Nigel Barge 10k →

(Simultaneous reports again!)

24th March 2012

Results

Somewhat ironically, our final Winter League race was held in glorious spring sunshine - ideal conditions for running. And this was the race that had been disturbed from its midwinter torpor to avoid ice-induced postponement!

With the real flyers having been in action at Clydebank and Alloa last weekend and potentially at Grangemouth on Sunday, the field may have been smaller than in previous years. Shettleston were prominent at the sharp end (Thomas Fay won in 31.55) while Westies got plenty of vests out again with Tom Smith leading us home in 8th place.

Captain Chris was next, followed by Winter League winner John Quinn who took the trophy for the second consecutive year. John and I had jogged round steadily until the final burst for the line where he grabbed the glory! Hamilton Semple had kept us company during the first lap and arrived soon after us.

The women out in force once again and were led home by Caroline Millins, with Claire Larravide pursued by Helen Macpherson on yet another storming run. Jo McGuire was next, followed by Gaynor Gillespie and Pat McLaughlin.

GrimOrr was hoping for another chance to trump Garscube's Stevie Cullen - but today wasn't a Grim day with the possible exception of the roadworks in the Garscube Estate. Unfortunate timing (to say the least).

A good sharpener for the season ahead, and thanks to Niall for the support. Onwards then, to the Summer League, starting at Clachnaben...

PS I didn't get the promised medal or goody bag - was I just being dozy or were there none?

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Hamilton's report

"I wish to register a complaint". "Oh yes,Sir what is it now Matey". "Now look tosh, I purchased this 'ere registration nunber not half an hour ago and it said nothing about being taken out by wild, out of control, cyclists forcing you off the path". Just about overtaking a runner and this cyclist............. Well you can imagine - yes - "Young Sir would it be otherwise inconvenient if you could see your way to possibly allow runners, in this hitherto organised racing fixture to possibly continue along the racing line". Or, "Oi, Out-to-lunch, get the................off the ruddy path". The complaint will go to the highest level. Oh for goodness sake, anyone would think this is serious? Good crowd of Westies at the finish basking in the sunshine. But what's this? No Grim in sight at the finish. Rumour has it that he did 1K circumnavigating the Sports Complex and went for his shower. At least this was the evidence of the very fresh showered-looking Grim as the knackered among us (that was me) stumbled around muttering, "never again to be so rash..........." Well done all.
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Westies times

8. Tom Smith 35.37
22. Chris Upson 38.02
44. John Quinn 41.45
47. Johnston Orr 41.54
66. Hamilton Semple 43.41
101. Caroline Millins 46.33
119. Claire Larravide 48.38
124. Helen Macpherson 49.03
132. Jo McGuire 49.29
139. Gaynor Gillespie 49.48
147. Graeme Orr 50.34
166. Patricia McLaughlin 56.06

187 finished

Posted by Johnston Orr on Sat 24 Mar 2012 | 5 comments

Category road race

No deer were harmed in the running of this race →

Now, I'd heard about the Deerstalker from Graham's report last year, and, since I'm always up for a run in the dark, I had no hesitation in replying to Gibson's offer of a late entry. The race takes in a couple of hills around Innerleithen, with a forest section, a stretch of the Tweed river, a scree slope, and has the occasional gratuitous obstacle thrown in (hay bales to clamber over, rope netting to crawl under, some planks to balance on, and two six-foot walls to scale at the finish).

Being a hugely commercial event, it attracts hundreds and hundreds of runners from all over the country (as in, 1600 finishers!). Not all of them look like seasoned hill runners, and a disturbing number turn up in fancy dress. Had he been so inclined, the winner (Murray Strain) might have been able to complete the course three times before the last finishers arrived back!

I confess to having enjoyed the run. Much of the time was spent along narrow tracks that made passing (or being passed!) difficult, and the course marking and marshalling removed any prospect of getting lost. Despite this, the variety of terrain and extended water sections makes me think there is an excellent race here possible, if only it was less organised and popular. I will concede one advantage the current race: the head torches really did made the view back over the hill from the finish an arc of light. Quite stunning.

Posted by John Hamer on Thu 22 Mar 2012 | 5 comments

Category Hill Race

Spa Day at Criffel Hill Race →

Report by James Callender:

Weekends are a time to relax, to unwind, to pamper yourself and let the weary cares of the working week drop from your shoulders. To that end, a small group of Westies consisting of myself, Iain Stewart, Murdo Macleod and Don Reid made the journey south for a day of active rest and an indulgent mud treatment at Criffel Hill Race.

