Galloway Harriers Recent Events

Snowdonia Marathon 2011

1^st Male Finisher – Rob Samuel – 2:36:45
1^st Female Finisher – Kelly Morgan – 3:11:29
Rick Williams – Postion 125th – 3:27:39

The 29^th Snowdonia marathon was wet and windy but nonetheless a great time was had by all (I’m sure even those that came a cropper on the steep muddy hill a mile from the finishing line, and were gashed and bloody would agree with my sentiments).

This was the second time I had done this race and so as not to break with tradition I did my usual session up and down the A75 Gatehouse By-Pass the week before. It wasn’t going to improve my fitness but it did give me the psychological lift that I needed as I anticipated the 3 long hills that were part of the course. Also the week before the race I was monitoring the weather forecast on a daily basis. At one point the forecast was for sunshine but cool and a little breeze – ideal conditions. What we got on the day was far different - lots of rain and wind. I was determined this year to run the whole course (last year I walked some of the 3^rd and most brutal of the 3 hills which commences at mile 21.5 and finishes at mile 24 and for some parts is as steep as the ‘Blackcraig hill’) but given the fierce headwind as we approached the 1^st 2.5 mile long hill I wondered whether I might be reduced to walking.

Thankfully despite being blown around I managed a respectable pace up the first hill but just as I came over the brow of the hill I wondered whether I was wearing enough clothing. I was only wearing a base layer and shorts and already at mile 6 I was very cold. As we made our way to Beddgelert I began to warm up and was mentally preparing myself for the next 2 mile hill coming out of the village. It was as I approached the 2^nd hill that I began to pick up a little and actually the second part of the race felt better than the first (even taking the 2^nd and 3^rd hill into account). I was able to maintain a steady pace of about 7:40 and felt quite strong (perhaps it was the beetroot juice kicking in!). So much so that whilst I did struggle to run up the 3^rd hill there was never any thought of stopping to walk and I began to realise that a sub 3:30 was on the cards.

At the top of the 3^rd hill the metalled road turns into a track at which point you are at the highest part of the race and on a clear day the view would be amazing. However we were not so fortunate and we were met by howling winds and rain which made running quite hard and a little dangerous as the track descends quite steeply through a muddy field. It was at this point that I fell but no damage done (others were not so fortunate and Andrea mentioned that quite a few crossed the finish line bashed and bleeding). When the muddy slippery bit was negotiated it was then a case of running as fast as possible down a gradient which again is similar to the ‘Blackcraig hill’ for about 1 mile before reaching the village of Llanberis and the finishing line. About 200 metres from the line my calfs began to hurt but as there was no-one near me there was no need for a sprint finish.

I was pleased with the time. I had no reason to think I would get so close to my marathon pb (Belfast marathon this year – 3:27:33) and it was only at the top of the 3^rd hill that I realised I would get a sub 3:30 time. It’s frustrating to miss a pb by 6 seconds and had I realised much earlier I think I could have shaved a few more minutes off – perhaps next time!

60th Brampton to Carlisle 10 mile Race

19th November 2011

1st Yared Hagos 47.51 Wallsend Harriers

35th Danielle Hodkinson 58.33 Wallsend Harriers
31st Steven Smith 57.57 Dumfries RC
374th Paul Cleer 1.17.16
381st Chrissie Vincent 1.17.32

680 runners

The sixtieth running of the oldest 10 mile road race took place on a perfect

autumn day which was sunny but had a cold nip in the air.

The race has an illustrious past having been won by some of Britain’s top

road runners.

Chrissie and myself arrived early as we had not pre-entered and we were

able to sit in the sun and watch coach loads of runners arrive from all over

the North East of England and Southern Scotland. There were very few

fun runners on show here and there was a good atmosphere created by the

variety of colourful club vests mingling in the autumn sun.

I put Steven Smith’s position and time in to give you an idea of the nature

of this race. The big man is usually in the top three in our neck of the

woods but could only manage 31st on this occasion. I don’t know if it’s the

large number of cash prizes or just the popularity of the event but it

certainly seems to attract a top class field.

This was a new distance for both Harriers so whatever happened, two Pbs

were there for the taking.

The starting gun fired and the tightly packed runners set off- a bit too

tightly packed for the eventual winner who took a tumble and was

flattened under the stampede. How he recovered to win I’ll never know.

Chrissie and I were puzzled as to why he hobbled about the prize giving

area - I now know why.

I did my usual far too fast start which I kept up for about three miles while

Chrissie stuck to the pace she had decided on earlier. At 2 miles wee Mo

went past so I thought I would try to keep up but it wasn’t the day to beat

her and by mile 5 she was 50 yds ahead. Just as I had given up on one

little woman another one passed me! Chrissie was going along at a good

pace alongside a chap in a red and white vest. I had to dig in to keep in

touch with her but it paid off just after the 10k marker when Chrissie

fumbled about at a water station and I was able to gain about 15 yds on

her, not a lot, but a good psychological boost.

I didn’t want to pass Chrissie as I wasn’t sure I could stay in front so I

decided to employ the Beattie tactic of hiding behind her until 9.5 miles

when I went past her like a rocket at a pace I could only sustain for 20

yards before plodding again. This left me nervously looking over my

shoulder as I was sure she could come back at me. The last 300 metres

were, thankfully, slightly downhill and we were both happy enough with

our times.

Although I was a few places better off than our new lady champ, I must

point out that her category position was much better than mine and Adrian

can correct me if I’m wrong but her age grading percentage is over 70%

for this race.

P.S. take a look at the Wallsend Harriers website. I wanted to find out

where it was after the noisy bunch took a host of prizes. The site has good

info and, come to think of it, I still don’t know where it is!

