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Looking for reports of the Braemar Gathering in the Press at the start of September, 1890, none were discovered.   Not in the Elgin Courant & Courier, not in the Dundee Evening Post, nor in the Morayshire Sentinel nor even in the Scotsman.   There were some minor Royals in residence, there was a gathering of sorts of local aristocracy but there was little in the way of shooting or picnics reported on.   In 1901 the Greenock Telegraph said briefly that ‘The Braemar Gathering is not likely to be revived.’   That was it in total, verbatim.   What was reported in the Press was the progress of the Boer War which lasted from 1899 to 1902.   The hostilities started effectively in October 1899 so were the Games held in that year?   

The September issue of the Dundee Courier had headlines such as “NEARING WAR”,  “SENSATIONAL SIGNS”, and “AN ULTIMATUM”, “WAR IN 48 HOURS”, “ACTIVE PREPARATIONS”, “INDIAN TROOPS FOR THE CAPE”.   But the Games side of the Gathering did indeed take place as the following extracts from the Courier (first) and the Aberdeen Journal indicate.   

The competitions took place, and there were many of them, and the list of results and presentations from the Journal are below.

The 1899 Gathering was a success by any measurement: Royal presence, march of the combined clansmen, number of spectators, appropriate weather, good competitive athletics and an appreciative crowd plus, of course, the social part of the Gathering for all regardless of status.    As we have seen, there were no Games at all in 1900 or 1901 but in 1902 ….

The Dundee Courier of 12th September, 1902 had one and a quarter full, closely printed columns covering the event.   Under the heading of “THE KING AT BRAEMAR” there were two more announcements – “ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTION”  and “THE GATHERING OF THE CLANS”.     The King and Queen were there with the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Fife.   The Courier remarked that various reasons caused the postponement of the Gathering for the previous two years.   An understatement.   The well attended Games were held at a slightly different venue – at Clunie, two or three miles from Braemar, on a large field close to the banks of the river Dee.   As ever the clansmen were early arrivals: the Balmoral Highlanders, the Farquharson men, and the Duff Highlanders were all there.   The King and Queen were to arrive at 3:30 and were preceded by outriders in scarlet coats, the various Highlanders were drawn up into an avenue down which the Royal carriages passed.   When they arrived at the ground, the massed pipe bands played the Invercauld March and the Royal carriages arrived at exactly 3:30.   The Games were back and everyone was happy.   As for the athletic and other events, “Among the concluding contests of the day was a hurdle race, part of which took the competitors through the River Dee”.   The King was so interested in this one that he walked down to the river to get a better view where he held a conversation with the headmaster of Winchester College.   The Royal party left at about 5:20 pm.   They had shown an interest in all the events – watching the two miles race ‘lap by lap’ and showed a great interest in all events with the King walking round the ground for a better view of several of them.   The results were as follows.

The 19th century had started in style: The war was over, the Games aspect of the Gathering was also back, Royalty was still interested and involved.   The traditions of the Games, many still followed in the 21st century, were continued.

If we jump forward to 1875 , the Gathering had a wonderful press with details of accommodation available for all thoise wishing to attend the event, of the various groups of the aristocracy and their guests and, of course, the royal party whoch consisted of the Queen, HRH Princess Beatrice, HRH Leopold, the Lady Abercrombie, Hon. Miss Stopford, the Hon Miss Phipps, and more.   The full list of notables took up about a third or more of a column in the Aberdeen Journal of 1st September.    The gentlemen of the Press were also welcomed by now and the coverage was quite extensive compared to the 1850’s.   The results –

The list of events was also quite extensive in all disciplines – there was even a sack race and a three legged race. One of the teams there included William McCombie Smith who was a good athlete and member of the Aberdeen University team who had been disqualified from competition on the grounds that ‘he had taken part in public or professional meetings.’   He also won the Queen’s Prize for the Two Mile Race, won the Hammer Throw and was second in Putting the 28 lb Weight and was third in the running long leap.   There were other Games or Gatherings taking place on the same day – the Lonach Gathering had been on the same day for many decades, and there was also a Stonehavne Highland Games and all had their own traditions.

The Gathering of 1880 was not graced with royalty (the Queen wasn’t there) although there was a good number of the aristocracy for what was one of the highlights of the social season.  As for the Games aspect of the week, the Aberdeen Journal gave the following information in its 10th September edition.

