Glasgow Parkruns 151 to 154 →

Results

Christmas and New Year provided the irresistible opportunity to run 4 Parkruns in 2 weekends, and I managed to clock fairly consistent times of 17:51, 17:49, 17:37 and 17:38.

Parkrun #153 was noteworthy in that the first 2 women both broke the course record which had stood for almost 3 years. Freya Murray ran 16:32 to finish 2nd behind Bobby Quinn, in a time that would normally have won the race.

For Parkrun #154 on New Year's Day there was a pretty small turnout of 94 runners, so I thought it might be my day. I set off fast and lead for the first lap, before dropping 2 places on the 2nd lap to finish 3rd, 1 second slower than the day before.

Posted by Chris Upson on Wed 4 Jan 2012 | comments are open

Category Parkrun

Greenmantle Dash 2012 →

Results

A small group of Westies made the trip down to Broughton today for the annual Greenmantle Dash. It's a race like no other as so much is crammed into the 3k route - a wall to hurdle, a fence to leap over, a river to wade, a bog to crawl through, a steep climb to (also) crawl up, a jarring decent, and a lung-bursting sprint along the tarmac. And this year there was the added challenge of needing to take a break from gasping for air to call your race number out as you crossed the finish line (there were no printed numbers this year so with your race number tattooed onto your hand you had to call it out to the timekeepers).

Murray Strain (HBT) was the clear winner (he hardly broke sweat). There were some good battles behind with each obstacle playing to different peoples strengths. I finished about 8th (a minute slower than last year), Roddy was probably in the top 20 leading his dad Gibby home who had Pauline in hot pursuit. Sheila was up the top of the hill enjoying the view and shouting us all on.

It was a beautiful afternoon for a run and everyone enjoyed clearing the festive excesses from the system.

Happy New Year everyone - I'm looking forward to lots more running fun in 2012!

Posted by Cameron Burt on Mon 2 Jan 2012 | 2 comments

Category Hill Race

Ayr Turkey Trot 10k →

5k results | 10k results

Was still a bit sleepy from working another twelve hour nightshift on xmass eve but decided a windy run was exactly what was needed to get things back in balance.

Drove down to the annual Ayr Turkey Trot and noticed how mild it was getting out the van ...and also how windy it was. With waves bouncing off the sea wall, I hid behind a wee bunch for the kms along the shore front before getting dropped as we broke left up along the river path. Settled down to my own race (always a good idea) and enjoyed being able to breathe. With the wee housing estate section over it was time to retrace the route back to the shore front and a tail wind back to the finish.

Was over the moon to squeeze under forty minutes with the offical result showing a finish time of 38:59.

Didnae see any other Westies at the event !

Posted by Graham Kelly on Wed 28 Dec 2011 | 4 comments

Category road race

Kelvinhall 3,000m →

Event details

I've just run my first ever track race, 3,000 metres at the Kelvinhall indoor track.

My plan was to run at just under 40 seconds per lap, which worked for about the first 5 laps, but then I faded a fraction and was caught by Louisa Stewart and Denis Williams. I tagged behind them for a while, but could feel the pace dropping, so eventually Denis took the lead, and stuck to his shoulder until halfway around the final lap when I kicked with my final effort. My watch time was 10:04, so I just missed my sub-10min target, but enjoyed the event all the same.

Posted by Chris Upson on Wed 28 Dec 2011 | 4 comments

Category Track race

Westies Christmas Handicap →

Results | Route

Grey, mild, muddy conditions for this year's Westies Christmas Handicap. The Flemings plus friends made up almost one third of the field. Johnston stole the show with the most hideous fancy dress of recent years in his golden morph suit.

Dave Calder was a clear winner in the handicap race, with Jon Slowe next to finish in by far the fastest time of the day (18:18) in his first ever run around the course. Paula was fastest lady in 22:43, and Sheila Fleming was last to finish after she enjoyed a much longer run than the rest of us out to the Scout camps at Auchengillan.

