Author: The Author

Sarah Inglis was born on 28/8/1991 and ran for Lothian Running Club and two Canadian teams.

From 2003 to 2012, Sarah raced mainly in Scotland but in 2013 she studied at Trinity Western University in Canada, and competed in Canada and USA – but has often returned to race in Britain since then. She was sixth (2.34.09) in the March 2021 British Olympic Marathon trial at Kew Gardens.

In Scottish Athletics Championships, Sarah Inglis won three Senior titles: 5000m (2011); 1500m Indoors (2016); and 1500m Outdoors (2019). She was second in the 2009 10,000m; and second in the 3000m Indoors (2008, 2012, 2016).

Sarah’s personal bests are: 1500m – 4.11.51; One Mile – 4.36.60; 3000m – 9.04.77; 5000m – 15.24.17; 10,000m – 32.11.42; Half Marathon 70.24; Marathon – 2.29.41. In the annual Scottish rankings, Sarah Inglis was ranked first in the Marathon (2020); and One Mile (2014). She has been ranked second at 10,000m and fourth at 1500m and 5000m.

Sarah Inglis won the Scottish under-17 Indoor 1500m title in 2007; and won the under-20 Indoor 1500m in 2008. Outdoors, Sarah was Scottish under-20 1500m champion in 2010; and won the under-20 3000m title in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

As a Senior, Sarah ran for Scotland at Loughborough in 2010, in a match against England, Wales and two other sides. She finished fourth in the 3000m.

Sarah Inglis ran one Senior Road International for Scotland: in 2016 at Armagh, when she finished second (first Scot) in the 3k, and Scotland won, beating Northern Ireland, England, Ireland, Poland and Wales.

As a Junior, Sarah Inglis ran five cross-country Internationals for Scotland. She raced in Celtic Nations: at under-17 in 2006; at under-20 in 2009; and under-20 at Antrim in 2010, when she won and led Scotland to team victory against Ulster, Ireland and Wales.

In the Home Countries: at Bangor in 2009, 8^th (third Scot) and the team lost to England but beat Ni and Wales; at Antrim in 2011, third (first Scot) and the team lost to England but beat five other teams.

As a Senior, Sarah Inglis ran cross-country twice for Scotland: Home Countries: 2016 at Falkirk, third (first Scot) and the team lost to England but beat three other teams; and 2017 at Port Talbot, 7^th (third Scot) and again the team lost to England but beat three other teams.

In the Scottish National XC Championships, Sarah won under-17 bronze medals in 2007 and 2008. At under-20, she gained silver in 2009 and bronze in 2010. In the Senior National, Sarah Inglis won bronze in 2017.

In the Scottish Short Course XC, Sarah became under-20 Champion: in 2010; and 2011 (when she also secured Senior silver).

In the Scottish Road Relay Championships, Sarah Inglis featured in Lothian RC teams that won the title in 2015; and gained bronze (2013) and silver (2018).

She became Scottish 10k Champion in 2010.

Sarah Inglis won the Scottish 5k Championships in 2015, when her team finished second.

In 2018, Sarah won the Tom Scott 10 miles road race and became Scottish Champion at the distance. In 2019, she was second in the Canadian Cross-Country Championships; and, in Poland, running for GB, she was 3^rd in the 5000m at the European Athletics Team Championships Super League.

Although Sarah Inglis works as a P.E. teacher in British Columbia, her Scottish accent is intact. Sarah is part of the Scottish Athletics Marathon Project and hopes to run for Scotland in the next Commonwealth Games.

Here is an excerpt from an article by Graeme Macpherson in the Glasgow Evening Times (13/12/2020):

“SARAH INGLIS laughs at the irony at being mistakenly listed as an American by the organisers of the Marathon Project in Arizona where she will complete her first official 26-miler just before Christmas.

Seven years after flitting from West Lothian to western Canada, her Scottish accent remains as strong as ever.

“I don’t know how that mistake came about,” says the PE teacher down the line from Langley in British Columbia, an hour’s drive from Vancouver.

“I reckon it would be impossible for me to ever switch allegiances anyway as I’d get exposed as a fraud as soon as people heard my voice!

“Half the kids I teach I’m sure can’t understand me, especially when I’m wearing my mask. My training group have picked up my accent by now but if any new folk join us it takes them a while to work out what I’m saying.”

Luckily for Scottish and British Athletics the 29-year-old has no plans to try out for another country. Her marathon debut is to test the waters ahead of the London race in March that will also double as an Olympic qualifier.

The postponement of the Tokyo Games has undoubtedly given Inglis an unexpected opportunity, although she is also retaining the possibility of still entering the 10,000m as back-up.

“This is the first time for me and also the first time my coach, Mark Bomba, has trained someone for a marathon so we’re both just experimenting a bit.

“We’re not overcooking it. Ideally, I’d like to run an Olympic standard in Arizona and tick that off, and then recover fast enough for London in March.

“The Olympic delay has definitely given me an opportunity to go for the marathon. And this race in Arizona just came up and it seemed like ideal timing to go for it.

“The 10,000m is still an option as the competition even for qualifying for the marathon is really deep. And there might be enough time to recover and try for 10K on the track later on if need be.”

Training for her first crack at this distance has gone well, even if some of her more inquisitive pupils wonder why she just does not drive to school instead of running.

“We’ve gradually built up the volume of the sessions. Last week I ran 25 miles which gave me confidence that I can do it. I still felt good at that point so if I feel like that in the race then I’d be delighted.

“I do most of my running to and from school so on some days I’ll do 10 to 14 miles on the way in. Some of the kids see me and think I’m out for a jog or I’m running late! One of them asked why I didn’t get a car – I don’t think they understood that I was training and running by choice.”

Working in a school also presents its own logistical problems when trying to stay healthy ahead of the trip to the United States.

“The race organiser emailed us asking us to limit our exposure to the virus but not sure how I can do that when I’m teaching 400 kids a week at school! But I’ve got my mask on and the gym hall doors open to try to be as safe as I can.”

The start of the Road Race: Jack McLean, Jimmy Irvine (both Bellahouston), Andy McDowall, Ailsa Harriers (45), Davie Wyper (West of Scotland (29), Andy Forbes, Victoria Park (42), Les Meneely, Shettleston (62), Jim Sloss, Beith (false start!), Ian McKenna, Beith (41)

The Dirrans Sports Gala was held in Kilwinning usually in the first half of July, although the first meeting was held in August.   It was one of many local Sports meetings that were as important to the sport as the spectaculars at Meadowbank and Ibrox.   These provided athletes with badly needed competition combined with a good day out and a chance to test their fitness – or prove their fitness.   They involved hard work on the part of local organising committees who had little in the way of thanks for their work, which was however appreciated by the athletes who competed.     