Bath Hilly Half Marathon – 27th November 2011

Pat Bennett

1st (Male) Alec Woods – 1:36:10

1st (Female) Corinne Abraham – 1:45:24

126th Pat Bennett – 2:22:18

188 starters, 182 finishers

I was seduced into this a few months ago by the promise of a personal worst, some great scenery, and 1650 feet of elevation. Sounded like fun, so on Sunday morning I turned up at Bath Racecourse, on top of a hill just outside Bath, with grey skies and a biting wind for the inaugural running of this event. It proved to be the hardest running thing I’ve done yet, Kielder included!

We started off with a lap of the Racecourse, and then through a kissing gate out onto a steep downhill footpath, which was very rough in places. After about 3 miles this turned into a tarmac section, but the marshal sent us over a stile and up a muddy field instead of down the nearly vertical tarmac. Fortunately I'd only just climbed over the stile when the front runners came steaming up the hill, having run an extra half mile, and told us we were going wrong. At the bottom of the hill there was a water station, where we had to turn round and come back up said vertical tarmac. I walked quite a lot of it; it was way too steep to run.

Halfway back up, the route diverted over another stile, correctly this time, and along a muddy track, still heading upwards. The view from the top was fabulous, and running down the other side over grassy hillside as good as it gets. Next was an undulating muddy section taking us to the village of North Stoke, then another steep stony track back up towards the Racecourse. I walked a lot of that one too. End of lap one! Back through the first kissing gate, and repeat. Any thought of pacing had been abandoned long since; it was a case of run as fast as you dared on the downhills, and stagger up the hills anyway you could.

The second lap seemed to go quicker, but I was very tired by the time I got to the top of the last hill and started across the field to the Racecourse. I passed a group of 4 runners at around 12 miles, and one bloke came with me. I could hear him behind me, and kept expecting him to pass, whilst equally determined not to let him, but he didn't. Somehow the last mile is always the longest, but with the added incentive I did it in 9:19.

My time was not actually a personal worst; I was slower at Salisbury last year, when I’d missed 6 of the last 8 weeks training because of injury. I wasn't disappointed, although I'd hoped for better, because it was so extreme, and I’m already looking for comparable hills to practice on for next year!

Stranraer 10k - 5th.November 2011

John Plumridge

RESULTS:

1. G. Murdoch 34/22

6. Ross - 36/43 - 1st. local

22. Rick - 41/11 - 1st over 45
28. Stuart - 42/12 - 3rd. over40

30. Jemma -42/24 - 3rd female

41. John - 43/26 - 1st over60

60. Kerry - 46/18 - 1st over 45

78. Paul - 47/35

83. Chrissie 47/51 - 2nd over45

126. Gareth - 54/19

138. Gilly - 55/38

160. Simon - 58/39

173. Ailsa -1/00/22

187. Marie - 1/02/15 out of 218 who completed the race.

Also - 1st. team female and 2nd. team male.

Saturday was another wonderful day for Galloway Harriers who represented themselves well in a local event. The ladies were particularly outstanding in gaining the first team prize. The club has now extended itself from being a haven for those who enjoy chips, beer and coffee, to one which has interests as far and wide as ultra running, triathlon, hill walking, fell and trail running.

Ross led the way from the front to regain his prize for being 1st. local, with Rick charging in to take his age group, despite marathon miles in his legs. Jemma announced her aim of 45 minutes on the start line then hurtled round in three minutes less, having shed the handicap of a pram and child a few minutes earlier.She raced Stuart all the way to line as John gasped for air and beer behind. Kerry continued her recent progress with yet another strong run, not far in front of Chrissie to dominate the F45 category. Paul split the pair of them but failed to qualify in their group for reasons of age and sex.

Back in the pack came the serious competition. The Lloyd family battled in to pip Simon, running strongly ahead of Colin who himself kept under the hour. The latter race was to feature in Taggart conversation well into the night, and possibly until Simon finds another target for his competitive urge. Ailsa and Marie progressed comfortably to the line shortly afterwards; ignore what they tell you because they seemed to be running well within themselves - handicapper please note!

Adrian was his usual, supportive self, even though we had to strip him of all running apparel prior to the race in order to keep him from ruining the recovery plan. Seriously though, his support was much appreciated and we promise to return his racing shoes as soon as the physio gives the all-clear.

Yet again the club had an excellent turn out of runners and supporters. Something that will not be missed by the organisers. Perhaps next year we can have an over 60's team prize; we had a team this year. Great day folks!

Kielder Marathon 9 October 2011

1st Ricky Lightfoot 2:35:14

John Plumridge 3:59:12

David Beattie 4:18:56

Paul Cleer 4:22:58

Pat Bennet 4:43:54

Chrissie Vincent 4:43:55

Report by Paul Cleer

This was an important trip for me where I achieved a long held ambition .

Yes , I found somewhere with even worse weather than Dumfries and

Galloway .

John ,David , Chrissie , Pat and myself were representing the Harriers on

this the second running of the Kielder Marathon . The course runs around

Kielder Water in Northumberland and the best way I can think of to

describe the route is to ask you to imagine the bike trail at Kirroughtree ,

26 miles of it , then do it without the bike.

The Harriers were all pretty late entrants to the event for various reasons

but we all thought we had done enough training to at least get around , all

except John that is who wanted his own ambulance to follow his injury

ravaged body around the course as he was ready to drop at any time .

Guess which Harrier came first ?

The weather was very wet and windy and I don’t think it relented at any

time during the race . I can have a chuckle about it now but I don’t think

any of us knew what we were about to do as we stood excitedly waiting

for the starting gun.