The race over 13 hurdles and through the river Dee sounds interesting, maybe especially as the race is over a quarter of a mile.  Results below indicate that there were 5 competitors.   The introduction of races for Girls and boys under 15 years of age and the comment that like events could be introduced into sports meetings in England.   The actual results of the events are noted below.

Another good meeting with all events being contested – McCombie Smith again present but with less success than previously.

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Came 1885 and the Queen herself was at Braemar, her arrival noted by the Edinburgh Evening News as follows –

The range of events from sport results via dancing and presentations for length of service, wearing of highland garb was as wide as ever – but there is no mention of the quarter mile over 13 hurdles followed by the swim across the Dee!

Of all the highland gatherings and games, Braemar is perhaps the most notable.   That is of course down to the presence of the reigning monarch or their representative.   Lip service is paid to the age of the games, connections to royalty, legendary figure to have competed there but little is normally written about the actual Gathering which encompassed the whole weekend.   This was not always the case – as an acknowledgement of the history and the coverage of the event we will reproduce here some of the reports from bygone Gatherings.   We will start with the Games of 1844.  As ever they were held in the first week of September.  Although Queen Victoria was in Scotland at the time visiting many ‘tourist attractions’ such as the Falls of Tummel, she does not seem to have been at the actual Games – the weather was probably the cause of her absence from the field.   The report of the day however,in the Perthshire Advertiser read as follows.

Two years later, on 27th August 1846, coverage in the Elgin Courant read as follows.

You will note the comprehensive coverage of the entire gathering with the social aspect taking priority over the athletics, but we do learn what events were contested and that the time of the winner of the hill race was taken and kept from year to year.    Two years later, September 1848, the coverage in the Aberdeen Herald was even more fulsome taking up almost an entire column of broadsheet newspaper which started – 

But what of the actual athletics?   

The Queen had given Mr Farquharson 5/- to be given to the winner of the hill race.   100 years later that would have made him a professional while the other prizes were in kind – snuff boxes and silver brooches – which would have kept their amateur status!   

The Queen returned in 1850 to the Royal Braemar Gathering – the Royal title had been granted in 1846 – along with a large and distinguished retinue.  The Games progressed satisfactorily –

A bit more detail in this report on the 1850 Gathering in the Montrose, Arbroath and Brechin Review which also informed everyone of every detail of the week including the march of the competitors, the arrival of the royal party, the ball held afterwards, picnics on the river, shooting on the estates of the Duke of Inmvercauld, etc.  There was not however a great deal of change in the events mentioned although the awards after the Games were in a wider range of categories than there are now.   The modern athletes are however following in this tradition.

Tranter’s Round is a linkup of the high ridges of the Mamores, the Grey Corries, the Aonachs, Carn Mor Dearg and Ben Nevis. When first completed in 1964 by Philip Tranter it was the 24hr Munro Record.   Details: the start and finish are at the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel.   It consists of 18 Munros plus one which was formerly recognised as such but delisted in 1997.    The route covers 59 km (36.6 miles) and 5400 m (17,706 ft)

For such a small area, the distance from Callander in the Trossachs to Killin – not much over 20 miles – there are a lot of hill races.  There are two Callander Crags races for a start (one in summer and one in winter), then as we head north there is Ben Ledi and nearby Ben Gullipen, heading north again we come to the village of Strathyre.   This very small village hosts two hill races – the short, it’s only 5K but a steep 5K, Ben Sheann (above) which is notorious for its midges, and the much longer Stuc  a Chroin which is 22 K with 1500 ft of ascent.   Finally, there are the two short races run from the local Highland Games, one in Lochearnhead and one from Killin.   A total of 8 races.   

Chronologically, the first of the year is the Callander Crags (Winter) held at the start of January starting and finishing in Tulipan Crescent directly opposite the very steep path through the woods.   Short, steep and popular there were 124 runners in January 2020 with Ochil Hill Runners winning both men’s and women’s races.   Ryan McGuire won the Men’s race in 24:19 and Catriona Buchanan the Women’s in 27:58.   The summer version of the event is held right at the start of June with the same start and finish as the winter.   Just as popular it is approximately two minutes quicker than the January race.   The most recent result to hand is that for 2012 when the winner was Rory Downie of Squadra Porcini in 22:47 and first woman was Ciara Largey of Lochaber in 26:44.   It is maybe appropriate at this point to note that local man Prasad Prasad has won all of the races on this page other than Killin – and a few more besides.   He has won the Callander Crags winter race in 2013 in 2012 and 2013.   As you go down the page you will see his name at the other races and there are victories in the one-off Callander Games Hill Race in 2011 and the nearby Ben Venue in 20:11.