I grabbed a lift with a crew of Maryhill types (Duncan, Sarah & Davie) - the chat on the journey down revolving around the relative merits goji berries ('Brazil's superfood' - lots of antioxidants) over flapjack ('M&S Extra Chocolatey' - lots of chocolate) as race food. We arrived with more than enough time to register, scrounge a map/compass/whistle (mine decided to stay in Glasgow) and get soaked on a warm-up jog through a deceptively boggy field in the village. On the start line Don was muttering about his hangover and I took time to pre-prepare my excuses for a poor race - ingrowing toenail and a lack of running recently being the order of the day.

Annoying group cry of "HBT!" aside, the start went well as I managed to make my way forward to pass most of the competitors. Pleasant country road turned in to pretty forest path, the sun was out and all seemed right and good with the world, and then we hit the hill. And the mud. There'd been quite a bit of rain recently and the track was more churned up than usual apparently. All thoughts of a overtaking others went out the window as moving over steep ground while remaining upright had become my number one priority. I latched on to a competent looking Dumfries runner in front of me and literally followed in his foot-steps, hoping to avoid the worst of the bog. Iain bolted past me while I was half-way up the final slope, already on his way down, looking strong and neck & neck with Stewart Whitlie of Carnethy. I think I was one of the first 10 to get to the top of Criffel but as quad-burning slog gave way to nimble descent I was passed a disgusting number of times. By the time I got there, the muddiest part of the course had taken on a Somme-like character and I was forced to adopt a stagger-fall-swim hybrid technique to get through it - double face-planting in front of a group of delighted spectators being a particular highlight. (It was Davie's first hill race and he later complained about the distinct lack of running it offered.) Once back on the flat, brute strength & ignorance once again counted more than skill & experience, and I was able to reel in three runners before the crossing the finish line.

Exhausted, sore and caked in mud (and, in Don "I went through the fields" Reid's case at least, blood), the finishers enjoyed an idyllic 30 mins or so sitting on the grass in the warm sun, watching others finish before going for a dip in the burn to wash-up. Well done to Iain for his close-run second place and also well done to Sarah for somehow not getting any mud on herself, an astounding (or suspicious?) achievement. A trip to Duncan's nearby parents' for a bowl of soup and cup of tea was a nice end to a thoroughly pleasant day. Criffel Hill Race/All-Natural Holistic Skin Treatment was a blast and, at £4, easily the best-value spa treatment on the market.

2 - Iain Stewart 0:58:45
17 - James Callender 1:08:51
32 - Murdo Macleod (M60) 1:16:16
48 - Don Reid (M50) 1:21:01

Posted by Westies Admin on Tue 13 Mar 2012 | 6 comments

Category Hill Race

Beinn Ghormaig Gallop →

Results

Off with Davy Duncan to a race organised by Tom Smith of Lochaber about 15 miles from Strontian. The reason for the race was to mark the retirement of his parents from their job as estate managers. This was one of these places where there is no reason whatsoever that you would ever have visited it unless there was a hill race. The moors of Morvern are pretty bleak and the rain was teeming down as we headed from the Corran ferry. Really didn't look like good and then we found the turn off, helpfully marked by Tom with a hill race sign and after another few miles of single track road we arrived .....first runners .....which you get used to when Davy is driving. Went in and met Tom's Mum and Dad and had coffee and cake, saw the feast that was prepared for after the race, and basically chilled out as several more runners arrived. By the time of the off there were 23 runners, mainly Lochaber, but with a few others including another Westie Jo McGuire, the Bowmans, Julia Connor, Michael Diver and Dan Watson. The race was started by the estate owner firing one barrel of his shotgun, having already told us that last man in got the second barrel. The race .....well to be frank I really wasn't in the race .....no change there you say ....fair enough .....but this was worse than usual as hadn't run since Conic Hill. Sprightly enough at the start I faded badly in second half and just managed to beat Davy D to the top .....he passed me on the way down then I passed him ....then he passed me etc etc .....managed to get away from him near the bottom of the hill. Tom Smith won the race, Julia was first lady, Jo was 2nd lady, Angus Bowman was 1st V50 and Jean B was Lady V50. The spread was magnificent and its not often you leave a race at least a kilogramme heavier than you arrived. Well done to Tom for organising this one-off race and best of luck to his delightful parents in their hard earned retirement.

Posted by Brian Brennan on Sun 11 Mar 2012 | 1 comment

Category Hill Race

Jack Crawford Springburn Cup 2012 →

Results

(Web admin's note - John and Hamilton seem to have submitted their reports almost simultaneously, so I've combined them into this post to keep all comments on one thread. Johnston)

John Quinn's report

Well done Springburn for a well organised race today.

