Author: The Author

The start of the first ever Tom Scott 10 Miles Road Race

Runners from the recent past, and those who have read and thought about Scottish endurance running, are mildly critical of the current programme of races offered to athletes by governing bodies and race/championship organisers.   It takes only a cursory look at the winter programme for any year in the 1960’s (or the 1970’s or the 1980’s) to see that there were cycles of competition where the importance of the events gradually increased, leading the athletes to more and more intense effort and gradually rising standards of performance.  Indeed there were cycles inside cycles.  

For instance, September was pretty well a fallow month as far as competition was concerned and was followed by the short relays (each runner in a four-man team raced two and a half miles).   Road runners spent September (and October) developing a bit more pace, while the half milers and milers were gradually building in a bit of strength.   There were four relays in the sequence –  McAndrew (road),  and three cross-country ones – County, District and (from 1974) National, with a couple of weeks (perhaps including five mile road races like the Allan Scally Relay or the Glasgow University 5) to prepare for the prestigious 8-Man Edinburgh to Glasgow Road Relay (with stages ranging from 4 miles to 7 miles).   That was one cycle.   Then the runners went in to the  cross-country championships proper – County then District then National, then, if you were ambitious and talented, the English National, then the International.   Another cycle.  Put the relay cycle and the championships cycle together and that was the winter cycle    It all made sense.  

The same was true of the summer season where there was gradually increasing distance and severity in the races leading up via 10, 12, 14, 15, 18, and 20 miles to the marathon itself.   That was the one cycle.  Then there were the highland games and sports meetings where the races were all different and it was almost refreshing to run the 20 miles at Strathallan or the 14 at Shotts with the fearful climb up past Kirk o’Shotts.  

There was a definite pattern, where the aim was clearly to assist athletes to reach a peak when it mattered; and to raise the standard of Scottish road and endurance running (which could be track 5000m or 10,000m too) across the board.    For example, if there were no 20 mile races, then a member of the Scottish Marathon Club would approach the promoter of a meeting which had a road race and offer to help organise a race at that distance.   I say ‘a member of the SMC’ but many of the committee were also members of the SAAA with Dunky Wright being the prime example.   

In addition a platform was given to these events where the public could see the road runners in action.   The SAAA Marathon was held from the actual track and field event championships – after all they were bona fide  athletes just like the hurdlers and hammer throwers.   The event has now been relegated to a bit part in a massive road race organised more often than not with the prime object of maximising the number of participants.   There was the ludicrous instance for some years of the Scottish national championship being held in England.   

However, the pattern was set for the runners who could use it and there were also many other distances, mainly on the road, that could be fitted in to  a runner’s schedule to help him tweak whatever aspect of his fitness needed a bit more attention at a particular time.   For instance Allister Hutton used to run in the Dunky Wright 5 miles+ in April as part of his programme leading to the London Marathon.    Enough discussion – it helps to see how a good Scottish runner, who usually managed to peak when it counted, shaped his year.   

Lachie Stewart running to work in 1970.  Many, possibly most, road runners ran to work and back again

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Back in the 1970s, nearly every road-running Scot was male. [SAAA, SCCU and SWCCU rules did not allow men and women to race together. The only time they might see each other racing was during the SAAA/SWAAA Track and Field Championships – and then only in separate events.] After the advent of City Marathons (starting with Aberdeen in September 1979) could take part in the same races. (The developing Veteran scene was also important in allowing men and women to compete together on the roads.)

Any road-racing specialist would train on a variety of surfaces – track, grass, trails and hills as well as tarmac. In addition, he would almost certainly race on track and cross-country as well as road. Nevertheless, the Road Running Year provided a calendar of events, which allowed the athlete to increase fitness gradually, before peaking for major races like the Tom Scott 10, Scottish Marathon Championship, the Two Bridges 36 and the Edinburgh to Glasgow Road Relay.

The very top road runners had the organisation of their year down to  T.   It might be of course that that was the difference between the real top men and the ‘nearly top men’.   I remember, after the Shotts 14 mile road race race was won by one of the latter, asking one of the former how he felt about defeat and he replied that the winner ‘never won when it mattered.’   In other words he couldn’t peak for the year’s important competitions.   Another very good non-championship medal winning athlete was racing quite a lot at one point and when I asked him why his reply was something like, “Well, when you’re running fast and you don’t know why, you have to make the most of it.”   

One of our best endurance runners who had success on all surfaces – track and country but especially road – at all age levels is Colin Youngson and we asked him to discuss and explain his racing year and how it was planned.    

For example, his best year was 1975 when, representing Edinburgh Southern Harriers, he was training 70 or 80 miles per week and did not suffer injury. No fewer than 24 races were completed that year, and he did peak successfully for the Scottish Marathon and E to G, as well as producing decent performances on cross-country, middle-distance track and (without extra training) the Two Bridges. At the end of such a busy season, he was delighted to be presented with the SAAA Donald McNab Robertson Trophy (for Best Scottish Road Runner of the Year).