I didn’t see John at the start as he had made his way nearer to the starting

line to try and get a good run going . This was a smart tactic as the first

few miles are very congested and any progress through the field is

extremely difficult. John was unsure of his time but we now know it was

3:59 which makes 2 great runs from him recently. I wonder which he is

happier with Dumfries Half or Kielder ? I would guess Kielder . Lorri also

came along and gave the Harriers some support but I must report that

while John was sweating blood Lorri was pretending she was waiting for a

bus all the while chatting up Steve Cram on the Kielder Viaduct .

Chrissie and Pat stuck together like birds of a feather with Pat completing

her first marathon . Chrissie has been doing a bit of mountain biking and

fancies some trail runs so I suspect she had a great time and loved

the“steep incline” notices that seemed to be around every corner . To do a

run like this with your sister beside you really makes it a special day which

I am sure they will both remember for a long time . The sister act came

unstuck on the home straight when Pat went into competitive mode ,

sprinted to the line and beat her sis by a whole second . Well done Pat , we

now know who has the killer instinct in your family.

A marathon in this my 50th year was a target that I was delighted to hit . I

reckoned I could get under 4 hrs on a flatish course but would take maybe

4:10 at Kielder . What I wanted to do was complete it without walking

which I was on my way to achieving until David Beattie overtook me from

behind just after the 20 mile marker ( not a pretty sight ) . Now David must

be a master of disguise as there are a few parts of this winding course

where you can see who is on your tail but every time I looked there was no

sign of him .

All the while I was getting slower and slower and I didn’t

know David was stalking me waiting for the right moment to pass .

Nevertheless I managed to pretend I was happy to see him as he went past

, got 50yds in front and started walking . The walking looked so good I

decided to have a go myself .

According to Alison, John looked knackered at the end and I myself was

near death but David appeared quite fresh and chirpy so maybe he had

another couple of minutes in him ?

I must mention the junior runs where Emily won a great Timex Ironman

watch for being first girl 10- 12yrs. Matthew won a trophy for 3rd boy 13-

15yrs despite an asthma attack which resulted in him being given a

nebuliser by the paramedics. This was a bit ironic as he was laughing at

the number of ambulances on show and wondering which one his father

would end up in . Charlotte and Catherine also got in on the act and

thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

As word spreads about this event going into its third year I am pretty sure

it will attract runners from all over the UK so I will not be leaving my

entry so late next year . I will be older yes but also a whole lot

wiser……….and I don’t mean I will getting on a bus !

Dumfries Half Marathon 25th September 2011

258 finishers

(1st Callum Reid 1 15 31)

10th Ross Bark 1 22 18

62nd John Plumridge 1 36 40 (1st male over 60)

85th Kerry Maxwell 1 40 59(1st female vet)

112th Paul Cleer 1 45 29

115th David Beattie 1 45 53

173rd Emer Beattie 1 55 36

178th Martina Moore 1 56 30

This was the 30th Dumfries half marathon , and it was a much improved event . Starting at Dumfries and Galloway college is a good move - proper registration facilities and toilets received a thumbs up from runners all round. The only problem is the mile or so walk back from the finish , but it does make the run overall downhill - those few extra seconds of downhill running are well worth the extra footsteps .

Most of us had wisely registered online . Paul and Ross decided they wanted the extra excitement of registering for one of the 18 remaining places on the morning of the event. As the rest of us arrived at 10.00, we were able to see Paul packing away his tent and sleeping bag; it really had not been necessary to have camped out from midnight at the door of the college. Adrian, though not running , turned up to cheer us all on - much appreciated.

I have to confess that I'm not a huge fan of the route - up and down, and long stretches where the leaders of the field can be seen galloping into the distance . It was into a fair headwind for the first 5 miles and canny runners tucked in behind unsuspecting souls , only to pop out in front once the route turned back to Dumfries.

Ross romped home in 10th place , and fortunately had no problems with navigation this weekend . John had a great run - still holding back the years - 1 36 won him 1st male over 60 again . Kerry , in only her second appearance for the club , posted a superb time and won 1st female vet. The future of the woman's team looks very promising. Titanic struggles occurred further back ; Paul, who had set off at a frightening pace , held off David by less than 30 seconds and Emer managed to fend off Martina's challenge.

All in all a very good day , and superb for the club to pick up 2 prizes at a big meet.

Bristol Half Marathon – 11th September 2011

1st (Male) Edwin Kiyego (Kenya) – 1:03:20

4047th Pat Bennett – 1:57:48

In contrast to my last outing, this was a huge event, with over 10,000 runners. The start was in two waves, with elites, yellow and blue numbers going off first, and then green, red and pink. I have no idea how they allocated the categories; I’m sure I put 2 hours as my estimate, but I had a red number, whereas other people I know were given green. Maybe they looked at my date of birth and decided I was bluffing.

As it happened, the reds and greens all mingled in together, with the pinks kept firmly in check behind a rope. The starting chute was very narrow, and it was a longish walk back from the start to get into it. I think the people in the front row must have camped there overnight! Fortunately it was chip-timed, so the 5 minutes or so it took me to get through the start didn’t matter.

The course started out up the Portway, under the Clifton suspension bridge, which was rather nice, but then after about 4.75 miles we did a u-turn round some traffic lights and ran all the way back down again. Once back down the Portway we ran a hot, not very attractive, section along Cumberland Road, and after that there were a lot of lollypop shaped bits around the town centre. It got a bit tedious running up a road, round a loop, and back down the other side, and I’m sure they could have made it more interesting.

