Uncategorized – Page 51 – SCOTTISH DISTANCE RUNNING HISTORY

Scottish Hill Runner Number 1

Posted on November 16, 2020 by The Author

The Hill Runner’s Year

Posted on November 13, 2020 by The Author

There are races all year round for hill runners. When we hear or think of running in the hills what springs to mind are athletes running on green, grassy hills in spring and summer but hills are run in winter too – look at Denis on Carnethy in the snow – and even in spring and summer Scottish weather can produce rain, hail and showers. Even in summer the sun can be so hot that it burns the skin and dehydration is a serious problem. That’s not all the time but these are all eminently possible whenever the race takes place. And if you’re prone to sea sickness, don’t tackle the Island Peaks Race. The skills required to be a successful or even competent hill runner are many. How does a hill runner’s year look? Does it aim for a single peak race, or does it look for a plateau of races through the summer? Do the runners specialise in short, medium or long distance races? Some do but if they want to head for the Championships, then all three types of race have to be tackled. Of course it is always, for even experienced hill racers to lose the trail at some point, and some races require that the runners carry a map and/or compass. This means knowing how to use them as well as carry them. The best way to find out what it is like is to ask a hill runner. With that in mind we asked Denis Bell what the hill runner’s year looked like, and how he went about preparing for it. This what he told us.

There was a serious learning process in my first few years. First year was a lucky start to my career due to my marathon strength and training routines. I also luckily love ‘The Hills’ and slopes up (especially) and down did not phase me. I needed the Race Calendar and that was simply the be-all/ end-all. Of course the huge challenges were family and work pressures and didn’t dare think of illness or injury.

As soon as Calendar was received, I assiduously marked on the Championship races, selection races and internationals. Then I’d ‘back off’ to ensure I had a wee plan to prep myself properly for the 2-3 weeks before each ‘key date = race’. I plugged in classic races whenever I thought they’d help me prepare, or races that I loved and did not want to miss.

Normally for me first race was likely to be Carnethy, mid February (high class, early season classic, very tough ‘medium’ with a huge field and many top class runners [earlier years, from the home nations, in Good numbers!]

My planning focused on the races as Short, Medium or Long.. ‘what could I do to be in best form?’

Shorts are intense and quick. Full blast, needed to have quick legs and good heart lung capacity!

Mediums more about stamina and strategy.. ‘how could I skim an advantage?’ … did I need food or drink?

Longs… big endurance and on the move eat and drink strategy, and possibly mapwork.

So as I planned forward I’d aim to be neither tired nor hurting (muscle shock from descending too hard etc) and nor stale.

I wanted to go at the races confident and fit, and smart… and properly hydrated and carbo-loaded (to me very important at long races). On the critical events I wanted to go in ‘hungry for a race and a good result’!! So I could purposely starve myself of competition to be hungry (but of course I always ‘feared’ being not race-fit! and what my peers were achieving. I rationalised that some could race very regularly and pretty well cope with anything, but I had too many other things to address, and also did get stale, jaded or lost enthusiasm if overloaded. So limited diet and high interest had to be the formula.

My calendar covered about a dozen top level races and another 4,6 or 8 less critical … but part of ‘the plan’…

You’ll note the mid February kick off, but Championship races might not come in until April-May and then tip into a full-on, very tight, week on week calendar….so I had to think how to gap Carnethy to the next ‘key event’ and plan in prep races ( I had to get and keep ‘race fit’).

My training was pretty well week on week as already said, and I balanced speed work, hill reps, sustained endurance and also ‘longs’ … if I got ill (virus, colds) or injured, I had to keep smart, think the wee changes through and get back in the groove, not too soon or too overloaded and end up perpetuating the issues. A key was to never panic, nor compound things by stressing (not easy if big events were looming!) and at times I simply felt, ca’ canny and see what comes..

So review the calendar plan and my ‘form’ almost continuously . I also never dwelt on ‘weaker’ races… if I could pull a wee lesson fine, but always looking forward to the next one (couldn’t undo the last one!). As the year progressed, I had to keep focused on what was still possible and what was looking critical…. I quite often managed to get this focus right, and pretty well knew the strengths and weaknesses of my peers and what they were trying to achieve.

Amongst the stramash, I had usually one, or two, or three key competitors in focus (the year’s results were stacking up and the ‘medals order’ was forming.. it was simply ‘me against them’ in some sense). If there was a clear ‘winner’, then could I squeeze a silver or bronze…? Could I keep form and do well in a selection race for an international chance…? In selection it was very tight… first 2 guaranteed, next 2 (..4 per team) selected by a committee on past form and some discretionary considerations. No chance to slip up.

