Author: The Author

Doug at Work

Doug Gillon started out as a runner, a pretty good runner, before becoming one of Scotland’s best and most respected athletics journalists.   He attended three, four or ten times more Olympics than any athlete did, he covered more sports than any other journalist that I can think of has done, and still managed to keep his allegiance to his roots in the country’s athletics.   It is appropriate though to start where he started – and Colin Youngson covers his career as a runner.   

Eric Fisher (born 1946) became a good cross-country and marathon runner and a very good coach, as well as being a key figure on the Edinburgh Boys Brigade scene. He first got into the sport through Sunday School picnics where all the races were short sprints which he could never win. He wanted longer distance races, as did another youngster by the name of Douglas F. Gillon (born on the 12^th of July 1946) the subject of this profile. These picnics were all held at Dalkeith Country Park and when such races were introduced, these two used to beat everybody else easily.

Later on, in 1966, Eric Fisher became involved properly in the sport when he was 19 years old and Claude Jones of Edinburgh AC who worked in Ferranti’s asked if there were any runners in the factory who were not involved in the sport. Eric was pointed out to him and he was invited along.   The first night there he was involved in a 2.5 mile race: it was a handicap race but all athletes started at the same time.  He saw one guy he knew and told the handicapper he could beat him.  It turned out that it was Doug Gillon (again) who had been attending George Watson’s College and was ranked number 3 in the United Kingdom for the steeplechase in his age group.   Eric kept up with them for about 100 yards, fell away and finished between two and three minutes behind them.   That wasn’t bad for a youngster on his first night though.

Doug Gillon features in the Scottish Athletics Yearbook which lists statistics from the 1965 season. With a time of 4.24.2 for 1500 metres Steeplechase, he was fastest Junior in Scotland, in front of his EAC team-mate John Fairgrieve. Doug produced this time in the Schools International fixture in Brighton on the 24^th of July, when he was narrowly beaten into second place after a bold front-running bid for victory. He had earned selection for the Scottish team by becoming Scottish Schools champion by winning the 1500m Steeplechase title at Meadowbank. His time that day, 2.25.7, was only 0.3 of a second slower than Alistair Blamire’s record, set in 1964. This was after Doug had finished third in the Schools mile at Goldenacre. The race was won by Jack MacFie of Daniel Stewart’s, who went on to finish third in the Brighton international mile. Doug and Jack trained together; and Jack was to run well for Edinburgh University, Scottish Universities, EAC and Victoria Park. His most successful event was probably 880 yards. He won many contests with a strong sprint finish and had a best time of 1.53.3.

(A really unusual feat was when Jack MacFie broke the outright record for racing up umpteen steps to the top of London’s Post Office Tower! This challenge took place in April 1968, shortly after Edinburgh University had won both the British Universities Cross Country and Scottish National XC team titles. He clocked a rapid 4 minutes 46 seconds and was 2nd to go up in the EU team of 6: Hugh Stevenson, Jack MacFie, Ian Hathorn, Andy McKean, John Exley and Ken Fife. All the EU runners were better than London University’s best. As an extra guest for EU, Sheila Duncan set a women’s record.)

Doug Gillon also made the 1965 Scottish Senior lists with 10 minutes 10 seconds for the gruelling 3000m Steeplechase.

In November 1965, Doug made the EAC team for the prestigious Edinburgh to Glasgow Road Relay – and what a successful debut it was. Doug took over from the great Jim Alder in 4^th place on the 7^th Stage and managed to hold this position. Although EAC ended up 5^th after the final 8^th Stage, they were presented with the Most Improved team medals.

There was further improvement for Doug in 1966: 9.46.0 for 3000m Steeplechase, run in London (14^th in the Scottish rankings). This was to be his fastest ever in this event.

The Scottish Universities Track Championships took place at Westerlands in Glasgow on June 3^rd 1967. Spectators watched Doug Gillon racing around indefatigably completing several events for the new Heriot-Watt University, a team that was short of numbers. The Scottish Association of Track Statisticians Archive makes clear about two of his best runs that summer: 58.1 for the 440 yards Hurdles (8^th in the Scottish rankings) and 10 minutes 0.2 seconds in the 3000m Steeplechase, when he won at Grangemouth on 6^th August (14^th).

In the 1967 E to G, Doug ran Stage 7 once more and improved his team’s position from 7^th to 6^th, which turned out to be their place at the finish.

In Summer 1968 Doug ended up 21st in the Scottish rankings for 3000m Steeplechase with 10.11.6. After he left university, his journalistic career took precedence.

Hugh Stevenson has been a member of Victoria Park AAC for many years. In his day a talented hurdler, who won the SAAA Junior 120 yards Hurdles title in 1965, he is notorious for satirical ‘imitations’ of athletics friends and foes. Doug Gillon featured frequently in Hugo’s humorous repertoire as ‘The Expert’, and was treated with fond derision as Gillon became Scotland’s finest Athletics Journalist. Doug’s friends at VP also included ‘The Doc’ (John Baird), ‘Jake the Snake’ (Jack MacFie) and ‘The Boss’ (Roddie Campbell).

Then in 1977, racing for Victoria Park AAC, Doug Gillon produced a surprise personal best time of 57.19 for 400 metres Hurdles (16^th in the Scottish Rankings). (Many years later, Doug was awarded Life Membership of VPAAC, for services to athletics journalism.)

Doug Gillon himself emailed a colourful series of memories from these early days. Inevitably these are much more entertaining than the previous paragraphs, which had to be sourced mainly from cold statistics!

“ I was born in Edinburgh on 12.7.1946, and attended George Watson’s College in Edinburgh where I tried almost every sport imaginable: athletics, rugby, squash, badminton, cricket in which I represented the school; learned to ski at Aviemore, and canoe in Loch Lomond and the Hebrides. I dabbled enthusiastically in basketball, hockey and volleyball, plus football (which we had to arrange for ourselves, being a “rugby school”). And tennis and golf at which I was abysmal. In fact not even as good as that. 