The original Dirrans Sports Meeting came about after after Harry Maxwell of Eglinton Harriers, Beith Harriers and Ayrshire Harrier Clubs’ Association lobbied David Savage, who managed to get an ash track built at the Dirrans on the outskirts of Kilwinning Burgh.  Alex Reid, a close friend of George Dallas and president of the SCCU was also involved in the meeting. The first open track meeting was held on 28/8/54. when Kenny Phillips of Beith Harriers recorded his competition that day:  Dirrans Medley Relay (1/4) 1^st; 2 mile team 2nd individual 1st team; 1/2 mile open 30yds Unplaced.  Not a bad day’s work but it was that kind of meeting where runners often doubled up and sometimes tripled up.   It would attract many top runners – eg SAAA Marathon champions Bill Stoddart, Gordon Eadie, Ian Harris, John Kerr, Charlie McAlinden; track champions and record holders like Alex Breckenridge, John McLaren, Hugh Barrow, Tom O’Reilly, Eddie Sinclair, Andy Brown, Bert McKay, Dick Hodelet, Mike McLean Dave Shedden, Isabel Inwood, Moira Carmichael and many more.    We should begin at the beginning however.

If anything is happening in athletics in Beith or Ayrshire, you can be sure that Kenny Phillips is involved somewhere and at this first meeting he ran in the medley relay where the team was 1^st; the 2 mile team where he was 2nd individual and the club won the team race; and he also ran in the  open half mile off the low mark of  30yds and was unplaced.   It was however not an ideal day for an athletics meeting – that year it clashed with the old-established, very popular Cowal Games at Dunoon, which attracted all the track and field athletes, and also with the Perth to Dundee road race which took many of the road runners away.   For the indoor athletics fans, the European Championships were on television.   Dirrans organisers were not put off by this.   They simply changed the date and organised it for the following year.   The following appeared in the |Irvine Herald at the start of July, 1955.

On the day, everything went well and, because it was the first July meeting, the report and the results will be given in full.

It was a time when many big meetings – eg Rangers Sports, Edinburgh Highland Games – were taking place on their traditional dates and many communities had their own sports meetings.   Dirrans had found a good date in mid-July for theirs and the next task was to attract the top talent.   By 1956 the top runners were starting to appear at the event.   There was a Two Mile team race which was won by a very good Bellahouston Harriers team of Fraser Nelson, Joe Connolly, Bob Wilson Dick Penman and  Bob Wilson with 14 points from a close-up Victoria Park team on 17 points.   The individual race was won by Andy Brown (Motherwell YMCA) from Alex Breckenridge (VPAAC) and Fraser Nelson.   The Mile Medley Relay was also won by Bellahouston from Shettleston and Garscube Harriers.   There were top class athletes in most events – for instance, local woman Ann Reilly from Ardeer Recreation was the top sprinter in her events and WJ More from Kilmarnock was running in the Mile.  The organisers had even invited Gordon Pirie and Chris Chataway to the meeting but both declined – Pirie because of training commitments, and Chataway because he was broadcasting from Wales that afternoon.   The meeting was growing and the organisers had big ambitions.   

On 5th July 1957 the Irvine Herald reported “Scotland’s wonder runner, Jim Paterson (Edinburgh Univ) who ran the fastest 800m (1 min 47 sec) ever run by a British runner has promised to run at the Dirrans on the 27th July providing he is not called on for international duty on this date.   A special invitation 880 yards event has been added to the programme and among the invitations so far accepted John Boyd (Glasgow Univ) runner-up to Paterson in the Scottish half-mile championship, and A McNally (Doon H) who finished third in this race.   A new Scottish native record may be set at the Dirrans on this date.”

and on 12th of the month it said –  “Victoria Park AAC, the former holders of the English National cross-country championship, have entered two strong teams for the Two Mile Team race at the Dirrans.   Ian Binnie, Scotland’s record holder over 2, 3, 6 miles and one hour, is entered.”   

On the day, the meeting was opened by Lord Clydesmuir, and the big disappointment was the late arrival of Jim Paterson.   He had been delayed by the traffic but despite his absence the 880 yards was won by Boyd from McAlinden (Babcock & Wilcox) and W Morrison (Larkhall) a future SAAA champion.   So that the spectators would not be disappointed, Paterson agreed to run in an invitation 440 yards which he won from J Boyd.   The handicap half-mile was won by Currie of Bellahouston and the Two Mile team race by Bellahouston from Shettleston.   The mile medley relay was taken this time by Glasgow University from Kilmarnock and the One Mile Handicap by TP O’Reilly of Springburn from Tom Scott of Motherwell YMCA and Willie McBrinn of Monkland.   The spectators were also entertained by a display of baseball by teams of Americans  from the RAF base at Prestwick 

*

In 1958, one preview of the meeting read:   “With the Empire Games the week following Dirrans, many of Scotland’s Empire Games team have entered for the Dirrans and what a dust-up it will be when Ian Binnie (Victoria Park) and Joe Connolly (Bellahouston , both due to run for Scotland at Cardiff, meet on what promises to be a very fast track.   Andy Brown (Motherwell YMCA) is also in the race along with Bert McKay – the four fastest Scots over the Mile, and many other stars.   The invitation 880 yards scratch race should be worth watching, the runners again being in the top bracket.   …  Ladies, again Empire Games competitors, Youths, Juniors and full  programme  of Men’s Open events will give the large crowd expected a good afternoon’s sport.”   

The Sports were held on 12th July, 1958.    The results are below, you are invited to look at the names..

The invitation 880 had three Scottish Internationalists and an Empire Games runner, Runners in the Two Mile race not listed but given the clubs contesting it it was in all probability a good race, the first three teams in the medley were all very good ones, in the men’s mile Tom Cochrane was seven times winner of the South West District cross-country and a really good distance runner, Donnie MacDonald was an Empire Games half miler and frequent Scottish internationalist and Hugh Muir was consistently good over a number of years, and Donnie won the 440 invitation – two firsts and a second that afternoon.   So where were all the Empire Games runners who it was suggested would be there?      The papers all tell the same story – near torrential rain right up to starting time.   This would probably put men and women with less than a fortnight to the Empire Games to ‘err on the side of caution’ as they say, play it safe and not risk colds or chills.

Up until 1959 it had been the custom to sell programmes during the week before the Sports which would also serve as  admission tickets, or to come along on the day and buy them at the gate.   There was a suggestion at the January meeting of the council that in 1959 they sold the programme separately from charging admission.  ie there would be two separate charges for spectators who wanted a programme.   It was agreed to go ahead with this because the local laws had been altered to allow this.   

The sports were held on 18th July and attendance was not good and consideration was given to ceasing production of the event in future years.   It is difficult to see why this would be the case when you read the report from the Glasgow Herald.