If selection was achieved this added a dose of ‘compromise’… MUST do best possible and support the team… hoping champs aspirations would not be compromised.

As the year worked forward, intensity and ‘excitement/ pressure’ grew but you couldn’t let this phase you.. step at a time, race at a time… focus focus focus.. stay healthy and strong, try to avoid injury. (at times, training runs were stressful and actually subject to taking on injuries, especially twisted ankles..).

If the international events and champs ‘finalised’ then the pressure was off excepting classic races with peer competitors were also ‘Important’ to me if I had done well or got a vest I was a target for being beaten. I was….

Wind down towards very end of season (Tinto, early November) . then a few weeks off possibly and relax and stay healthy… training runs became far less focused and done as per want and habit.

When’s the next year calendar coming out?

Watch running too lean, tired or stressed and try and get through the Winter strong and healthy.

Happy New Year. Where’s the Race Calendar?”

Any athlete with pretentions to ambition, looks out the race card – the Scottish Marathon club used to issue a small, in your pocket size card with the year’s fistures on it, most clubs did the same. But the fixture lists for the hill runners were much larger, more detailed and put the track and road runners versions to shame. Graham Tiso was the sponsor and for many years the ficture card was an A4 sized four page production that had a front page with some information, then the two inside pages were designed to be spread out on the table and had 13 columns spread before the runner. The one for 1989 is reproduced below – note that races were categorised as A, B or C races, and were also differentiated as Short, Medium or Long, hence the SM or ML or whatever at each race.

The calendar developed over the years and by 1998 it had a glossy cover and ran to 24 pages.

Easy reading it was not! It was however an essential for a sport as technical, as complicated and as potentially dangerous as hill running. Of course reading the above tables at the start of the season was not the only reading and/or studying the hill runners had to do. Most run at least a few races south of the border and so the Fell Runners version had to be taken into the calculations. Their booklet for the same period looked like this –

Smaller in size, it ran to 52 pages of which 26 were race details and information. It meant turning pages forward, and probably back again, or turning back and forth between the same two pages to help decide what race to add to the programme. But it was an add-on to the Scottish version as far as most were concerned. The whole process would probably get the runner a PhD in the 21st century.

How long did it take the athlete to work out the programme? An experienced runner would have a good idea of what the shape of his year would be and approaching the end of the year, in anticipation of the arrival of Tiso’s chart and the others, he’d have been thinking about what changes he’d like to make to last year’s plan. Then it was the same priority as other athletes with championship events being sorted out first, only more complicated because the domestic championship involved races at different distance – Short races were less than 45 minutes but could be as short as 20-25 minutes, mediums were between 45 minutes and an hour and 45 minutes with the longs being over 1 hour 45 minutes although in practice they were rarely less than 2 hours 15 minutes. The next priority for those at the top end was to add in the selection race for the international – for some this would maybe be the first priority. Finally there were the ‘wee’ events that might make useful additions in the gaps between the major objectives. The runner who knew what he was doing after several seasons would find it easier to organise then the newcomer or relatively inexperienced but it was still one of the most important decisions to be taken.

The calendars are above and now the races have to be chosen.

1. There had to be at least six races – 2 short, 2 medium and 2 long.

2. They had to spread so that there was enough recovery time between them.

3. They had to be easily accessible – you will note that the events were spread the length and breadth of Scotland – or somewhere that accommodation was available.

4. And, of course some races had plesant associations from previous years and others were no-nos. Denis’s completed calendar for 1988 is below.

There are nine races marked in red on the left – 3 S, 3 M and 3 L with the dates underlined. That would have been the final decision on what to run. Between the first and second columns in ink all the possible races were marked with ticks for the ‘possibles’ and small circles (wee letter o’s) marking the back-up races. ie races that he enjoyed or races that could be used to keep sharp or to fulfil some other training/racing purpose. Then at the end of the season, actual results were added. Note that, although he did not add the race to the year’s schedule when he made it out in December or January, the World Mountain Running Trial was added.

The work in 1988 was spot on: note the addition at the foot of the page – “World Cup in Keswick, 16/10/88.” You will note from the results extract below that it was a successful year with the attainment of second Scot in that race. The planning had paid off.

Denis Bell’s Pictures: 3

Posted on November 10, 2020 by The Author

Many more to come, but his time we start with

a Haddington road race 322;

75, don’t know but it wis sair!

Sco Vest 17…Snowdonia 1988, 16th behind Dermot by 15 secs

With his friend, Adrian Bone

Below: two more of Adrian

Above: Adrian and Denis going up Llanberis Pass at about 5 or 6 miles

Below: “Adrian turning to go up the fierce climb at about 20-22 miles, to the old quarry, [equally steep run-off down to the Llanberis side and last couple on miles to finish…]

Having a ‘cuppa’ and sharing of experience.