I was obsessed with sport from an early age and remember beating Eric Fisher who was in the same Sunday school class, probably before we were 10. It was a cross-country race of, of maybe .75 of a mile. I recall winning in a sprint finish (first race I ever won) I’m not sure if it was from Eric. Later, he trained for cross-country with the BB, and always beat me comfortably, as did another BB lad who gave Eric some competition. His name (McMahon, I think, but Eric could confirm) never featured in athletics in future, and whenever I recalled these days in the future, I always considered him a talent lost to the sport. Especially once Eric developed in the marathon. 

In the coronation summer of 1953 I remember reading the report of the first ascent of Everest. I was six and transfixed. I still have the newspaper with its souvenir pictures . . . Hillary, an alien figure against an impossibly blue sky. And who had taken this photograph, I remember thinking. Tensing, of course, but perhaps this was the first evidence of an enquiring sporting mind. The next was being summoned by my father to hear news of  Bannister, Brasher and Chataway, and the first sub four-minute mile. And I recall creeping out of bed at 3.00am on a spring morning in 1955, to tune in to Eamonn Andrews’ boxing commentary on the Don Cockell v Rocky Marciano world heavyweight title fight. Cockell got his head boxed off in nine rounds. I devoured every line of all the newspaper reports. I wanted to know all about these icons. Reading about them inspired me, and while doing the greatest job in the world, I’ve since been privileged to meet and interview many of them, including Chataway, Brasher, and Bannister. 

From an early age I had a dream . . . that I might be a good enough athlete to represent my country, to go to the Commonwealth Games, and perhaps even the Olympics. Well, it didn’t quite work out like that. There were a few injuries, the pre-lottery dilemma of carving a career, paying a mortgage, and raising a family. Not to mention insufficient talent. But life took odd twists which resulted in me covering 11 Olympics. Thanks primarily to having defied my parents’ wishes that I study law – a decision that caused a fair bit of domestic aggro. 

My father was a public relations consultant, involved in the then fledgling sport sponsorship industry. Many early such events in Scotland were his creation, including the first national awards dinner (Usher Vaux). This brought him into routine contact with the likes of Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart, because his clients sponsored motor racing at Charterhall when these future F1 champions were young drivers. Winnie Shaw, Bobby Macgregor, Harvey Smith, Dick McTaggart, Ming Campbell, and a host of other celebrities were household topics of conversation. My dad brought home their autographs, and even that of Muhammad Ali. 

So sporting excellence was a step closer for me than just reading about it in the papers. My old man was on first-name terms with them. Yet when I announced that I wanted to write about sport rather than read law, he went ape. There was a lecture about sports writers, with whom he worked daily: how advancement relied on luck, and not necessarily talent, that there were many very good journalists earning a pittance on local papers, because they’d never had a lucky break. It was a hard-drinking, cynical and unpleasant profession. But he let slip some Damon Runyonesque tales about Scotland’s sports scribes, which only whetted my ambition. 

My eclectic sports participation meant I did no real athletics until I was 17. I discovered latent cardiovascular fitness by chance, thanks to a knee ligament injury sustained at rugby. I ran every day to recover strength (straight lines, no side-stepping), and was persuaded to do some track races. I discovered the long-standing school mile record was in reach, and beat it with 4:24.1 on a five-lap-to-the-mile grass track at Myreside. I was briefly coached by John Anderson whose rep sessions at Meadowbank (in some illustrious company) frequently made me ill. I’d have run over broken glass for him, but quickly learned he could cause a row in an empty house. I retain the greatest regard and affection for him – a truly iconic coach, and we remain friends. I’d never have become a journalist but for John and the life lessons which I did not even realise I was learning until decades later. 

I joined Edinburgh AC, and recall running a mile, 3k chase, and six miles “for the point” in one evening during a club match at Ayr. It was my first ‘chase and first time over a water jump. Not for the last time, I fell in, but managed to finish, in second or third, I think. 

Barrier technique was clearly lacking; as were facilities. So having decided to do the #chase at the Scottish schools, I took the wooden bench seats from the Myreside stand, and stacked them three-feet high on the track, to practise hurdling, knowing that if I hit these benches I would go down, to focus the mind. So just like the real thing.

 I also recall a 3k chase at Westerlands (Aug ’65, I think) in which Lachie Stewart and John Linaker had a ding-dong battle. Approaching the bell, I heard them closing on me and just managed to avoid the humiliation of beng lapped as Lachie broke the Scottish record. 

EAC clubmates Jack MacFie, John Fairgrieve and I took 1, 2, 3 in the mile at the 1965 Scottish Schools Championships at Goldenacre. It seems significant, looking back, that we’d done regular very competitive weekly track rep sessions (eg 10×400, 6×600) together at Ford’s Road. As Goldenacre had no waterjump, the schools steeplechase (1500m) was held over to the Scottish Junior champs the following weekend, on cinders at Meadowbank. I won relatively unchallenged and was disappointed to learn I’d missed the national record by less than a second. I was told that medalling in both mile and 1500m SC was a first. I was more interested in it getting me selected for Scottish Schools. 

At Brighton I had a lead of 50 metres in the Schools International, but got caught right on the line by a guy called Barry Davies who was unbeaten in Britain that year. He later became a cyclo-cross international, I believe. 

There was no coach, and no advice at Brighton. I was then selected for an SAAA Junior team against the Army, a 2k chase, at Pitreavie. I managed to slip right under the water jump barrier for total immersion while warming up, but won the race in the same time as the runner-up. Definitely fuelled by how I’d felt when I lost on the line at Brighton. 

I briefly worked in London as an executive officer with HM Customs & Excise, sharing a flat with Northern Ireland 800m internationalist Les Jones, later to become GB athletics team manager. When Les died, sadly most prematurely, I found myself shoulder to shoulder with Linford Christie, carrying one end of the coffin at his funeral in Portadown. 