Part  Two         Part  Three       Part  Four

Money matters.  In the mid 1990’s as group coach for endurance (800 – marathon, including race walking) I had an allowance of £120 per year which could only be claimed in two lots of £60 with receipts where applicable.   Weekend  courses or conferences such as the BMC weekend at Jordanhill in 1986 had to be self financing.  With guests including Peter Coe, Jimmy Hedley, Frank Horwill and Sean Kyle whose expenses had to be paid, I sought sponsorship and still had to charge the exactly 100 who attended for the privilege.   When we took parties on warm weather training weeks in Portugal, the athletes had to pay their own way, and if an outstanding young athlete (eg AAA’s champion) wanted/needed to do altitude training then he had to find the money on his own.   This involved all sorts of ploys – such as asking Eddie Kulukundis in London for a contribution.   Money matters.  The shortage of money was a national one.  

In racing terms, the runners had to have financial backing of their own, eg Tom McKean and Yvonne Murray had support from Glen Henderson thanks to the efforts of their coach, to access the support team they required and to get to the races.   In the search for good races time from employment had to be found, as well as the finance, to travel around Britain for the top races.   Needless to say, for the rest of the running community for whom this was out of the question, their entire racing season had to be organised inside Scotland.   Recognised by everybody, this meant that the domestic season had to be arranged to develop all athletes through a system graded in terms of severity of competition and, in the case of marathon runners, in terms of distances raced.   The situation has been documented  and it needed to be changed.   With no fewer than seven different governing bodies and money in short supply, it was necessary to reduce the management costs and go about raising money in a commercial way.   

There was no problem with the structure of the sport at this point: it had not come about by accident and was for the benefit of athletes of all levels in the country.  That it was a deliberate act by the SCCU is evidenced by Colin Shields in his official history of the SCCU where he says on page 164:

“There was a reorganisation of relay fixtures in season 1978/79 to give a logical start to the winter season.   Since the introduction of the National Relay championships four years earlier it had been after the Edinburgh to Glasgow relay at the end of November   This resulted in a mixture of road and cross country relays over varying distances.   The Union rearranged the fixture list such that the season opened with County, District and national four by two and a half miles cross country relay championships on successive weeks in October as a start to the winter season and a lead in to the longer distance races later in the season”.

This was already true of the other championships – the National had always been the last race in the winter and the District Championships were a month or so befre them.   The County Championships were invariably before that and in the east of the country, the East District League was held on the same day as the Counties Championships.   It was a structure that worked for all involved in Scottish endurance running.  How and why did it change?

Committees were set up, meetings held, consultations made and the required alterations were made. This led to the dismantling of the whole structure of the sport in the mid 1990’s with the seven different governing bodies being merged under the new SAL Banner.   There was as part of the re-organisation access to money via Sport Scotland and, according to one of the group coaches active before and after the reorganization many new possibilities were now available to them.   It was possible to have a training weekend with the cost wholly covered, it was possible to take groups to warm weather training, and in some cases even altitude training.   Support systems were set up and quick access was now available in a way not always possible before.  The changes also affected racing possibilities for the top athletes who could now be financed, in whole or in part, to have a graded international racing programme.  

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But everything has a cost – including money.  I remember being at a meeting in Bridge of Allan where Meg Ritchie suggested that Scottish athletics might, in future, have to be split into the elite  international athletes and their provision and the domestic version of the sport.   There is a good argument to be had on this topic but it has never been openly discussed in detail with the consequences for all runners and clubs thought through.    

Most, if not all, of the money from Sport Scotland seems to be attached to medals won in major Games and other high profile international events, and to the athletes who will (it is hoped) deliver them.   The names are easily found on many internet sites and we hear regularly of the comprehensive backup, the support provided, the altitude training camps and so on which provide for our top talent.   It was necessary if the country has to compete at the top level, and it seems to be working – and working well.   

However the competition needs of the elite cannot simply be met by the situation domestically.   That is a given.   But one of the babies has been thrown out with the bath water and that is the provision for the club standard and slightly above athlete.   There is now in 2020 no obvious governing body provided ladder for these athletes to progress or to achieve their best.   How do we do that?

Part 1     Part 2    Part 4

The first issue of the BMC News was two sheets of foolscap, folded, to make 8 pages, hand typed, artwork hand drawn.  The latest issue runs to 48 pages in full colour, 61 full colour photographs, 7 black and white photographs (Peter Snell, Lindsay Dunn) and several tables also in colour.  The whole was professionally produced and the magazine is Volume 17 Issue 1, dates Spring 2020.   The magazine has come a long, long way since 1963 and this only reflects the journey that the club has taken.   One only has to take a look at the relative statistics for the period of the club’s founding and for the current period – they will go up on a separate page.   Let’s look at the covers from 2010 to 2020.   