Ben Gullipen, just west of the main road at Kilmahog, is held in the first half of March.   Not a steep one but scenically it is worth the trip.   Described by some as a race of two halves, starts off with 4 miles up followed by 4 down.  Almost all easy running on a Land Rover track with a nice gradient to pull you up the hill.   Organised by local outfit ‘skidaddle’ it’s not clear if it is run any more.    Donald McPartlin of Garscube Harriers won it in 2017 in 51:12 and Sarah McKenzie of Lochaber was first woman in 67:56.

Map of whole course of Stuc a Chroin (from the race website)

Between these two comes Stuc  a Chroin at the very start of May and Ben Sheann at the end.   It is the Big Daddy of all the hills mentioned here.   It is so close to Ben Vorlich that hill walkers often do them as a double Munro in the same day; they could maybe double up as a run too.   However, for the present, it has been part of the British Championship and is a hard one.   Starting with a climb up to the  ridge overlooking Glen Ample, a drop down into the Glen then a climb up to Ben Each and along to Stuc a Chroin  (a wee scramble there) and then back to the start.   Winners between 1989 and 2014 show the quality of entrant attracted by the event.

Won by Finlay Wild in 2019 in 2:06:20 with Andrew Fallas of Carnethy in 2:11:36, the first woman that year was Jill Stephen of Hunter’s Bog Trotters in 2:41:58.   There were 168 runners for this one.

Ben Sheann Route (from race website)

Ben Sheann is a mid-week race at the end of May.  The midges are no local legend – one runner was heard hoping that the race would start before he collapsed from blood loss.  Scottish Hill Racing describes it as “A micro classic. A small race with a big feel. The race climbs steeply through the forest to the prominent summit of An Sidhean. After the summit, follow a loop around some boggy tussocky ground before lauching back into the forest for the final exciting descent.   Expect midge hell.   A new course was established in 2010 to replace the old route which has disappeared beneath forestry operations.”

Although it only just over three miles, they are steep miles and if your uphill or downhill technique or courage is deficient, be sure it’ll be found out.   Race results back to 2005:

The short Ben Ledi is held right at the start of July and is a popular walk with local people as well as those from further afield.   The route is a simple one – approximately 10k – a loop which heads up Ben Ledi over the summit and down Stank Glen. It does not normally see as many runners lined up at the start of the race as the others in the years between 2013 and2017 inclusive there were 59, 39, 73, 80 and 53.  It is a straight up-and-down with no problems at all of where you are supposed to be running.   Recent winners were as follows.

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Later in July there is the very short hill race at Lochearnhead.  Incorporated into the Balquhidder, Lochearnhead & Strathyre Highland Games, the race is approximately 3 miles and has 1600 feet of ascent.  Usually a small field, sometimes the race has a good runner or maybe two.  It is hard to tell since the Games website does not keep results of past races.  Not as high profile as Stuc a Chroin, not as scenic as Ben Gullipen or Killin, the hill race is worth doing as part of the series.   Still, it is a good challenge for any runner.

The Killin race is another mid-week one held on a Wednesday in conjunction with the local highland games.   It is a short, fairly popular race, probably because of the location, and for a short midweek race often attracts athletes of a good calibre.   Recent race results – 

2014: 1. Colin Donnelly, 21:55; 2. S Rawlinson, 22:02; 3. A Barrington, 22:25.   First Woman: S Heward, 32:30; 2. J Bowman, 37:30; 3. V Lee, 42:19

There was no meeting in 2015.

2016: 1. S Rawlinson, 22:17; 2. C.Donnelly, 22:56; 3. S Fallon, 25:15.   First Woman: D MacDonald, 31:50; 2. H Porter, 33:35; 3. S Heward, 34:36.

2017: 1. S Rawlinson, Lochtayside, 21:56; 2. C. Donnelly, Hawick, 24:18; T. Videman, Czech Republic, 25:29.   First Woman D MacDonald, Inverness, 27:24; 2. F Wharton, Kendal 30:43; 3. Jen Gane, Lochtayside 32:21

2018: 1. R Jebb, 21:09.5; 2.  R Abernethy, 21:12.6; 3. S Rawlinson, 22:55.2.  First Woman: S Taylor, 27:59.7; 2. J Turner, 31:07.7; K Sharp, 34:34.6.