I joined Thames Valley where Ron Roddan was a young sprint coach. Did sessions with John Bicourt among others, and sometimes with a group which included Lillian Board. 

I took a sabbatical from C&E to study for a BA in Commerce at Heriot Watt University where Adrian Weatherhead was then star athlete and Bill Walker the leading coaching light, team manager, and factotum. I recall a uni cross-country at Caird Park where Adrian was leading by about 100 yards when he shot off course. I had to resist the temptation not to shout him back (I was second) but we were team mates, after all! And he won comfortably. But the general standard of athletics was so poor that I won the 400h, 880, mile, and 3 miles in one afternoon at the University championships. My times were so dire that I carefully expunged them from my memory. 

There were a few false starts before I became a journalist. I wrote the odd snippet for the school magazine at Watson’s. Malcolm Rifkind was a classmate, and before he moved at a young age, so was Mike McLean (800m CG 1970). Peter Burgess, who later won three Scottish decathlon titles, was also a contemporary and we were in the same team at the Schools international in Brighton (he did LJ then). So were my mates Jack MacFie and John Fairgrieve. 

England’s World Cup win in 1966 quite spoiled my day. I’d hitched overnight from London, got a lift from Edinburgh to Ayr, and won the Land o’ Burns steeplechase. Then came off the track to learn England, drawing 2-2 when I lined up, had won. I took silver in the Civil Service 3k SC in 9.46. Can’t recall who won. Weeks later, I fell on an escalator, damaging ankle ligaments which took months to heal in my early time at Uni. This caused me to drop the ‘chase and try various events including 400 hurdles, with little success. Eilidh Doyle would have beaten me by nearly 30 metres! I guess in league matches over the years I tried every event bar the pole vault, “just for the point”. 

Scotland’s big athletics hero was Jim Alder who had won the marathon at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston (and was to fight his way to silver in the 1970 Edinburgh CG). Jim was a cult figure, hard as nails. The Victor’s fictional comic strip hero, Alf Tupper, aka Tough of the Track, was a wimp by comparison.

 I’d run in the same Edinburgh-to-Glasgow team as Jim (my most terrifying moment as a young athlete was Jim Alder handing me the baton in the lead, at Airdrie War Memorial). I knew all his backround. I was in awe of him, of course, but he was friendly and gave advice. No arrogance, although he was among the best in the world. I could not help comparing him with some of the very one-dimensional footballers I queued to speak to outside Ibrox or Parkhead after reporting Old Firm matches. And Lachie Stewart was from the same cloth.”

Doug later added the following reminiscences:

“AT EAC a large group would go out on Sunday mornings. For me, those peaked briefly at a max of around 2 hours 10min which, eyeballs out for me, would be no more than 19-20 miles. These would be hilly: from Fords Road, out to Colinton, Redford, Balerno, and past the reservoirs. Finlay Steele was the top junior (around 51mins, I think in the Tom Scott in 1964 or 65). I recall finishing second junior to him on a very hot day on the Law to Motherwell course. I only just broke the hour but was well out of my comfort zone – completely wasted.

Bert Carse (later emigrated to Western Australia) would slaughter everyone bar Finlay on these Sunday runs. They started very friendly, everyone chatting. Silence would gradually descend, and then the boot would go in, and we’d fragment into little competitive groups.

Carse was the class act over three miles on the track, and Neil Donnachie, Bob Greenoak, and Barry Craighead were still competing for the club. Barry, who was then a joiner, would often give me a lift home in his van, which I recall once contained a coffin, or panels thereof!

I enjoyed handicap races at Highland Games, and on reflection they taught pace-judgement which sometimes seems lacking today, as a consequence of the decline of HG.

When I joined the Sunday Post (1968) I went out at lunchtimes, jogging from Port Dundas to Westerlands where I’d join a few others in a track rep session, then jog back. Lachie was often training there, and I recall Myra Nimmo too, training in the early 70s, prior to the ’76 Olympics where she did the long jump.

My training was indiscriminate, lacking structure as well as motivation because I could not race. Athletics contests in the late 60s were almost always on Saturdays – and I worked on Saturdays, focusing on my career, which caused me to abandon competitive aspirations. With a young family, serious commitment to training would have been a huge indulgence – unfair to my long-suffering wife, Mary. My job was disruptive enough to normal family life and she was hugely supportive of my work.

Nevertheless, I did attempt to keep in some shape. I’d go down to VP on Tuesday evenings. Jack MacFie put me to shame, travelling every week from Edinburgh despite being a GP. Our sessions were always competitive, whether track reps or round the Scotstoun area, or along The Boulevard. I’d also attempt to go out from home, perhaps once a week, and perhaps twice from the office at lunchtime but would only run a total of about 35 miles per week.

I’d various trails ranging from two to a maximum of seven miles, such as out to Mugdock reservoir  or round Dougalston.

League athletics opened some Sunday options in the mid ’70s, and briefly rekindled competiive juices. They did so again with the marathon boom in the early ’80s. I got quite fit prior to the Glasgow marathon in either ’81 or ’82, while working for the Sunday Standard, going out every day through Glasgow Green for about 35-40 mins and also from home. I got up to around 60mpw then. On marathon day I promised to run with Bobby Watson (Airdrie manager) in the early stages, until he settled down. I left him about five miles, and stupidly got sucked into the race. I reached 19 miles in a couple of minutes over two hours, and was really chuffed – felt I should break three hours. Within two miles I’d strained my groin. I dragged my right leg to the finish – passed by Bobby in Pollok Park! I finished in 3:45. I never ran another marathon, and about three years there was a Damascene moment: my 11-year-old son, Gregor, beat me over two miles when we jogged on holiday in Cornwall.

 I continued to jog two or three times a week into my 60s, but the knees are now paying for all those times I stepped over the door and onto the road or pavement. If I knew then what I know now, a lot more would have been done on grass. The last five years I have been able to do little more vigorous than a walk.”