Posted by Chris Upson on Wed 28 Dec 2011 | 1 comment

Category handicap races

Strathclyde parkrun #87 →

24th December 2011

Wet windy and cold at today's Xmas Eve Strathclyde parkrun.

I lodged a seventh place in 19.59 after a cracking battle with Willie Reid of Kirkie Olympians who I managed to outsprint over the last 100 metres.

A merry xmas to all Westies and your families and hope to see you at the Handicap.

All the best,
John Quinn

Posted by John Quinn on Sat 24 Dec 2011 | comments are open

Category Parkrun

Irvine Harriers vs Cyclists →

Results | Route

The title of this race had always intrigued me, and I couldn't quite imagine what is might entail. There was much talk in the car park about what shoes to wear for the mix of ice, tarmac and cross country. After falling and spraining my wrist before we even started, I decided to switch into cross country spikes.

All runners and cyclists started simultaneously with a lap of the playing fields and 2 log jumps to slow down the bikes, then across the road bridge with a loop back under the road to access Irvine Moor. The route around the moor was far more interesting than the usual cross country course, since it headed off into the single track trail through the heather and gorse bushes.

There were 2 laps of the moor where I was working to stay in contention with a group of 4 runners which included Alex Allardyce and Steven Prentice. On the final run in I swapped places several times with William Morgan and Steven, catching them on every descent, but on the final run around the playing fields they held onto a slight gap, so I finished as 10th runner and got beaten by the first 4 cyclists.

Posted by Chris Upson on Mon 19 Dec 2011 | 4 comments

Category cross country

West District XCs, Irvine →

10th December 2011

Results

Another good turnout of running and cheering Westies for the annual mudfest in less-than-lovely Irvine. As expected, Shettleston and Inverclyde battled it out at the sharp end of the men's race, while Niall and Tom fought for Westies supremacy. Niall took it on the final hill and held on until the line. JD started well but was pole-axed by a stitch, but such is the man's form these days that he was still way ahead of most of us. Chris was in the mix with the fast guys, so they were our 4 counters. (Edit - sorry, it's 6 to count, so that includes me, for which I must also apologise!)

James ran his first ever race (not just his first in Westies colours), and showed the speed that was immediately apparent when he first arrived for reps. With his lack of race practice he faded a little, but I could never get the gap to much under 10 seconds and I didn't have a chance in the closing dash. However, I did clock a PB of almost 2 mins, building on my foundation of long runs, speedwork, and tapering down by offering to marshall in midweek.

Next in for the men was Tony, whose partner Katy was an extremely vocal supporter from her mid-course position and definitely pushed the Westies men to the max. Ciaran, Don and Peter were all close, with Peter continuing to improve and getting ever-closer to the guys ahead. Gibson got ahead of Bobby Young this time, and GrimOrr completed the Westies men's team. For once, John Quinn wasn't there, having been struck down by a lurgy.

The ladies were finishing just as I arrived, with Muffy, Pauline, Helen and Pat all enjoying(??) the Irvine mud. Jo had already finished her run - sorry I missed it!

Most notable feature of the day was the new Westies gazebo! A long-overdue purchase, it provided a meeting point, storage, and changing, plus a wee challenge in the assembly and re-packing stages. It's plain black for now, but in due course it will be adorned with a golden W or perhaps even the full Westerlands CCC. Truly, this is luxury.

P.S. Where was Steve Gray?