WJ More was a very good athlete and a Scottish internationalist.  A miler and steeplechaser he had many fine duels with Tom O’Reilly. Results that catch the eye at this meeting, in addition to the Two Miles, include John Kerr winning the 10 miles road race, a new event, from Tom Scott and Jimmy Garvey of Vale of Leven.   The man who beat TP O’Reilly in the mile was Tommy Malone of Shettleston who was running from 115 yards to O’Reilly’s 60 in the handicap.   Ayr Seaforth beat Bellahouston in the mile medley with a team of Wilson, Holland, McCarvel and McCrindle,   J Convery of Irvine won the Junior 440 yards.   It was surely not the case that the new admission costs caused the people to stay away.   

Whatever the reason, the headline in the Irvine Herald on 22nd July, 1960, read  “DIRRANS SPORTS  –  POOR PUBLIC SUPPORT” and it went on to say “Last Saturday it was again apparent that there was only a limited public support for the sports meeting held at Dirrans, Kilwinning.   It may be that a long term plan must be expected before they become established, although even that is doubtful in view of recent experiences, but the fact is that the response on the part of the public on Saturday must have been a big disappointment to the organisers.”   There was more in the same vein although it did point out that there were 26 runners in the 12 miles road race (up two miles from the previous year) .   The results were interesting and there were several Scottish international runners taking part.   The road race was won again by John Kerr of Airdrie (a future SAAA marathon champion), from Tom Malone of Shettleston (who would go on to win the Comrades Marathon in South Africa); Tom O’Reilly was back and won the Two Miles team race in which Victoria Park won the team race with just 9 points from Springburn.   The mile was won by Mike Ryan who was a multi Scottish champion through the age groups from Bill Black who was one of the country’s top half milers.  Maybe the most interesting result for the athletics historian was the Youths 100 yards where Dave Shedden of Beith, a Scottish rugby and athletics international won from H Bryden of Ardeer and Hugh Barrow of Victoria Park who was world mile age group record holder.   In the Junior 440 yards, Jim Johnstone of Monkland defeated J Convery of Irvine – both destined for Scottish international honours.

The 1962 meeting was held on July 14th and the Scottish Marathon Club gave the distance of the road race as 13 miles.   The Irvine Herald began its report by saying “The poor attendance at the Dirrans Sports last Saturday in spite of the fine weather must have been another big disappointment to the organisers as well as to the participants.   The meeting has never achieved the measure of public patronage which the promoters had hoped for, and indeed it has been touch and go on several occasions whether to abandon the project.   Each time it was decided to give it another trial and this was the case this year.   In the light of the meagre turnout of the public this year it would seem further evidence that there is not the public for such a venture in this area, much though it is to be regretted.”   When the report actually got around to the meeting, it was actually a good event with a very good cast of performers.   Two cycle races had been added to the programme.   Moira Carmichael, the SWAAA double sprints champion won the 220 yards but was handicapped out of it in the 100, being beaten by local Isabel Bonds.   In the Two Miles team race, the duel between Andy Brown and Bert McKay of Motherwell YMCA kept the spectators excited.   The only double was that of David Shedden in the sprints.In the high jump Cosmos Julien defeated David Cairns – both international competitors – and in the 13 miles road race, John Kerr won in 1:21:05 with Pat McAtier of Paisley winning the handicap.   

1963 saw more of the same.   Local Press consistently writing the meeting down and talking of poor attendances would have done nothing to encourage larger attendances for the following year.   The report on the 1963 meeting had approximately a third of the article being about the poor numbers.   Nevertheless, there were good athletes on show as the results show.

An event missing from reports in both the Irvine Herald and Glasgow Herald was the Two Mile team race – there were 100 (Shedden), 220 (Black), 880 (McManus), Mile (I Young) and then a jump to the 13 miles road race.   

The matter was addressed again at a meeting of the council in January 1964 which read: “At a meeting of the Irvine District Council accounts of the sports meeting held at Dirrans in July were submitted and while there was a deficit of £18/6/7d the Council were nevertheless impressed with the manner in which the the organising committee had carried through their work, although at the same time they regretted the continued lack of public support to the sports.   It was noted that the committee had raised £40 from adverts in the programme and the sale of the programmes which was an indication of the amount of effort extended by the committee on this voluntary work.   The District Council guarantees the sports to the extent of a maximum subsidy but it is interesting to note that the maximum subsidy has never been called upon.”   It is a contrast to the lurid accounts of poor attendance in the Press and the statement that the maximum subsidy has never been called upon should be noted.

1964 saw the meeting held on 11th July and there was short report on the meeting followed by the results with no comments on the crowd size or the standard of athletics.   Nor should there have been any.   The 13 mile road race was won by Hugh Mitchell of Shettleston with Pat McAtier second, the mile handicap first three were Mike Bradley (Paisley), Tom Callaghan (Monkland) and Keith Lawrie (Ailsa) and Motherwell YMCA won the Two Mile team race.   The picture below is of the start of the road race at the 1964 meeting with winner Hugh Mitchell wearing 53 and handicap winner Pat McAtier 52.

In 1965 there were comments in the Irvine Herald about the poor attendance but putting it down largely to the heavy rain which fell throughout the afternoon.   The article did mention that some council members were talking of combining the meeting with the youth committees.   The quality was high this year with at least nine Scottish internationalists taking part.   Among the notable results were:

100y open: 1st W Martin  Irvine; 2,  D Shedden (Beith)  10 sec.  Women’s 100y open:  P Prentice (Bellahouston); 2. P Spence (Greenock) 

880y Open: 1.  J Johnstone;  2.  W Evans, Airdrie;  3.  R Hodelet (GGH)   1:56.0

Mile Open:  P Maclagan (VP); 2.  J Johnstone;  W Evans.  4:21.2.     

Two Miles Team:  1.  VPAAC;  2.  Motherwell YMCA.  Winner J Reilly (VPAAC);  2.  A Smith (VPAAC)

Medley Relay:  1.  Bellahouston Harriers;  2.  Beith.    Sprint Relay:   Ayr Seaforth

Road Race:  1.  G Eadie (Cambuslang); 2. C McAlinden;  3. D Simpson (Motherwell YMCA)    Handicap   J Poulton (Motherwell YMCA)   1:12:12

The inevitable review of the day’s success or otherwise was reported in the Irvine Herald of 13th August, 1965 and read:

9th July, 1966 was the next Dirrans Sports day.   Before that however the Ayrshire Harriers Clubs Association discussed the matter.   The AHCA is a long established organisation that now, in the 21st century, creates races over the country and on the track and has always been a source of good work for the sport in general as well as for the local cross-country events.   The committee had met in May 1966 and suggested that they donate £5 to the Sports Day organisers and also “suggested that the Association be asked their views on a proposal that they take over the duties of the Dirrans Sports Day Committee.”   

