Author: The Author

Lynne McDougall

John Anderson has had many athletes pass through his hands and they almost universally have good memories and entertaining tales to tell,   Some of these tributes are set out here – appreciations of help given and friendships made and maintained.   I await more which will be added once I have seen them.    First of all there is Dave Hislop who has known John since the early 1970’s.   Dave ran for Edinburgh AC and Birchfield Harrierss with pb’s of 53.08 for 400m Hurdles and 49.25 for 400m flat.   He ran for Scotland no fewer than 10 times between 1978 and 2004.   Details of his career can be found  at

 http://www.scotstats.com/sats/uploads/ARCHIVE%202013/Final%20Profile-Men%20G-L.pdf

He says:

John Anderson -A Few Words!     Perhaps a contradiction of terms but here goes…

I have had the privilege of knowing John for some 40 years during which time he has fulfilled a number of role in respect of me and my family ranging from coach, friend, employer, mentor, confidant, advisor, godfather to our son to mention but a few.   He is undoubtedly one of the few people I know who is capable of carrying out all of the above and more…

Without his influence there is no way I would have achieved what I achieved in my sporting career or my professional career. John is the type of person who gives people the skills to enhance their life it is then up to them to take these opportunities.

The sheer number of international athletes John has coached not to mention those who may not have attained international level but who reached heights that they would not have achieved without John’s guidance, speaks for his prowess as a coach.

I could write a book on the experiences, as could the hundreds if not thousands of others, I have shared with him over the years and still continue to do so but this is not the purpose of these words.

I would like to take this opportunity to publicly recognise the impact John Anderson has made on not only my life but the lives of my wife, Kay and son, Jordan. The world of athletics has certainly benefitted from his input to the Nth degree.

To finish then I would just like to say a massive thank you John for all you have done for me and my family and also from those who have been fortunate enough to have been part of John’s life.”

It’s a sound testimonial to John’s ability to inspire and educate in a way that is not narrowly focused on sporting success, but to go a wee bit further than that – or maybe a big bit further!

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Second up is Lynne MacDougall whose career is documented at www.scottishdistancerunninghistory.co.uk in the section entitled The Milers.

Everybody in Scotland knows John Anderson, everybody in Britain and many further afield know John Anderson – or knows something about him.   John Anderson,  along with such as Wilf Paish, Frank Dick and Harry Wilson,  is one of the really great British coaches of the twentieth century and probably of all time.   Everyone knows about him – coach of athletes who have competed in Commonwealth, European and Olympic Games as well as World championships indoor and out, coach on several GB Olympic teams, fitness trainer and referee on the Gladiators TV programme, coach to famous athletes such as Dave Moorcroft, Judy Livermore, Sheila Carey, John Graham, Liz McColgan, Lynne McDougall and so on.    Impossible not to know he is a Scot and a Glaswegian,  he is immensely practical, down to earth, immensely knowledgeable and always prepared to share the knowledge with those willing to listen.   It was interesting talking to him, reading what I could find and listening to interviews about his career.   A brief summary of his career appears in Wikipedia and reads:

“John Anderson (born 28 November 1932 or 1933) is a former British television personality best known as referee and official trainer on the UK TV show, Gladiators. He has previously worked as a teacher and as a coach for Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games athletes, including Commonwealth Games champion and former World Record Holder David Moorcroft. John was National Coach for the Amateur Athletics Association of England and subsequently the first full time National Coach in Scotland. He was coach to an Olympian at every Olympics from 1964 to 2000 and has coached 5 world record holders and 170 GB Internationals in every event.

In 2008, John briefly resumed his role as referee on the newly revived Gladiators before being replaced by John Coyle after just one series.   Anderson went on to become mentor and coach for a number of recent international athletes, including Great British athlete William Sharman, who he helped transform from a decathlete to a world class sprint hurdler, and continues to coach at a local and regional level.”    

A very brief entry and, important as Gladiators was, in the context of his athletics coaching, it is not the high point.   He tells me he was born in 1931.  His fascinating career deserves to be looked at in some detail, from his start in athletics to date.   (NB: John only did one series after 2008 because he turned down the renewal because he felt it was changing in a way that he did not approve of.)

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As a young man, John wanted to teach and was passionate about all kinds of sport.  He represented Scotland as a schoolboy footballer.   This was in the 1950’s when there was no formal coach education structure available in the country.    The only way in to sport as a career was to train as a physical education teacher and there were only two options available to him on that front – Jordanhill College in Scotland or Loughborough in England.    Jordanhill College is now of course part of Strathclyde University in Glasgow.   John went to Jordanhill and subsequently did a degree at the Open University and went into teaching in  Junior Secondary School the east end of Glasgow.   Progress as a coach was then down to self study and self motivation – he read voraciously, mainly in the Mitchell Library in Glasgow.   He was interested in all sports and went on the FA football coaching course at Loughborough.   He did so well that he became the first home Scot to gain the prestigious Full FA Coaching Certificate.  It should be noted that at that time only 4 were awarded every year and none had ever been awarded to a ‘home Scot.’   When he came back home with the qualification, football clubs didn’t want to know.   There was no desire to use his qualification from those in the sport in Scotland where the clubs all seemed content to do what they had always been doing.   He went on teaching and covered such sports as gymnastics and swimming as well as football.    He reckons that these helped his future coaching of athletes – all experiences are useful and teach the interested coach, it raised his awareness of the coaching process and taught him how to motivate all kinds of people in different sports, and much more.

He had been a pupil at Queen’s Park Secondary School at the same time as Ally MacLeod.    They became firm friends and played together for the Scotland Schools team then when John was  National Coach, Ally was manager of the Scottish football team.   At a personal level, John was best man when Ally was married.

John only came into athletics by purest chance.   He was a member of Victoria Park in the West of Glasgow where he trained for the sprints, but says he really wasn’t much of a runner.   Nor was there very much coaching going on at the club – like other clubs at the time there was no proper coach but older and senior members advised the others on what they knew about.   Then at school one afternoon the principal PE teacher asked him to take the senior girls for relay practice.   There were annual sports for the Junior Secondaries in the area (he taught in Calder Street, St Mark’s JS and Dennistoun JS) and their school was always invited into the meeting.  (At that time secondary education in Scotland was divided into Junior and Senior Secondary Schools, with the pupils being segregated at the age of 12)    To teach relays, he needed a track and he made a rough track on the ash football field for this team of 14/15 year olds.   Came the sports, they won the relay and several other medals: they enjoyed it and he did too but he still thought of himself as a football coach.   The girls then asked him if they could carry on with athletics when they left school.   He looked around and the only option was Maryhill Harriers Athletic Club and he took them there – the only transport being his own small car.  After a few weeks, Tom Williamson at the club asked him to help – after all he was a PE teacher!    Then Tom and May Williamson set up their own club, Glasgow Western LAC and John was left with the rump of a club, only half a dozen girls who wanted to keep going.   And so Maryhill Ladies AC was set up – you can read about the club and its progress at

http://scottishdistancerunninghistory.co.uk/Maryhill%20Ladies%20AC.htm

Many in Scottish athletics have stories about John at this time – for instance Helen Donald tells of the time she was running in the WAAA’s championships at Crystal Palace and, coming off the last bend in third place was encouraged by John, who was there with his Maryhill athletes, roaring her on and wearing his kilt!   Anyway, Maryhill Ladies AC took off and his initial goal of ‘best club in Scotland in three years’ was achieved – use the link and see how well they did.

Never a man to stand still and let inertia govern his conduct as so many do, he contacted his colleagues in other schools and asked them to send along any talented girls that they had and, while they were at it, to send along their parents as well!    They were all used and the parents who were helping with the coaching and training of the girls, used to attend classes that he held at his Mum’s house on Sundays   He always wanted to know more, and attended a summer school at Loughborough College.    In an attempt to test himself, he decided to take all the Senior Coach awards that were available.   This was a mammoth undertaking and I cannot imagine any coach doing it today: in fact I have only ever heard of John and Wilf attempting it.   He did this – as did Wilf Paish – and then when he heard that new post had been created, that of a peripatetic national coach in England and Wales, he applied.   He was given the job and travelled the length and breadth of England and Wales coaching and working with coaches.   He even collected some athletes who had no access to coaching or who needed help.   This was when there was no national TV, no emails, no mobile phones and communication sometimes took a long time.   There was in many clubs no scientific basis for what they were doing – they were doing what their predecessors had done for donkey’s years.   He didn’t like that idea.  So he started reading again – back to the Mitchell Library, and he wrote to people and sometimes there was a long time for a reply because he was dependent on the postal service.

Then he discovered Geoff Dyson’s book, “The Mechanics Of Athletics” with its scientific approach to the body, information that wouldn’t change , that was scientifically and mathematically based.   As he says, his coaching went from being hopeful to being scientific.   Later he found Tim Noakes and his work was also assimilated into the training process.   Already a voracious reader, he continued to be so despite the increasing levels of success that his athletes had.   If he was going to coach somebody then he had to have a scientific basis for what he was going to do or he would not do it.   That has not changed – all training has to have a scientific underpinning.