The new millenium   came and the most striking thing when the new issue of the News was opened was the use of colour.   The whole thing was even more professional looking than before: the mix of pictures on the cover was skilfully done and there was colour through the magazine.  The layout of the pages was varied and the range of content quite amazing.   Without wanting to offend anyone, I can honestly say that it was mire professionally executed the Athletics Weekly and on quality paper so that it would live in an athlete’s library for his entire career and beyond.   You can see them in their entirety, and you really should at  

http://britishmilersclub.com/bmcnews/news00.asp

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Into the 1990’s and there were more developments with the magazine paralleling those in the club.  The REAL big one was the news of the three year sponsorship of the club Grand Prix by Nike, announced in the Spring 1997 issue.   The magazine had gone from being numbered in sequence from Number 1 to becoming a more professional Volume 1 and  now BMC News Volume 2 Issue 1 appeared in Autumn 1990.   There were also experiments in layout both inside and on the cover of the magazine.  You can see all the changes in the magazines and information of the Nike sponsorship by looking through the magazines

at http://britishmilersclub.com/bmcnews/news90.asp

The 80’s saw a major change in the size and format of the magazine.   It was right from the beginning professionally printed in black and white with real photographs on the cover.  As the decade progressed the size of the publication increased.  With two wide columns per page it could take much more in the way of content and Frank Horwill’s original wishes for the magazine were being realised at last.   The entire magazines can be downloaded at the BMC website – http://britishmilersclub.com/bmcnews/news80.asp 

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The ‘News’ continued to develop and for a while there was a standard cover design but it was still foolscap folded in half and produced on a Roneo or Gestetner machine.   But it was the content that mattered and it stands up well today.   These are only the covers – to read the entire magazines go to 

http://britishmilersclub.com/bmcnews/news70.asp

Appearing in Spring, 1970, it had 24 pages and covered –

• Book List and Reviews.
• John Boggis Profile.
• Achilles Tendon.

28 Pages:

• Spotlight on Youth.
• Athletic Injuries.
• Keith Penny Profile.

The August 1972 issue was the first with the new standard cover – BMC down one side and NEWS down the other and a line drawing of a runner in the centre.   The runner could be male or female, could be seen side on or from the front.  The print was neater, smaller and there was more per page.   It was a good eyecatching design for an organisation without too much cash in the bank.   This issue had 20 Pages and the main articles were 

• Kevin Steere Profile.
• Altitude Training.
• Blood Conditioning.

20 Pages:

• Lest We Forget.
• Close Look at Jim Ryun.
• Physiology of Middle Distance Running.

24 Pages:

• Liz Conners Profile.
• Reflections on Approach.
• Class of 1972.
• Report on S. Counties Coaching Conference.

12 Pages:

• Phil Banning Profile.
• Closing the Gap.
• The Junior Scene.
• Fartlek Variations for XC Training.

16 Pages:

• Paul Lawther Profile.
• Review of Commonwealth Games.
• The Coach-Athlete Relationship.

16 Pages:

• Lesley Kiernan Profile.
• Try, Try, Try Again.
• Middle Distance Events at Rome.
• Distance Running Research.
• 3000m Running for Women.

16 Pages:

• Vit. C.
• Farlek.
• Paul Williams Profile.
• Something Afoot?

16 Pages:

• Janet Lawrence Profile.
• Look Back at 1975.
• The Anaemia Problem.

16 Pages:

• Dave Moorcroft Profile.
• Through The Looking Glass.
• Frank Speaking.

16 Pages:

• Micky Morris Profile.
• Montreal Distance Events.
• Canadian Game Plan.

16 Pages:

• Sebastian Coe Profile.
• Peaking.
• Training Cycles or Periodisation?
• The Warm-Up.
• Anti-Inflammatory Drugs.

16 Pages:

• Chris Sly Profile.
• Thoughts on 800m.
• Developing Finishing Kick.

16 Pages:

• Tim Hutchings Profile.
• Art & Science of Middle Distance Running.
• Improvements in Womens Standards.

16 Pages:

• Josephine White Profile.
• Comments from Gordon Surtees.
• How to Adapt Training.
• Scotland’s Problems.

16 Pages:

• Tim Hutchings Profile.
• Art & Science of Middle Distance Running.
• Improvements in Womens Standards.

16 Pages:

• Steve Emson Profile.
• Physiological Impact of Interval training.
• Vitamins.
• Coaching at the World Cup.

The club was only a year old when the magazine appeared for the first time.  Two, or even three, sheets of foolscap paper with the text typed on to a gestetner skin, and then printed using and hand operated machine.   The two sheets were then folded in half and stapled together.   All art work was hand drawn and, interestingly enough the BMC logo from the very first issue was being used at the end of the century too.    