2019: 1. A Campbell, 22:19.9; 2. Murray Strain 22:53.0; 3. S Rawlinson, 24:17.3.  First Woman: L Knox, 32:34.4; 2. V Thornton, 34:20.3; 3. M Best, 35:16.6.

2022: 1. J Esdie, 22:34; 2. T Knox, 23:57; 3. S Rawlinson, 24:05.  First Woman: Esther Hulley, 33:05; 2. Jennifer Hulley, 35:50; 3. M Kuiper, 37:40.

There is also a Junior Hill Race but there are no track events.   The Killin Highland Games has an international flavour to it that many other Games lack.   Athletes come from all over Europe (France, Belgium, Italy, the Czech Republic have all appeared recently) and the Heavy events have seen athletes from the United States, the antipodes as well as Europe taking part.   Of course England and Wales are represented, maybe especially in the hill race where well known fell runners from Kendal and other clubs are frequently in action.   A good meeting, an enjoyable race at an attractive venue.

Prasad Prasad has won the Lochearnhead Games mentioned too – unfortunately BLS Games don’t have race winners on their website for us to see how often.   However, there it is – a whole series of races which are all withing about 20 miles and ranging from 3 miles to the 2 hours+ of Stuc a Chroin.   You could have a good summer doing these races alone, or just travelling to see them, enjoying the scenery, the cafes and the races too of course!

The Wicklow Round is a long-distance hill running challenge in the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland first run in 2008.   The route follows a proscribed 100-kilometre (approx 62 miles) circuit of 26 mountains, which must be completed in a fixed order, that total over 6,000 metres (20,000 ft) of elevation; there is some flexibility on route-choices between peaks   Rounds completed outside of a cut-off time of 24-hours are not generally recorded.    Irish ultra-runner Joe Lalor is credited with the creation of the Round.   Unusually the first person to complete the Round was Moire O’Sullivan, in a time of 22:58:30 on 29 May 2008.   Unusually in that all the other rounds were first run by a man.   O’Sullivan went on to write a book about her experience on the Round called Mud, Sweat, and Tears.   The highest point is Lugnaquilla st 3035 feet.   

Trail Running Ireland has this to say about the round:

Although the Round’s peaks can sometimes be hard to classify as true mountains, it is the repetitive nature of the effort that makes it so tough. All runners who have completed it are quick to mention the navigational aspect as a defining feature of the round. There aren’t always perfect peaks to the hills which aren’t always linked by decent trails, requiring good portions of off road running. The route an athlete takes can gain or lose precious minutes on each and every peak, minutes which add up over the course of 15+ hours.

The record for the round is 15:04:30 set in May, 2019 by Gavin Byrne; the women’s fastest time was 22:37:43 by Karina Jonina in May 2017.

The Denis Rankin Round is a long distance hill running challenge around the Mourne Mountains in County Down, Northern Ireland    The route is a circuit of over 90 kilometres, ie 56 miles, covering 26 miles with a total climb of over 6,500 metres, ie 20,000 feet. The Round must be completed within 24 hours to be considered a success. The Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc recognises the Round as a qualifying event.   The Round is named after Denis Rankin, a pioneer and leading light in fell running and mountain marathons in Northern Ireland since the 1970’s, who tragically died on 16^th May 2013 competing in a fell race on Slievemoughanmore.   This is not an organised event but a challenge open to all who believe they can circumnavigate the beautiful, rugged and demanding mountains of Mourne within 24 hours.

There have been various ways of doing it – eg Billy Reed from Ballyclare in Antrim has done a double round, the only man to have done so.   His time for a single round was 20 hours 29 minutes and for the double round 43 hours 17 minutes.   It can also be run as a  club relay with the following rules:

• Standard rules apply plus the list below (See Rules)
• Five runners – One per section (no support runners)
• Runners must be members of the same running club
• One GPS tracker per team which is transferred between runners
• Logistical support is allowed between sections
• Nominate a team captain. This person will be responsible for registering your team through the standard process

The standard rules referred to are on the Round website and include such as the requirement to register the attempt 24 hours before starting, name, age, nationality, etc as well as start time and estimated finish time, direction (clockwise or anticlockwise) and whether the run is supported or unsupported.   There are now 140 members and the round is noted as being first run in 2014.