It was at this point that he was asked to do some coaching with the Glasgow High Kelvinside RFC by a rugby friend who was also into athletics.   John did some work with them but it was mainly sprints and speed development.   The sessions are still remembered by some of those who took part – one chap recalls doing pre-season training on the big pitch at Old Anniesland.  Rumour hath it that they disagreed over what constituted a warm-up!   The sessions were hard work as Kenny Hamilton, now director of rugby at Glasgow Hawks recalls “3!… 2!…. 1! – I remember him well. A fair amount of resistance-running – possibly the first I experienced which used tyres. I seem to remember a conversation about stretching He was very enthusiastic about stretching muscles – a comparatively foreign concept in rugby circles in those days. He was delivering a talk some place and was asked about how long each stretch should be held for ……. “8 seconds he replied” This then became a bit of a standard but he quietly admitted that there was absolutely no science behind it!    However, I can confirm that we were all bloody fit that year, except Cammy!”   Cammy Little who was a very good rugby player (he was one of Glasgow’s first contracted players and also played for the Barbarians) says he missed the sessions as it was summer and he played cricket: an old tactic that worked a treat!!   John says he was not really a rugby man but it’s funny how these things go around: he is now living near Leicester and since the Chief Exec is a friend he goes along to see the Tigers play and in 2012 even went to Twickenhan to see the Scottish match.   He also admits that he has done some work with the Leicester Academy boys and focused on sprinting.

Hugh Barrow and Duncan Middleton training with Cameron McNeish in the foreground

The only thing that he reckons might be queried is whether his interpretation of what their (Dyson and company’s) work had been, was fair.   In response to that he can only look at the results of his work with various athletes.   With 5 world record holders and 170 GB internationals then there can be a fair assumption that his interpretations have been appropriate.  He always measures every coach on the basis of their output.   Not if they have only ever had one outstanding athlete – anybody might have an outstanding talent simply by chance – but have there been improvements in all of the athletes that they have coached.   John always had talented athletes who came to him who were improved further by his insights and methods.    Among those in Scotland to benefit from his coaching were Leslie Watson, Moira Kerr, Duncan Middleton, Graeme Grant, Hugh Barrow, Hamish Telfer (a notable coach in his own right), Craig Douglas, Lindy Carruthers, and the sisters Alix and Jinty Jamieson.   The set-up in Glasgow at the time was interesting in that coaches co-operated with each other and Tom Williamson and John worked together on some of the same athletes.

Of the five commonly agreed parameters used to measure an athlete, he feels that Speed is the key.   Not who is fastest over 100 metres or whatever, but who has most speed in their event.    A marathon runner needs stamina but once he has that then he needs speed for his race distance.   This informed everything that he did with his athletes thereafter – if you are in doubt, have a look at some of the sessions noted here and found at the links.   If you want to see an example of what John did with John Graham, sub 2:10 marathon man, then look at the profile at http://scottishdistancerunninghistory.co.uk/John%20Graham.htm .    Here was a man, John Graham,  who had all the stamina required, the move was then to develop the speed necessary to be at the very top of his chosen event.    There are also comments on his training methods in the Lynne MacDougall profile at

http://www.scottishdistancerunninghistory.co.uk/Lynne%20McDougall.htm

Graeme Grant

John’s first big national post was as noted above the National Coach in England and then came the post of National Coach in Scotland which he held from 1965 until 1970.   Very active, he covered every aspect of the sport in every part of the country.    He was the only National Coach that I knew of who even worked with Scottish Schools squad days (the Scottish Schools tend to have their own event coaches for squad days) and was also the man responsible for organising the Annual National Coaching Convention.    This was a superb innovation and brought world class coaches from all over the athletics world to speak and talk with Scottish, and indeed British, coaches on their own turf.   Every aspect of the sport was covered – technical aspects, fitness and conditioning, physiological testing – and star athletes were often present too.   At the end of the conference, all the papers presented were issued to those in attendance in spiral bound booklet form for further study and for dissemination within the clubs across the land.   Wherever he was, he was approachable.    The coaches were all on side.   He also spoke to other conferences and at one he met the Rangers FC manager Jock Wallace.    Many years later when Jock was manager at Leicester City FC and John was in Nuneaton, he asked John to come and work with him as a fitness coach.   He was also approached for advice by a young player called Gary Lineker.   He turned the job offer down but it is one of these intriguing questions – “But what if he hadn’t/”

Then he had the sessions with athletes.   For instance the lunchtime sessions at Glasgow University’s ground at Westerlands were legendary with many of the very best in the country training there.   The half milers Mike McLean, Graeme Grant and Dick Hodelet were there as was Hugh Barrow from Victoria Park; distance men such as Lachie Stewart were also attendees at the lunchtime training.   Runners really went out of their way to attend.    The routine, as described by Hugh Barrow, was:

Charles with daughter Jenny – in Inverness colours, of course!

Charles Bannerman is a name known in Scottish athletics for many things including coaching, journalism and broadcasting on sport, but these days possibly as a prolific poster on internet forums with insight, opinions and comments on all issues to do with athletics.   There is a lot more to him than that and he is living proof of a truth not often mentioned in the Press which is that Scottish athletics extends beyond the central belt although that’s not how those from the central belt usually see it.

When it was decided to hold the Scottish Cross-Country Relay Championships at Kinmylies in 1980 there were many who thought it was asking too much.   There were discussions, special club committee meetings and articles in the papers about why go all the way up there, how could they manage it, there should be a special train, team selection was difficult because a key runner had to work on Saturday morning and so on.   The event went off really well and was enjoyed by all those who were there.   Mind you, it didn’t go back there until 1989 and it hasn’t been back since.   This of course body swerved the question of how those from Inverness and further North managed to come to races in Glasgow, Edinburgh and their environs week after week for the entire year, every year.   Both these championships were organised by a man whose name is well-known in cross-country circles nationwide – Walter Banks, president of the SCCU in 1981/82.    Charles was asked about Walter whom he had cited as one of the men who had a big influence on him.

“The Banks had been close family friends for as long as I could remember and when Walter realised that I had a growing interest in athletics, he did a huge amount to encourage that in very many ways. That was tremendously influential.  I worked very closely with Walter for about 40 years and his input to athletics in the North was enormous.   At the 1980 national relay championships he put me in charge of the course and in 1989 the results. He attended his last meeting when he was in his mid 80s and not long retired from official duties, which included timekeeping.  I sat with him in the stand where, just for fun, he was taking his own times.   I unobtrusively scribbled down what he had for one 400 metre race to check it against the automatic timing.   The average error across the entire field was a mere 0.04 seconds!”

This all confirms, if confirmation were needed, that those outside the central belt are as enthusiastic about our sport as anyone in the land and work extremely hard not only to keep it alive but to develop it.    For those from the area who want to progress in the sport there are many hurdles to overcome and we can see from  Charles’s career in the sport what these hurdles are and how he overcame them.

In a very good article in the “Inverness Courier” he is described as “the ultimate multi-tasker” and it is probably how he manages to fit in everything he is involved in and still make an impact at national level.   As we look at his career it becomes clear how many strands intertwine all the way through.

Charles was brought up in Dalneigh in the west of Inverness and his career in athletics did not have an auspicious start. At primary school he was consistently last in the sports, even trailing in, he says, behind the lad who had a mild case of polio and wore a light caliper!   But athletics was appearing regularly on television where people could see top class athletics unavailable to them locally.   Charles’s developing and fundamental fascination with athletics, was fanned by the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, live by satellite for the first time.   That was the year of course that Scotland’s Fergus Murray and Ming Campbell competed for the British team.   Whether it was the impetus provided by the Games and other meetings shown in black and white on television, or simple maturity, or more likely a combination of both, Charles tells us that  “For some reason during early secondary, I acquired a modest athletic ability and eventually settled down at 400/800 (OK – 440 and 880 to start with!) although I competed at all distances in the 100 – 1500 range plus a little cross country and road racing. I first joined Inverness Harriers in 1969, I am now its longest serving member and have been a life member since 2007.”

Charles sat his Highers at Inverness Royal Academy in 1970 which was an auspicious year for Scottish athletics – the Commonwealth Games came to Scotland, to Edinburgh which was to be his choice of University.   It is impossible to think that he was not as inspired as the rest of Scotland by this event.   There was even an Inverness input.   In a report on the www.scottishdistancerunninghistory.scot website we read that

“There was an interesting Highland prelude to the 1970 Games when eleven athletics competitors from four Commonwealth countries took part in the Inverness Highland Games on Saturday, 11th July, as part of their preparations for the Meadowbank event.   The appearance was negotiated by the North of Scotland AAA officials including the late Donald Duncan, President of the SAAA in 1957.  

The squad was managed by former 440 yards world record holder Herb McKenley who was then Jamaican team coach.   From Jamaica there were 400m runners Leon Priestley and Eshinan Samuel and high jumpers Yvonne Sanders and Andrea Bruce.   The Canadian contingent consisted of endurance athletes Ray Verney, Andy Boychuk and Dave Ellis along with shot putter Brian Caulfield, while reigning Empire and Commonwealth decathlon champion Royal Wiliiams and hammer thrower Warwick Nicoll represented New Zealand.