Because it was advertised as a flat course, I thought I could afford to go a bit faster than last time, so my aim was to keep a fairly constant pace just under my average pace for Stur, 8:59 miles, which I did for the first 10. Unfortunately there were then a couple of shortish but quite steep hills which I had not expected, and the last three miles were very hard. The traffic got heavier, as lots of other people were also finding it hard work. I saw one chap laid out at the side of the road, another whose legs were giving way, and, sadly, one man actually died.

I still thought that I was on for a PB, but when the Garmin got to 13.1 miles I had not yet reached the finish, and I just missed it by a frustrastingly short margin of 3 seconds. However, the medal is very nice, and I am also the proud owner of a ‘small’ teeshirt that would comfortably fit a baby elephant.

Gallovidian 10k – 07 September 2011
1^st Male        James Douglas                 31.21
1^st Female    Mhairi Duff                      36.54

Adrian Leach                                       38.39
Rick Williams                                       40.46           (PB)
Jemma McNeil                                     42.24
John Plumridge                                   42.32
Paul Cleer                                           46.14           (PB)
Kerry Maxwell                                     46.19
Chrissie Vincent                                  47.07
Emer Beattie                                       50.40

Eight Harriers travelled to Dumfries for the annual 10k and had a great time with 4 getting a prize – Adrian, John, Kerry and Chrissie; 2 getting a PB – Rick and Paul; Jemma running faster than “pre baby bulge” and despite sleepless nights and Emer managing to put in a good performance despite feeling a little fatigued after Sunday’s half marathon.

There was a good line up with 251 runners taking part. Weather conditions were ideal and very kindly the rain held off until the last Harrier, Emer, crossed the finishing line.

Adrian was first home followed by Rick who, at one point, thought he was going to get a sub 40 only to come home in 40.30 (according to his garmin – the ‘official’ time was 40.46). Next was Jemma who was flying and was closely followed by John, who had acted as a ‘pacer’ for Jemma (and who for his gallantry was awarded 1^st prize for fastest male vet). Paul and Kerry came in together with Paul just pipping Kerry at the finish to get himself a well deserved PB and not long afterwards Chrissie and Emer crossed the line to complete a great night of running for the Harriers.

Post race nutrition comprised coffee and chocolate cake (and an egg sandwich for Rick) and whilst Emer’s gang made their way home (foregoing an Indian and even a bag of chips) John decided to head to the pub for a celebratory drink.

Ladies Weekend Away – Great Scottish Run + Rogue Triathlete and Support Team

4th September . Lorrie Graham

Having ditched husbands, strange dog and multiple children, Emer, Chrissie, Martina and Lorri headed for the Glasgow shopping emporium at Braehead. There, they invaded M&S to sample their culinary delights and were educated in the shockingly high calorific value of carrot cake. Martina then showed us her party trick with carrier bags and her secret of weight loss.

The intrepid group proceeded to IKEA and followed Chrissie’s market research programme on sofas. Designer consultant, Emer, was at hand for sound advice on style, colour and comfort.

From the cultural delights of Braehead, they progressed to Premier Inns at Bellshill to rendezvous with aforementioned rogue triathlete and his support team. This took slightly longer than expected because Emer’s SAT NAV wished the travellers to take in the highlights of both minor and major football stadiums on the way to the destination. This technological wonder was obviously purchased prior to the development of motorways as it studiously avoided them at all costs.

Upon late arrival, David took command and whisked all in the direction of food. Breakfast and travel arrangements for the next day’s events were part of the meal time experience. On completion of these discussions, few were any the wiser. However, next day, things mysteriously fell into place and people arrived at their races, on time.

The Triathlon, of course went as clockwork, because Ian was involved and David managed to collect his family and join the others at the end of ladies run.

The day was bright and sunny for all the competitors and we were all looking forward to the fantastic atmosphere and support that is so much part of this event.

First off was Lorri and Lindsay in the 10k. Lorri wasn’t feeling particularly fit, so beat her personal best by over a minute – drugs test results pending. Lindsay followed her in with the pleasure that only a good run can give.

Elsewhere on the streets of Glasgow, Emer, Chrissie, Matina, Paul and George pounded the miles in the half marathon. Chrissie stormed in, looking as fresh as a daisy, with a p.b. of 1.43.37. Paul followed, cheered on by his family, and continued to show impressive form in a time of 1.44.44. Emer (1.54.13) and George (1.52.51) ran in to finish with much better performances than they predicted. Martina resisted the urge to show her trick with a carrier bag and came in more strongly than in recent runs in a time of 1.57.

Over the same weekend, Matthew and Emily Cleer, waved the flag for Galloway Harriers and put in great performances in the junior event.

Well done to everyone!

Glasgow Standard Triathlon 4^th September 2011

Winner 1h 52 min 59 sec

David Beattie 196^th 2h 37min 56sec

262 finishers, 2 disqualified (!) and 10 DNFs

July 2011 Lynwood:

David : “Emer, there’s a triathlon in Glasgow on 4^th September, the same day as the Glasgow half marathon – that should be ok , shouldn’t it?”

Emer : “No, it’s a girl only weekend. You’re not welcome”

David : “But Ian Hannah will be doing it too – it’s his own club organizing it”

Emer : “well ok , as long as you’re sure Ian is doing it too, and it’s your job to look after the kids”

David : ‘No worries – I’m absolutely certain Ian will be participating …. Kids you’ll have a great time - it’s a multilap course - you’ll have the chance to watch me 14 times as I go back and forth on the bike – it’ll be great “

Pan camera across to Beattie kids – looks of despair ……..

Few weeks later , Ian not entering triathlon ….. David in doghouse big time. Still never mind, I’m sure Squad GB have similar problems as they prepare for London 2012 , as they attempt to juggle family and sport.

