There was a welcome return to the Scottish Athletics Youth Development League for Shettleston Harriers this weekend with Match 1 taking place at ON-X in Linwood on May 4th.
The League provides competition for U13 and U15 athletes in a range of track and field events and Shettleston Harriers have returned this year as a result of the performances of our young athletes in all competitions last season. Their hard work has paid off with lots of good performances over the event.
The results have not been published yet but by all accounts the club acquitted themself well.
Prior to the YDL match at Linwood some of the athletes took part in the first Glasgow Athletics Association Sprint Gala of 2025 at our home track of Crownpoint. GAA started their season with the unconventional distances for outdoor sprinting with races over 60m, 150m and 300m. Shettleston Harriers had a number of athletes competing but the stand out performance came from Zoe Roberts who broke the U15G club record over 300m with a time of 42.65.
Daniel Bradford took part in the 3000m at the Top Flight Track meeting in Gateshead on Saturday finishing with a PB of 8:33.27.
May has only just arrived but the hill running season is already in full spate with two Scottish Hill Championship races already downstream! Not to mention the Bog n Burn series which flows relentlessly at this time of year, meaning that certain individuals are dipping their toes in the water twice a week!
A trio of Shetts made the short trip to The Whangie Whizz on Wednesday evening for a fast and furious 5.8k and 229m of climb. It was very nearly a Shettleston podium takeover with Ochils runner Ali Thornton the only person able to hang onto the Shett elite of Ryad Chebbout in 1st place, David Lawson 3rd, and Cammy Muir 4th. Congratulations folks!
Ryad has been making the most of his sparkling early season form. He was part of what must be a record turnout for Shettleston at a Category AL race, with 21 making the start line on Saturday for the Stùc a’ Chròin Hill Race in Stathyre, the second race in this year’s Scottish Championship and also a British Champs counter.
The race stats for Stuc, 20k and 1600m of climb, don’t quite tell the full story so for good reason there were plenty of pre-race nerves with a few Shetts making their AL debut. Conditions on the day were very favourable if a little on the warm side but as always, the runners were well looked after by the race organisers with water and jelly babies and encouragement at every opportunity. Even legend Jasmine Paris and her family were out supporting!
Unsurprisingly the field boasted some of the best hill and fell runners in the UK and both the female and male course records were dully beaten. Naomi Lang (Carnethy) dominated the womens race and ex-Shett Ross Gollan triumphed in the mens competition.
Harry Pulham and Dan Dry had fantastic races in a stacked field, both finishing in the top ten in seventh and eighth respectively. There were some excellent age group results too with Gemma Griffiths taking second place in the Under 23 Women. There were rich pickings slightly further up the age categories with Joe Symonds second M40, Shona Robertson third F55 and Tj Pringle taking third M55. Steve Halsall and Kenny Richmond, although running for their first claim clubs were first M40 and second M55 respectively.
Special mentions also to Emma Aitken and Ceana Heron who made their much-anticipated debut at this long race, fantastic efforts! And Fred Davies for making it look way too easy after his epic performance six days previously at the London marathon.
Results:
7th Harry Pulham – 2:08:00 MSEN
8th Dan Dry – 2:09:07 MSEN
26th Ryad Chebbout – 2:17:37 MSEN
29th Joe Symonds – 2:19:12 2nd (M40)
42nd Fred Davies – 2:22:28 MSEN
88th Ian Pender – 2:39:15 M40
113th Ross Cruickshanks – 2:49:43 MSEN
116th Andrew Pringle – 2:50:13 M55
139th Bill Breckenridge – 2:56:09 M55
142nd Shona Robertson – 2:56:49 F50
155th Cj Macphail – 3:00:40 FSEN
162nd Stephen Winter – 3:03:52 M45
175th Gemma Griffiths – 3:06:54 FU23
192nd Zoe Barber – 3:11:50 FSEN
194th Mark Thistlethwaite – 3:12:04 M40
196th Ross Crawford – 3:12:19 M45
219th Myrtle Breckenridge – 3:20:21 FSEN
250th Emma Aitken – 3:30:46 FSEN
284th Tom Porter – 3:48:13 MSEN
312th Ceana Heron – 4:02:57 FSEN
324th Heather Simpson – 4:15:11 FSEN
On the road Michael Paxton took part in the Balfron 10k and finished second in the M40 category with a time of 35:22. Mike Deason was running for Scotland in the Anglo Celtic 100km race at Mallory Park race track in Leicestershire and finished eighth in the second wave of athletes in the 100k event. At present there were no results for the Scotland team overall. Andy Rockett Jackson finished 10th overall in the Neilston Pad Run – 39:26.
Sunny conditions continue for Park runners north and south of the border.
The club had good representation at the weekend at Parkruns as far south as Ambleside and Burnley. One of the newer courses, Cuningar Loop is fast becoming a favourite for runners with two loops of mixed terrain plus a wide choice of coffee shops afterwards in the area.
And from the youngest to the oldest in Scotland, Pollok Parkrun which started in 2008 with many athletes since then having tried the testing and hilly course over the years.
Results:
Burnley parkrun
James burns 24.19 107th
Cuningar Loop
Ronnie Strachan 17.10 1st
John Craig 18.41 5th
Rebecca Ryan 27.07 105th
Elder Park
Raymond Loughran 28.50 116th
Gerry Mason 30.07 126th
Levengrove
Ruth Joss 19.27 1st female and 7th overall
Oriam Parkrun
Philip Neilson 23.20 29th
Pollok Parkrun
Jethro Lennox 18.05 1st
Queens Parkrun
Andrew Taylor 17.51 1st
Callum Butterworth 19.27 4th
Rothay Park
Alex Hill 28.09 76th
Springburn Parkrun
Jodie Waite 27.16 67th
Strathclyde Parkrun
Gillian McMillan 32.16 342nd
Tollcross Parkrun
Lee Mitchell 22.40 12th
Joanne Harkins 30.12 50th