Completing the eleven strong squad was Scotland’s own 800m specialist Mike Maclean who returned a time of 3:57.2 in the 1500m to defeat Verney.   Maclean also returned a surprisingly modest and comfortable 52.8.  

North distance running legend Alastair Wood moved to the very bottom of his range to take on Canadian opposition in the 5000m where he recorded 14:56 on a grass track whioch had suffered from an extremely wet summer.   He eventually conceded defeat to Boychuk and Ellis who crossed the line together in 14:41.  

The turf was wet enough for Saunders and Bruce not to risk High jumping but they instead contested the 200m which Saunders won in 25.8.  

Nicoll won the wire hammer, the only event of its kind on the North Amateur games circuit at the time, with a throw of 56.29m, nine metres clear of former Scottish internationalist Alex Valentine of Elgin AAC and RNAS Lossiemouth.

However the technical departure to the Scots hammer appears to have got the better of Nicoll who, deprived of the capacity to turn, had to concede defeat to Tony Cohen of Inverness Harriers.”

The next day, the NSAAA officials acted as ‘taxi drivers’ to get the athletes back down south where they were due to compete at another meeting over the then customary pre-Games distances of 150, 300 and 600m on the black Rubkor track at Grangemouth.

Ian Tasker, who wrote the “Courier” report,  was at that time a competitor himself but has just retired from handicapping after 43 years in the job.

After leaving the Academy in 1971, Charles went to Edinburgh University where he gained a first-class honours degree in chemistry.   The Courier reports that his multi-tasking skills were in evidence when at University; he told them “I’m quite good at using a lot of short spaces of time to do different things. For instance, when I was at university and exams were coming up, if I was waiting for a bus I would just open up the folder at the bus stop and revise a couple of lectures.”    The University experience was important, he says, in that  “I realised that there was a whole world of athletics outside the circuit of Highland Games which used to be such a limiting influence in the North. It is that limiting influence, which held back North athletics for so long, which has left me with a lifelong wariness of over exposure to Highland Games.

David Lease

Charles became a freelance sports reporter for the BBC in 1985 but only had limited involvement in active athletics when his two children were very young but began to train and compete again in 1989.   This involved a combination of track and road 10Ks where, about to become a Vet, he managed 37:36.    (which is incidentally two and a half minutes slower than his daughter’s current PB).   You can turn runners into coaches but you can’t stop them wanting to run and Charles still runs as frequently as his aching connective tissue allows.   He would, he says, love to dip below 50 minutes for 10K once again (best for 2015 is 51:31).

His broadcasting career continued to develop and in 1994, when Inverness Caley Thistle and Ross County joined the Scottish Football League, he began to do live match day radio and television reports.

He couldn’t stay away from coaching for long and during the 90s he dabbled in short term coaching projects such as advising Mel Fowler on how to prepare for the European Police 400m championships whilst based in darkest Skye and helping David Barnetson with an experiment in 400 hurdles.   Mel was an interesting athlete who had started his career as a long and triple jumper with Victoria Park AAC and was already an internationalist when he joined the police and went north.   David was Jayne’s brother and a top athlete in his own right, winning the SAAA high jump three times, being second five times and third twice, with victories indoors and in the pentathlon.   His best 400m hurdles was 52.6 seconds in 1996.   So, although not responsible for their entire careers he was working with top quality athletes and, basically, taking up where he had left off.   He was however not involved in the nitty-gritty of full time coaching and came back into coaching in 1998.

The club was short of coaching specialists  and Charles spotted two extremely talented youngsters – Vicky O’Brien and Lesley Clarkson – and decided to take the plunge into coaching again. His Assistant Club Coaching qualification had lapsed but Charles received discretionary reinstatement to what has nowadays evolved into Level 3.   [Coaching qualifications at that time had three levels – ACC, Club Coach and Senior Coach.   The standards were high and the written examinations at Club and Senior level difficult.  On one occasion when Frank Dick was taking a group of Russian coaches round Britain, these professional coaches found it difficult to understand how amateur coaches could have the level of knowledge the senior coaches in Britain had].

The following year Vicky O’Brien won the Schools International long jump and the Scottish under 17 title with 5.95 and gained a GB under 18 selection. Lesley Clarkson became AAAs junior indoor and British Universities outdoor 400m champion in 2001, with a time (54.44) which qualified her for the European Juniors, in advance of making the 4 x 400 pool for the Manchester Commonwealth Games.

David Lease had maybe left a note for his successor or Meg Stone was really au fait  with what was happening in the country and was extremely encouraging, and gave Charles an opportunity as sprints coach with the Scottish team at the 2000 Loughborough International.   He worked as a coach for a whole Commonwealth Games four year cycle and withdrew from coaching until 2008 when his daughter, Jenny, made a delayed comeback to the sport as a road runner.   He is currently coaching Jenny and thinks he will stick with that.   Jenny has a series of marks ranging from 2:20 for 800m through to 58:51 for 10 miles via 9:51 for 3K and 35:15 for 10K.

Meg Stone

Away from the track, he is membership secretary for Inverness Harriers, a post he has had since he retired from teaching in 2013.   Having joined the Harriers in 1969, he has been involved in the sport for over 50 years now and has had time to think on the changes that have taken place over that period and how he feels the sport should be developed.   I asked him for his thoughts on where the sport is going and, maybe where it should be going.  This is is reply.

“My philosophy of athletics comprises a set up with clubs firmly at its centre, dedicated by commitment and hard work to achieving the highest standards possible for athletes all abilities – Olympians down to the most modest wearer of a club vest.

As a result I have little time for distractions such as Jogscotland, over priced city road races, Highland Games, Sportshall and Fun Athletics, especially distractions which dilute commitment and competitive ethos. The critical criteria for me, therefore, do not relate to elitist performance standards but to the values and attitudes within a competitive sport. I therefore welcome anyone of any standard who is prepared to pull on a club vest and compete.”

Meanwhile, where is he now?  Charles continues his broadcasting activities with shinty having been added to his responsibilities.   He has won awards as a sportswriter for his journalism at the Highland Media Awards ceremonies in both 2001 and 2005 and that continues.   He has written six books over the years including  “Against All Odds”, the official account of the controversial Inverness football merger, and “Maroon and Gold”, the history of Inverness Harriers up to Glasgow 2014.   We have already mentioned his post as membership secretary of Inverness Harriers and his coaching of daughter Jenny as a road runner plus his own continued quest for a sub-50 10K   – if you want a job done, ask a busy man!

I reckon that (aged 27) winning the 1975 Scottish Marathon Championship, in a new event record of 2.16.50, which remained a personal best time, was my finest race. It led on to racing for Scotland on track, country and (eleven times) in the marathon. Rated second is smashing the Stage One record in the 1975 Edinburgh to Glasgow Road Relay (which my team, Edinburgh Southern Harriers, went on to win in a course record time). Third, however, took place when I was 45.

I turned 40 in October 1987, and my M40 career was successful: umpteen Scottish Veteran wins (on outdoor and indoor track, cross country and road; at distances from 1500m to marathon). Frustratingly, I could not win a British Vets title. Five silver medals: two on the country, plus one each for 10,000m, half marathon and marathon. Maybe I could win a British Vets title when I was 45?

Aged 44, I finished second M40 in the Scottish Vets CC; ran decent times indoor – 1500m (4.17.4) and 3000m (8.59.4); broke the stage 7 record in the Scottish Vets 8-stage road relay (which my team, Aberdeen AAC, won); ran 51.21 into a headwind for first vet in the Tom Scott 10 miles; managed 71.46 for a half marathon; and won the Lochaber Marathon in a steady 2.36.23. My 5000m time in summer 1992 was 15.36.

So, I was quite fit; but how should I peak for the British and Irish Veterans Cross Country International, which was to take place near Belfast on Saturday 31^st October 1992, four days after my 45^th birthday?

From 12^th July to 10^th October, I ran ten weeks of 60 miles or more per week, plus two at 36 and one at 52. The 60+ weeks featured: a longish Sunday run (10-17 miles); 5k or 10k time trials; hill reps; and recovery running. Races included: two half marathons, a 5k, a 7 miles road race and a 6 miles road race.

Then a taper: 52, 34 and, before the big race, days of 6, 5, 3, 3, 3, 3 (including some cautious fartlek).

It was a time of joy and sadness. One the one hand, I was feeling really fit; my ‘Running Shorts’ book had been published and was selling quite well; and I was pleased to receive the Aberdeen Sports Council ‘Veteran Sports Personality Award’. However, my heroic old Dad, who had been such an active, sporting influence, was fading away in an Aberdeen hospital.  Since he could no longer walk (fast) outside, and was utterly worn out, it was his time to go, alas. I asked Mum if I should cancel the Belfast trip, but she said no, Dad would have wanted me to compete. He lost consciousness on the day I travelled.