My second standard distance triathlon – I’d been bitterly disappointed at my last performance in June and decided to sort it. There are 2 ways to do this – either train harder, or buy lots of triathlon magazines (“bike porn” basically) and upgrade your gear. To most middle aged men, the later option is very attractive, so I bought a shiny new bike – still only a third of the price of some of the amazing bikes racked up on race day , but definitely quicker than my old steed. I have to confess to spending a lot of time admiring the new bike in the house the first week it arrived – it was awful when it became muddy after the first trip. This is completely sad , but it’s better to be honest.

Good old Ian – he may not have been taking part, but he valiantly turned out to assist with organization and cheer me on. The swim was hard work . I was kicked in the face shortly after the start (not one of triathlon’s more attractive aspects) and had my goggles knocked off . Took a few minutes to regain composure (i.e. stop greetin’) and was a bit slower than last time. Much quicker in transition (though still very slow compared to top lads/lasses). managing to take off my wetsuit reasonably quickly . Bike was great – 10 minutes quicker than last time (I had been putting a lot of bike miles in – it wasn’t just the new gear honestly) , but maybe had pushed myself a bit hard and found the run very hard work . All in all , 8 minutes quicker than last time …… not too bad.

Quick shower afterwards . bought the kids a pile of sweets to avoid rebellion and then off to cheer everyone else home at the end of the Glasgow half. Super atmosphere in Glasgow Green and some super performances too. Girls, hope I’ve been forgiven for intruding on your weekend ?………......oh message from Emer ; no you haven’t!

AYR 5 miler 23rd August 2011

John Plumridge

The five miles of mainly off road was slightly altered from the previous year, but still included a difficult field section which had become heavy underfoot. The rest was interspersed with occasional puddles but otherwise pleasant to run on, in a warm, yet dry, summer's evening.

Although the number of competitors was small, the event itself was well organised and continued to be a very friendly affair which boasted excellent facilities. It deserves better attendance and should form part of Galloway Harriers racing calendar for 2012.

A small but perfectly formed team made up the Harrier contingent this year: Lorri, Simon the Traveller, and Stalwart John. Simon, as always, an impressive figure in shorts and strangely fitting T-shirt, pounded the miles to defy bum injury and travel fatigue in pursuit of Mars Bar and bottle of water. He raised a friendly cheer on the way to this sustinence. He did this in the wake of Lorri who had swept past him on the return section of the run and entered the stadium in a flash of yellow, to the rapturous applause of her husband in the stands.

She later missed the opportunity of personal glory when he accepted the 1st. female over 35 prize on her behalf. The P.A. system had not reached the inner sanctum of the ladies' shower area. John picked up his own prize for being extremely old yet still mobile. A good day for Glentrool!

As a postscript, it should be noted that Lorri has now been recorded as a participating runner in over 35's and over 60's this summer. A suggestion therefore is that she be entered in Saturday's handicap as an over 15, and she will have a full set.

Many thanks again to Simon for the entertainment, and informing the staff at Dino's Restaurant that we were athletes. The girl's face was a picture to behold!

Stur Half Marathon – 7th August 2011

1st (Male) Stuart Fox – 1:11:42

1st (Female) Emma Dennis –1:26:17 (19th overall)

1st (F45V) Susanne Enhard – 1:29:40

278th (19th F45V) Pat Bennett – 1:57:46 (PB)

415 finishers.

The Sturminster Newton Half Marathon is notorious locally as a hilly race run in hot weather. For once though, I turned up fully trained, and uninjured, my sleep the night before undisturbed by partying Glaswegians, and my porridge consumed precisely 3 hours before the start. Even the weather was cooperating by turning gradually cooller as the day approached. In fact, I had left myself with no excuses whatsoever.

I had spent the week calculating what pace would make what finishing time, but in the end decided to find a comfortable pace and stick to it, speed up from half way if possible, and try to save something for the three mile hill towards the end. I thought I could probably do about 2:05, whilst secretly hoping for slightly better.

There was the usual adrenaline-fuelled stampede away from the start, exaggerated by it being downhill, and I did the first mile in 8:33. The vest attracted the usual comments, ranging from ‘Where’s Galloway?’ to ‘You’ve come a long way!’ from the more geographically astute. Once the road flattened out I slowed down, but found I was still doing just over 9 minute miles, and feeling really good. A part of me was saying ‘You will never keep this up’, while another part was saying ‘If you do keep this up you will be under 2 hours’. I decided to keep going as long as it felt OK.

This was the 21st running of the race, so the organisers have had plenty of practice, and because it’s often very hot there are drinks stations every two miles, most with sponges as well. The people manning the stations wear fancy dress, and this year’s theme was different countries. There were quite a lot of spectators in the various villages, and one lady had kindly hung a sprinkler over her garden gate for us to run through.

I reached the half way mark in just under 59 minutes, still feeling very comfortable. The marshall there said ‘Keep this up and you’ll be inside 2 hours’, and from then on there was no way I was going to let that get away from me. I upped the pace to just under 9 minute miles, and started overtaking a lot of people, which is always an encouragement. I reached the 10 mile mark in 1:29:41, feeling somewhat less comfortable.

The hill that they call ‘the sting in the tail’ started shortly after that. It isn’t the worst hill I’ve ever run up; nowhere near as steep as Stranraer or Longleat, but it does go on for quite a way, and the legs were now quite tired. However, I was still within my target when I reached the top, with just over a quarter of a mile to go. After that it was all down hill, so I set off as fast as my legs would go, even finding a bit of a sprint for the finish.

Sadly no medal, but I did get a tee shirt that actually fits, and a very nice cake from the sponsors, Honeybuns. All in all thoroughly enjoyable, and very well organised.