It is important that we started with Doug as a runner and club man because it indicates that he knows the sport from the inside, is happy with the participants, and is, indeed, happy to be a participant.   How can one who mixes with The Boss, The Doc and Jake the Snake ever be accused of being out of touch?   Now read on for Doug’s journalistic career.

The Ben

The wonderful world of hill running has produced many top class runners, most with their own individual take on sport which is different from the attitude adopted by track and road runners.   As an example of this there was the international hill runner who was asked to run for his club in a track race and replied, “I’m sorry but  I don’t need to run on the track to know I’m fast; I just know within myself that I’m fast.   That’s enough.”   The runners on this page have done enough to prove anything that needs to be proved, all top class runners. some of whom have run over the country or on the road but all are in the main hill people.   Some will be the subject of full profiles elsewhere on the site.   The list is not comprehensive and will grow as the weeks and months go by.   Colin Youngson has compiled the following notes.

Go to the Scotstats website. At the top of the page, click on Competition, then on Off Track and then on Mountain, to find many facts about the international achievements of Scottish hill runners. 

On the Scottish Hill Runners homepage, click on Races. On the right-hand-side you will find Championships. Click on SHR Championship, then scroll down to Results for a list of All Time champions.

Catriona Buchanan (Ochil Hill Runners)

Scottish Hill Running Champion 2010, 2012, 2018. Ran for Scotland in the Junior Women race at 2007 World Mountain Running Trophy; and then for GB in the same event in 2009 (7^th, first Briton, team bronze). In the Commonwealth Mountain Running Championships, Catriona contributed to Scottish team silver in 2011. She won the prestigious Snowdon Mountain International event in 2010 and led Scotland to team silver. She finished second in 2011 and Scotland secured team gold. In the 2017 Home Countries International, Catriona finished second and Scotland secured team silver

Claire Gordon (Hunters Bog Trotters)

She ran as a Senior Woman in the World Mountain Running Trophy in 2006 and 2008. In the World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge, she made 6 successive appearances 2009-2014. Best position 4^th in 2013; team medals – silver 2013; bronze in 2010, 2011. In the 2009 Commonwealth Mountain Running Championships, Claire contributed to Scottish team silver. In the 2006 Snowdon Mountain International event, Claire finished 5^th and Scotland secured team silver. In the 2013 Home Countries International, she was fifth and Scotland won team silver.

Catriona Graves (Garscube Harriers, Edinburgh University, Carnethy)

She ran for GB Junior Women in the European Mountain Running Championships in: 2013 (6^th, first Briton, team silver); 2014 (7^th, second Briton, team silver); and 2015 (33^rd, fourth Briton).  Catriona Graves also ran for GB in the Junior Women event at the World Mountain Running Championships: 2013 (6^th, third Briton, team gold); and 2014 (5^th, first Briton). As a Junior, between 2012 and 2018, Catriona Graves ran cross-country seven times for Scotland (in the Celtic Nations event and the Home Countries International). She won the Scottish National under-15 title in 2012; under-17 in 2013 and 2014. In the 2016 Scottish Cross-Country Relay Championships, Catriona was part of the winning Edinburgh University team. In the 2021 British Hill Running Championships (Senior Women), she finished 6^th and contributed to Scotland team gold.

Anna Macfadyen (Forres Harriers, Edinburgh University)

In 2016, Anna won the Scottish National under 17 XC title. She was first in the North District XC championships, won the Scottish Schools XC and ran for Scotland in the Czech Republic, finishing seventh in the International Mountain Running Youth Cup. In 2017 Anna won the Scottish Schools XC title again; was second in the under 20 National XC; won the Celtic Games/GB Cross Challenge in Cardiff; and then won the English Inter Counties XC/GB Cross Challenge outright in Loughborough, which ensured GB selection for the Junior Women race in the World Cross-Country Championships in Kampala, Uganda, where she finished 48^th (third Briton). Also in 2017, Anna ran: 3km on the road for a Senior Scotland team, which lost to England but beat Ireland and Northern Ireland; and for GB in the Junior Women category of the European Mountain Running Championships, finishing 7^th (second Briton) and contributing to team gold. In 2018, having: won the Scottish National Under-20 XC title and led EU to team gold, and subsequently having run for Scotland as a Junior Woman in the 2018 Home Countries XC (the team came second to England but beat Wales and several other teams); Anna raced for GB in the Junior Women category of the World Mountain Running Championships. She finished 29^th and third Briton. Anna also ran in the 2018 European Mountain Running Championships (individual silver, first Briton, team silver). In 2018 and 2019, Anna Macfadyen won the under-20 Scottish Short Course XC title.

Christine Menhennet (Bellahouston, Clydesdale, Westerlands ) has been and is a superb hill runner over all  distances at home and abroad, including the Australian Island Peaks race.   She has summed up her career as follows:

I also became a successful mountain runner; I held several ladies’ records, have been Scottish Ladies’ Champion (1995), have won paired adventure races and have competed at International level. The Scottish hills are my playground; I have also trekked in the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Dolomites, Corsica, the Andes and the Himalayas. I love everything about the mountain and hill environment – the shattered peaks, the squidgy bogs, the changing light, the dark burns and the fragile flowers. I climb, trek, run, camp and bothy in the hills, and have done so for over 40 years. I was a founder member of Scottish Hill Runners, have been Ladies Captain of Westerlands Hill Running Club and I am a member of the Mountain Training Association and Mountaineering Scotland. 

                                                                                                           Charlotte Morgan

In the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships, running for GB, Charlotte Morgan (Carnethy Hill Runners) took part in 2017, 2018 and 2019. In June 2018 Charlotte ran brilliantly to become World Champion and led her team to silver medals. Earlier that year, Charlotte (born in 1976) became Scottish Masters Cross-Country Champion. In December 2018, she was named  Scottish Athletics Masters Athlete of the Year. Back in 2013, she won the Scottish Hill Running Championship. In 2014, Charlotte was third in the prestigious Snowdon Mountain International and led Scotland to team gold.