I lined up at the start, determined to do Dad and myself proud – but I would have to be careful.

My race diary read as follows.

                                                                              Belfast 1992 start: Colin Youngson number 44 on right

“Cold, breezy, a bit damp. Fairly calm but concerned in case I ‘choked’ (catarrh had caused breathing problems during some races). Start very fast – down – left at tree – some clashing – up long hill into wind – passed several. No M45 ahead. 10^th – Bob, Mike and Dave moving away, chased by Ken, Roy and Phil Pape (Cambridge Harriers) and Terry Osbourne (England).

End of short lap, four long laps to go. Dropped an N.I. runner after a lap, moved past Terry and, with an effort, caught Roy and Phil. Mainly sheltered behind, especially uphill – not too hard to stay there but let Ken go. A controlled, tactical race!

Caught by Scot Cammie Spence (and by Archie Jenkins, though I did not see him). Concentrating hard. Aware there was no sign of M45 rivals. Saving a little energy in case one came through.

Two laps to go. Tony Simmons flew past. Phil was surging and then dropping. One lap to go – touch of catarrh but only lost ten yards – up with Roy again (his piston elbows almost breaking my nose!) Phil and Cammie dropped a little.

Half a lap to go – wee panic – a bald head behind! Pushed harder, then realised that he was lapped! Tried to get Roy up the hill but this was too hard, so ‘sat’ there and then ‘jumped’ him on the downhill. Flat out past the tree and ‘outkicked’ him in the final 150 metres straight. Punched the air (for the first time ever)! A great race. Very satisfying. The long training build-up came to fruition.

1. Bob Treadwell (England) 32.47; 2. Tony Simmons (Wales) 33.45; 3. Mike Hager (E) 33.55; 4. Dave Hill (E) 34.03; 5. Ken Moss (E) 34.13; 6. Colin Youngson (Scotland – 1^st M45) 34.29; 7 Roy Bailey (E) 34.30; 8. Phil; 9. Cammie; 10. Peter Murphy (Eire); 11. Archie.

 The nearest M45 was almost a minute behind me! 70 secs down, in 19^th, was John Buckley (Eire), the reigning M45 World CC Champ; last year’s M45 winner, Dic Evans (W) finished 21^st; Harry Matthews (M45 British Champ) was 27^th.

I had become the first Scot to win an age-group in this important event, which had taken place for the fifth time today. Roy Bailey had won the race last year in Aberdeen.

 If Eire (guest team) was included, the Scottish M45 team won gold. We would also win on combined times or totalled race positions – but finished one point behind England if Eire were excluded. A moral victory for Scotland: me, Terry Dolan, Colin Martin, Bill Adams (plus Bobby Young and Davie Fairweather). I was pleased to beat M44 Scottish rival George Meredith by 40 seconds.

 During the trip, I sold 80 books! Was given a lot of respect after the race. Enjoyed a good night in the Parlour Bar and the Crown Liquor Saloon with Archie Jenkins – and also at a singing Italian restaurant.

On a single day in 1992, I could kid myself that I was the best cross country runner of my age – arguably in the world!

 Can’t last, of course.”

Well, the Northern Irish organisers (fellow Celts) happily presented the Scottish M45 team with winning medals – and we still have them. However, a crazy English team manager protested endlessly and it seems likely that similar medals might have been posted to their team eventually. Who cares!

My Dad died on November 5^th. Family and many friends attended the funeral. He was a real character, a good father, unforgettable.

Did the success last? Well, for a while. Two weeks later, despite developing a dodgy hamstring during the last two (downhill) miles, I was 6^th in the Barnsley Veterans 10k (billed as including the AAA and BVAF Championships). I finished in 32.15, first M45, and beat Ken Moss, Ron Smith (Scottish M45), Alan Catley, Jimmy Bell (Elswick Harriers M45) and Jim Dingwall. I consider this to be a gold medal in the British Vets!

On 1^st January 1993, after a very close contest with Jimmy Bell, I finished 16^th (first M45 and indeed first M40) in the classic Morpeth to Newcastle 14.1 miles road race. My time was a first-class standard of 1.15.25; Jimmy was three seconds behind. Dave Hill (M40 World Vets 25k Champ) was hungover, started fast but then sagged well behind us. A real ale pubcrawl with Archie and other reprobates ensued.

At the end of January, I won the M45 Scottish Vets cross country title. That was the end of my ‘streak’ although, in July (with a grumbling Achilles) I was third M45 in the European Vets 25k at Bruges (and GB – me and Jimmy Bell – secured silver team medals). In October 1993, I was lucky to win the M45 title at the British Vets Marathon (in the Flying Fox race at Stone, Staffs). In 1995 I won the M45 British Vets CC title at Irvine Beach Park.

                                                                                                               Irvine 1995

As an M50, I won three Scottish Vets CC championships; was third in the B & I at Ballymena; and won British gold in the indoor 3000m and the outdoor 10,000m. In 1999, in 7^th position, I finished third and last counter for the GB M50 CC team which won World Masters gold in Chester-le-Street, near Newcastle.

M55? A final Scottish Vets CC gold; Third in the B & I, at Ballymena again; British gold for indoor 3000m.

Aged 60, 65 and 70, I ran seven more B & I races (to make my total 15) and Scotland won team silver in each age group; but my best individual performance was only 7^th M65.

Yet, while my memory continues to work (fairly) well, I will recall fondly my third-best-ever race in 1992 at Newtonabbey near Belfast.

Link to Colin’s  Running Shorts

The picture above is of the Clydesdale Harriers Novice Championship entrants in 1913 taken outside Whiteinch Baths in Glasgow.   The club was the first open athletic club in Scotland and the club system has been important to Scottish athletics ever since.     It may be however that the athletic club, which was the source of much that was good for the sport, is losing its place.   

Athletics has gone almost from a club-centred sport to an individual-centred sport.    It always was an individual sport, with a team dimension added, but the club aspect really mattered, and that was evidenced by the high individual standards that were reached, driven by or at least nurtured by club teams. The Fast Pack section on this website describes the clubs, their achievements and their runners. Virtually all of the best or highest-achieving Scottish runners ran for their club in most team events when at their best, and they all certainly turned out as new athletes learning their trade. 

The team events exposed these young, or not so young, new runners to men from other clubs who taught them a lot, either by sitting beside them in the dressing room or by elbowing them onto the dyke when battering along the Switchback in the Nigel Barge. I know that my best E-G time – 5th fastest on stage 5 in 1972 – was achieved when teams like ESH, EUH&H, Shettleston, Victoria Park, Edinburgh AC etc were competing as well. 

Parkruns are a good thing, I say that unequivocally; 10K races around the country, for everyone to take part in, are a good thing, of that there is no doubt.   But in terms of improving the standard of running as a competitive sport, they are less effective than the club system.  The benefits of the club system seem to be:

1.  They encourage athletes to train together and provide advice to all their club members.
2. They provide graded competition.   Club, County, District and National  with all the open races added to the mix of venues..

We have a look at different aspects of the sport here.  Use the links below to investigate further. 

Edinburgh to Glasgow :   This was, apart from the National Cross-Country Championships, the most important race in the calendar, with almost without exception the best runners in the country, plus ex-pats, taking part for their clubs. 

An International Athlete’s Team Triumphs:    As an illustration of  the above: Colin ran in 30 Edinburgh to Glasgow relays for five different clubs and had a longer period racing than most.   At the very top of his form, he ran for his club and used these team races, always top effort, as part of his racing plan.   

Club Group Photographs  :  Club members have always been proud of their affiliation and, although athletics has changed with the years, the photographs, which cover the sport from the late 1800’s to the 21st century show that the pride is still there.   They are in alphabetical order of the clubs rather than chronological.   

Club Team Photographs    If the members were proud of their club, they were even prouder when the club won a team trophy, whether it was a county title or a national.   We have a selection of winning teams from -man teams to 8-man teams.     

Scottish Harriers Histories  : Hamish Telfer is one the best athletics historians that Scotland has produced and on this page we have several of his contributions such as Harrier Clubs before 1885, Harrier Clubs before 1900 and the first Scottish Harrier Clubs 

Alan Sillitoe’s 1959 short novel (and 1962 film) was called ‘The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner’. There is little doubt that an ambitious runner will find that training and racing for middle and long distances will involve a lot of solo endeavour, developing determination, stamina, speed, racing tactics, stress-management and confidence.    However, one way of making improvement more likely is to join a running club, train once or twice a week with like-minded athletes and to compete in team competition, for example road and cross-country races and relays. [In retrospect, relays (over distances from 2 and a half miles up to five or even seven miles) may be most effective, in terms of character-building well-paced maximum effort and team-bonding.]

Once fitness has developed, the aim might be to make the first team.   Then to enjoy decent performances which contribute to team success. Events may include contests against other schools, universities and clubs.   Team wins will become more likely as runners develop – and post-race celebrations may be enjoyed even more.

