Commonwealth Games Fever Hits Glasgow!
No one can escape the excitement that has built across Glasgow as the Commonwealth Games have returned to the city.
Shettleston Harriers has been actively involved in events throughout the city in support of the Games, with activities taking place at Tollcross, Glasgow International Arena, Easterhouse, Crownpoint and, finally, Kelvingrove Park on Saturday.
Many thanks to everyone who has supported these events. Giving back to our community is part of the club’s DNA, and it has been fantastic to strengthen our partnerships with our friends at Glasgow Life, Scottish Athletics, Commonwealth Games and many other organisations over the summer.
It has also been great to see our summer camps return, and we are very grateful for the support received from Glasgow Life to help us deliver these over the past few weeks.
Good Luck to Chris Bennet & Ellie Stone
The business end of the Games has now arrived and the club would like to send our very best wishes to two members who will proudly wear the Scotland vest over the coming week.
Chris Bennett is no stranger to major international championships, having previously represented Scotland at the Olympic Games, European Championships and Commonwealth Games. On Monday evening he will pull on the Scottish vest for one final time as he competes in the Hammer Throw.
The club has also enjoyed a long association with cycling over many years, and we wish our young coach Ellie Stone the very best as she competes in the Sprint event later in the week.
We would encourage any of our members who are at Chris’ or Ellie’s sessions to make as much noise as you can in support of our very own home town heroes!
Good luck also goes to the many club members who will be volunteering in various roles throughout the athletics programme during the Games.
English Championships
Competition certainly hasn’t stopped because of the Commonwealth Games, with three of our young athletes travelling south to Bedford over the weekend to compete at the English Championships.
This year athletics has moved to the new World Athletics age groups of U12, U14, U16 and U18, replacing the traditional UK age groups of U13, U15 and U17. Shettleston Harriers welcomes this change as it brings us into line with the rest of the world. England has not yet fully transitioned to the new system, allowing our athletes to compete across both age groups.
Joseph Lanahan enjoyed another outstanding weekend, winning Gold in the U15 Long Jump before taking Silver in the U16 competition with an excellent leap of 6.84m (+0.8m/s).
Older brother Abraham Lanahan also impressed, winning Gold in the U17 Triple Jump before claiming Bronze in the U18 competition with a superb jump of 14.45m (+1.7m/s).
Following her appearance at the Welsh U18 Championships earlier this season, Zoe Roberts returned to compete in her correct age group against some of England’s very best athletes. Zoe produced a strong run in her heat, finishing second in 2:14.84 to qualify comfortably for the final. On Sunday she placed seventh in the final in 2:17.37, which also ranked her fourth amongst the U15 athletes, completing a highly successful weekend for the club south of the border.
Congratulations to Joseph, Abraham and Zoe on some excellent performances.
Parkrun Round-Up
Another busy Saturday morning saw club members competing at parkruns across the country.
Palacerigg Country parkrun
| Athlete | Position | Time |
|---|---|---|
| John Duffy | 4th | 22:00 |
Cuningar Loop parkrun
| Athlete | Position | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ronnie Strachan | 3rd | 17:03 |
| Joanne Harkins | 19th | 29:02 |
Victoria parkrun (Glasgow)
| Athlete | Position | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Holly Morrison | 30th (2nd Female) | 19:41 |
Pollok parkrun
| Athlete | Position | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Gerard Pelegri | 4th | 18:34 |
| Rio Biddlecombe | 9th | 20:00 |
Bressay parkrun
| Athlete | Position | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Toby Hession | 1st | 19:25 |
Carlingwark Loch parkrun
| Athlete | Position | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ellie Ryan | 83rd | 35:34 |
| Rebecca Ryan | 94th | 38:49 |
As always, if you’ve been racing, volunteering or representing the club and we’ve missed your result, please let us know.
Finally, we’re always looking for more photographs from races, training and club events. If you have any pictures you’d like to share, please email them to development@shettlestonharriers.org.uk by Monday lunchtime so they can be included in future weekly round-ups and on the club website.