Come and Try Day at Old Kilpatrick (above and below)

Group includes Denis, Christine Menhennet, Brian Potts and Ian Murphy

Brian Edridge, Christine Menhennet and Ian Murphy

Below: A few Cross-Country events (Kirkcaldy and maybe Falkirk or Borders?)

On Ben MacDhui.

Haddington ELP Presentation with Yvonne Murray

Receiving his first first .veteran trophy

First Senior

A summer race

Some Thoughts on Hill Running Training

Posted on November 10, 2020 by The Author

Denis Bell credits Eddie O’Neill with introducing him to the hill running which became the only sport for him. Many years later, Eddie (who now has his own excellent blog on the subject) asked Denis for his thoughts on training for hill running. Denis wrote them out longhand and they are reproduced here in that format for a variety of reasons, but read and inwardly digest the following.

There seems to be an emphasis on the specificity of training in the above and this is also one of the aspects of training for hill running that emerges from these two extracts for the further correspondence

(a) About 8-10 hours….

Possibly 30-40 minutes at lunchtime, and up to about 1-11/2 hours at night (towards the top end if I hadn’t run at lunchtime). Lunchtime session would typically be ‘quick’ or wee hill reps or running routes where there were steps involved (power up quick…. concentration descending them quickly)

I always had a day off every week.

I would always try not to stress myself (tired or frazzled muscles) going into a race. If it was a long race I’d try to load and hydrate as if for a marathon. If no racing for a week or two then get in longer runs…. but always mindful of a taper to try and get in there decently fresh and with good appetite…

On the hills it became better to think hours than distance, to allow for the very varied terrain.. my marathon times were about 75-80 mpw… in the hills it was more like ‘maybe 40mpw’ but about same time 8-10 hours of good commitment. I always trained ‘fast and quicker’ rather than ‘grind out the hours over bigger distances’ (largely to do with my personal approach but also family time constraints).

A key was reading the body mood and form… occasionally I could very quickly recover from anything I’d done (purple patch), but other times I just knew I had to throttle back and not go deep into the bank and leave myself short for racing…. I also would know what type of terrain and would sometimes load up descending practice to get the muscle groups best attuned…. All on the hoof Eddie with no formal structure, but the calendar always drove me to consider what my season would be like and I could foresee it all the 8 months ahead (March[Carnethy] to early November [Tinto]) and always thought about the week or two immediately ahead and specifically what that race would need. My calendar was between 16-24 races a year (champs, selection, internationals, and ‘classics’) so from maybe 32 race weekends you can see I was very selective. I needed to do well in every single one, for points and vests (and even the classics [often with an international ‘feel’]where you knew you were against the best over superb courses, so that was fellow peer ‘kudos’)

(b) There’s a wonderful track up a very good slope just at the bottom end of the Hopes Reservoir.

I used to run it and recall something like 11 minutes up and 5 mins down(full tilt, part of the grind to keep going, then immediately turn and thrash myself down. I was already fit of course. I think I used to do these in 3s…..

I’d say decently gentle slopes to start with, and be careful not to run down too hard and trash the legs. Push up the way and ensure you ‘go over the top’ then turn and relax coming down, as recovery or pushing if you want to get harder descending legs…

2 minutes sustained up enough to get going etc….

But if you are on big hills got to decide ‘sustain a run as much as poss, or do race-walking if a bit too steep (as you feel fit/ strong enough or not)

My local reps route was Fa’side Castle…..

I used to do downs and ups in ‘about 5m 15s’ and take the gap to the 1/2 minute to go again. So virtually no recovery bits…

Started with 3, then following week5, then following 8…. a wee campaign of building; these were again when I was fit, training for Snowdonia Marathon, before I became a hulk runner.

The most rewarding session ever was when I did 12 reps in just under the hour….I amazed myself, no recovery breaks at all, turn-go! …. I Remember at 3 ‘ow’…5 half way to target of 10 (good but really tough)… got to 8 ‘settled’ (I will do this) pushed on to10 well under the hour (wow, going great) thinking I’ll grab another 2 to 12, and did it!!! (tail end focus and probably a bit of Adrenalin rush…).

To roll up after good sessions of 5m10-5m15s then smash it all to do 12 sub 5s was amazing!!!

With full power on Eddie, I could run all the way up Ben Lomond ( standard route) and all the way the Ptarmigan route, excepting about 50-100 metres of the west facing crags (scrambling) . I was training Ben Lomond in less than 1h15m and 1.25 on the Ptarmigan route(fair bit more ascent)….