Port William Kids Fun Run August 2011

The Galloway Harriers were again responsible for organising the Port William Carnival Week Fun Run, which took place on Sunday in the village’s Maxwell Park. A bright and blustery day saw seventeen youngsters turn up to take part in the race. There were four age group categories with a boys and girls trophy for the winners of each and a medal and a mars bar for all who took part.

A mass start was agreed upon with relatively small numbers meaning that it wouldn’t be too chaotic for all those little legs clashing around the course. With a Ready, Steady, Go, they set off up the lane with the delightful exuberance and enthusiasm of youth, some seriously set on the task in hand and others giggling and laughing.

The pace was fast and furious for the front runners, with local lad and Junior Galloway Harrier, Matthew Cleer, crossing the line first in 5:13 to take the 11-13yrs Boys trophy. He had Fun Run regular and fellow Port William boy, Kieran Penrose, hot on his heels with an excellent run to take second place in that category. Junior Harrier Emily Cleer was third home and scooped the 8-10yrs girls trophy in another closely contested category as the ‘pocket rocket’ Lucy Gaw followed closely behind to take second place in that grouping.

In the other categories Junior Harrier Max Williams won the boys 6-7yrs with a great run and Faith Spice the girls 6-7yrs with a superb show of speed down the final straight. J.Bardolf won the boys 8-10yrs and unfortunately the girls trophy in the 11-13yrs age group went unclaimed!

Thanks to Carnival Queen IIise Spice for presenting the prizes and all participants for a great and fun race.

Harriers fly Roon the Watter August 2011

The Galloway Harriers Senior and Junior Members were out in force at Gatehouse of Fleet’s ‘Roon the Watter’ run on Tuesday night. With perfect conditions for running and a big field of 139 runners, it was set to be a fantastic evening for all. The six mile course tracks along the side road out of Gatehouse towards Gatehouse Station, turns right down the hill to cross the Fleet and then back along into the village. The undulating course is a scenic but quite challenging route, with the rolling hills zapping the legs on the second half of the course.

With less club runners than were seen at the Castle Douglas Five last week, the places were there for the taking. Stephen Smith from Dumfries Running Club continued to prove his current form by taking the win in an impressive 34:44, fifty-two seconds clear of his nearest club rival David Parish who came through in second place. Local girl Allie Wilson, also from Dumfries Running Club, scraped first female just two seconds ahead of Galloway Harrier, Jemma McNeill, in 42:17 and claimed 20^th place.

Newton Stewart based Jamie Devine was fifth overall and first Harrier home in 37:48, followed by Kirkcudbright man Adrian Leach, fresh from Grecian climes, in 38:05 to claim 2^nd Vet and 5^th place. Man of the moment Rick Williams was 12^th in 40:30, the fastest he has ever completed the Roon the Watter course, followed by Glentroolian John Plumridge, first Supervet and 18^th in the field in 42:07.

The women’s race was a tightly run affair, with returning mum, Jemma McNeill (42:19, 22^nd overall), exploiting her husband’s pace making skills to run the field down. However Dumfries club runner Allie Wilson was a step too far, claiming the podium over the Galloway Harrier with a mere two second margin. Charlie McNeill gracefully took 23^rd in 42:20.

Junior Harrier Matthew Cleer was forced to run the six mile course as he is now 12 years old and finished as 2^nd Junior in a fantastic 43:30, with a remarkable 31^st place in the overall rankings. Definitely one to watch for the future! Chrissie Vincent continued to prove her current fitness and form was second female home for the Harriers in 45:57, a course best and 52^nd place overall. Paul Cleer followed closely behind but unable to pass the diminutive Vincent and finished a place behind in 45:59.

Stranraer man Allan Strang has been off the road for a while but made it around the course in a very respectable 49:07 and a smile on his face. New Harrier Marie Horsell was 115^th and 5^th Supervet lady in 58:52, followed by Ailsa Taggart squeaking in under the hour in 59:56 (118^th, 6^th Supervet lady).

In the Junior race, Emily Cleer was first girl (11:29) and Charlotte Cleer did the two mile course in just 17 minutes at seven years old. Another excellent nights racing for all at a brilliant and much favoured local event – well done Harriers and well done Gatehouse Gala!

Castle Douglas 5miler July 2011

Last Tuesday saw seven Senior members of the Galloway Harriers running club and three of the Junior members take part in the running races organised by the Castle Douglas Civic Week committee. A beautiful summers evening, perhaps a touch on the warm side for running, but very pleasant for what was a well organised and well attended event.

Eighty-six runners from across the region attended; with strong support from club runners from various clubs across the local area, for a small race the standard was high. The course was a straightforward five mile loop out into the Stewartry countryside and back into the gardens at Carlingwark Loch. The front runners were dominated by athletes from the Dumfries Running Club, who claimed seven of the first eight places, including a very impressive fourth place finish from first lady home Lisa Finlay (29:48). The race overall was won by comfortably by Steven Smith who cruised home 50 seconds ahead of his nearest rival in 28:32.

