West District / Midland Relays
Kilmarnock was the venue for the 100th edition of the West District / Midland Relays this weekend, with the first official championships taking place in Shettleston on 20 November 1926.
Two previous relays took place in 1924 and 1925, but these were unofficial races. In 1926, Shettleston was still quite a rural area, with our little clubhouse in Gartocher Road probably serving as the race headquarters.
Shettleston Harriers were the first winners of the championships and have continued to enjoy great success over the years. The championships were, of course, originally a men-only race, with the ladies’ race and young athletes’ championships being added in more recent years.
Senior Ladies
The club had a winning team once again this year, with our Senior Ladies taking victory by 2 minutes and 38 seconds over Cambuslang Harriers. Each of the ladies recorded the fastest time on their respective legs. The B team also made the top 10, finishing ninth overall.
Well done to club member Kate Paul, who finished fourth on Leg 1 in 13:29 while running for Strathclyde University.
Senior Ladies – 1st place
| Athlete | Leg time |
|---|---|
| Aoife Carr | 12:54 |
| Lynn McKenna | 12:55 |
| Fionnuala Ross | 12:30 |
| Team time | 38:19 |
Senior Ladies B Team – 9th place
| Athlete | Leg time |
|---|---|
| Charlotte McKenna | 13:51 |
| Avril Mason | 15:26 |
| Hannah Terrance | 13:59 |
| Team time | 43:16 |
Senior Men
Before the race started, it looked as though the men’s team might be able to repeat their clubmates’ victory from 100 years ago, but races always throw up challenges.
Jamie Burns was due to run the fourth leg, but a burst tyre and being trapped on the motorway meant he could not get to the race, resulting in a late change to the team.
The men added to their incredible total of medals at these championships, now standing at 88, after claiming third place. Following the last-minute changes, Tom Porter moved from the B team to the A team.
It was also great to see young athlete Matthew Fox racing again.
Well done to club member Ben Seath, who finished fourth on Leg 1 in 11:25 while running for Strathclyde University.
Senior Men – 3rd place
| Athlete | Leg time |
|---|---|
| Cameron Muir | 11:25 |
| Lachlan Oates | 11:18 |
| Philip Neilson | 11:22 |
| Tom Porter | 12:27 |
| Team time | 46:32 |
Senior Men B Team
| Athlete | Leg time |
|---|---|
| Alex Manley | 13:06 |
| Finn Allan | 13:20 |
| Callum Butterworth | 13:36 |
Senior Men C Team
| Athlete | Leg time |
|---|---|
| Matthew Fox | 12:46 |
| Stephen Clark | 17:26 |
Masters Men
Our Masters team finished sixth overall.
| Athlete | Leg time |
|---|---|
| Iain Burns | 13:06 |
| Ronald Strachan | 12:57 |
| John Oates | 15:34 |
| Denis Williams | 15:35 |
| Team time | 57:12 |
Young Athletes
The championships also included young athletes’ races, with the new World Athletics age groups being used for the first time: U14, U16 and U18.
Shettleston’s top finish was sixth place in the Young Males race. Some of our athletes were competing in cross country for the first time, which was great to see.
Young Males – 6th place
| Athlete | Leg time |
|---|---|
| Dominic Boyle | 8:55 |
| Naod Woldeselassie | 7:54 |
| Ciaran Curley | 8:28 |
| Team time | 25:17 |
Young Males B Team – 29th place
| Athlete | Leg time |
|---|---|
| Joseph Paterson | 9:45 |
| Harry Bell | 9:24 |
| Callum Bell | 9:40 |
| Team time | 28:49 |
Young Males C Team – DNF
| Athlete | Leg time |
|---|---|
| Henoch Woldeselassie | 9:40 |
| Louis Millican | 10:11 |
Young Females – 30th place
A great run from our young females, particularly considering that Cerys Curley stepped in at short notice and had never raced cross country for either school or Shettleston. Great team spirit!
| Athlete | Leg time |
|---|---|
| Cerys Curley | 12:58 |
| Charlotte Reilly | 9:48 |
| Zoe Roberts | 9:04 |
| Team time | 31:50 |
Thank you to everyone who helped out at short notice on the day, and of course, a big thanks to John Oates, who brought the club tent. We need more people to take a turn helping with this, so please consider getting involved at future events.
Outstanding Run from Scottish Internationalist
While his clubmates were starting their cross-country season, Scottish internationalist Michael Deason was running from Glasgow to Edinburgh- just the small matter of a 57-mile run!
His time of 6:57:33 was outstanding, and he took the win by just over 11 minutes. Congratulations, Michael!
Scottish Schools Road Championships
Earlier in the week, a number of our young athletes competed in the Scottish Schools Road Championships in Dunfermline.
Results can be found here.
Congratulations to Elaine Mackay
Congratulations to Elaine Mackay, who has been shortlisted for Volunteer of the Year at the upcoming Scottish Athletics Awards evening.
All club members will be delighted for Elaine, and we will share more information about her contribution to the club in the coming weeks.
Parkrun Round-Up
Well done to all our members who represented Shettleston Harriers at parkruns over the weekend.
Victoria parkrun, Glasgow
| Position | Gender position | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd | 2nd | Stewart Houston | 17:40 |
Tollcross parkrun, Glasgow
| Position | Gender position | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6th | 6th | Trevor Baker | 22:45 |
| 15th | 15th | Joe Haughey | 24:50 |
Fulham Palace parkrun
| Position | Gender position | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39th | 32nd | Cameron Maguire | 20:41 |
Cuningar Loop parkrun
| Position | Gender position | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1st | Matthew Fancourt | 17:53 |
| 97th | 18th | Emma MacLean | 26:49 |
Well done to everyone who raced, volunteered or supported the club over the weekend!