I met 2 Westies prior to the race - Grim and Hamilton - and thought to myself 'I could be first Westie across the line today'. After a warm up jog out to Cadder bridge and back we headed to the start line and there he was. Jon (not so) Slowe. 1st Westie aspirations went oot the windae.

The rain went off prior to the start and off we went with Jack Crawford's daughter appropriately starting the race.

I completed the first km in 3:55 and thought that a sub 40 was possible but lost some time between 2 and 7 k but retrieved a little in the last 3k and a sprint finish got me home in 41 dead.

I haven't seen the SA results yet but Jon was in 6th place and Hamilton came in with a strong finish just after me and a muddy Grim, now named Grime, came in in front of a Garscube guy he overtook in the closing stages.

Wonderful morning's running. Bring on the Nigel Barge.
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Hamilton Semple's report

It was all looking so good until it started. Well it was a 10K so there we were at the front of the start line. Don't panic said JQ so we stayed there, before it turned Grim, Orr, no as I turned to Grim. But he had already gone, gone, gone to the far back of the field. So we had John Q, Grim as ever, Jon (of the Slowe)variety. If that's the case all hope has gone for the rest of us. Oh, and some guy with two surnames - it'll never catch on. If you were racing and we didn't spot you, you must have been bloody fast. Please slow down to allow knackered runners at least a modicum of respectability......you know it makes sense, or not.

Formalities over, it was Mr. Starter's job to try to be heard - some loud mouth demanded "Order, Order", in the House...but it was too late....there were fisticuffs. Must have been from Falkirk, it was alleged. If there was trouble before, at this pace, there was going to be heart failure before many more runners were passed. As it all settled down, was in a bit of free space, no, not good for keeping up the pace.

After a few more K a runner came alongside, "that's it" I said, "on you go", before pressing on. If you're going to overtake you'd better be serious. OHHHHH. Then about 7/8 K at Nedsville, or the equivalent, we had abuse for the runner in front of me, or at least that's my story and, yes, I'm sticking to it. When the Steward's Enquiry ...... starts, I shall give sworn evidence of said abuse, that the runner was being encouraged to run through a large puddle. Yes, as you recover from the sheer shock of this outrage,you could hear yourself shout at the "Marshall"...."You should lie down in that puddle pal". No, you couldn't make it up.

So there you are all the stats and information that you could possibly need and want on this fine outing. Well, a change from the Parkrun.

Not a Struthers in sight? An Ian, Sally, not even a Gavin?

Posted by John Quinn on Sat 10 Mar 2012 | 5 comments

Category road race

In The Dark Handicap Race →

There was a great turnout of @20 Westies last night. Despite dire weather forecasts it wasn't actually that bad. John Hutchinson's protests of lack of fitness duped the handicapper and he strolled to victory and his bottle of "Champion" beer, well done. Helen wasn't too far behind followed by Matt.
David Riach flew in from Aus for a special appearance, and Owen arrived a bit late , having cycled out from Glasgow.
Thanks to Drew, Margaret and Elsie for helping out and all who turned out.

RESULTS

.................................Finish Time (Actual Time)

1 John Hutchinson ....40m 56s ....(35m 56s)
2 Helen Macpherson ..41m 35s ....(35m 35s)
3 Matt Bull ...............42m 32s ....(34m 32s)
4 Fiona Hutchinson ...42m 52s ....(42m 52s)
5 Duncan Riddell ......42m 55s ....(33m 55s)
6 John Hamer ...........42m 59s ....(33m 59s)
7 John Quinn ............43m 02s ....(30m 02s)
8 Paula Gardiner .......43m 09s ....(32m 09s)
9 Don Reid ...............43m 13s ....(29m 13s)
10 John Donnelly ......43m 35s ....(31m 35s)
11 Sarah Adam ........44m 15s ....(34m 15s)
12 Sharon Taylor ......44m 18s ....(44m 18s)
13 Pat McLaughlin ....44m 38s ....(44m 38s)
14 David Riach .........45m 06s ....(28m 06s)
15 Gregor Stewart ....45m 51s ...(30m 51s)
16 Jamie ...................45m 55s ...(38m 55s)
17 Owen O'Neill ........49m 32s ...(27m 32s)

Posted by John Donnelly on Thu 8 Mar 2012 | 4 comments

Category handicap races

Glasgow Parkrun #163 →

Results

6 Westies ran today with Steffen and Johannes chief charioteers. Steffen and Helen both posted PB's'.

I inadvertently overheard a guy after the run saying ' I tucked in behind the guy with the pram but couldn't keep up with him'

Westie times below

29 John QUINN 19:50
32 David DICKSON 19:59
71 Samuel COHN 21:50
104 Johannes COURTIAL 22:40
123 Steffen GORGAS 23:17 Club New PB!
159 Helen MACPHERSON 24:25 Club New PB!