The meeting took place on the prescribed date and the organisers had responded to the low numbers of spectators and worry about the sports continuing by expanding the programme.   There were 4 events for Ladies, 4 events for Boys, 2 events for Juniors, 3 for Youths and 9 events for Men.   22 in all.   Some of the principal results:   

13 Mile Road Race:  1.  C McAlinden;  2. J Poulton;  3.  D Simpson.   1:18:51.

Two Mile Team Race:  1.  Victoria Park.    One Mile open:  1.  W Marshall (Motherwell YMCA)

Youths 1500m steeplechase:  1. J Ferguson, Seaforth;  2. J Brolly, Shettleston

At the end of the year the Council debated the sports again and there was a report in the Irvine Herald on 9th December.   “Although both the organising committee and the Irvine District Council were again disappointed at the lack of public response, the District Council has agreed to contribute £100 to the Dirrans Sports Day.    ….   While the disappointment was expressed at the lack of response by the public to the work being done to promote youth welfare and interest in recreational pursuits, the Council consider it their duty to give continued encouragement to the pioneering work being undertaken in this field.   They were of the opinion, too, that it was only a matter of time until sports interests would be co-ordinated. “

The council should have been congratulated on their insight and recognition of the importance of sport to the development of the entire community.

The weather on 8th July, 1967,  at The Dirrans had a fair breeze blowing but the heavy rain stayed away – unfortunately many of the public did too and the attendance was not as good as might have been expected.   The standard of the athletics was though, with decent competition in most events.   Gordon Eadie won the 13 miles road race from George Skinner from East Kilbride and Keith Lawrie of Ailsa in 62:40.   The Two Miles team race was won by Springburn Harriers from Beith Harriers and was reported as being for the McAndrew Trophy.   The 880 yards was won by J Wood (Bellahouston) with J McCubbin (Paisley) second and Dick Hodelet of Glasgow University third.   The medley relay went to Bellahouston from Springburn.   The reference to the McAndrew Cup was strange because the trophy was usually the Sir Thomas Moore Trophy which was awarded again in 1969 while the McAndrew Trophy was one awarded annually for the Victoria Park Road Relay at the start of October.

The date kept getting earlier and in 1968 the sports were held on 6th July.   The local report read as follows.

Ian Harris would go on to become Scottish marathon champion and one of the very best runners in the British Army, Alan Partridge would be a Scottish internationalist (and father of Susan) and of course Ronnie Hodelet must have been Dick.   However among the newer events was the 1500m steeplechase for Seniors, Juniors, Youths and Bous.   How did they accommodate a steeplechase on the track?   Instead of water in the water jump, they simply had the runners landing in sand.   Served the purpose and was easy to clear away afterwards.

Principal results:

Two Mile team race for the Sir Thomas Moore Trophy went to Clydesdale Harriers, the medley relay went to Greenock Glenpark Harriers, the open scratch steeplechase was won by J Inglis of Shettleston from RL Spence of Greenock Glenpark,    Interesting that the Junior steeplechase also had RL Spence as second in the 1500m steeplechase!    The Junior boys steeplechase was a real triumph for Law and District who took the first four places with Jim Thomson, Dougie Frame, R Donnelly and M Yule.

The reports were getting poorer and the one for the 1969 meeting consisted of one race – the Two Miles Team Race where first and second placers were individuals with little information about the team race other than the fact that Paisley Harriers were the winners.   The detailed results were a bit better but did not include the above race at all. For the record, it was won by Brian Morrison of Irvine who defeated Harry Gorman of Springburn by 100 yards in 9 min 38.04.    There were also no results for several events – eg the senior 880 yds was missing.     Principal results:

One Mile open scratch:  1.   H Gorman;   2.  J Ferguson (Ayr Seaforth);  3.  B Morrison (Irvine)  4  min 31.01

13 miles road race:  1.  R Lochead (Springburn;  2.  JG Sloss, Beith;  3.  PC McAtier, Paisley.   Won by 250 yards in 71:37

Junior 3000m: 1.   T Grubb, Kilmarnock;  2.  W Cairns, Dumbarton;  3.  D Lang, Shettleston.  9 min 52 sec

One Mile Medley Relay:  Bellahouston Harriers.     RT Lawrie, Victoria Park, won the 220 yards open and was second in the 100 yards.

It is not clear whether the omission of the previously regular events such as the Senior men’s sprint relay, the senior men’s 880 yards. many of the events for young athletes, was down to the poor reporting on the day, to the editor removing some results for space reasons or whether the events were not on the programme but results for 1969 are hard to come by. 

That was the head line in the Irvine Herald of July 10th 1970.   There was a good 5-a-side tournament with local MP David Lambie present, quite a few events for young athletes and there was a good turnout for the senior men’s events too.   It had not come about without a lot of preparation however.    The report below comes from the 1st May edition of the paper.

In the 3rd July issue of the paper – the day before the actual meeting – the Herald reported that it would be a real success with sponsorship from Shanks & McEwan, ICI and the Irvine District Council.   There was also the factor of the developing new town and the benefits that the council hoped would accrue from the integration of the two and the role of the sports in helping this process.   There would also be Highland Dancing, Tossing the Caber, Long Jump, and a 5-a-side featuring all the best Junior sides.   There would also be a specially presented silver rose bowl for the winners of the football tournament.   There would also be an open cafeteria and a restaurant and rest rooms and toilets would be provided.   A real big effort was being made – and as events would show, it was a success.   

The principal results on the day, Saturday 4th July, 1970, were  

100m senior: 1st J Walker (West of Scotland;  2nd G Reid (Kilmarnock);  3. A Harvey (Ailsa)  11.02 sec

200m senior:  1st J Walker (West of Scotland);  2nd G Reid ( Kilmarnock);  3rd J Travers (Irvine YMCA)  24.01 sec

800m senior:  1st P Devlin (Greenock Wellpark);  2nd J Ferguson (Ayr Seaforth);  3rd RL Spence (Greenock Wellpark)   2:01 

Road Race: 1st David Wyper (WoSH);  2nd  Les Meneely (Shettleston);   3.  Jim Irvine (Bellahouston)  

Winning time:  66:04   (Two points:  The distance was listed as 13 miles in the results column, but the time looks more like a 10 miles time; and  one of the runners tells us that Les was a late entry – there were many that day – and there were only two prizes for the race.   Poor old Jimmy Irvine missed out.)

The downside of this very successful meeting was that there were only 8 athletics events, all running and none of them for women.   The Irvine Herald said in its report that all the results were there.

There had been reports in two of the earlier meetings of runners in the road race going off the trail and it happened again in 1971 as reported in the Glasgow Herald of the race held on the second Saturday in July.   

The Scottish Marathon Club had been including the Dirrans Road Race on its fixtures list and membership card since at least 1960 but for the first time, in 1972, it did not appear.   It had been quite a popular road race and the winner in 1971 had been another SAAA marathon champion to win the event.    I believe that the time above for the 1500m might well be 4 min 14 sec rather than 14 min 14 sec!