Adrian (8) following Paul Forbes

Photo courtesy Bill Blair

We were all saddened by news of the death of Adrian Weatherhead – a very talented, respected but in some ways under rated athlete.  No matter the surface, road, track or country, he excelled and gained Scottish honours.   His very good friend Peter Hoffmann wrote the following tribute.

Paul Forbes, Peter Hoffmann and Adrian

TEMPUS FUGIT

Very sadly, Adrian Weatherhead died suddenly in Faro Portugal on Sunday, 9th October, 2022.

He was a very dear friend and a great mentor to Paul Forbes and me for over half a century

We loved Adrian to bits.

Since 1996 on my regular visits from the Highlands down the A9 to the capital, at the top of my to do list was to arrange for the three of us to meet up for coffee, usually at Starbucks Holy Corner.

In more recent years my elder son Will would sometimes join us as did Jack Davidson on occasion too.

I knew what our get-togethers meant to me. But when Adrian’s wife Jean telephoned me on Thursday evening with the devastating news she told me how much he looked forward to our coffees with keen anticipation, I don’t think I’d quite realised what they meant to him too.

Jean mentioned how much he liked a photograph that Will had taken of the three of us outside Starbucks. I’m glad that he did. I have one or two others from previous such occasions over the years. I’m so glad to have captured some of those moments.

Paul and my relationship with Adrian go back 50 years.

And although in our very early years it may have been slightly different because of the 12 year age difference between us it somehow never felt like that. As Jack astutely remarked to me yesterday “He was like a 20- or 30-year-old with his cheery upbeat outgoing personality.”

When I saw him over the past summer he was as vibrant and chatty as ever making it difficult to get a word in edgeways! Over the decades it was always an absolute delight and pleasure to meet up to enjoy some great craic, laughter and fun peppered with wide-ranging conversations, not just about athletics, when we also tried to sort out the world, including that bastard Vladimir Putin!

For some unknown reason lost in the mists of time I began keeping journals back at the start of 1971. Adrian crops up regularly. During the past decade it occurred to me that not everyone did the same. They went on to become the basis for several books including a few athletics books including A Life In A Day In A Year – A Postcard From Meadowbank and Audacity and Idiocy. Adrian of course features prominently in these books.

It means that from the mists of time I can conjure up some aspects of our shared lives together rather than those just based on fading memories.

Our Edinburgh based athletics training group in the 1970s met up for several years under the direction of Bill Walker. On golden autumn days; on cold winter mornings and then on warm spring and early summer weekends, we met up to train. An integral part of the group was Adrian, a sub 4 minute miler; plus GB 400 metres hurdles international Norman Gregor; World Student Games 400 metres silver medallist, Roger Jenkins and his brother David Jenkins who in 1975 was the number one quarter miler in the world – the best on the planet (and at the time a clean athlete); Paul Forbes a 1 minute 45 second half miler and 3 times Commonwealth Games athlete as well as myself a European Silver medallist and Olympian.

In the winter if we ran 6 x 500 metres each one of us led out a repetition. It was usually down to Adrian to take on the final effort. He was always the strongest athlete in the group. We trained over various distances running like the deer in efforts between 200 and 1200 metres. And if you wanted to watch us train, it was impossible to get a seat at the Meadowbank café window because so many people gathered to witness those halcyon occasions.

As an athlete Adrian was as straight as a die and as hard as nails. And despite Paul and my small successes somehow Adrian out-gunned us both with his sub 4 minute mile in 3 minutes 57 seconds. It doesn’t really come much better than having that moniker throughout your life and to be remembered by.

Adrian was a very modest individual. He was honest and straight talking too but in a thoughtful and kind way – a lovely balance. He openly admitted that he wasn’t a great natural talent. Indeed I think his school sports master at Stewart’s told him that he would never make it as an athlete. OOOPS! BIG MISTAKE! Adrian was the last person to say that to!

In the days when running careers were much shorter I suspect Adrian may well have been close to being the oldest sub 4 minute miler in the world. His 3 minutes 57 second mile suggested to me a man who got close to the absolute best out of himself. But that said if he hadn’t been injured in his 36th year in 1978 I wonder just how fast he could have run a mile that season. Certainly over that previous autumn, winter and spring he regularly roughed Paul and me up in training when I debuted seriously at 800 metres more or less immediately running 1 minute 46 seconds.