Jasmin Paris (Carnethy Hill Runners)
Outright winner and record holder of the Spine Race (268 miles on Pennine Way) 2019 
British Fell Running Champion 2015 & 2018
SHR Scottish Hill Running Champion 2014 & 2015
SHR Long Classics Series Winner 2011, 2012, 2014 & 2015
SAL Scottish Hill Running Champion 2014 & 2015
Scottish Vest in World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge 2013
Lakeland Classics Trophy Winner 2012, 2013 & 2015
Philip Tranter Round (12hrs 41m) 2014
3rd British Fell Running Championships 2014
2nd Overall Dragon’s Back Race 2015
Winter Bob Graham Round Feb 2016 (22hrs 28m)
Bob Graham Round 2016 (15hrs 23m – Female record plus Carnethy record)
Ramsay’s Round 2016 (at the time the outright record -16hr 13min)
Paddy Buckley Round 2016 (18hrs 33m Female record)

 Beverley Redfern (Carnethy Hill Runners).

                                                                        Beverley Redfern: World Champion 1990

She was born in 1956 in Malta; but later became a teacher in Fife. In the 1990 World Mountain Running Trophy, Bev won a superb individual gold medal, when the Scottish team secured bronze medals. Bev won the Ben Nevis race (1989), broke the Ben Lomond Hill Race record (1990), and won Coniston Fell (1993) and the famous Sierre Zinal (1993). Years later, Bev returned to hill-running.

                                                                                       Bev Redfern: Buttermere Horseshoe 2018 

Joyce Salvona (Law & District, Livingston AC) Born 14/3/1958.

Joyce (or Jackie) ran for Scotland in five successive World Mountain Running Trophy championships (1988-1992). In 1990, along with Bev Redfern, Tricia Calder and Jane Robertson, she contributed to team bronze.

 John Brooks (Lochaber AC)

John was North District Cross-Country Champion in 1992 and 1993; in 1995, he equalled the Tinto Hill Race record; and in 1997 set the Creag Dhubh record. Between 1991 and 1994, John won the Scottish Junior Hill Running Championship four times in succession. He was Senior Scottish Hill Running champion in 1997 and 2000. In the World Mountain Running Trophy (running for Scotland as a Junior Man) John finished 33^rd in 1991 but was first Scot in 1992 (8^th and team bronze), 1993 (6^th) and 1994 (5^th). John also ran for Scotland as a Senior Man in 1998. John raced for his country in the 1996 European Mountain Running Trophy (first Scot in 14^th place)

Iain Donnan (Aberdeen AAC)

He raced particularly well for Scotland in the Junior Men category of the World Mountain Running Trophy, finishing 4^th in 2003 and 6^th in 2004. Back in 2001, he had run well for Scotland as an under-17 in the Celtic Nations XC.

Alan Farningham (Fife, Aberdeen, Gala) won the Scottish Hill Running Championships in 1988 and 1991. He was second in 1985 and 1986; and third in 1989. In the late 1980s, he was Secretary of the Scottish Hill Running Association. Races that Alan won included: Craig Dubh; Tinto; Tiso Seven Hills; and Eildon Two Hills. He gained top three placings in many other events. In his 1988 Scottish Championship win, he gained more points than good hill runners like Denis Bell, Des McGonigle ….. and even Colin Donnelly and Jack Maitland. Alan ran for Scotland in the World Mountain Running Trophy (Senior Men) in 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1991. His best position was 26^th in 1988, when the team finished fourth.

Jethro Lennox (Shettleston H). Born 6 December 1976.

He was Scottish Hill Running champion in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2011.

In the World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge, Jethro Lennox won individual gold in 2008. The Scottish team was third in 2009 (when he was first Scot in 10^th); and won team gold in 2011 (when he was fourth). In the World Mountain Running Trophy (Long Course) championship, Jethro ran for Scotland in 2007 and 2008 (when he was first Scot). In 2017 and 2018, Jethro won the M40 Scottish Masters Cross-Country Championships.

Jethro Lennox: Dumyat 2008

 Dermot McGonigle (Dundee Hawkhill H, Shettleston H)

He was Scottish Hill Running champion in 1986 and 1996. In the World Mountain Running Trophy (Short Course), competing for Scotland, Dermot finished first Scot in 1988, second Scot in 1987 and 1990 (when he was 18^th) and third Scot in 1991 and 1992. Running for Scotland, Dermot finished 20^th in the 1996 European Mountain Running Championship.

 Phil Mowbray (Hunters Bog Trotters)

As a Junior Man, Phil ran twice for Scotland in the World Mountain Running Trophy. In 1992 he finished 9^th and contributed to team bronze. In the European Mountain Running Trophy, Phil ran for Scotland in 1999. When he was aged between 34 and 48, Phil raced in many Scottish Hill races, nearly always finishing near the front.  

Tom Owens (Mercia Fell, Shettleston H). Born about 1982.

In 2011, Tom won the Mourne Peaks race, including the British Long Race Championships. He was Scottish Hill Running Champion in 2015 and 2016. In the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships, running for Scotland, he finished second individual in 2011 and contributed to a marvellous team gold. Racing for GB, Tom was fourth (1^st GB) in 2016 and contributed to team silver. In 2017 he was fifteenth but still first finisher for his team. In 2018, Tom was 25^th in the World Trail Running Championships; and in 2019, fourth in the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc.

Brian Potts (Clydesdale Harriers, 9 June 1962)

Brian was an excellent club runner who really found his event when he took to the hills.   Brian won races such as Kaim Hill, Tinto, Melantee, and Half Ben, in addition to taking part in cross-border ‘raids’.  His level of consistency was indicated when he won the Midweek League (Whangie, Dumyat, Kilpatricks, Ben Sheann and Cort-ma-Law).  When he won Kaim Hill in 1988, the Scottish Hill Runner commented that “solid performances in both uphill and downhill brought a well deserved victory.”   (Second was Alan Farningham, third was Dermot McGonigle).   Brian ran for Scotland several times –  at the World Mountain Running Championships in 1989 and 1991 and there were others.  He enjoyed every one of them.   