The road race in particular had been very popular with many of the top names turning out to support it.    There had been five SAAA marathon champions among the winners to add to GB internationalists (McLean, Paterson, Barrow, etc) and Scottish record holders (Breckenridge, Spence) among the track men.   The committee had done a difficult job well despite facing the problems that other similar meetings across the country had to tackle.   Why did the meeting eventually go?   Probably because the track fell into disrepair and it became difficult for this erstwhile fast surface to be used with safety.   There were several road races later to take the place of the Dirrans 13 miler such as the Cunninghame Canter which catered for the road runners and which were and still are very successful.

The 1922 International Cross-Country Championship was the 15th running of the event and Scotland was again among the medals.   The race was unusual in several ways, the main one being that it was started at half-time in a football match in one of the best known stadiums in the world.   There is also a story about the race winner.   But first the race start.

Far and away the best account was this from Colin Shields in ‘Whatever the Weather’.   “Admission tickets priced 1/- each were distributed for sale among athletic clubs for entry to Hampden Park where the international match was starting at half-time in a Scottish League match between Queen’s Park and Celtic FC, who stayed top of the First Division by winning the match by 3 goals to 1.   Ten thousand programmes giving details of the international runners were sold at 3d each to spectators who watched the international race start with four laps of the cinder track.   The runners then headed out to open countryside in the south of Glasgow , covering 9 miles of hilly, ploughed and grass meadow land with very little road to be traversed. “

The Glasgow Herald report of the race reads as follows:

The French team management had protested that the course had been too rough and too hilly but withdrew the protest after their team victory.   We could say a few words about the race winner – Robert Guillemot – and maybe we should!   He took up running when in the Army in the 1914-18 war where he won the French Military Championships.    During the war his right lung was permanently damaged by an attack of mustard gas and his heart was thereafter on the right side of his chest.   Nevertheless he had a very successful career in athletics.   In the 1920 Olympic Games he won the 5000m from Nurmi whom he passed on the last bend, then, wearing shoes that were too big for him, and suffering stomach cramps, he was second to Nurmi in the 10,000m.   You should find his story an interesting one should you consult Wikipedia.   

What of the Scots?   Runners and places were 4th GCL Wallach;   10th  Archie Craig Snr  ; 11th  Dunky Wright  ;  18th Walter Calderwood ;  21st John Cuthbert  ;  26th James Riach;  27th  Alex Barrie;  29th  Alex Whitelaw.  D McMillan did not run.    

It was a creditable performance by the Scots – just look at the relative points scored – and one of the better ones in a championship run at home.

Organised by the ICCU, the 27^th International Championships took place on 24^th March 1934 at Ayr Raccourse, Scotland. The course was nine miles long; and 54 athletes (from six nations) all completed the distance.

Colin Shields in his centenary history of the Scottish Cross-Country Union wrote the following: “With the memory of the secure second place at Wales (in the 1933 International) together with the advantage of running before a home crowd over a known course at Ayr, the Scots were hoping to challenge England again for the team title and place four runners inside the first ten to finish. But it was not to be. The Scots were run off their feet in a fast-run race, where the rapid start caught them unawares; and found wanting in strength and stamina at the end of the race. James Flockhart (Scottish Champion from Shettleston Harriers) worked his way through to sixth position, with Robert Sutherland (Garscube Harriers, 11^th) and Alex Dow (Kirkcaldy, 12^th), for Scotland to finish third with 105 points, just 3 points behind runners-up France.” (Fourth team was Belgium, followed by Wales and Northern Ireland.)

(Five times Scottish Champion, John Suttie Smith (Dundee) was fourth Scot in 23rd place. Walter Hinde (26^th) and Jackie Laidlaw (27^th) were the other team counters for Scotland.)

The Glasgow Herald reported: “Cross-Country – England’s victory in International – J.T. Holden wins individual honour. The twenty-seventh cross-country International, decided at Ayr Racecourse on Saturday afternoon under excellent ground and weather conditions, resulted in a sweeping victory for the English team, France being second and Scotland third.”

(English athletes were first, second, third and fourth: Jack Holden won by almost a minute; and he was followed by Alex Burns and Arthur Penny. Jack Holden won individual gold in the International Cross-Country Championships four times [1933, 1934, 1935 and 1939]. In 1950, Jack won not only the European Marathon Championship in Brussels but also the Commonwealth Marathon title in Auckland.)   The Dundee Courier was quite direct abiout this English dominance in its report which read as follows.

For the IAAF, Doug Gillon of ‘The Herald’ wrote:

“Scottish Cross-Country championships first held 122-years-ago

In Lanarkshire the “Red-hose” (red stockings) cross-country race, had begun more than 20 years earlier. The county in the West of Scotland has a long and proud sports tradition. King William the Lion of Scotland presented the Lanark Silver Bell for a horse race there in the twelfth century. It’s Britain’s oldest sports trophy, and the race course on which it was staged (the Silver Bell is still contested) was where the very first Scottish cross-country championship was held, 122 years ago this week. The 10-mile (16,000 metres) race, over heavy grassland, was won by a stonemason.

Also in Lanarkshire, the very first cross-country international was staged in 1903. It was held on Hamilton racecourse, and the adjacent grounds of the palace of the Duke of Hamilton. It was contested by Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales, and was won by England’s Alf Shrubb. France entered in 1907, and it was from these beginnings that the IAAF event first emerged in 1973.

World Cross-Country returns to Scotland

This is the twelfth time the international championship has been held in Scotland, but only the second in the IAAF era. This is the 30th anniversary of the last IAAF World Cross in Scotland (in Glasgow) where Ireland’s John Treacy won. It is returning to Edinburgh 96 years to the day since Frenchman Jean Bouin won there.

Bouin was the first non-English winner of the championships, and first to win three in succession (1911-1913). He and the Finn, Johannes Kolehmainen, were respectively Olympic 5000m silver and gold medallists in Stockholm, first time the distance had been run under 15 minutes. The Frenchman also took the World 6-mile and 10,000m records from Shrubb. Sadly, Jean Bouin, the sport’s first great multiple international champion was killed in World War I.

The first cross-country handicap ever staged in Scotland, was in December 1885, over four miles from the Sheepshead tavern in Duddingston. It lies on the banks of one of three lochs within the royal park.

Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele has already won three times over Sunday’s course, for it has hosted the Great Edinburgh International in recent years, so the course is tried and tested. It includes Haggis Knowe (or Haggis Hill, so named because it’s shaped like the traditional Scottish dish) which also featured in the 2003 European Cross-Country Championship and World Mountain Running Trophy in 1995.

But this remains a sport for everyone. A ‘Welcome the World’ 5km race round the park is open to everyone. Afterwards they can watch the toughest race on earth for free.”