First Galloway Harrier home was Rick Williams, enduro runner turned speed demon, in a fantastic 32:52 to claim 20th place. First placed 60+ Veteran and 30th overall, John Plumridge was home next for Harriers in 34:30, running better again after a tough winter of injuries. Jemma McNeill is slowly coming back to form after becoming a mother earlier in the year and was first lady home for the Harriers and 7th female overall in 36:16. A pleasing but exhausting effort! Port William man Paul Cleer proved that consistent training pays off as he came home strongly in 36:55 and 45th overall. Chrissie Vincent followed exactly two minutes later, suffering with fatigued legs from some intense cross training the night before! Martina Moore finished in a fantastic 39:13, her form continued to go from strength to strength with the miles on the bike paying dividends to improved overall fitness. First placed female 60+ veteran and next over the line for the Galloway Harriers was Lorri Graham in an excellent 44:18, surely a seasons best if not a PB. In the Junior races, the Cleer girls continued to prove their diminutive dominance, with Emily Cleer being first girl home and 3rd overall in the Junior Race and little Charlotte and Catherine Cleer fighting it out for 1st and 2nd respectively in the 5-7yrs age group. A very enjoyable, if a little sticky, evening of mid-week racing for the Harriers. Next stop the six mile Roon the Watter event at Gatehouse's Gala Week next Tuesday night; fingers are crossed for equally dry but perhaps slightly cooler conditions!

Kirroughtree Trail Half Marathon 10th July 2011

half and a half...or less!!

Jemma Holland

1st Ross Bark – 1:04:41

14th Jemma McNeill – 1:53:07

19th Chrissie Vincent -1:58:49

Five months on after the birth of Archie, I spotted an ‘iconic off-road half marathon’ advertised by No Fuss Events at Kirroughtree. I felt a strange stirring in my stomach. This I recognised as a little knot of excitement and adrenalin. Could I make it around a half? Was I being utterly foolish? After a couple of days of consideration, I decided to bite the bullet and entered. My rationale was that Kirroughtree was my favourite place to run, I could just walk if I got tired and as I had a few friends up visiting, I had ample Archie sitters!

Despite fears of it being a scorcher, the conditions were great for running as the small field of 33 athletes gathered at the start. Ross, Chrissie and I were the sole Harriers representatives with others being lured to Girvan or far flung Greek islands. There were a number of other long, lean limbed mountain goat types that put Chrissie and I off slightly as we sat on the boot of the car whilst Ross hurtled up and down in his exhausting looking warm up. Chrissie went off for a more gentle warm up and I fed Archie...!

The race briefing was just that – brief! A ‘follow the markers, it’s 2 laps, enjoy yourselves’ kind of affair. If the warning bells hadn’t started to clang at this point then they certainly did as the organisers struggled to explain clearly to an increasingly anxious bunch of runners that you didn’t turn right down towards the BreakPad at the very start, (we started down the drive nearer the entrance to Kirroughtree) but did on the subsequent two loops. Much confusion before we started that could have been very simply avoided by having someone stood by the path waving you straight on. Simple yet effective. This error was to be the theme of the day!

With a three, two, one Go, we set off on the course, with the keen beans galloping off and Chrissie and I settling ourselves into a steady pace nearer the back of the field. The course set off along the start of the mountain bike routes, heading up towards the top of Larg Hill. Chrissie soon stretched her legs out and tempted as I was to try and stay with her, my sensible head feared that if I did, I wouldn’t make it to half way let alone the second lap!

At the top of Larg Hill, where the forestry road from the Anglers Car Park comes into the forest we, or the majority of the field, carried on around to the right and onwards to rejoin the latter stages of the blue walking route, carrying on naively thinking that we were making progress and knocking the miles off. A little disconcerting was seeing the blank backs of all the arrow markers and none facing us, but on we ploughed. Along the ‘top section’, I was chugging along, feeling quite happy, when suddenly Ross came into view, going like a dingbat in the other direction. I turned to the guy running near me and said jokingly, either he’s in a hurry or he severely needs the loo! A minute or so later and another front runner came into view, I said to the guy ‘Oh, there must definitely be a turn around point then, I don’t remember them mentioning that...’. Hmmm. The alarm bells were nearing Big Ben proportions. As the third runner came into view, my friend Martin Wallace, he shouted ‘Everyone’s gone on the wrong course!’. Confused but not really sure what to do, we kept running in the same direction. Increasingly I was convinced that this was not right and increasingly panicking that if we had gone wrong then that meant I would have to run further than a half marathon. Yikes. We passed the end of the blue route path that comes up from the road, where we saw another arrow pointing up in the direction we had all run from and one of the slower runners just coming into view from up that path. However, still unsure, we kept running on down the hill towards Glenamour car park. Another minute or two down this hill, as it clicked which path this was and if it was wrong, which I was increasingly convinced it was, then it was a long way back up. I stopped. Other runners stopped and we discussed what to do. A couple of runners catching up with us ran on, shouting that we hadn’t seen signs to tell us to turn so we should keep going. Unconvinced the group of about eight of us decided to turn back. As we got to the end of the blue route we had just passed, the support ambulance arrived and I stopped to tell him that a number of runners that were further ahead had continued down the hill, Chrissie included. All was not going to plan!

We ran back along the top, heading in the right direction this time, battling with whether or not I should go back and complete the mistaken loop, in the knowledge that it would be definitely longer than 13.1 miles and therefore might kill me, or whether to just continue on the route that we were now following.... I asked the guy that I was running with what he was planning on doing. He said that we’d already run 5.3k so he was just going to carry on the route. Good enough for me.

The rest of the run was fairly straightforward and the course actually very well marked out, with the exception of the missing critical arrow at the top of Larg Hill...! On the second lap the ambulance was there telling everyone to head left and down the rutted path on to the Blackcraig road and down on to the blue walking route. The organisers had laid tape across the road whenever there was a turn, (obviously not being able to put it at waist height due to other forest users), but had failed to mention that if there was tape across the road, you shouldn’t cross it and should take the turn. Had they done so, I don’t believe anyone would have gone wrong.