Meadowbank gave Paul and me a sense of acceptance and friendship within a larger community as well as within smaller groups. We were so very fortunate to find such good role models as Adrian and come under his wing as detailed in the book A Life In A Day. Here below is one extract that captures those days:

27th November 1977 I was able to join Adrian and Paul for training today. I awoke at half past eight. It was a glorious Sunday morning out – really wonderful. There wasn’t a breath of wind not even a zephyr which is most unusual for Edinburgh. The ground was hard as iron with a heavy white hoar frost covering the landscape. I collected the Sunday newspapers and took our Fox-Terrier to Portobello Park. The temperature was minus three yet it didn’t feel that cold so long as you kept on the move. The dog and I had fun trying to catch leaves as they fluttered downwards from the tree branches high up above. All things considered I ran a fair session at lunchtime but I blew up on the last run. Because of the freezing temperature we decided to half the length of the recoveries so that we didn’t get too cold hanging around in between repetitions. Afterwards the three of us ran a steady 6 miles around Craigentinny Golf Course which was closed to the golfers. It’s always a great way to finish off a Sunday. I’m enjoying some aspects of half mile training and because Adrian ensures we only do a recovery run at an easy pace there’s some great craic between us. We discuss ideas about training and racing but also talk about politics – the whole gamut and in between enjoy some good laughs too. It was one of my most enjoyable runs ever all enhanced with it being a cold still and crisp afternoon with a beautiful orange globe sun sinking into the west…

Within a few years Paul and I started to get picked for Scottish international teams and then British teams too. In 1974 Adrian was our sole track victor over 1500 metres in Oslo Norway. Over the next four years we regularly flew together to such destinations as Munich; Athens; Dresden; Nice etc, and our friendship grew. And on occasion when he couldn’t run because of injury he might put a stopwatch on us in training proffering some excellent advice too.

When you share a life together throughout the four seasons of the year training in all weathers you get to know a person pretty well. Adrian was someone you could absolutely depend and bank upon.

13th January 1979 Last night was the coldest ever recorded temperature in Edinburgh – minus 27 degrees. Adrian and Ross Nicol and I ran a track session after the rescheduled New Year Sprint. It was the coldest I’ve ever run in and as in the cartoons my hands had gone stiff with the extreme temperature.

We enjoyed some funny moments too. When I lived in London, Adrian and Paul stayed overnight with me for the AAAs Championships. I record:

13th July 1979 Paul and Adrian came back to the flat. Paul and I sat up chatting into the wee sma’ hours. 3:30 a.m. – terrible! Somebody’s alarm went off and Adrian didn’t know what the fuck had hit him! Trust Paul and me to see the funny side of it!

Adrian was a regular figure to be seen during the working week gliding around The Meadows each lunchtime. You could set your clock by him. I regularly used to join him there on a couple of occasions each week. Sometimes I was amused at how some pretty solid athletes joined us but usually after only a few minutes thereafter disappeared off into the distance because we were running too slowly!

Adrian’s training philosophy was that too many athletes at that time did their aerobic running far too quickly and their track sessions far too slowly. His regular thrice-weekly track sessions were hard hard efforts – pretty tough sessions whereas everything in-between was easy.

Despite his high-stepping style akin to a thoroughbred horse which wasn’t best suited to cross-country running, when he turned out for what was his annual venture over the country at the Scottish Championships in the early 1970s on three occasions he finished an astonishing second in a race six times his specialist distance leaving the afore-mentioned fellow Meadows athletes in the dust!

The brilliant Andy McKean said that when he looked round nervously at Adrian prancing over the muddy ground not far behind him it gave him a fright. I actually believe his best chance to win the championship was in 1972 on his local course when the ground was crisp and flattish but he instead chose to run indoors for Great Britain in San Sebastian Spain. In later years when I asked him if he regretted that decision he told me in atypical straight-talking terms Not at all Pete – my preference would always be to race for Britain. As for me I’d have raced at Riccarton!

In the very early days when Paul and I first ventured down to Meadowbank Adrian often trained with the great professional miler Jimmy Gray. They put in some fearsome sessions together. But Adrian was no fan of the other code. In later years if we met for lunch and the topic came up he was pretty outspoken about some of the shenanigans that went on with some of the bookies and other controlling voices. But he had a deep respect for Jimmy and warmed to the likes of Freddy Bell too who was a wonderful character in his own right.

Throughout his long life Adrian remained incredibly fit. After he retired he kept to an almost identical pattern of training, day in, day out.