The 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on March 30, 2008. The races were held at the Holyrood Park in Edinburgh, Scotland. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All races encompassed both individual and team competition. This was the year in which Kenenisa Bekele became the first athlete in World Cross history to win six individual long course titles, breaking his tie with John Ngugi and Paul Tergat who had each won five.

                                                                                              The winner, Kenenisa Bekele

For the IAAF, David Powell wrote: 

“In a remarkable triumph over adversity and the spirited endeavours of defending champion Zersenay Tadese, Kenenisa Bekele cleared a series of obstacles to win a record sixth Senior Men’s classic distance title – and US$30,000 – at the 36th IAAF World Cross Country Championships, at Holyrood Park, today. (Although Kenya won the team title).

Bekele overcame, in turn, a missed flight, overnight stomach troubles, a dislodged shoe early in the 12km race, and Tadese’s determined mid-race surges, to regain the crown he had won in five successive years from 2002 to 2006. Today’s victory takes his record number of individual World Cross Country titles to 12 (6 Long Course, 5 five Short Course, 1 Junior).

After increasing his total number of World Cross Country gold medals to 16 (including 4 team golds) and his record total count to 27 (16 gold, 9 silver, 2 bronze), Bekele acknowledged that his six classic victories might be the statistic that stands above all the others. Until today, the 25-year-old Bekele had shared a record five classic distance triumphs with Kenyans John Ngugi and Paul Tergat.

Having failed to finish in Mombasa last year, suffering stomach problems in the heat and humidity, Bekele fought back from the troubles thrown at him here to pull clear in the eleventh kilometre. In the end, it proved a comfortable victory over runner-up Leonard Patrick Komon, from Kenya, and Tadese, whose valiant title defence was rewarded with the bronze medal.

“As far as the sixth Long Course win is concerned, I tried to accomplish it last year but, because of the weather, I was not able to do it,” Bekele said. “This has a very high honour in my life. I have won the double five times but I think this compares to that. However, I leave the judging to those of you in the media.”

It was in the third kilometre that Bekele’s shoe was caught from behind, and worked loose, as the field bunched taking a bend. From his place near the front, he dropped way down the field as he stopped to secure it. “My shoe did not fall completely off but I had to stop to undo it and put it back on, so it was as if it fell off because of the effort needed to put it back on,” he said It was the first time, he added, such a misfortune had befallen him.

Having secured his shoe, Bekele worked his way back up the field and, before long, was in the leading group. When Tadese picked up the pace in the seventh kilometre, Bekele was well placed to respond.  Dictating from the front, Tadese threw in several bursts, by the end of which he and Bekele had opened a small gap on the last challenging Kenyans, Komon and Joseph Ebuya.

A brief relaxation of pace allowed Komon and Ebuya to close up but, with four kilometres to run, the front four were well clear. With Tadese at the head, and the Kenyan pair side-by-side behind him, Bekele sat at the back before seizing his moment. Of his recovery from his near shoe disaster, he said: “It was near the beginning and I knew it would make the competition difficult because it is not easy to catch up after losing your shoe.

“I knew it would make the rest of the race tough. After the shoe came off I began to think a great deal about what I had to overcome and I had to focus a great deal on my race. If I had tried immediately to catch up it may have affected the rest of my race but instead I controlled my pace.”

Bekele had arrived later than planned in Edinburgh the day before the race. He missed his flight connection at London Heathrow after a delay to his original Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa left him with only 30 minutes to connect in London. His delay was unrelated to the widely-publicised teething problems at Heathrow’s new Terminal 5.

Explaining how stomach trouble almost cost him dearly again, as it had last year, Bekele said: “The day before yesterday, as I was flying in from Ethiopia, there was a delay and I spent the night in London and arrived here yesterday about midday. I had eaten breakfast there before I left and, after it, I didn’t feel well. I then had lunch and dinner here and at night I didn’t feel well. I had to get up three or four times in the night to go to the bathroom and I wasn’t feeling good.”

Tadese said that he was happy with his run – “a bronze medal for my country is still important to me” – while Komon made a big impression in his first year out of the junior ranks. Aged 20, he led Kenya to a third successive team triumph (39 points) with Ethiopia second (105) and Qatar third (144).”

For the IAAF, Matthew Brown wrote:  

“Tirunesh Dibaba completed part three of what was not only a great day for Ethiopia but a great day for the Dibaba family this afternoon as she reclaimed her World Cross Country crown, which comes with a US$30,000 prize, in thrilling style. (Ethiopia won the team title.)

Dibaba’s victory over the 8km race means she joins USA’s Lynn Jennings and her cousin, Derartu Tulu, as a winner of three long course titles following her previous victories in 2005 and 2006. With her short course win in 2005 and the junior title in 2004, she now joins Grete Waitz of Norway with five individual golds from these championships, and Worknesh Kidane as a winner of eight individual medals.

Together with all her team titles, Dibaba has now won 14 World Cross Country golds altogether, more than any other athlete. And she’s still only 22.

Taking inspiration from her younger sister Genzebe, the 17-year-old who won the junior race just an hour earlier, Dibaba shrugged off any doubts about her fitness in the final 400m of a gruelling race to leap from fourth to first on the craggy hillside of Haggis Knowe, before unleashing her trademark finishing kick that brought her home over the soggy mud in 25:10, five seconds ahead of her teammate Mestawet Tufa.

Linet Masai, the 2007 junior champion from Kenya, claimed the bronze in 25:18 but with Ethiopians in sixth (Gelete Burka) and ninth (Meselech Melkamu), it was the women in green and yellow who claimed the senior women’s team title for the seventh consecutive time and the ninth time in the last 10 years. The Kenyan team won silver (22pts) and Australia (84pts) secured team bronze.

For Dibaba it was not only the team victory which mattered, however, not even the personal triumph, but her part in a family affair that goes back to 1995 when Tulu won the first of her World Cross crowns.

“I’m aware that my aunt has won this race three times so I am very happy to have done the same thing,” said a smiling, if mud-splattered, Dibaba afterwards. “And my younger sister was first earlier today so it was partly to match her that I dug in and put everything I had into the win.”

Indeed, the manner of Dibaba’s victory was little short of remarkable. With less than half a lap to go she looked, not only to have lost the race, but to be out of the medals, her much publicised stomach problems seemingly afflicting her again.

But summoning some unknown reserves of strength she clawed past Masai and pulled herself back into touch with Tufa and Gelete Burka before striking for gold.

“I felt a stitch in the middle of the race and that’s when I fell back,” she admitted afterwards. “But I recovered from that and was able to move to the front.”

It was the first time in the entire race that she had been so prominent as in the early stages she was content to stalk the leaders. Surprisingly, the first to show were from the host nation as Liz and Hayley Yelling moved swiftly to the front in the first lap, apparently keen to take what little chance they had to fly the flag for Britain.