Winners and Westies:-

1. Lindsay MacNeill (Shettleston) 23:48
65. Jo McGuire 31:03
71. Pauline McAdam 31:18
72. Muffy Calder 31:23
81. Helen MacPherson 32:29
101. Pat McLaughlin 36:59

1. Andrew Douglas (Inverclyde) 29:33
36. Niall McAlinden 34:08
37. Tom Smith 34:11
76. Chris Upson 36:25
77. John Denovan 36:35
111. James Callender 38:11
115. Johnston Orr 38:24
129. Tony Dickinson 39:36
152. Ciaran McDonald 41:15
168. Don Reid 42:46
169. Peter Grassl 43:04
184. Gibson Fleming 44:46
205. Graeme Orr 50:02

Men's teams:
1. Shettleston
12. Westerlands CCC
(17 teams)

MV teams - 3 to count:
1. Irvine AC
16. Westerlands CCC (Chris, Don, Gibby)
(21 teams)

Posted by Johnston Orr on Sat 10 Dec 2011 | 14 comments

Category cross country

Milngavie run and social →

Balloon Trouble Bursts JD's Bubble!

Wednesday night saw the Hutchinsons hosting their annual run and social event...well, the Hutchinsons minus John! Fiona put on a marvellous evening for 18 running Westies and 4 helpers, aided in no small part by Margaret's sterling work in the kitchen.

But first, the run - a "guess the time" competition with a short or a long course around the reservoirs and past Baldernock church before taking the chosen route back to Milngavie. Maps were issued, string was placed along the intended route, and random numbers were then generated to represent the runners' estimated times. Watches and gizmos were surrendered before the headtorch army set off on the dark and sometimes icy roads to test their pace judgement.

The added complication came at Baldernock Church where I was stationed with a balloon and party hat for each competitor (or team, as many chose to pair up or run in packs). These items were to be conveyed intact to Fiona, and all were....except for JD's balloon. The pleas to the judge cut no ice, so despite being close to their estimated time, JD and Matt couldn't be the winners.

Pauline and Helen saved the need for any argument, being closest to their estimate (only 1 minute out, according to Drew and Charlie's timing) and were the only people to run within their estimated time for the night. Captain Chris made the best estimate of the solo runners, at around 5 minutes outside his intended time.

Despite a few Westies planting their posteriors on the icy roads (Niall, James...), all returned safely to mountains of food and plentiful drink, and prizes for all.

Great to see such a large turnout of active Westies old and new, and once again, a huge thanks to Fiona and John for their work in planning and hosting this excellent event.

Posted by Johnston Orr on Thu 8 Dec 2011 | 7 comments

Category Social Run

Glasgow Uni Road Race →

Results

A modest turnout (187 finishers) for this much-altered annual fixture, perhaps on account of its being rescheduled from its usual November slot and the resultant colder and wetter conditions. However, the rain held off long enough for 9 Westies (5 men, one Grim, and 3 women) starters, who formed into two bunches over the course: around the 33 minute mark and around 40 minutes. Jon Slowe, in a welcome return to Westy duty, was in a class of his own, breaking the 30 minute barrier (24th in 29m42),followed by Ciaran, John Quinn, and Don all within a minute at the finish. Meanwhile a grand tussle was in progress towards the back: Joane McGuire leading, while Archie, Pauline, Helen and I followed, swopping places at various stages. While I succeeded in my pre-race challenge to Archie ("I'll get ye!"), I was sneakily nailed in the finishing straight by the indomitable Pauline, with Helen in close attendance. (Memo to Dave Calder - if you're reading this Dave, yes, I sometimes do get "pulled" by Westy wummin. It's called "slipstreaming" - mainly slip in my case). Notable legends within a minute or so of our rearguard group: Dave Logue in 38.28, and Doug Gunstone in 39.01.
Selected results:
1st male: Tom Fay (Shetts) 25m14
8th Tom Smith 28m13
1st female (16th o/a): Sarah Inglis (EU Hairies) 28m47
Westy times & placings:
24th Jon Slowe 29m42
30th Steve Gray 30m06
59th Ciaran MacDonald 32m46
68th John Quinn 33m22
74th Don Reid 33m46
134th Joane McGuire 39m25
142nd Pauline McAdam 39m46
145th Helen MacPherson 39m52
147th GrimOrr 39m56 (still just under 8 mins/mile, yo!)
150th Archie Cameron 40m35

Posted by Graeme Orr on Sun 4 Dec 2011 | 4 comments

Category road race