I needed to, I wanted to.. the fear of my competitors was strong ….

…

Index to Hill Running Posts

Posted on November 8, 2020 by The Author

Hill Running is as much an endurance Sport as are the longer road, track and cross-country disciplines. Indeed there has been a degree of overlap in recent years with established track and country runners like Bobby Quinn and Tommy Murray representing Scotland in the world mountain running championships, and the contribution by Don Ritchie has been noteworthy. Accordingly there are pages on this website dealing with the events, people and other features to do with the hill running scene . To make it easy to access these contributions, this index is to meet that need. Just click on the item and you will be taken there.

PEOPLE

Mel Edwards, Hill Runner Angela Mudge .Don Ritchie . Eddie Campbell . Pete Duffy, Bill Gauld . Phil, Colin, Jack , Penny, Bobby and Tommy . Sonia and Sue . Bobby Shields, Jim Shields, Brian Finlayson .

RACES

Lairig Ghru .The Ramsay Round . Stuc a Chroin Dumgoyne . Ben Nevis Race .

EVENTS, ETC

The Alternative Championships Training for Hill Running Cosmic Hillbashers . Lore of the Scottish Hill Races .

PHOTOGRAPHS

.Denis Bell’s Photographs 1 Denis Bell’s Photographs 2 . Denis Bell’s Photographs 3

John Hepburn’s Photographs 1 John Hepburn’s Photographs 2 John Hepburn’s Photographs 3

Angela Mudge’s Photographs 1 Angela Mudge’s Photographs 2 Angela Mudge’s Photographs 3

Denis Bell’s Pictures: 2

Posted on November 8, 2020 by The Author

Some more of Denis’s pictures in the red and white of HELP, including some taken at Carnethy in the snow. But we start with Carnethy in the Snow!

Carnethy, 1993: 1st Veteran. Race winner: Neil Wilkinson, 1st Lady: Helen Diamantides

Below: Off West Lomond on the way to Victory!

An Early SHRA Champs: Alan Farningham, Andy Curtis, Robin Morris, Jim Stephenson, Dermot McGonigle and Denis

Below: Ian Davidson and John Wilkinson added Dermot’s Champs?

A Prize at Haddington

Snowdonia International

Scott Matheson on Berwick Law

The Alternative Hill Racing Championship.

Posted on November 7, 2020 by The Author

The hill running scene was like any other sport organised by a governing body of an internationally recognised sport in that there were championships where the fastest runners were first, second and third, and subsequently there were races within races to find the fastest Junior athletes and then further along the time line there were awards for the older competitors which again had their own championships as well. This was despite the fact that there would have been no championships at all – indeed no races at all – were it not for the vast bulk who ran week in, week out with never a thought of a prizes of any colour. Maybe there would be a handicap or spot prize here and there if the handicapper was kind to you. There was an ever increasing fixture list which just grew and grew. Look at these figures:

1985: 43 races; 1996: 77 races; 1999: 91 races; 2009: 174.

There was also the fact that with international competition and national championships in mind, the elite had to be catered for as well as the majority of athletes involved.

Denis had a look at this and came up with a novel approach to the championship scene. A championship where ‘all who will may enter’ regardless of their ability, standard or past record of success or non-success. He describes the situation thus.

The idea of splitting to 2 calendars was ‘classics’ for the Elite (AND anyone else) but a top level championship… and a general punters Calendar for all the other (less classic) races that are all over the country ( Scotland!) with more ‘local appeal’… of course that could be used for the ‘Alternative Champs’…??!!

So 3 or 4 things…

1. Keep the elites as good as they could be or become…

2. Focus on classics and also rotate to help any erosion concerns

3. Try and attract ‘visiting runners to brilliant events’

4. Allow top level management., and a team to manage a lower key ‘people’s events calendar’

We are lucky to have a fair bit of the correspondence of the first year of this championship and as far as possible the story of that inaugural alternative championship in 1996 will be told using that documentation. Read on …

The above letter dates 18th February, 1996,was distributed by Denis to all fellow hill-runners. The letter and the scheme were self-explanatory. The next steps would be to see if there was a big enough number of participants to make it viable; if there were, to notify the governing body, find someone to do the donkey work of organising and recording the performances – and if it were possible to find a sponsor. The entries came pouring in to Torrance and that answered the first point. Many of the replies contained suggestions such as – “How about downhill only races?” Some from friends and rivals involved scurrilous banter but most complimented him on a great idea. A small selection below.