Perhaps a runner may become a club ‘star’. More prestigious team wins may occur. With luck, these victories may continue for several years. But then, age and physical niggles will slow you down and others will replace you as a fast club member. You will be content to remain a team counter.

This whole process will repeat during each five-year veteran age-group! Eventually, you will no  longer feature in first or any teams but will hope to keep active through jogging, cycling, walking. Maybe all you can do is chat with younger club friends and applaud their successes on Facebook! So it goes: but you will have good memories of racing – both individual and team experiences.

During most of my time as a ‘serious amateur’ distance runner, men’s races were almost entirely separate (in location and date) from women’s races. Nowadays this has all changed, thank goodness, and we can all train together, enjoy events like mass road races and watch men and women race on track and cross-country.

Looking back at a long list of team wins in the increasingly distant past, I am very aware that top Scottish stars like Allister Hutton, John Robson, Fraser Clyne and Graham Laing were chiefly responsible for success. Perhaps, eventually, nearly every runner will beat nearly any other runner at least once, but these fast, talented men were key. Yet it was good to contribute to team success and gain respect and friendship for running as hard as possible on the day.

It is certainly not all about wins! My last senior team medal was gained in January 2002 at Livingston: the East District Cross-Country Championships. Metro Aberdeen secured team silver: Nick Milovsorov, Keith Varney, Keith Farquhar, Fraser Clyne, Bruce Moroney, Colin Youngson (aged 54).

                                                                           Derry 2017: Stewart, Colin, Norman and  Bobby

My last international medal was obtained in November 2017 at Derry, Northern Ireland. In the British and Irish Masters Cross-Country International, the  Scottish Masters M70 team (Norman Baillie, Colin Youngson, Bobby Young, Stewart McCrae) won silver behind England but in front of Northern Ireland, Ireland and Wales – and I enjoyed this success almost as much as any ancient victory!

,

          The Elkington Shield, presented to the First Team at the Scottish Men’s Senior National Cross Country Championships

TEAM WINS AND TEAM-MATES

ROAD

Nairn to Inverness 4-Man Relay: September

1969 – Aberdeen University Hare & Hounds won: Colin Youngson, Charlie Macaulay, Donald Ritchie, Robin Orr.

1970 – AU won: Colin Youngson, Charlie Macaulay, Donald Macintosh, Donald Ritchie

Edinburgh Southern Harriers Relay, Fernieside: September

1972 – Victoria Park AC won: Davie McMeekin, Hugh Barrow, Colin Youngson (11.53 fastest of the day), Pat Maclagan.

1974 – ESH won: Colin Youngson (11.43 fastest of the day), Donald Macgregor, Martin Craven, Craig Douglas.

Kingsway Road Relay, Dundee: October

1972 – Vicky Park second to ESH but Colin Youngson fastest of the day.

1975 – ESH won: Craig Douglas, Donald Macgregor, Alistair Blamire, Colin Youngson.

McAndrew Road Relay, Scotstoun, Glasgow: October

1975 – ESH won:  Ian Elliot, Colin Youngson, Dave Logue, Gareth Bryan-Jones.

Allan Scally Road Relay, Baillieston, Glasgow: November

1975 – ESH won: Ian Elliot, Colin Youngson, Dave Logue, Alistair Blamire. Event record.

1978 – ESH won: Martin Craven, Colin Youngson, John Robson, Allister Hutton.

1981 – Aberdeen AAC won: Davie Lang, Fraser Clyne, Graham Laing, Colin Youngson.

Scottish Six-Stage Road Relay: at Strathclyde Park, Motherwell: March

1979 – ESH won: Colin Hume, Colin Youngson, Martin Craven, Dave Logue, Alex Robertson, Allister Hutton.

1980 – ESH won: Martin Craven, Colin Youngson, Colin Hume, Evan Cameron, Alex Robertson, Allister Hutton.

1981 – ESH won: John Gladwin, Colin Youngson, Colin Hume, Evan Cameron, Ian Elliot, Allister Hutton.

English 12-Stage Road Relay, Sutton Park, Birmingham: 1975 – ESH second to Brendan Foster’s Gateshead Harriers. ESH: Nigel Bailey, John Robson, Donald Macgregor, Fergus Murray, Gareth Bryan-Jones, Colin Youngson, Craig Douglas, Alistair Blamire, Dave Logue, Ray Weatherburn,  Allister Hutton, Ian Elliot.

                  1967  Edinburgh to Glasgow Relay, end of Stage 4: Dave Logue (Edinburgh University – the winners) to Ian Y0ung

Edinburgh to Glasgow 8-Man Road Relay: November

1974 – ESH won: Colin Youngson (fastest Stage 1), Donald Macgregor, Craig Douglas, Alistair Blamire, Martin Craven, Dave Logue, Allister Hutton, Gareth Bryan-Jones.

1975 – ESH won: Colin Youngson (fastest and record Stage 1), Alistair Blamire, Martin Craven, Ian Elliot, Allister Hutton, Dave Logue, Fergus Murray, Gareth Bryan-Jones. Event record.

1977 – ESH won: Fergus Murray, Ian Orton, Colin Youngson (record Stage 3), Ian Elliot, John Robson, Dave Logue, Alex Robertson, Martin Craven. No Hutton!

1978 – ESH won: Martin Craven, Ian Elliot, Colin Hume, John Robson, Colin Youngson, Allister Hutton, Alex Robertson, Ian Orton.

1983 – Aberdeen AAC won: Graham Milne, Graham Laing, Ian Matheson, Craig Ross, Peter Wilson, Fraser Clyne, Mike Murray, Colin Youngson.

1986 – AAAC won: Chris Hall, Simon Axon, Jim Doig, Ray Cresswell, Graham Laing, Fraser Clyne, Mike Murray, Colin Youngson (fastest Stage 8).

1988 – AAAC won: Ian Matheson, Chris Hall, Ray Cresswell, Dave Duguid, Graham Laing, Fraser Clyne, Simon Axon, Colin Youngson.

                                                                                              Fraser Clyne: E to G 1986, Stage 6

Scottish Veteran 8-Man Relay: March

April 1991: Alloa-Bishopbriggs, 1: AAAC won: Bill Adams, Colin Youngson (broke Stage 2 record), Charlie Noble, Ed Butler, Dave Armitage, George Sim, Mel Edwards, Rod MacFarquhar.

March 1992, Alloa—Twechar,  AAAC won: Bill Adams, Ed Butler, Graham Milne, Charlie Noble, Ben Preece, George Sim, Colin Youngson (fastest on Stage 7), Francie Duguid. Broke the event record.

John o’Groats to Land’s End 10-Man Relay: April

AAAC broke the record twice:

1973: Pete Duffy, Derek Bisset, Alistair Neaves, Martin Walsh, Alastair Wood, Rab Heron, Steve Taylor, Colin Youngson, Innis Mitchell, Joe Clare.

1982: Fraser Clyne, Peter Wilson, Graham Laing, Graham Milne, Mike Murray, Alastair Wood, Donald Ritchie, Colin Youngson, George Reynolds, John Robertson.

1984, June. AAAC won the Meadowbank to George Square (E to G) 50 miles ultra: Donald Ritchie 1^st, Colin Youngson 3^rd.

CROSS-COUNTRY

Dunbartonshire 4-Man Relay: October 1972, Victoria Park AC won:  Colin Youngson, Innis Mitchell, Davie McMeekin, Hugh Barrow.

Midland District Relay: November 1972, Vicky Park won: 1, at Lochinch. Davie McMeekin, Hugh Barrow, Pat Maclagan, Colin Youngson.

East District Relay:

1977, November, at Livingston. ESH won: John Robson, Colin Youngson, Martin Craven, Ian Elliot.

Scottish Cross-Country  Relay Championships:

1978, October, at Irvine. ESH won: Ian Orton, Allister Hutton, Colin Youngson, Ian Elliot.

Scottish Veteran Relay Championships:

Metro Aberdeen Running Club won:

1995, October, Prestonpans: Paul Graham, Colin Youngson, Fraser Clyne, Keith Varney.

1997, October, at Caird Park, Dundee: Jackie Stewart, Keith Varney, Fraser Clyne, Colin Youngson.

East District Championships:

ESH won:

1975, January, at Fernieside, Edinburgh: Allister Hutton (1^st), Colin Youngson (4^th), Nigel Bailey, Craig Douglas, Martin Craven, Alistair Blamire.

1979, January, at Balgownie, Aberdeen: Ian Elliot (1^st), Ian Orton, Colin Youngson, Evan Cameron, Martin Craven, Alex Robertson.

1980, January, at Falkirk: John Robson (1^st),  Ian Elliot, John Gladwin, Evan Cameron, Colin Youngson, Alex Robertson.

1981, January, at Livingston: Colin Youngson (2^nd), Evan Cameron, John Gladwin, Alex Robertson, Craig Hunter, Martin Craven.

Aberdeen AAC won:

1982, January, at Dundee: Graham Laing and Fraser Clyne (1^st =), Graham Milne, Colin Youngson, Ross Arbuckle, Peter Wilson.