Prasad Prasad (Clydesdale Harriers, Squadra Porcini)

Callander-based Prasad is a cyclist as well as a hill runner who has represented Scotland internationally in the Commonwealth Hill Running Championships (2008), Snowdon (2008), and the Home Countries International in 2010.   He also won the Scottish Hill Running Championships in 2010.   Between 15th June 2005 and 13th February 2016, he competed in 53 races and won 33 and had 6 second places.   He has won all of the Trossachs hill races – Ben Ledi, Ben Sheann, Stuc a Chroin, Lochearnhead, Tarmachan, Callander Crags (winter and Callander Crags (summer).   He also has victories at Tinto, Carnethy, Dumyat, Ben Lomond and many other of the classics.  

 Chris Smith (1977-2020)) Aberdeen AAC, Thames Valley Harriers.

Born in Daviot, Aberdeenshire, Chris took up cross-country running as a schoolboy at Inverurie Academy. As a Junior, he went on to run cross-country for Scotland twice, in 1994 and 1996. On the track, he won the Scottish Schools Group A 2000m Steeplechase in 1995. In 1999, he won the Senior Scottish 3000m Steeplechase title. In the European Mountain Running Championships, Chris Smith ran for GB five times: 2012 (Turkey), 2013 (Bulgaria), 2015 (Portugal), 2016 (Italy) and 2017 (Slovakia). His best position was 8^th (second Brit) in 2013, when the team won silver medals. Chris also contributed to team silver in 2015 and bronze in 2016. In the British Athletics Mountain Running Championships, Chris Smith won silver in 2017 and bronze in 2015 and 2016. He won the Snowdon Mountain International in 2016 and, representing England, the Home Countries International in 2017.

Chris Smith

Tragically, Chris died from hypothermia, having become lost during a very cold training run in Glen Lyon, a remote, mountainous area of Scotland. Tributes were given to him as a fine runner, enthusiastic, selfless team-mate and true gentleman. A fund has been set up in his name to support promising young runners.

 Joe Symonds (Dundee HH, Kendal, Shettleston H). Born 1983.

He was Scottish Hill Running champion in 2016 and 2021; and 2012 British Fell Running champion. As a Senior, Joe ran for Scotland in the World Mountain Running Trophy championship in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. He finished first Scot on three occasions, including a brilliant fourth place (same time as the bronze medallist) in 2007. In 2008, running for Scotland, Joe was 9^th in the World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge. In the 2009 and 2012 WMR Championships, Joe represented GB teams. In the World Cup series, he was third in 2007. In the 2007 and 2008 European Mountain Running Championships, he ran for GB. In the Commonwealth Hill Running Championships, racing for Scotland, Joe won individual bronze in 2011 and contributed to team silver.

Neil Wilkinson

Neil came originally from Helensburgh but lived for many years in England. In the World Mountain Running Trophy (Long Course), Neil ran for Scotland in 1993 (first Scot in 15^th place), 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 (first Scot again). In the European Mountain Running Trophy, Neil ran for Scotland in 1999, 2000 (7^th place, team silver) and 2001. Neil won the Snowdon Mountain International in 1999 and 2000. Later, Neil became an England Mountain Running team manager.

In the 2019 European Mountain Running Championship, 23-year-old Jacob Adkin (Edinburgh University, Keswick) secured an excellent individual gold. He was backed by fellow Scots Robbie Simpson (7^th) and Andy Douglas (9^th) and GB won team gold.)

Jacob Adkin

World Mountain Running Trophy, Gros Glockner, Bergen, 2000

Angela win; Isabella Zaitkowszca (Poland 2nd), Ludmilla ???(Slovakia,  3rd)

World Mountain Running Trophy, 2001

European Mountain Running Trophy

European MRT

Alaska WMRT: AM 2nd and Tracey Brindley 3rd (1st Team) and Lynne Wilson

Team in white France? Team in red Austria??

WMRET, Bergen: Angela 1st with Birgit Suntag Germany 2nd, Isabella Zatakowski Poland 3rd

Three Peaks

Photographs 1     Photographs  2

..

….

Alaska WMRT: Melissa Moon ( NZ) leading Angela 

The European MRT 1999.

Sierre-Zinal: at the highest point of the race 

Copyright: W Stinn

Edinburgh WMRT:  Arthur’s Seat

World Cross-Country, Belfast

World Cross-Country, Belfast

Denis suggests that this one could be Reunion ’98 or Borneo ‘99

Sore injury in sunny Madeira

Photographs  1          Photographs 3

Three Peaks Race, 1999:  “Still pushing hard in the closing stages

Tasmanian Boat Race: Angela and Joyce Salvona

Angela, David Rodgers? Mark Rigby, possibly one of the juniors? Martin Hyman, (behind )Alan Milligan? Tracey Brindley, (Helene Diamantides behind flag) ‘Chunky’ Andrew Liston (with flag) and Megan Smith

Photographs  2     Photographs  3

That is some photograph.   All runners have injuries and some are more serious than others – for hill runners maybe most serious if they happen on the hills far from first aid.   Hill runners also have a problem that other runners don’t have – on the track, especially, but also  or the road, joint flexibility is a good thing but often comes at the cost of stability of the joint.   Hill runners really want both!   Then there is the nature of the terrain which is constantly changing and can cause serious injury – I know one very good runner who slipped when coming down a scree slope and ripped his thigh open.    As a genuine multi terrain runner and racer, Angela has had her share of injuries,but the season was never a write off and the seasons which were affected to some extent by injury are noted below.