There are in this life many who see a problem and live with it. Denis is of the school which believes that something can be done by anybody about anything. This Alternative Championship was his attempt to put a different slant as an alternative to give credit to runners who maybe never ever got into any top ten results. I remember sitting at the top of the drop down into Glen Ample in the Stuc a Chroin race where the runners had toiled up from Strathyre and one of the runners from my own club smiled as she passed and said that we supporters were part of the team. She was one of many who raced on the hills all year, who had to train long hours to be fit enough to do long, medium and short hills, pay her way every time and finish with a smile. There are many like that on the hill running scene.

There was a short article in ‘The Scottish Hill Runner’ of June 1996 which read:

“As you all know from the last newsletter I’ve been ‘off the wall’ a bit (what’s new?) and started to promote The Alternative Championship, some want to call it the ‘punter’s championship, and I’m pleased to report that to date 41 of you have responded to my offer…. THANKS. The deadline for entry to my database was 30/4/96, however I’ll still take latecomers for another couple of weeks … say 17/5/96. It looks like the biggest problem will be to get results from the race organisers … any RO’s please , please note, I’d be very grateful if you’d help get results to me.

I hope that you’ll all remember the very generous offer from Scottish Hill Runners that they will use some of your funds to sponsor the prizes, although I also know that the intention is to give all participants some kind of commemoration for the season’s races.

SO – RACE YOUR 20 RACES AND YOU’LL FIGURE IN THE RESULTS … IT’S ALL ABOUT ENDEAVOUR AND SUPPORT TO THE HARD WORK THE RACE ORGANISERS PUT IN FOR US. THEY DESERVE OUR PRESENCE.”

The letter having been sent out, entries received and the deadline extended, it was decided that all runners, regardless of position, were to receive a certificate. Note the comment above about a commemoration being donated by the SHR. Many races at the time awarded a certificate – Ben Nevis, Tom Scott, Mamore Hill, etc – and the appropriate certificate was designed.

For the other two issues noted above, it was clear right from the start that entries were to him and he had also volunteered to produce a spreadsheet with the results and keep it up to date. The scheme was ‘up and running’. All that was required now was the results rom all the races. In the days of typewritten results (handwritten on occasion) these were not always easy to obtain on the day. This meant sending out polite requests bbut Denis was up to the job –

After all that – and the race organisers were all very co-operative – at the end of the season, the spreadsheet was complete and one is reproduced below.

There were some problems in getting complete results sheets and again Denis went into letter writing mode, firing out polite epistles to race organisers and eventually getting the information that he needed to produce the final result. The results shown below indicate a wide range of participants and their categories. It really was a championship for the solid, hard running, week-in/week-out competitors who make the sport what it is.

It had been a success due to Denis’s efforts – as well as to the runners who entered, who paid their money, and supported the initiative.

Come and Try Days

Posted on November 7, 2020 by The Author

Denis says: Chris Menhennet had the great idea for ‘Come & Try’ and I helped her carry it off at Old Kilpatrick Bowling Club. As I recall about 15 ‘turn ups’ and about 6-8 of us worthies.

We did basic introductory stuff and explained the concept of hill running and the organisation in place to assist…I cannot remember if it was still Scottish Hill Running Association, or Hill Running Commission (the fully affiliated SAL organisation). We covered stuff like essential equipment ..shoes (PBs really at the time), and bumbag, top coverings, then maps and compass etc…and a few countryside craft hints and tips ( eating and drinking etc) all very low key.

We were trying to enthuse ‘new runners’ to hill running, and I recall ‘most’ had some jogging running experience, though generally ‘little’. We set off in small groups to do easy runs up into the Kilpatricks and those were very canny ‘social’ groups ( I remember in mine I got them to do a wee scree run descent for fun).

We had a nice social back at the club rooms and had grub and drinks. I think it was likely a modest £2-3 if I recall We were targeting increasing numbers (Scottish Hill Runners, HRC…) and getting more ladies and youngsters into our sport. At the time we maybe had 250 members across Scotland, few women and even less juniors…

I don’t recall if we replicated this anywhere else, but we enjoyed it!

And the SHRA magazine thought that it had been a terrific success too. The report in their magazine was enthusiastic. It read:

Report on “Come and Try” Hill Running: an Introductory Day to the Sport. Date: Sunday, 18th April, 1993. 10:30 – 3:30Organisers Christine Menhennet, Denis Bell and Brian Edridge. Sponsor: Scottish Athletics Federation.

INTRODUCTION:

It was decided to hold an introductory day to the sport of Hill Running, in an effort to spread some knowledge of our minority sport. This would be the first event of its typein British hill running. We are always interested in recruiting new participants and this event was to be organised in such a way as to cater from everyone from the total beginner to the trained athlete. All age groups were welcomed and, of course, both sexes.

