THE M75 GOLD MEDAL IN THE BRITISH AND IRISH MASTERS INTERNATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY, leading his team to bronze medals. Here is a brief contribution from the man himself.

Bobby heading for M75 gold at Swansea 2018

A Good Result: SWANSEA 2018

The race was on the side of a ‘mountain’. 1k straight down and 1k straight up. Last 200m steep climb to high point and 200m steep down to start/finish.
Ran first lap to be told “Welshman 50m ahead”. Didn’t see him till got to steep climb on second lap and pulled him in. On long downhill he opened 30m. Eased up to him over gradual climb and made contact at bottom of steep 200m. Bombed up the hill and tore down steep 200m to finish!
Took about 20s advantage on the hill!
Turned out he was Emyr Davies. Old foe!

he has run in Dublin in 2022 when he was 79th and the team of Normal Baillie (75th), Bobby, Peter Cartwright (80th) and Jim Scobie (80th) won the silver medals.    Then in 2023 in Glasgow’s Tollcross Park, he he was 80th and won the Gold, Peter Cartwright in 81st won silver and Jim Scobie (83rd) won bronze to take the M80 Team championship.

That was my 27th British and Irish XC contest out of 31.
25th team medal: 2 Gold 14 Silver and 9 Bronze.
8th individual medal: 2 gold 3 silver and 3 bronze.

2019 Liverpool, Aintree.

Team Silver.  Individual Silver

He also ran in Dublin in 2022 when he was 79th and the team of Normal Baillie (75th), Bobby, Peter Cartwright (80th) and Jim Scobie (80th) won the silver medals.   

Then in 2023 in Glasgow’s Tollcross Park, he he was 80th and won the Gold, Peter Cartwright in 81st won silver and Jim Scobie (83rd) won bronze to take the M80 Team championship.

28th Silver Team medal  2G. 15S  96

10th Silver.  Individual     3G. 5S  3G 

Training 2018
Mileage 40-50 per week
80% comfortably steady 20% Quality (Intervals/hills/race)
Mon 5-6 miles steady
Tue 6 miles session e.g. 12 x 400m or 6 x 800m
Wed 5-6 miles easy
Thu 6 miles session
Fri 5-6 miles easy
Sat 5-6 miles Race or Parkrun
Sun 10-16 miles longer steady run
Phases
Stamina, then Strength, then Speed (Arthur Lydiard)
A Pyramid beginning with Stamina, acquired by concentrating on maximum steady mileage and only one session per week. The broader the base (aerobic threshold) the higher the peak.
Strength involves Tuesday/Thursday on hills (for about 4 weeks).
And finally Speed with 2 interval sessions and a race or parkrun (for 6-8 weeks).
Monday/Wednesday/Friday can be shorter or omitted if recovery is needed.

By Bobby Young

Thanks, Bobby.   It is interesting to the rest of us that Bobby’s methods as well as producing success at a variety of events over a range of surfaces is one that does not lead to many injuries.   He has seldom been out of action, certainly not for any extended period.   If you want proof, just look at his most recent performances in Scottish Championships as an M75.  Four races, three distances, three surfaces, no injuries.

To bring the record up to date, we have Bobby’s championship performances in 2023 as an M75.   

This website – scottishdistancerunninghistory.scot – already includes profiles of many successful Senior runners who also went on to perform well after turning 40 (up to the M90 category, in some illustrious cases). The role of names is impressive: amongst the men, Dunky Wright, John Emmet Farrell, Gordon Porteous, David Morrison, Donald McNab Robertson, Andy Forbes, Andy Brown, Bill Stoddart, Alastair Wood, John Linaker, Dick Hodelet, Donald Macgregor, Bill Scally, Donald Ritchie, Dave Clark, Colin Youngson, Fraser Clyne, William Sichel, Colin Donnelly, Tommy Murray and Robert Quinn; and the women include Christine Price, Trudi Thomson, Lynn Harding, Liz McColgan, Angela Mudge and Hayley Haining.

However other successful Veteran runners (or Masters, as they are termed nowadays) deserve to be included, if the relevant information can be obtained. A likely list might include: Willie Marshall, Bill McBrinn, Hugh Gibson, Hugh Rankin, Brian Scobie, Allan Adams, David Fairweather, Bobby Young, Archie Duncan, Archie Jenkins, George Sim, Ian Stewart and Iain Campbell. Plus Sandra Branney and Fiona Matheson, amongst others, including Janette Stevenson, Pete Cartwright, Anne Docherty, George Mitchell, Robert Marshall, Sue Ridley, Sonia Armitage, Jane Waterhouse, Andy McLinden, Laura Mahady, Brian Gardner and Neil Thin. Hopefully, others will be profiled in due course.

In recent years, older runners have formed the bulk of road race and cross country fields, as well as producing fast track times. It will be good to create a composite picture of this important branch of our wonderful sport.

[ Sonia Armitage ] [ Pete Cartwright ] [ Doug Cowie ]  [ Anne Docherty ] [ Brian Gardner ] [ Betty Gilchrist ] [Ian Leggett] [ Laura Mahady ] [ Robert Marshall ] [ George Mitchell ] [ Charlie McAlinden ] [ Bill McBrinn ] [ Andy McLinden ] [ Sue Ridley ] [ Janette Stevenson ] [ Neil Thin ] [Chris Upson] [ Jane Waterhouse ]