Early Years   Cross-Country   Hard Racing Years 1   Hard Racing Years 2

2001 – 2019

Having read and studied the many stamina and character testing events up to this point it must be evident that the skills that must be mastered are many, not the least of which are navigational and which are often to be appied ‘on the hoof’ and in real time.    There are races – even our own Glencoe Skyline Races – which note on the information sheet for intending runners – “Risk of Death.”   Runners have respect for the hills and the conditions but they also have real respect for other runners on the hills.   Denis Bell adds these comments for our information:

“As we have said already, in testing conditions, hill runners need to be competent ‘orienteers’ or should we say good with map and compass .. Angela ranks herself as ‘good-competent’ but she acclaims Helene Diamantides and Brenda Boland as truly brilliant., and Angela openly admits to ‘several mistakes’…if you are very good, you need to be very honest. Angela is and always has been very true to basics and ‘the obvious truths’!!!”

In this context he adds: 

”  Two lovely wee stories Angela shares are, first, when she was out with her beloved twin sister Janice and on Ben Dorian, it was rough and snowy ( hill runners will get ‘that’!) and the map blew away…they were using the attachable grippers called ‘Katulas’ and they got off safely….!

When hiking Angela will go with ‘full Winter gear’ …but will not go into the mountains in ‘bad’ weather and unknown territory….(we talked about a tragedy a year ago and both Angela and I agreed with incredulity, about the ‘top racer’s choices’….).

The second story, is this one.    She winces a wee bit when recalling being on a buttress of An Teallach, in the Winter, with Helene in the lead, and with Mark Johnston and Adam Ward (great hill friends all over many years) and conditions were very, very ‘sketchy’ ( sketchy??   ’we’ ‘the readers’ need to be considering this as significant risks!!).

2006: World Sky Running: won all races, broke all records except Kinabalu

Early Years   Cross-Country   Hard Running Years 1      Injury Troubled Years

1995 – 2002

Angela also had a very good career as a cross-country runner running in all the major championships domestically at club, unioversity, national and international levels.   It would doubtless have been even more impressive had she not chosen to exercise her talents in other branches of the sport.   The highlights are summarised here before the actual races are noted below.

In the Scottish Senior National  Cross-Country Angela won the title in 1999, when Carnethy were third team; and finished second in 2000. She won the Scottish Masters Cross-Country title in 2014. As a Senior, Angela ran three cross-country international matches for Scotland: 1999 at Belfast (second Scot; the team lost to England but beat Ireland and Northern Ireland); 1999 at Cumbernauld (first Scot; lost to England, beat Northern Ireland and Wales); 2000 at Belfast (first Scot). 

** with Cupar

Back to  the early years   Forward to the hard running years  1   and   Hard running years 2   The Injury Troubled Years

It is always interesting, and indeed important, to look at the start of arunner’s career.   Angela talks of her own start in the sport in an interview with Karla Borland this year for the scottishathletics website.   She says:

“At school I was too slow for the sprints and put in the 1500m because no one else wanted to do it. I found I was good at endurance events and ran cross country and track at county level. I kept fit from participating in all sports and didn’t join a club until I was 16, when a club was formed in my hometown.

As an undergraduate I became disillusioned with running and started orienteering. Most university races were short relay events where I’d race the first and last race because we didn’t have enough women to make up the team. On graduating I moved to Stirling for a Masters. The deciding factor was a picture of Dumyat on the front of the prospectus. At Stirling I was introduced to hill running and found my very ungainly style really suited this discipline and I loved the rough terrain, mud and being exposed to the elements.”

What we have below are races at the very start of her career in the hills.

Angela Mudge  Cross-Country   The Hard Racing Years  1   The Hard Racing Years  2   The Injury Troubled Years

Back to       Angela Mudge: A Special Person

Travels

In 2000 after winning the World Trophy, Adam Ward (Carnethy) and I set off to New Zealand for nearly 6 months via Borneo to race in Mount Kinabalu.   The ladies race was going to the summit (the first time in a number of years) but unfortunately a monsoon hit, the trails were treacherous and we only raced to the half way point Laban Rata, a mountain refuge.   I  ‘finished’ as first woman.

We then spent a month in Oz before hitting the trails of New Zealand. We found very few races out there but made the most of the great walks, travelling extensively on both North and South Islands, running and backpacking various trails.

When I returned to the UK I spent a short time in Scotland before heading out to the Alps on my bike, to train and compete for the Summer.

2000 to 2002  I cycle toured round the Alps stopping at various locations to race and train.

In 2003 I spent the Summer training in Colorado, before heading to Alaska for the World Trophy, then competing in Pikes Peaks Marathon (1st lady) that Summer. 

In 2006 I inherited some dogs, so from then on I took the car when I spent an extensive period training and racing in the Alps. 

 Cycle touring 

When I’m injured I normally turn to the bike and go cycle touring, and that became more common after 40! 

South America

From Oct 2009 to April 2010  I cycled down South America with Steve Bottomley, a hill runner from Pudsey and Bramley (Leeds club).

I spent 6 months clinging on to Steve’s back wheel, a far stronger cyclist than me.

We set off from Quito, Ecuador and finished in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego…..passing through Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina along the way.

It was an amazing experience, passing through some very harsh landscapes at high altitudes and experiencing ‘communities’ poverty’ for long stretches of the way.

We didn’t plan a route before the trip, just made it up as we went along, using recommendations from other cyclists and trying to avoid the impossible winds.

Several friends said you don’t want to cycle in Patagonia, the winds are strong, that was an understatement some days you couldn’t even sit on your bike without being blown over!! Other days the tailwind gave an exhilarating cycle……

Along the way we stopped at various mountains, volcanoes, to climb them and do a bit of running. We got into the routine of 100 mile plus days which was pretty hard going for days on end at altitude.

We stayed in hostels and camped along the way. 

Great Divide

In March 2014 I tore my Spring ligament (whilst reccy’ing for the LAMM (Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon) in Strath Carron hills) and was unable to run for a very long time.

In mid August 2014 I set off to cycle the Continental Divide with Anna Lupton an English hill runner.