PUBLICITY

Publicity for the event commenced three weeks before the day it was to be held. A3 sized posters (apporx35 were placed in sports centres and sports shops around Glasgow;an A4 sized flyer was circulated to most of teh West District clubs (those clubs most distanced from Glasgow were not notified) Adverts were placed in the Glasgow South and Eastwood Echo, Paisley and Renfrew Times, the Clydesider and the Scottish Hill Runner. All publications gave date, venue, content and phone numbers for further information. We received 4 phone calls prior to the day when 20 people attended, of whom 14 were totally new to hill running, and included 2 women, 2 juniors and 10 senior men.

PROGRAMME OF EVENTS

The day commenced with tea and biscuits followed by a brief welcome and introduction given by Christine. Denis then gave a 35 minute talk entitled “What is Hill Running?” covering topics such as the sport’s organisation, terrain covered, distances and heights covered , the people involved the hazards involved and the championship structure. Christine followed with a talk of similar length entitled “Shoes and Equipment” dealing with clothes, shoes, safety, navigation and diet.

A run was planned for 12:00 noon but first we wanted to offer some inspiration, and using the Bowling Club’s huge video screen, we showed Llesley Kirkwood’s video of the 1991 Carnethy Hill Race “Friends in High Places”. Everyone volunteered for the ensuing hill runsuitably inspired by the scenes of mud and gore!

Brian Edridge of Clydesdale Harriers led the run with assistance from other members of the same club. The total time out was 1 1/2 hours and the route took participants over the Kilpatricks plateau to Duncombe Hill and back with a choice of two routes, one slightly easier than the other. The terrain offered a variety of tussock, track, bog, scree and heathery path – altogether a good introduction. After a wash and change, runners helped themselves to a buffet lunch, during and after which videos were shown covering a range of events including both short, sharp and endurance events. This led to some general discussion and questions with the more experienced hill runners present offering advice and information. Denis wound up the day’s events with a prize draw and concluding comments. Everyone was asked to fill in a “Feedback Sheet” and help themselves to handouts and calendars available at the display boards.

CONCL;USION

This was a friendly, informal event and judging from the feedback sheets was very well received by those who turned up. Future improvements would include advertising to a wider target group eg climbing clubs and orienteering clubs and a possible future promotion in one of the widely read local newspapers. For a fist time event however, the numbers were just about right.

The total cost of the training day was £270. A nominal £2/head was charged. Finally Clydesdale Harriers are pleased to have had 3 of the course attenders , all of whom have since attended hill training sessions and hill races.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Christine and Denis would like to thank the following people/organisations for their help: Scottish Athletics Federation, Brian Edridge, Shelagh King, Old Kil[patrick Bowling Club, Ian Murphy, Mary Bell, Gavinburn Farm, Jim Shields, Lesley Kirkwood.

Brian Edridge, Christine Menhennet and Ian Murphy

Denis Bell’s Pictures: 1

Posted on November 7, 2020 by The Author

Denis has had a wonderful in the sport of athletics – particularly in hill running. First as a competitor, then as administrator, then as international team manager and always as a publicist, recruiting sergeant and proselytiser for the sport. We have some of his photographs here and the first six are of the Snowdonia Marathon. Of the first of which he says: “

With Malcolm Jones, near Beddgelert, he adds “good form, and then broken and having been overtaken (1/2 mile to go?), and this is 3-400m from finish line!”

“Turning the screws” heading towards halfway: there were, he recalls, two drink stations which were not properly set up when I went through them

By now, broken clear of Jones

A few hundred yards to go …

The winner, Mike Neary

Denis has tremendous praise to offer for Mike Neary and for this run. He says: “The climbing in this marathon is ‘a lot’ and for all ‘normal folks’ possibly a ‘10 minutes added penalty’…makes Mike Neary’s 2.25 a superb run, by any account. (Jeff Norman , by the way was the previous record holder at 2.31]

Chap with cup and dark hair -beard is Dave Woodhead ( he, and wife Eileen) great stalwarts in FRA.

With winner Mike Neary who ran a course record of 2:25 beating Jeff Norman’s existing time.

No 22 in Scottish vest in woodland.. Berchtesgaden…WMRT.

Scottish vest race walk up stones path was going up onto Grisedale Pike at Keswick wmrt

On my knees.. after Carnethy, 1993, 1st vet..

1st: N Wilkinson 48:47; J Wilkinson 50:02; D McGonigle 50:12 … 10th I Murphy 53:35; 181h , first vet Denis 53:35 1st Lady Helene Diamantides 61:56; 2nd Lady Chris Menhennet 63:20; 3rd Lady Chris Whalley 65:38.