1983, January, at Livingston: Graham Laing, Fraser Clyne, Colin Youngson, Graham Milne, Peter Wilson, Ray Cresswell.

                                                               Start of the 1983 Senior National  Cross Country Championships

Scottish Senior National Championships:

ESH won:

1979, February, at Livingston: Ian Elliot, Dave Logue, Ian Orton, Allister Hutton, Colin Youngson, Martin Craven.

1980, February, at Irvine: John Robson, Allister Hutton, Ian Elliot, Colin Youngson, Martin Craven, Evan Cameron. Captain Colin collected the venerable team trophy.

Scottish Veteran Championships:

AAAC won:

1988, February, at Clydebank: Colin Youngson (1^st), Graham Milne, Mel Edwards, Rod MacFarquhar.

1989, February, at Balgownie: Colin Youngson (1^st), Graham Milne, Rod MacFarquhar, Mel Edwards.

1990, February, at Dumfries: Colin Youngson (2^nd), George Sim, Ben Preece, Graham Milne.

1992, February, at Troon: Colin Youngson (2^nd), George Sim, Graham Milne, Francie Duguid.

                                                                                            Colin Youngson: E to G 1986, Stage 8

INTERNATIONAL

In August 1975, at Reykjavik, Scotland beat Iceland in an International Athletics match. 10,000 metres: Allister Hutton 1^st, Colin Youngson 2^nd. (Allan Wells did long jump and 4x400m relay).

GB 2-Man team won the October 1975 Berchem International Marathon (Antwerp, Belgium: Colin Youngson (2^nd), Max Coleby (3^rd) – beat Ireland and several Continental outfits.

Scotland won the October 1981 Glasgow International Marathon: Colin Youngson (4^th), Des Austin (5^th), Alastair Macfarlane (6^th) – beat Wales, Eire, Northern Ireland.

Scotland won the September 1983 Glasgow Marathon: Peter Fleming (1^st), Colin Youngson (4^th), Andy Daly (6^th) – beat Wales, England and several other teams.

Scotland won the May 1988 Aberdeen Marathon: Hammy Cox (1^st), Frank Harper, Doug Cowie, Colin Youngson – beat Wales and England.

Scottish Veterans M45 Cross-Country team, won the October 31st 1992 British and Irish Cross-Country International near Belfast – beating England, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland: Colin Youngson (1^st M45), Terry Dolan, Colin Martin, Bill Adams, Bobby Young, Davie Fairweather.

                                                                                           Belfast, British and Irish start 1992

GB Masters M50 Cross-Country team, won the July 1999 World Masters Championship near Gateshead: Harry Matthews, Brian Hilton, Colin Youngson.

Every sportsman has significant periods is their career: moments of triumph, moments from which they drew great pleasure (not always when they ran fastest as it happens), moments away from the competitive arena that have a significance for them and significant for  many other reasons.  What we have here are moments of significance for John Hepburn, captured in photographs.   We start with the first period of significance for any athlete – where they began in the sport.    John began with Dundee Hawkhill Harriers and we have two pictrures from that period.   

.Young John Hepburn (second left) with three fellow Hawks including Charlie Haskett on the right.

John (673) ran for Hawkhill on the track, Alex Agnew of Livingstonis 824 and James Austin Clydesdale is 34.   Alex’s brother is in the distance..

.. and on the roads

.  SAL National 10K Road Champs of 1997, fairly near the finish,  24th H.McKay (151) 25th, A.Chalmers (373), 26th J.Hepburn (94) 27th I Taylor, 8 seconds between them all in the results 

His early sporting achievements were honoured too, this one apparently by the Royal Navy.

A great moment for any athlete is when he represents his country and John is with the Wcottish at the world mountain running championship.   He is seen in the race below (friend Denis Bell on the right in the foreground)

Below: John at the start of the Glen Clova race

But for all the wonderful races and events in which he took part, most would agree that his greatest moments came when he ran in and completed his 21st Ben Nevis race in 2018 and we have several photographs of the momentous occasion.

By now he was a well established member of the Lochaber Athletic Club and he’s wearing number 312.   Comparatively early on we see him above, below he’s concentrating hard on his way back down

John with his award for completing his 21st Ben Nevis

John with wife Jackie and son Andrew after the race.

Like many a hill runner, John just loved the outdoors and was involved in many aspects of that life.   The photographs below indicate the range of his activities.   

At the helm 

On Two wheels in Bavaria

On a trek in the Dolomites

With Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team: John does not just use the mountains for pleasure – he works with the MRT giving assistance to mountaineers in difficulties.

..

The chap above looking like a journalist checking his story, started the website at the end of 2004 under the title of ardbruach.co.uk and used the Microsoft FrontPage disc.   It was all on the disc, now it’s WordPress, and it has grown from there.   Colin Youngson came on board after it changed to the current name and format.   Reason for the change was that Microsoft stopped supporting an excellent format that was simplicity itself.   The first two pages that Colin helped with were the Edinburgh to Glasgow and the Marathon Stars pages.   

I had come from a background of club athletics that had started in 1957 and incorporated competing, officiating, administering and coaching and you can read about that at these links.   

www.anentscottishrunning.com/brian-mcausland                             and                         www.anentscottishrunning.com/brian-mcausland-and-afterwards

I gained so much from the sport that it seemed obvious that I put something back and the two websites were started.      The idea was to give a picture of what Scottish endurance running was like between 1945 and 1990 because it had changed so swiftly and so drastically after the SAAA became the SAF and I felt that it should be documented.   Hence the coverage of races, venues, clubs, personalities, etc.   

But the website would not exist without the work put in by several friends across the country.   I would like to thank them publicly for the work that they have been, and are doing, for us all.   First there is Colin Youngson whose history as an athlete is well known – 10 Scottish marathon medals, three of them gold, medals of all colours from the Edinburgh to Glasgow Relay, which he ran 30 times with five different clubs, many other fastest times and race victories, and a man who raced in Britain, Europe, USA and Australia.  Colin, a retired teacher of English with an interest in history and a love of running, has done sterling work for many years on profiles, race descriptions and in fact in most subject areas, using expertise gained from a racing career between 1963 and 2020.

                                                              Colin running the last stage of the 1986 E to G for the winning Aberdeen AAC team

Joe Small of Monkland Harriers and Clyde Valley AC, (running third below in the Nigel Barge Road Race) has written several very good pieces on events (the Glasgow Marathon for instance) and several other items covering clubs and international racing.    Joe has run in all the major races on the Scottish calendar – track, road, and cross-country.

Hamish Telfer, West of Scotland Harriers, is a highly respected coach and administrator but also an enthusiastic athletics historian with several published works to his name.   On this site there is an affectionate look back at the Stanalane Track on Glasgow’s south side but he has several fascinating articles on the anentscottishrunning.com website on the history of the sport, mainly cross-country running http://www.anentscottishrunning.com/hamish-telfers-scottish-harriers-histories/   

Denis Bell, Haddington East Lothian Pacemakers (leading in the photograph below), is a ‘new boy’ who is an international hill runner and is our hill running expert with several articles, such as the detailed profiles of Angela Mudge and Finlay Wild.

Alex Wilson, Fife Southern Harriers, below,  is a genuine enthusiast for Scottish endurance history.   He knows all that there is to know about endurance running by Scots from the days of the peds, the six-day wobbles right up to the present with a marvellous collection of photographs and illustrations.   You can get a real flavour of his work from the profiles on this site of Paddy Cannon, Jock Duffy and Norman Nelson but for an overview of his work go to 

Alex Wilson’s Gallery: 1 Half Milers – Anent Scottish Running

and   have a look at some of the links.

These are the main workers – all writers – but there are others, some mentioned below, who have contributes to the two websites.

There are lots of others who have given us information – guys like Alex Jackson, the wise man of the East who is a real fount of information, Hugh Barrow, who has passed on information and photographs for many items through the years and through the websites,  Alastair Macfarlane gave us information on marathons, on people and on professional running,  John Mackay,  Graham McDonald in Pitreavie (below),   and    

Bobby Young, Palm Gunstone (above) and Sandra Branney with information and photographs and many others. Of course the Daddy of Then All for photographs is Graham MacIndoe (below) with superb quality pictures of the sport in the 1980’s – men, women, road, country, hills and track races with some very good training photographs in there too.   And of course all those who helped with their own profiles.   Thanks to them all. 

‘The History of Edinburgh Southern Harriers’ (published 1996) tells the tale.

After the Second World War, club members returned from the armed forces to take up their sport – but it was to a clubroom in Causewayside shared with the Melville Motor Club.

There were no proper washing facilities in the rooms above a row of garage lock-ups – and runners returning from training were hosed down with cold water (even in the depths of winter). Both track and field events were held a considerable distance away at New Meadowbank, which was then a cinder track wide open to the elements.

In the 1950s, approaches were made to the old Edinburgh Corporation parks department, inquiring about the possibility of taking over one of several tracks to be built in the city – and the club settled on what was seen as the ideal location at Fernieside, on the southern outskirts of Scotland’s capital city.