The route starts in Banff, Canada and follows the watershed across the Rocky Mountains to the New Mexico – Mexico border.

There is a continuous race along the trail but we chose to pack heavy, i.e. cycle with the traditional overloaded panniers and take our time.

The route is nearly 3000 miles and travels down the backbone of the Rockies, British Colombia, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico.

For very long stretches there are no amenities so you have to carry four or five days worth of food and even several days worth of water in some stretches.

In these very remote areas, the route map gave information about where you could find water and food.

It’s unlike anything else I’ve experienced, travelling vast distances across high desert in boiling temperatures through the day, then freezing at night.

We quickly learnt to camp low! Most of the route follows dirt tracks, approx 20% of the route is on road, the majority on gravel, and a bit of single track.

When we reached New Mexico we thought it was going to get easier and didn’t appreciate that we still had days left of cycling above 2000m and had to contend with the rainy season which left the dirt roads impassable.

The mud clogging up the mechanisms.

Luckily the Aspens were changing to Autumnal colours which made it all worth while.

We were cycling for about 6 weeks and spent over 75% of this time camping rough and getting very smelly.

I love the nomadic nature of a long tour where you set off but never know where you will end up that night.

Iron Curtain Trail

In 2015 after an ankle operation on my ‘spring ligament’, I did very little competitive running so headed off on the bike to cycle some of the Iron Curtain Trail.

This runs along the ‘old’ Iron Curtain, following the boundary as closely as possible.

I started in Norway and spent 6 weeks heading south, no planned destination, just phoned Adam (Ward) to book me a ticket home when I was five weeks into the trip.

I travelled down the length of Finland, across Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic and finished in Vienna, Austria.

I’d never visited the Baltic nations before so it was interesting to experience a different culture and see the contrasts with the Europe I know.

The route followed the old East – West German border; even today you can witness how much poorer the East is.

To this day I’m still unsure why I cycled over 1000km through the forests of Finland, the road surface was perfect, but the scenery  very repetitive and the mosquitos a nightmare.

 Iceland

Adam and I also cycled round Iceland over a 3 week period.

Norway

In 2012 I cycled-toured in Norway, racing at Fanaraken Opp and Skaala Opp 

My inputs into ‘racing’ Events…

It’s also probably worth mentioning the LAMM (@Lowe Alpine@ Mountain Marathon)- I spent 19 years helping out at this event.

In 1999 Martin Stone (the leading exponent of long-distance or ‘ultra-type’ mountain events, for a great number of years) asked if I would help place controls (‘orienteering’ markers) for the event….I couldn’t race because it was too close to the European Mountain Running Championships, so I spent the week before the event helping put controls out.

This continued for a few years then in 2003 at the Spittal of Glenshee event, I was promoted to ‘Controller’ and in 2004 I planned my first MM in Glen Carron – it snowed in June!!

From 2003 onwards I was either the event planner, or controller, planning the final event on the Isle of Harris in 2018.

I was working with Andy Spencely (Carnethy) for several of the events.                                                       

I loved working on the LAMM, since the nature of the event took us on remote terrain which very few people visit, giving a very different perspective to the Scottish hills.

Some of the areas we never wanted to visit again (exceedingly ‘tough experiences’!) but others are gems that should be kept secret. 

Footnote – by Denis Bell

Angela’s recounting of these ‘expeditions’ tells us so much about the ‘calibre of the Woman’ and what makes her tick…it is recounted that Angela’s passion is for the mountains, and wild places… ‘any day’ she would rather explore and yomp the hills than go to ‘a race’…’any race’.

Her nature is … -to be challenged, rise to the challenge, and see what happens-.

Such is the drive that when injuries started to take their toll on her racing abilities, she immediately swung onto ‘different things’ and recounting these bike-trail walking ventures, shows the determination to have a go and succeed…

   —- this is the absolute reflection of her wonderful running career from relatively meagre beginnings towards being a ‘superstar’…(Angela will be scornful of that type of appreciation because she is so very humble and self-effacing).

Another key item to highlight is that during the challenges of serious injury, remedial surgery, the aspect of ‘natural’ wear and tear, Angela always took the steady and wise road back…stretching over many, many months and even covering ‘years’,…this in itself is remarkable because, as the results and achievements show, the outcomes went from outstanding to outstanding one way or another…

My reflections and considerations indicate that such is the range of events, the scope and types of races and events participated in, the focus and dedication, the drive to do things so that ‘the impossible or very tough might be achieved’, the indomitable attitude to year after year competing with the very best (even in remote and ‘exotic’, ‘strange’ places) etc then Angela Mudge has to be clearly recognized as an outstanding competitor and challenger.

Angela has proven to be inspirational to many peer athletes, and younger people entering ‘athletics’ but naturally focused on the strange environment of HILL RUNNING…!!! In what other sport can there be such complexity of variation?

Angela too has given back in huge effort ‘a balance of what she has gained and taken for hill running’ by dedication to the furtherance of the sport and always active in its development and promotion (it is no wonder that Angela and our sport’s dear departed maestro Martin Hyman got on so well, as athlete benefiting from coach and mentoring, the athlete to develop into a ‘mentor and coach’ herself).

Compiling a Profile of such a Talent is a big job! The athletic career spanning so many years; some years of prolific racing in all manner of events….races, various Championship races, Trials/ selection races, Internationals, Grand-Prix series, etc.

Trying to understand ‘the person’ the background, the introductions, the development, the range of performances (look at ‘overall placings [o/a] in races’, which some peers will understand included positions high up in amongst top-class male athletes!), the motivation when things go badly wrong, the recovery and courage to go again, the humility in both winning and being defeated, the drive, and the passion, the utmost LOVE of the HILLS (Angela is a die-hard woman of Scotland!)/ MOUNTAINS (or elsewhere in the World!) and WILD PLACES …Angela Mudge …a complex, hugely successful Woman who is a super-star by any account.