These are only the covers and list of main contents: the whole magazine however is available at    http://britishmilersclub.com/bmcnews/news60.asp  

Above is the cover of the very first BMC News.   Hand drawn picture, 8 pages (ie two sheets, folded and stapled) with three principle articles – Spotlight on Members, News and Views, and List of Members.   The List of Members included nine Senior Coaches, five Honorary Coaches, and 23 seniors, five juniors, 19 Youths, 3 women and several coaches who were available to coach runners in their area, which list included John Anderson in Glasgow.   The Scots on the list included Hugh Barrow (Senior), Ian Young (Junior, Springburn), and Alistair Blamire (Youth).   It was however the beginning of a magazine that would be one of the best in the country, no in the world, on the topic of Middle Distance Running with athlete profiles, statistics and their analysis, reports on research, book reviews, training techniques and much more.   These magazines can all be seen and read at the BMC website.   The remainder of the first ten covers are reproduced here.

This, the second issue had 22 Pages and dealt with 

• Middle distance Injuries.
• Notes on Training Techniques.
• Physiological Basis for Interval Training.

This one had 20 Pages and covered 

• Your Personal Best.
• The Frank Horwill Column.
• Running Problems Answered

Number 4 had 28 Pages covering

• Books Reviewed.
• Weight Training for Milers.
• The Frank Horwill Column.

24 Pages:-

• Quotes from the Greats.
• Doris Brown (USA) Training.
• Striking a Balance.

This time tehre were 28 Pages:-

• Staff Coach Report.
• Quotes.
• Frank Horwill Column.

Issue No. 7. (Incorrectly numbered 6) had 26 Pages:-

• Mile and 1500m Conversion.
• Adaptation to Stress.
• Carol Firth Profile.

Issue No. 8. (Incorrectly numbered 7) had 22 Pages covering

• Importance of Nutrition.
• Reassessment of Farlek.
• That Third Lap.

And that was the first ten issues done and dusted.  Numbers 9 and 10 were never ever produced hence the number 11 coming where it does.   Unmistakable signs of Frank Horwill all over it – look at the range of topics covered which were domestic and international, training and diet (he was always interested in diet), personalities and books.   They were all there.   This was the start of something big although maybe not realised by all at the time.

Hugh Barrow (BMC Member 1) with some of the runners at the 1999 BMC Meeting: Hayley Haining on his right.

After several years of discussions the British Milers Club agreed to hold one of their five annual Grand Prix Meetings, sponsored by Nike, in Scotland and at Scotstoun.   Everything was in place – the new, blue, runner-friendly track, a well disposed local authority team led by Ken Kelly and Frank Clement, a competent local BMC group of coaches of Brian McAusland, Alex Naylor and Mike Johnstone, good comfortable accommodation just quarter of a mile away at Jordanhill College and good rail, road and Plane links with England.  To encourage the runners from the other home countries to come, it was agreed to hold the last meeting, the final chance for the athletes to gain points f=towards the club championship, and to hold it on a Saturday  since it would be easier for English and other athletes to travel up on the Friday and get a night’s sleep beforehand.  The first one was held in 1999 and we start with some pictures from that one.

The event was a great success – look at the names competing – and after the cheques were distributed to the winners in each category, it was pretty well decided that the event would be back the following year.    There was one wee thing though: despite Evelyn McMeekin having been invited to present some of the awards, Peter Thomson, who was the announcer at the time, seemingly unaware of her presence and announced Frank as the sole presenter of the awards.  His comment that it was a glitch did not convince.    However one very well known Scottish official said at the time that it was the first time he had ever just watched a meeting of two hours plus consisting solely of middle distance events – it was bliss, he said.     

It was back in 2000 and many of the same athletes were in evidence with bigger fields than the year before.   The only disappointment was the failure of the |British Endurance Initiative to follow through on the promised 5000m.   The BMC National Committee had been asked to put on a BMEI event at the meeting but after the invitations had been sent to the Scottish runners, the BMEI decided to hold their event at a meeting in Ashford in Kent which kind of spoiled the event – the domestic race was a good one however and we were all pleased with the standard of competition.   Some of the pictures from the BMC News – 

There were more – the races lasted until 2002 before they ceased coming to Scotland altogether.   Reasons?   Well, the date at the end of the season was changed to mid July and the fourth in a series of five.  This meant that the whole point of runners trying to get last minute points to win the £1000 cheques was removed – the main incentive was lost.   In addition it was moved to a Friday night and runners from outwith Scotland were reluctant to travel straight from work to Scotland and race the same night.   Finally, the races were moved to Meadowbank and the successful formula was broken.  It shouldn’t, and may not have, made a difference but the thread of successful meetings was broken.

This is the second half of Part Three .

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