Head down coming up long slope on the Lomonds of Fife

In Help [Help stands for Haddiigton East Lothian Pacemakers which was his first and only club] vest about to turn off road Two Breweries before heading to Trahenna Hill Race no 227 ( ditto one on road with shadow)

Meall a Bhuchaille got a disappointing 3rd vet which just got me Scottish Vet Champ gold

Going up Carnethy 5 in front of Mark Rigby (and a string of others)

On Lammerlaw Cairn (I’m rhs) with great friend Dave Jonesand Henry Muchamore towards left with skip cap…

Chasing Peter Marshall (Help light blue shorts) coming off North Berwick Law (mid-week evening race: Peter was Scottish Vets Champion 5 years in a row.

Edinburgh Marathon

Edinburgh Marathon 1984

Above: Emma Gorman inaugural Girls u18 Champ Ambleside British Jnr Champs ( hosted by FRA)

Below: John Brooks descending towards wall loup at same champs and u18 boys inaugural champ too…

Hugh McGinlay

Posted on November 6, 2020 by The Author

GREAT SCOTTISH VETERANS: HUGH McGINLAY, FALKIRK VICTORIA HARRIERS

Veteran, Master, Harrier, Athlete, a rose by any other name is just as sweet, an tae tell the truth a hae been/am the hale jing bang show, an a wis a late entrant tae the runnin’ scene! Came in via the marathon boom via the Fa’kirk Vics an wi’ the late Jimmy Kelly, The Scoattish Vets. We lined up wi’ the elite, Jimmy sayin’ we are the elite.

I am a road runner, a’ else is a bonus, I enjoy the challenge of the road, the camaraderie of the packed dressing rooms, before and after the race.

The track I came to, in some measure to get out of the slipstream of Willie Marshall. I had done the miles had the strength, the stamina, so why no the track? It wis a breeze – a’ a had tae dae wis suss oot the field, hing in ahint taking the pace, an then belt it fur the tape, an a’ did no too bad at that, even at British level.

The X/C, noo that is a different story, it wis a’ hard work an a wis at the tail end, aye even wi’ the lassies, bit yin event at Cupar in 2004 lives wi’ me; demanding course, the weather inclement in the extreme, runners packin a’ o’er the place. Jean worried tae hell aboot me, whar wis a, hoo wis ’ getting oan? She wis reassured I was being monitored personally through the hale course, tremendous.

You disappoint me, you aquiesced (ma Higher Englis), lay doon, hid intransigent (Highers again) polis destroy the road racing scene, changed courses, unsocial start times introduced.

The Rt. Hon Dennis Canavan, a title richly deserved, is a quality road runner, records better times than I, agreed wi ma disquiets; unsuccessful in remedy, bit then he had a helluva load oan his plate.

Our government sought tae house the Tour de France. a’ve written ma MSP tellin him that, if they’re so minded, then let’s resuscitate the Edinburgh to Glasgow Road Relay! Noo jist let a’ youse yins dae the same, an dae we nae hae professionals whom we pay tae dae the same?

The Scottish Athlete of the year is undoubtedly Fiona Matheson.

A’ve tell’t oor committee ma disquiets re 9 a.m. start. Noo a ken it’s no easy, administerin, bit a suggest a 1:30pm start fur The British lOK a la Xmas H/Cap. Gie a’body a chance tae participate! Try getting frae Edinbro Toon withoot a caur oan a Sunday! An that’s jist Edinburgh, there’s Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen etc.

Finally, The Scoattish Vets his enriched oor lives in so many ways. We are hingin in, hence the letter an’ thanks again. Hugh McGinlay Falkirk Victoria, Scottish Veteran Harriers Newsletter, April 2013

Masters athletes at Grangemouth in 2017 including 91-year-old Hugh McGinlay of Falkirk Vics (photo by Alex Barr)

FIONA MATHESON, a World Masters Champion, knows her Falkirk club-mate Hugh very well.

“Hugh never ceases to amaze me with his positive attitude to life and what he is able to achieve despite his age (94). He is kind, thoughtful and has a heart of gold.

When I phoned him today (October 2020) he was busy doing his daily exercises, as his running has been curtailed slightly, due to plantar fasciitis but he was still managing to get a fair bit of walking in. Hugh is eagerly preparing and hopeful of competing in a track indoor season next year followed by a summer track season. When his plantar fasciitis eases, he has a great wee route near to where he lives that he has mapped out for his efforts.

Hugh mentioned that he is managing to sleep well which is a huge benefit and the secret to that, apart from his active life-style. is a hot toddy before bed!