The city was responsible for building and maintaining the track and field facilities, and Edinburgh Southern arranged to build the clubroom, largely through voluntary efforts of the members. Jim Smart convened a fund-raising committee and John (Jock) Reid, master of works, headed the building committee and supervised the work himself. Hearts came to the aid of the Southern and manager Tommy Walker helped to arrange a collection outside Tynecastle on the day of a local Derby with Hibs.

Tommy Walker, ever generous, provided the collecting cans and more than £600 was raised by volunteer bands of both male and female ESH members. Jock Reid and his team of tradesmen and helpers completed the clubrooms in 1955 and the official opening was conducted by Lord Milligan, honorary president of the Scottish Amateur Athletics Association, whose son Jim was later to become a Southern member – and to succeed his father (Lord Advocate) on the Scottish bench.

For the next 20 years, the Fernieside clubhouse and track were to provide a worthy community service to the surrounding areas of Gilmerton, Fernieside and Danderhall.

The premises were later sold to a local businessman, who demolished the clubrooms and replaced them with private housing – a small terrace now known as “The Harriers”.

The first cross-country race from the clubhouse was 1956. The building was not fully finished and there was no hot water or flooring in the dressing rooms. The main hall was usable.

The official opening of the Edinburgh Southern Harriers Clubhouse took place at 3 pm on Saturday 13^th October 1956. Tea was served to invited guests. Transport advice was to board the 33 bus! In 1957 the club’s Diamond Jubilee Dinner took place at the Adelphi Hotel.

The ESH History continues: A winding street in a city housing scheme was the unlikely focus of Edinburgh Southern Harriers’ greatest years. Two lads who lived a few doors apart in Fernieside Crescen pressed their faces against the fence just round the corner from their homes, watching the Southern in training in the 1960s – an interest which later led to the Olympic triumphs of sprinter Allan Wells and his childhood pal Chris Black.  It was history indeed for a street to produce one Olympian, but to produce two was a global feat.

Who will ever forget the day that the Southern’s greatest athlete, Allan Wells, had the narrowest of wins in the Moscow Olympics 100 metres championship in 1980?

Or the excited cries of his wife Margo, herself a 100 metres Scottish champion, as she shouted, “Come on, Allan!” in her broad Fife accent.

Four years earlier, Chris Black had been in the Olympic hammer throwing final at Montreal, and he too appeared at Moscow, failing to win a medal but bringing great credit to his club as its one and only field events finalist in the world’s top competition.

The two were typical of the youngsters who took up athletic careers as a result of living near the community-based Fernieside headquarters of ESH. Local talent, recruited from the surrounding area, played a significant part in the development of the club.

Fernieside is mentioned in the above article from 1956. An excerpt states: “Whatever happens, the Southern Harriers have a nice little niche at Fernieside, near Moredun housing scheme, where a four-lane track has had a bite or two from the bulldozer. There will be a ‘straight’ of 140 yards at this new ESH home.

Benefitting from the experience of another athletic club, the Southern have made a pavilion of 40 feet by 20. Grants from the Playing Fields Association and the Education Authority were received but the estimated cost of £1500 will largely be forthcoming from the club members.

Architect for the building was M. G. Armour, a club member noted for field event prowess; Convener is Ian Ross, who served the Southern well in cross-country and track racing; D. B. Henderson, in charge of plumbing work, was inter-works senior champion in 1930; Alex Fraser, who is best described as the club’s ‘talent-spotter’ is ‘man-of-all-jobs; and A. A. Bowman, secretary for 29 years, keeps a watchful eye on all that is going on. Alex has 200 male and 60 female athletes on his roll.

In the main hall of the pavilion, there will be seating accommodation for 60, two changing rooms, sprays and a kitchen – complete, of course, with electric light.

Adverse weather has held up completion of the job, but it is hoped to have the pavilion ready before the start of the cross-country season in November. The track, however, will not be in use until the spring of next year (1957).”

Ian McKenzie (runner; an extremely successful ESH team manager; and President) wrote:

Fernieside – a brief history. Prior to 1950 all of the Edinburgh athletic clubs trained at New Meadowbank or Saughton, in the early 1950s the Council agreed to lay new tracks at Fernieside and Wauchope estate which meant each club had a home base: ESH at Fernieside, Edinburgh Northern at Meadowbank, Edinburgh Eastern at Wauchope, Edinburgh Harriers and Braidburn at Saughton.

Although each had a track there were no clubrooms at Fernieside or Wauchope. Southern were given a 100-year lease on a plot of land on which they could build a clubhouse. As no funding was granted, this meant that the Club had to set about raising the capital required to build the clubhouse. Over a period of about 2 years the members set about acquiring the cash needed, Fortunately, many members had the necessary skills and trades needed to construct the building and a self-build project was started. This meant that every Sunday over a period of 2/3 years the members completed the building, the clubhouse was ready for use by 1956. The first race from the clubhouse was the 2.5-mile cross country handicap in which virtually every member took part: sprinters, throwers and middle-distance runners. As it was a handicap from your mark, everyone was able to enjoy their run, some probably more than others. As there was no age limit, it was the first time that I, as a fifteen-year-old, competed in an open race. Because the building was on the edge of the city it meant that cross country and road races could be held as well as track and field. However, apart from the 100 yards, Fernieside was not a great track to run on, since it was like a beach at one end and seemed uphill on the back straight!

Hamish Robertson, who served the club well as runner, Secretary and President, said that the track was used for training, but also had almost the full range of club championships (including  all field events and hurdles, apart from a steeplechase). Occasionally, there would be an inter-club match, against local rivals like Octavians.

Alistair Blamire (British and Scottish International steeplechaser and Scottish International cross-country runner) recalls that “Fernieside had a five-laps-to-the-mile cinder track and the clubrooms were big enough to hold parties, including one after the Edinburgh Highland Games (at Murrayfield) each year.”

Alistair Matson, a good road runner who was part of the ESH team that finished third in the 1968 E to G, finished second in the Club Championship 6 Miles Track race in 1969. That would have been 30 laps!

All Octavians. Back row, left to right: Tom Tait, Frank Dick (future Scottish National Coach), Fraser Provan, Dougie McNish, ?. Front row: John Macdonald, Bob Hay, ?, Norrie Paterson.                          

In 1967 (according to the ‘Scottish Athletics 1968’ booklet), several athletes recorded seasonal bests at Fernieside. Events mentioned included: 100 yards, 6 Miles, High Jump, Triple Jump, Shot Putt, Hammer, Javelin and 4×110 yards relay. These feats took place in April, June, July or August.

Notable ESH members mentioned included: Gareth Bryan-Jones (won 6 Miles); and Chris Black. At this time, Chris was a first year Junior, who won the Scottish Junior Hammer Championship by a wide margin at Craiglockhart; as well as winning the event on his home track. John Keddie finished first in a Triple Jump. In 1983, John published his excellent ‘Scottish Athletics 1883-1983’, the official centenary publication of the Scottish Amateur Athletic Association.

In June, a sprint relay team from Edinburgh Athletic club won on the Fernieside track – presumably beating ESH.

Alex Jackson (Statistician and Official)) wrote:
In April 2021 during lockdown I went to where the Fernieside clubhouse used to be and took two photos (below). (Above) is a photo of the clubhouse being built – this was in Ian Ross’s scrapbook and Colin Youngson has included it in his good piece on Ian in the Anent Scottish Running website.

In that photo, Ian Ross is standing in the doorway. He had a Joinery business and was Clerk of Works on the building.

I posted all three photos to a Lost Edinburgh Facebook group in April 2021 with the comment:
“Edinburgh Southern Harriers clubhouse at Fernieside being built by club members in the 1950s. It was eventually demolished and was replace by 6 houses in 1994. As a nod to the previous building, stonework with “The Harriers 1994″ is on the middle house”

The former cross-country courses close by are all now houses and a hospital.

Colin Youngson wrote: Saturday 30^th September 1972. My team – Victoria Park AC – won the Edinburgh Southern Harriers four-man road relay at Fernieside, Edinburgh. ESH finished second team. I set the fastest stage time – 11 minutes 53 seconds.  (The course record was 11.39). The Vicky Park runners were: Davie McMeekin, Hugh Barrow, Colin Youngson and Pat Maclagan (11.58).   Donald Macgregor, who had been a superb 7^th in the recent Munich Olympic Marathon, ran 11.59. I still have the ‘Fastest Time Senior’ pennant.

After racing in Sweden for ten months (1973-1974), I began teaching English at Craigmount Academy in Edinburgh and joined ESH. My first team race for this top club was on Saturday 28th September 1974. We won our own Fernieside Road Relays and I posted the fastest time (11.43 – by now Adrian Weatherhead’s record was 11.30). It was the only occasion that my brilliant young clubmate Allister Hutton (second ESH team that day) let me finish (six seconds) in front of him. Running the first stage, we were leading together when we reached the start of the brutally-steep final hill. I sprinted flat out, Allister complained “For God’s sake, Colin!” and I hung on with difficulty during the flat last 200 yards to the line, before sagging exhausted into the comforting embrace of a friendly hedge. Other runners in our winning outfit may have been Donald Macgregor, Martin Craven and Craig Douglas. (Between September 1974 and November 1975, I was fortunate to be part of winning ESH teams in all the main Scottish Road Relays – Fernieside in Edinburgh, The Kingsway in Dundee, The McAndrew and The Allan Scally in Glasgow and The Edinburgh to Glasgow 8-Man Relay. We broke course records for the Scally and E to G, as well as finishing second to Brendan Foster’s Gateshead Harriers in the 1975 English 12-Stage Relay.) The inaugural Scottish  6-Stage Road Relay was added in 1979. 