By the early 1990s he did his standard middle distance sessions up at Campbell Park, Colinton, a stone’s throw from where I lived. We had a lovely wee arrangement whereby we never contacted each other but knew the days and the likely times when he would be there. As in days of old we enjoyed those companionable sessions in each other’s company particularly in the warm-ups and the warm downs when we could talk and bore for Scotland! Adrian remained as fit as a butcher’s dug. And whilst I was less so, with my speed we were pretty eaksy-peaksy making for lots of fun on the springy grass throughout the 4 seasons of the year. Sweet memories.

Another astonishing dimension to Adrian was that when he hit 40 he refused to be classified as a veteran. Atypically he decided to try out some occasional road racing. He was quite brilliant at that too, winning races against athletes half his age. And so that it wouldn’t get too much in the way of his Saturday and his training he turned out for Edinburgh Athletic Club on the first leg of the famous Edinburgh-Glasgow Road Race usually handing over in first place. He then went out and ran a couple of Grangemouth Round the Houses Road 10k road races in approximately 29 minutes, possibly close to the existing World Veteran’s records at the time, not that he was interested in them.

But as to his legendary grit! I recall him telling one astonished well-kent local athletics coach that you had to be prepared to die if you wished to maximise your ability at middle distance running! Paul and I were in awe of this aspect of Adrian but equally so his incredible self-discipline.

Our Campbell Park sessions came to an end in 1996 just before I moved to the Highlands when Adrian was getting cramps during sessions in his thigh. Most unfortunately it turned out to be a blockage in an artery. When he received the bad news he jettisoned the likes of cheese and chocolate from his diet. And in that respect he had the discipline to remain below his racing weight and the ascetic qualities and sensibilities of a monk, not that he was religious, indeed quite the opposite.

Into old age he followed the spirit and approach to life as exuded in Tennyson’s great poem:

Ulysses

’Tis not too late to seek a newer world.

Push off, and sitting well in order smite

The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds

To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths

Of all the western stars, until I die.

It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:

It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,

And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.

Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and tho’

We are not now that strength which in old days

Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;

One equal temper of heroic hearts,

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield …

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

If he was free my son Will loved to join Adrian, Paul and me for our coffees. Like Jack he warmed to Adrian’s exuberance finding him such an interesting character. Being a lawyer and a good listener he was genuinely interested in Adrian asking him questions on many aspects of training and health which Adrian greatly enjoyed responding too in his articulate and detailed way.

As Jean said to me Adrian greatly loved his life including many other interests such as astronomy, shooting and playing the guitar.

Adrian was a life-enhancing character, who if you’re very lucky, you come across in life. He was engaging, warm and outgoing. I’m glad he so enjoyed his moment in the sun. I know both Paul and I feel very privileged to have been able to share some of those moments which were and remain an important part of our lives together on our journey with him.

My last contact with Adrian was a month or so ago to wish him a happy 79th birthday. He thanked me responding Tempus fugit

Tempus fugit indeed and very lovely and sweet memories of Adrian stepping out over the landscape in the years when we ran like the deer.

Adrian, back row, left, with the Scottish team in Vichy:

Adrian, Lachie Stewart, Bill Stoddart,  Bill Mullett, Dick Wedlock, Gareth Bryan-Jones in the rear, Norman Morrison, Ian McCafferty and Jim Alder in front.

Thanks, Peter, for that lovely portrait of Adrian as a runner, as a man and as a friend.   The last photograph is of Adrian with a really top class Scottish cross-country team, just one of the many occasions when he represented his country.

There are several mountain running challenges – eg  the Island Peaks Race – but the best known are probably the three challenges known in hill running circles as “Rounds”.   In Scotland it is the Ramsay Round, in Wales it is the Paddy Buckley Round and in England it is the Bob Graham Round.   

Scotland has the highest mountains (23 x 3000 feet), Wales has most summits and England has the longest running course.   Wikipedia tells us –

“The Bob Graham Round is a fell running challenge in the English Lake District. It is named after Bob Graham (1889–1966), a Keswick guest-house owner, who in June 1932 broke the Lakeland Fell record by traversing 42 fells within a 24-hour period. Traversing the 42 fells, starting and finishing at Keswick Moot Hall, involves 66 miles (106 km) with 26,900 feet (8,200 m) of ascent.

The Round was first repeated, in a better time, in 1960 by Alan Heaton. Since then over 2500 individuals have completed the Round with the fastest time being 12hr 23m set by Jack Kuenzle in 2022, surpassing Kílian Jornet’s record by almost 30 minutes. The women’s record is 14hr 34m set by Beth Pascall in 2020. The Lakeland 24 Hour record has also been improved with the current holder, Kim Collison, successfully reaching 78 summits in the allotted time.