Posted by John Quinn on Sat 3 Mar 2012 | 2 comments

Category Parkrun

Glentress Duathlon →

Results

Elizabeth Adams, Keith Adams and Myself ventured over to Glentess to take part in the Long Glentress Duathlon on Sunday. This race consisted of a 13km mountain bike ride on some of the trails that Glrentess has to offer, followed by a tough 10km trail race.

Elizabeth kindly offered me a lift and we set off from Glasgow early so that we could get a nice warm up ride in before the race start. I hadn't really been on my mountain bike since Christmas so I needed a little refresher course in how to avoid trees and turn... But felt good after about 30 minutes of riding and was ready to race.

The start was mental, with people taking any line they could on and off the trail. After about 1 km I tried to be a smart arse cutting past a few people up a hill but ended up on my arse after hitting a tree root (Lesson learned). After that related to my fall, I had a bit of a mechanical and had to stop and put my chain back on. In total losing maybe 15 places. I spent the rest of the bike loop trying to pass people on the climbs and follow good people down the technical bits. No more falls thankfully and managed to get into transition in fairly resonable shape.

The run started with a brief uphill and I immediately caught 4 or 5 people. Then into the first long descent... I found myself in a shocking position of flying past several people... that never normally happens. After that it was a LONG slog to the turnaround point, In front of me were several runners I wanted to catch, but my legs were feeling like lead, still sore from the XC in falkirk?? Again something shocking happened as I started to descend I passed another two, and then got into a battle with Ruth McKean who didn't want to give up her possition easily. Onto the long climb back to the start and there were 5 visible ahead, I gritted my teeth and pulled them in. Then it was just a really fun bit through some nice forrest and sprint along the road to the finish... race done :-)

Race went well for me, legs were a bit heavy for the run but maybe thats to be expected. Not sure how my run split was but dont think I was fastest. Elizabeth had a great race and finished in 3rd, Keith also had a great race finishing as 2nd V60. Keith took 2nd in the series too.

Some nice photos at: Photos

Posted by Niall McAlinden on Mon 27 Feb 2012 | 1 comment

Category Duathlon

Conic Hill Race →

Results | Photos

Well done to the 16 Westies who raced at Conic Hill yesterday. Especially well done to Alastair Graves who finished 2nd behind Prasad Prasad in his first race wearing the hallowed gold and black. And thanks to the Wilderness Response Team who provided First Aid back up.

2 - Alastair Graves, MU20, 0:26:13
5 - Manny Gorman, M40, 0:26:29
14 - Jon Slowe, M40, 0:28:53
18 - Chris Upson, M40, 0:29:48
39 - Don Reid, M50, 0:32:07
57 - Jacques Penderis, M40, 0:34:15
59 - Brian Brennan, M50, 0:34:30
64 - Murdo MacLeod, M60, 0:34:54
70 - Ian Thurlbeck, M40, 0:35:12
73 - John Quinn, M50, 0:36:01
93 - Malcolm Evans, M60, 0:38:13
99 - John Hamer, M40, 0:38:50
100 - Jo McGuire, F, 0:39:03
113 - John McInally, M50, 0:40:37
122 - Gaynor Gillespie, F40, 0:42:45
135 - Brenda Paul, F, 0:53:21

Posted by Chris Upson on Sun 26 Feb 2012 | 7 comments

Category Hill Race

Scottish National Cross Country →

Results | Photos

Threatening wintry weather gave way to bright sunshine, once the senior women's race was underway.

Heather Akers brought home the women's team with the fastest run of the day. Niall had an outstanding run in the men's race, finishing right up the field in 61st place.

Summary of Westies:
Women
170. Heather Akers, 41:23
172. Eleanor Brown, 41:37
182. Helen MacPherson, 42:09
183. Claire Larravide, 42:14
190. Christine Menhennet, 42:41
201. Gaynor Gillespie, 43:35

Men
61. Niall McAlinden, 44:52
149. John Denovan, 48:28
180. Chris Upson, 49:18
242. Johnston Orr, 51:25
281. Tony Dickinson, 52:40
327. John Quinn, 54:38
439. John Hamer, 1:00:05

Posted by Chris Upson on Mon 20 Feb 2012 | 11 comments

Category cross country