In those events, in alphabetical order, my marvellous winning team-mates were: Nigel Bailey, Alistair Blamire, Gareth Bryan-Jones, Martin Craven, Craig Douglas, Ian Elliot, Colin Hume, Allister Hutton, Dave Logue, Donald Macgregor, Fergus Murray, Alex Robertson, John Robson and Ray Weatherburn.

Once A Runner, indeed. Those were the days!

Later in the 1970s, the ESH Club 10 Miles Road Championship started and finished at Fernieside. I remember managing to get away from Alex Robertson to win on one occasion.

Alex Robertson, (son of Hamish) was part of several ESH Scottish Championship winning teams in the late 1970s and 1980s. He wrote:

My first memory of going to Fernieside was as an 8-or-9-year-old, when I was taken out to run round Fernieside with Stuart Miller. The first group of boys I ran with included: A Henderson, Brian Kerr, and Andy and Allan Waters It was Tuesday night training; I think we may have gone on a Thursday as well.

The first track race I watched there had Fergus Murray winning the 3000m. Athletes I remember training there included: Allister Hutton, Chris Black, Allan Wells and Helen Golden (all Scottish and British Internationals).

 Tuesday night was a good group session. As I got older, John Gladwin, Kenny Harkness, Craig Hunter, Dougie Macdonald, Norman Sweeney and Kirk Smith joined in. We ran various routes from the club room. One route was up to The Meadows, then back to Fernieside.  Sometimes this turned out to be a burn-up on the way back! In those early days we went out older runners like Ian Mackenzie, George Brown and Norrie Ross.

 Fernieside was also the venue of a team trial for the last places in the 1975 English 12-stage Road Relay. Ray Weatherburn turned up to claim the last place from Fergus and myself.

Fernieside was the first place I saw (1980 Olympic 100m Champion) Allan Wells training with the speedball. It was also the first place where I came face-to-face with Nat Muir (Scottish and British International) at the Fernieside road relays.  ESH also held the cross-country club championship race round the field near the clubrooms. These courses were all set by Stuart Miller.

Fernieside was the venue for the East District Cross Country Championships on at least two occasions: 24^th January 1959 (organised by the National Cross Country Union of Scotland); and 18^th January 1975 (organised by the Scottish Cross Country Union).

In 1959, the race was won by Adrian Jackson (Edinburgh University) from John Linaker (Pitreavie). Both were prominent Scottish Internationals. ESH won the team title (Norman Ross 3^rd, Alastair Ross 4^th, Graham Stark 6^th, Jack White 7^th, Jackie Foster 11^th, Ron McAllister 12^th).

In 1975, ESH also finished first team (Allister Hutton 1^st, Colin Youngson 4^th, Nigel Bailey 7^th, Craig Douglas 8^th, Martin Craven 9^th, Alistair Blamire 11th and Ian Elliot 12th). Hutton had a close battle with Paul Kenney of Dundee University and Jim Dingwall (Falkirk Victoria) was 3^rd. Youngson’s running diary noted: “Bumpy, muddy, fast start – nasty stony path – corn stubble field – slippery path uphill then downhill – field and then right round the lap again.”

Alex Robertson wrote: The road relays started at the clubrooms, went uphill to Moredun Park Road up to Gilmerton Road, then right hand turn down to Kingston Avenue, right hand turn to Old Dalkeith Road, up the hill to the clubrooms. The Boys’ race went down Moredun Vale Road then up Dalkeith Road. The 10 miles road race started at the clubrooms, went on to Old Dalkeith Road, down towards Dalkeith, up the hill into Dalkeith, right hand turn to Bonnyrigg to a traffic light, right hand turn heading to Lasswade, then from Lasswade up to Station Road into Gilmerton, down Gilmerton Road to Fernieside Road and back to the clubrooms Other training runs were done round Drum Estate. Another was up to the Pentland Hills, up to the top of the ski slope, then back to the clubrooms.

When many of us came into the sport we took changing accommodation for granted.   Not just the presence of such at every event and recreation ground (and nowadays there are many races at venues without dressing rooms) but the fact that they were more than just functional boxes but almost works of art.   This page will have pictures of some of these pavilions that we took for granted.

Knightswood Pavilion: Dating from 1929, it is described officially as – The pavilion at Knightswood Park, serving both the bowling green in the foreground and the tennis courts in the background, 1947.   Provision of amenities for leisure and recreation often lagged behind the building of houses in Glasgow housing schemes, but Knightswood fared better than most areas. The Corporation acquired 148 acres for Knightswood Park in 1929. In addition to the two bowling greens and four tennis courts, the park included a golf course, pitch and putt course, boating pond, running track and cricket pitch.

The running track was short and almost circular but was used for sports meetings and inter club fixtures pre- and post-war.    

Kings College Aberdeen: You can read about it at this link

Westerlands, Glasgow: Read about it here

Garscadden Pavilion – In 1933 Glasgow University purchased ground at Garscadden for the construction of a sports pavilion. In 1936 the Garscadden Sports Pavilion was designed by T. Harold Hughes in an Art Deco style, the same year that he won the competition to design the University’s Chemistry building (now the Joseph Black Building).   The pavilion was extended in 1958 by Alexander Wright & Kay.

Craiglockhart, Edinburgh: read about it at this link   

Myreside, Edinburgh

Bruce Street Baths, Clydebank

This is a good example of a now rare building type of public baths with an adjoining swimming pool complex. Once a relatively common building type in urban Scotland, public baths have become obsolete and modern leisure centres have largely replaced traditional swimming pools. It is an important streetscape feature and it was purposefully designed to match the style of the earlier, 1902 Municipal Buildings in Dumbarton Roadby the Glasgow architect James Miller. Together, the buildings form the major part of a complete block and form a coherent civic heart in Clydebank Public baths and swimming pools grew in popularity particularly in the second half of the 19th century and most of the surviving ones date from this period; some with intricately decorated interiors. Many people had no access to running water in the home and public health was becoming an increasingly important issue. In 1846, the Act to Encourage the Establishment of Public Baths was passed and the majority of public baths began to be built after this time. Built in the 1930s, this is a relatively late example and probably indicates that there were still a significant number of homes in Clydebank at this time with no bathing facilities. The Bruce Street Baths was designed to replace the nearby Hall Street Baths (now demolished) which were becoming too small. The plans were approved by the Council in 1929 and the baths were opened in 1932. It originally had a variety of facilities, including Turkish Baths, Russian Vapour Baths, a laundry and a massage room. (Historic Scotland)

The Baths are no more.  The headquarters of Clydesdale Harriers from the time they opened to their closure, they were described as one of the best winter headquarters in Scotland.   Many events used the Baths as their HQ.   Only this side wall remains. 

Whiteinch Baths, Glasgow – “Whiteinch Public Baths was built between 1923 and 1926 by the Office of Public Works. Currently in 1999 it is Category B listed.” This page goes on to describe the smaller pool as being “in a room with arched ceiling and cubicles to either side. The doors of the cubicles are painted with cartoon characters. This is a smaller, shallower pool for learners. It has a frieze on the rear wall depicting children at a beach. This room also has a blue and white colour scheme. ”   Whiteinch Baths was for several decades the winter headquarters of Victoria Park Harriers and prior to that it was used by the local section of Clydesdale Harriers.   The original McAndrew Relays were run from these Baths.   

Mountblow, Clydebank: A sports pavilion that is now simply a really neglected football pavilion.   It was for decades the home of Clydesdale Harriers and used by runners from many other clubs – eg the Victoria Park cross-country team of the 1950’s trained there on Sundays.  The Clydebank Cricket Club and the Singer Factory Cricket Club played there and it was a genuine local sports facility.

It was officially described as – A rare example of Modern Movement sports pavilion surviving largely unaltered and occupying original recreation ground setting. 2-storey and raised basement, 5-bay, rectangular-plan on sloping site with cantilevered balcony, oversailing flat roof and tall off-centre curved stair tower with vertical glazing breaking eaves. 2 flights of steps to walkway above basement. Rendered brick. Horizontal-pane glazing in metal-framed casements, predominantly tripartite and bipartite, now with later metal grilles to exterior. Later metal roller shutters to entrance doors. INTERIOR: largely intact floor plan. Ground and first floors similar with concrete floors. Changing rooms lead off central corridor, each floor with bathroom with showers. Some early timber benches and coat hooks. Stair with horizontal metal banisters.

Goldenacre, Edinburgh