Along with the Paddy Buckley Round and the Ramsay Round, the Bob Graham Round is one of the classic big three mountain challenges in the UK. Some fifty six individuals have completed all three.”

Unlike the other two, changes have been made to the Graham Round.   For instance it is permitted to run the round in either direction, clockwise or anti-clockwise so long as the runner starts and finishes at the Moot Hall in Keswick.   Another change was made when it was decided that Graham’s route was “not optimal for attempts on the absolute fell record.”   I’m not sure exactly what that means but there are now two Bob Graham Rounds.   The 24 hour round now has 78 tops, while the original has been left as a challenge in its own right.

The distance of the round has increased as follows (again from Wikipedia):

Building on the basic Bob Graham Round, later runners raised the number of peaks traversed within 24 hours still further:

• 1962: Alan Heaton – 54 peaks in 23:48
• 1963: Eric Beard – 56 peaks, involving 88 miles (142 km) with 34,000 feet (10,000 m) of ascent in 23:35
• 1964: Alan Heaton – 60 peaks in 23:34
• 1971: Joss Naylor – 61 peaks in 23:37
• 1972: Joss Naylor – 63 peaks in 23:35
• 1975: Joss Naylor – 72 peaks involving over 100 miles (160 km) and 37,000 feet (11,000 m) of ascent in 23:20
• 1988: Mark McDermott – 76 peaks in 23:26
• 1997: Mark Hartell – 77 peaks in 23:47
• 2020: Kim Collison – 78 peaks in 23:45

While women’s advance was – 

The sequence of ladies 24-hour records (for the number of peaks traversed within 24 hours or for the same number of peaks in a faster time) is:

• 1977: Jean Dawes – 42 peaks in 23:37
• 1978: Anne-Marie Grindley – 42 peaks in 21:05
• 1979: Ros Coats – 42 peaks in 20:31
• 1979: Anne-Marie Grindley – 58 peaks in 23:20
• 1994: Ann Stentiford – 62 peaks in 23:17
• 2011: Nicky Spinks – 64 peaks in 23:15
• 2020: Carol Morgan – 65 peaks in 23:57
• 2021: Nicky Spinks – 65 peaks in 23:45
• 2022: Fiona Pascall – 68 peaks in 23:26

Hill runners love their rounds.   All the home countries have their own multi-hill challenges – in Scotland there is the Charlie  Ramsey Round, in England there is the Bob Graham Round and in Wales there is the Paddy Buckley Round.   The latter covers more than 100 km and takes in 47 summits.   Wikipedia tells us that –

Runners may start at any point on the circular route (finishing at the same place) and may run the course in either a clockwise or anticlockwise direction. The route takes in the well-known high mountain ranges of Snowdon, the Glyderau and the Carneddau as well as the slightly less visited ranges of Moel Siabod, the Moelwynion, Moel Hebog and the Nantlle Ridge. The route was devised by the eponymous Paddy Buckley and first completed in 1982 by Wendy Dodds.   The selection of summits that must be visited is somewhat arbitrary and no rules appear to have been applied in selecting them.   Generally, it takes in the major peaks of the ranges that are being crossed, then any minor tops that are passed along the way are also included. Some of these tops really are just bumps on the ridge and not really summits in their own right at all.

Fastest times:

• For many years the fastest authentic round was by Mark Hartell in 18 hours 10 minutes;
• Then on 4th May 2008, this time was matched by Chris Near of Eryri Harriers. 
• The record was broken in July 2009 by Tim Higginbottom who completed the Round in a time of 17 hours and 42 minutes.
• This was further reduced in 2019 by Damian Hall with 17 hours 31 minutes, 
• Again on 30 August 2020 by Matthew Roberts with a time of 16 hours 38 minutes.
•  Kim Collison set a new best time of 16 hours 20 minutes in April 2021.
•  A year later, in April 2022, a new record was set by Finlay Wild who completed the round solo and unsupported in a time of 15 hours 14 minutes.

We have a separate webpage on Finlay Wild whose run was, as noted above, solo and without any support.   This was quite a feat for a man from Fort William running over a course which was so far from home and which, no matter how much planning had gone into it, must have been largely unknown to him.

The women’s record at September 2022 was 18 hours and 33 minutes by Jasmin Paris.