Amy Hastings of the USA was also in evidence early on but large clutches of Kenyans and Ethiopians were never far away. Burka, in a grey hat and long black sleaves, looked comfortable just behind the leaders, as did Kenya’s Priscah Cherono (formerly Jeleting), the 2006 silver medallist.

By the end of the second lap it was these two plus Tufa who led a long line of athletes past the rain-drenched crowd as the Britons and Americans began to struggle. But it was on the next circuit, the third, and the first to include the course’s one testing incline that the race really began.

Burka, a winner of the Edinburgh IAAF Permit race on this course for the last years, moved to the front. “On Sunday, I will use the experience I have on this course,” she said a few days ago. And that’s what she appeared to be doing as she led a group of nine or 10 plus Australia’s Benita Johnson, a former champion, who was hanging on the back.

It was at this stage that Masai first began to show and she, Tufa and Burka moved away at the end of the penultimate lap with Dibaba, clearly visible in her long white sleeves, chasing hard about five metres behind.

From then on it was all about these four as they battled out a stirring last lap in which the medals were in doubt until the very last bend of the twisting course.

First Burka made her move, pulling Tufa with her as Masai dropped back allowing Dibaba to catch up. These two appeared be set for a battle for bronze as Burka stretched her lead, opening a 20 metre gap on Tufa that looked decisive.

But Tufa wasn’t finished and as the runners negotiated the penultimate tight bend in front of the grandstand she began to make up the ground. Behind her, Dibaba was dragging Masai back into the reckoning and by the time they hit the base of the hill for the last time there were only 10 metres separating the four.

Burka had clearly pushed too hard too early as she blew up on the foothills of the Haggis Knowe, destined to finish sixth, 25 seconds behind Dibaba. In contrast, Dibaba was suddenly revived and the World 10,000m champion skipped past her teammate, drove beyond Tufa, crested the top of the hill and unleashed her finishing spurt.

“Tirunesh has better finishing speed than me, but I am happy with my second place,” said the resigned Tufa afterwards.

“Our victory brings us great joy today,” said Dibaba. “We’ve been preparing for this for a long time. Cross country is very important to us. We wanted to bring a strong team and do very well here.”

She was talking about her country. But it equally applies to the family clan.”

                                                                                            The ascent of Haggis Knowe

Colin Youngson added: “Since (after 1987) Scotland was no longer allowed to compete as a separate country, only two Scots seem to have represented GB in this World Cross. Andrew Lemoncello was in the Senior Men’s event, racing over 12 km, and finished fourth counter in 78^th place and his team finished tenth. (165 finished; and 12 dropped out).

In the Senior Women’s race, racing over 8 km, Laura Kenney was third counter in 38^th place and her team finished sixth. (90 finished and one dropped out).

On a personal note, spectating was wonderful. The weather was kind and the atmosphere exciting. Holyrood Park was a superbly scenic venue, and the course a testing mixture of flat, grassy going, twists and turns, and a really tough uphill and downhill section towards the end of the lap. Sadists enjoyed watching even champion runners struggling up Haggis Knowe, then flailing down the treacherous descent.

We all scrambled to the finishing straight and were privileged to see Kenenisa Bekele (a real crowd favourite) sprinting elegantly to victory. Tirunesh Dibaba was equally impressive.

The most enthusiastic (noisiest) section of the crowd was the Ethiopian contingent. I noted that the legendary Olympic gold medallist (for the 5000m/10,000m double at the 1980 Moscow Games), Miruts Yifter (The Shifter) was there, and his minders kindly permitted me to obtain his autograph.”

Apparently, in early 1903, the Welsh, Irish and Scottish Cross-Country Associations were enthusiastic about organising an International race; but England was not keen. Eventually, however, England was persuaded to “send twelve competitors plus the three Area Presidents and the Hon Secretary of the Union to Hamilton Racecourse, Glasgow.”   

The Glasgow Herald noted:

“An interesting departure in international sport will be witnessed at Hamilton Palace Grounds on Saturday, when the first of what we hope will be a long and brilliant series of contests between the cross-country elect of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales takes place”.

Runners and officials at the first international in 1903

The subsequent report about the race, which took place on 28th March 1903 (over a distance of 8 and a half miles) was as follows:

“Describing the first International cross-country championship, decided at Hamilton Park on Saturday, is an easy task indeed. It was simply a case of Alfred Shrubb, the Londoner and national champion of England for the last three seasons, being first and the rest nowhere. Equally so might the quest for country championship honours be described, for England furnished six men in the first seven home, and the “predominant partner” finished many points ahead of Ireland, who provided the second-best team; while Scotland came third and Wales were the whippers in. But regarding the race, run, by the way, in the most miserable weather (heavy rain), it was as good as over after the first two miles had been run. The disappointment of the race, from a Scottish point of view, was the poor running of the Anglo-Scot, Tom Johnston, of the Highgate Harriers. He could only finish 34^th, and the medal to the first Scot home was deservedly won by James Crosbie (10^th). A word of praise is due, however, to John Ranken (14^th), who did not disgrace his dark blue jersey. But it was Shrubb’s race, and his alone. The present was his first visit to Scotland as a harrier – a competitor over the country. He has been seen here in flat-racing events, but on Saturday he showed us his wonderful pace at cross-country work. He is not the best of fencers, indeed, compared to John Daly (Ireland, who finished third), he was a poor hurdler; but he is a marvellous stayer. This has been a wonderful season for him. As well as winning the Southern Championship, he has carried off the Sussex Championship, the English National race, and a French international event, decided on the outskirts of Paris a week back.” (41 finished the arduous course; four did not.)

Glasgow Herald reports were often expressed in such tones: in this case, effusive and complimentary about Alf Shrubb; unsympathetically critical about most of the Scottish competitors!

James Crosbie ran for Larkhall  John Ranken (Watsonians CCC) became Scottish cross-country champion in 1904 and 1905.

In his Centenary History of the SCCU (1890-1990), Colin Shields noted that the race took place, not on Hamilton Racecourse, “but in the adjacent grounds of the Duke of Hamilton’s Palace. The race started and finished in front of the grandstand and, after 300 yards of running over the racecourse turf, the runners exited to the ducal grounds, where they covered four 2-mile laps before returning to complete the course in the racecourse finishing straight.”

“There was much praise for Shrubb, who was described as ‘a running machine who trained as hard in winter as he did in summer’; and critics went on to say that ‘until Scots runners started training as systematically as their English rivals and became more devoted to the drudgery of winter training, they would meet with little success in international competition.’

“The race was so successful that discussions on the train journey back from Hamilton to Glasgow afterwards led to an understanding that a similar race would be held the following year at Haydock Park, Lancashire, where the International Cross Country Union (ICCU) was established.”