I am not sure how much people know about how Hugh got interested and involved in sport, so here is a little bit of background.

Hugh enjoyed physical education as a boy from football to rowing, and most of his career seems to be based around looking to source or improve facilities that were or were not available over the years, in a variety of different disciplines from badminton, tennis, squash, canoeing, hockey etc in the local and surrounding areas.

He was a founder of the local Sports Council and one of the projects he was involved in was introducing long distance canoeing on the canal from Glasgow to Edinburgh.

Hugh started running in 1982 when he ran the Glasgow Marathon for charity. However he had hurt his leg, prior to running, while playing squash but, because he was running for charity and people had pledged money, he decided to run and managed a time of 4 hr 5 mins and 30 secs Hugh recalls. He wonders to this day what time he might have run without a sore leg!

Hugh sounded in great form today and seemed quite upbeat: he is a colourful character with so much positivity it’s refreshing!”

JANETTE STEVENSON, another World Masters Champion (and Falkirk club-mate), remembered: I got involved in running in 1984. There was an initiative between Woman’s Own Magazine and Nike the sportswear company to get women into running. It was rolled out countrywide in sports centres and was augmented by a weekly training programme in the magazine. It started in April 1984 and the objective was to run a 10K in September.

So I turned up at Grangemouth Sports Complex along with about 20 or so other ladies all keen to be trained. It was raining of course and we thought

They would let us run round the gym – nice and dry. But the coach I always remember this, said, “If you don’t run in the rain in this country – you don’t run!”, and he opened the doors and shoved us out to run half a mile round the park. The training was twice weekly and one of the coaches was veteran runner Hugh McGinlay. Most of us managed to run the 10K and I think my time was 54.09. After the race, Ian Cluggie a coach at Falkirk Victoria asked us if we would be interested in jogging with the club so I started training and the rest is history.

Hugh McGinlay, 92, retired recreation officer, from Falkirk (July 2018 The Herald)

I was 56 when I first ran the Glasgow Marathon in 1982. I had been playing squash and had an injury and shouldn’t have run, but I did it anyway. I completed it in four hours and five minutes. I thought: ‘I did that with a bad leg. I’ll try it again.’ The next one I did in three-and-a-half hours.

And I just kept going. Why running? It’s simple. I just put my gutties on, go out the door and run wherever I want to. I have done marathons, half marathons and 10k races.

I had never run on the track in my life, but I decided to give it a go when the British Championships were held in Edinburgh [in 1984]. I won a gold in 1500m and silver in the 5000m.

I have always been competitive. If I go out the door, I have a stopwatch in my hand. I like setting myself different challenges. Running the long, straight canal in Falkirk where I live is boring; I prefer a course with hills and bends.

I’m a full-time carer for my wife Jean, but I go running any chance I get. She has always supported me, and I couldn’t have run without her. When I was misdiagnosed with epilepsy, for three years she drove me all over the country so that I could compete.

Sport is my life. The volunteers – the marshals, timekeepers, people handing out drinks – are all wonderful. I hope to be competing at the FPSG Scottish National Masters Track and Field Championships in Grangemouth next weekend in the 90+ age group over 400m, 800m and 1500m.

(During his long, very active life, Hugh has also been a canoe instructor, mountain leader, hockey player and an expert rifle shooter. Throughout Scotland, he cycled on a tandem with his wife Jean and they climbed many hills together. At the Glasgow Marathon, he won two McRobert Thistle trophies. In addition, for fifteen years he was a Sports Officer with Falkirk Council.)

Power of 10 statistics: Hugh McGinlay

M70: In 2000, he won the Scottish Veterans 1500m title on outdoor track.

M75: between 2001 and 2003, Scottish Vets outdoor titles at 800m (three times) and1500m (twice). Scottish Vets indoor wins at 800m and 3000m. British Vets outdoor title at 10,000m. British Vets indoor titles at 800 m (twice), 1500m (twice) and 3000m. Won the M75 Scottish Veterans Cross-Country title in 2002 and 2004.

M80: Scottish indoor titles at 800m and 1500m, plus first in the SVHC Andrew Forbes Memorial 10,000m.

M85: Scottish outdoor titles at 400m and 800m and probably indoor ones too. First in his age group at the 2011 Great Scottish 10km.

M90: Scottish Masters outdoor titles at 400m and 800m.

UK yearly rankings include twice first in M85 400; three times first in M85 800m; plus one first at M85 10k; and twice first at M90 800.

Hugh McGinlay knew well and was a fervent admirer of even older Scottish Veteran Harrier greats like John Emmet Farrell, Gordon Porteous and David Morrison. Now his achievements can be added to the feats of these stars.