The basic details of the race are all above but says nothing about the quality of the field in 1912.   For instance it was the second of three gold medals for the event won by Jean Bouin of France who was to lose his life just two years later in the first year of the 1914-18 war.   The top Scot – GCL Wallach who was fourth was one of the best runners the country has produced, Tom Jack was also part of the team, Scotland also had two of the three Hughes brothers running.      The Scottish team (88 pts) was second to England (41 pts) and in front of Ireland who were third (110 pts).   Before looking at the actual race, the question was about why they were being held in Edinburgh.   Colin Shiels explains:   “Edinburgh hosted the International championship race, the previous two times it had been held in Scotland being in the West, but the representatives of the competing countries had expressed strong desires to see the beauties of Scotland’s capital.   The organisers acquiesced and chose Saughton Park, the venue of the sports programme of the Scottish National Exhibition held in Edinburgh four years earlier.   Early in March, just three weeks before the event took place, the Glasgow Herald commented ‘It is not generally known that the ICCU championships will be held in Edinburgh on March 30th.   Cross-country running has generally a firmer hold in Glasgow and the West of Scotland but in other respects there could not be a more delightful venue for the race.   The trail will probably embrace the Corstorphine hills though that is a matter of detail still to be decided by the Scottish Union at an early date.”   

The trail we are told covered one mile round the track before leaving the track to go over 5 laps of rough cart track and three miles of grassland.   Scotland’s six counting runners all finished within the first 22 for the team to secure second place but it was a disappointing run for Tom Jack whose last for Scotland it would be.   He had some consolation when just a matter of weeks later he won the track 10 miles championship for the seventh time in nine years.   The race report in ‘The Scottish Referee’ read –

The result of the individual race, taken from wikipediea :

The race went well and the Scottish team once again brought home medals for the country to celebrate.   Wallach (pictured below) was the coming man who would run in this event four times before the War and five time after it with best performances of second in 1914. third in 1911 and fourth in 1912 and 1922.   He was first Scot home eight times.   Bouin’s death in September was a real tragedy – he had run in the international in Scotland in 1907 and again in 1912 but his record in these races was magnificent – three first places (1911, 1912 and 1913), silver in 1909, and a silver team medal in 1913,    Equally good on the track he had a silver at the 1912 Olympic Games in Paris – it could be said that the Scots saw him at his best in 1912.

The first official cross-country championship had been held in Scotland in 1903 and a mere three years later it was back – Hamilton in 1937.   Only one of the Scottish team that day would be known to most Scottish athletics aficionados.   Tom Jack from Edinburgh who in the course of his career would win the cross-country championship of Scotland three times, run in the international 5 times and win the ten miles title six times, the four miles once and have numerous medals of all colours also in his trophy collection.   For the race description we go to Colin Shields’s book “Whatever the Weather” (an excellent book, the go-to book for all serious historians) who describes it thus:

“The international race was held at Scotstoun Showground over a four lap 10 mile course for the benefit of the 2000 spectators who attended the event.   Newly crowned National Champion Tom Jack finished fifth over a tough course which included fences and water jumps on each lap in a fast run race, won by A Underwood (England) in 54 min 24.6 seconds.   Jack split the English team , finishing less than a minute behind the winner, and the entire Scottish team finished inside the first 18 home to take the second place, behind England and finish well clear of Ireland and France, who made their first appearance in the race.”      

The Glasgow Herald had a longer report with all the places recorded.

Follow the link above and read more about Tom Jack for whom this was the first of five cross-country international appearance – a good all round endurance runner from all distances from one mile upwards.   

When the International Cross Country Championships came to Hamilton again in 1960, it was again only men, and the competing nations had dropped from ten to eight: Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales, France, Belgium, Spain and Morocco – the last being the first African country to take part and they finished fourth team.   The Scottish team was chosen from the National Cross-Country championship where Graham Everett (Shettleston), won after a torrid duel with Alastair Wood (Shettleston), after whom came Andy Brown (Motherwell YMCA), Joe Connolly, R Irving (both Bellahouston) and E Sinclair (Springburn).    The race was run over the well-known Hamilton Park course which was to be used for the international.   

Most Scottish papers mentioned the event in passing and agreed with the Aberdeen Evening Express which said 

Of the International, Colin Shields has this to say: “Alastair Wood led the Scots team home to fifth place – one place better than the previous year and, more importantly, with 62 points fewer on the scoreboard.   Wood finished seventh, with Everett 22 and Bruce Tulloh, the British 3 mile record holder, taking advantage of his Scots parentage to turn out for Scotland and finish twenty third in a race won by A Rhadi, the Moroccan who was to win the Olympic Games Marathon Silver Medal in Rome six months later.”

Faint praise there from Colin but better than the out and out criticism of some of the previous Scottish teams in the international.    The Glasgow Herald report on the race was as below.

How did the result measure up to the comments in the Evening Express on the day of the race?   They mentioned, Rhadi of Morocco, Basil Heatley of England, Everett and Tulloh of Scotland, Merriman of Wales, and van de Wattyne of Belgium.   The first ten were –

Three out of the first four wasn’t too bad – but Alastair Wood – from Aberdeen and a British track internationalist – was not one of their runners to watch!   The Scottish team was fifth of the eight and nearer to the fourth team than to the sixth.   Team results:

1.   England  52;   2.  Belgium  61;  3.   France  125;   4.   Morocco  159   5.   Scotland  171;   6.   Spain  243  ;   8. Ireland  279;   9.  Wales  279.  

Aberdeen AAC’s Steve Taylor raced three times for Scotland in the ICCU International: 1960, 1961 and 1962. His best performance was 35th (third Scot) in the 1962 event at Sheffield. He finished behind Andy Brown (9th), Aberdeen clubmate Alastair Wood (25th) and just in front of Jim Alder (36th) – the Scottish team was fifth.

Here are two photos: Steve Taylor’s memento badges, with the 1960 Hamilton one on the left; and his Scottish vest badge.

From the race detai;ls above, we can see that the championships were again split between the men and the women, and that again there were only two women’s teams forward – Scotland and England and Scotland.   It was again under the ICCU organisation but was again an unofficial championship.   The team was chosen from the Scottish championships held at Craigie Estate in Ayr and were won by Morag O’Hare of Maryhill Harriers from Betty Rodgers of Shettleston and Helen Cherry of Bellahouston Harriers.   They were joined in the international team by Doreen Fulton, Dale Greig and Mary Campbell.   Unlike the last running of the women’s international, the venue for the national championship and the international were different.   In 1957 the race was held at Musselburgh on the East Coast.   The result was not much different though.   The Glasgow Herald report read:

Dale Greig was eleventh and Mary Campbell twelfth.   The race had been held on a beautiful day with blue skies and not a cloud in sight but as Dale Greig said, “The occasion brought no joy for the Scots.”   

There were ten teams taking part in the men’s race with Scotland finishing eighth, ahead of Wales and Switzerland.   The Glasgow Herald report did not single out the Scots in the headline this time.

 Another Scots team that looked good on paper and in domestic races disappointed on the international stage.