I was delighted to be able to keep running and feel fairly strong, although tired by the last mile or so. Those undulating bike paths are a killer for tired legs! I ran the majority of the second lap with ‘John from Edinburgh’ which made it a lot more bearable, chatting taking my mind of any fatigue that was setting in and finished with him in 1:53. I consulted with three of the people that turned at exactly the same point as me and got three different Garmin readings for the distance we had covered, 12.1m, 12.41m and 12.66m; I think the forest cover was perhaps playing havoc with the satellite connections.

Chrissie should have beaten me comfortably but came in a few minutes after with at least another mile and a half under her belt, (13.55m according to another Garmin wearer who turned at the bottom of the hill too), and the dreaded Glenamour hill! Ross won the race but isn’t convinced he ran the correct route either, as he finished in a very speedy 64mins and emerged from the forest in a different place to everyone else!

Despite protestations and confessions about not running the right route, the organisers decided that they could only award the prizes as the ‘results’ determined as they didn’t really have a clue who had run what! As such, Ross got 1st Open Male, Chrissie 3rd Female Vet and I got 1st Open Female. All a little awkward....

In summary, a great route which was well marked with the exception of one crucial arrow...!! A few marshals and a better race briefing would have made the event good rather than a bit of a shambles. Perhaps a tad pricey at £20 a pop and with nothing for finishers that don’t place, but a lovely off-road addition to the local racing calendar and hopefully lessons will have been learnt for improved organisation next year

CORRIEAIYRACK CHALLENGE 2011

Cathy Mayne

Run in aid of the Badaguish Outdoor Centre near Aviemore, the Corrieaiyrack Challenge is a multi-discipline event that can be done as a duathlon, set in the heart of the Highlands. Like the Highland Cross, which it postdates by 2 weeks every year, it is an off-road run followed by a road bike of 17 and 26 miles respectively.

The route follows Wade’s military road over the fabled Corrieaiyrack pass between Fort Augustus and Strathspey, passing a high point of nearly 770m from a starting height of only about 18m; that’s a whole lot of climbing in a relatively short distance. The descent to the changeover at Garva Bridge, near Laggan, is pretty taxing too, being steep and loose with a significant amount of washout from recent rainfall events. Then there’s a viscous 3-odd miles of undulating tar to kill off your legs before you get to sit on your bike for a bit. Deceptively hilly, the bike is generally downhill from Garve Bridge, through Laggan, Newtonmore, Kingussie, past Ruthven Barracks to the finish at Kincraig Village Fair.

This is my 5th Corrie, I think. My memory is deliberately hazy; otherwise I would never repeat the experience. I’ve mountain biked the whole thing, which is great on the Pass but miserable on the road. I’ve done the walk-bike option (too slow) and run-biked at least twice. Previous best time 5:16, in 2007. I’ve also done the Mountain Rescue first aid cover at the top of the pass and only once had to bring in the chopper for the poor guy who face-planted from his mountain bike….

Anyway, legs still a little weary from the Cross 2 weeks before and my initial GH run the previous weekend, I set off at my nice steady shuffle in the growing heat, amidst the usual gaggle of enthusiastic joggers either strung right across the road making passing very tricky or obliviously trotting along to the dulcet tones of iPod or mp3. There’s a couple of miles of tar to sort out the order then up steeply on the first bit of the Wade road. People immediately start to string out as the incline is enough to make most have to walk. There’s a series of steeper rises and flatter plateaux sections all the way to the summit and I always find it best to walk the steeps and make the effort to jog the flats, but when I walk I push hard and “power-walk”. There are several water stations culminating in a checkpoint at the summit (10 miles), which I made in 2:05. Because of the need to fuel (being diabetic) I always use a hydration bladder in a rucksack and I set out with 2 litres of PSP22 on board. At each water station I drank one cup of water and emptied another over my head as the first hour and a half were very hot before the sun disappeared behind building clouds.

Leaving the summit with the ribald remarks of former CMRT colleagues ringing in my ears, I now started to motor and the overtaking began in earnest. I’m good downhill and on rough terrain and most people were by now slowing up and finding the underfoot difficult. By the time I hit the tar I had overtaken dozens of people, which boosted my morale and kept me churning out the same steady shuffle right to the changeover (3:19).

Luckily I had an old mate from CairnGorm Mountain at the changeover, who sorted out my bike and drop bag and generally helped me with everything. A complete change of clothes – great when everything is soaked with sweat – a banana and 4 minutes later I was underway on the bike.

Being more of a cyclist than a runner, the overtaking now stepped up a gear. The first few miles are undulating with one or two short, sharp hills. These have to be treated with great respect as they are likely to cripple the unwary with cramp in the calves. Aware of the risk, I stretched my calves constantly on the first few miles and periodically throughout the bike section. The threat never really goes away.

By the time I got to Newtonmore I had a good idea of my likely finish time and realised that sub 5 hours was possible. I had water, PSP22 and food on the bike and tried hard to keep up the carbo fuelling and hydration. I felt strong pushing up the hill at Ruthven but then hit a bit of a rough patch past Drumguish. Keen to keep the 5 hour marker in sight, I decided to team up with the only chap to overtake me on the bike – though only after I overtook him. We worked together all the way to the final hill, where unfortunately he succumbed to cramp.

Rolling in at 4:54:40 was extremely satisfying. A great time and I must say I don’t think I could have gone any faster. Well paced too – there was enough in the tank to stand on the pedals up the final hill, but afterwards I felt totally wasted, of not actively unwell. But what amazed me was my placing. I didn’t even bother with the prize-giving because I haven’t won anything for years, but I came in 2nd vet female and 7th female overall. I heard lots of people talking about how tough it was because they were dehydrated or hit the wall. So my (necessary) strategy of carrying – and drinking – a large amount of fluid and carbs looks to have been my secret weapon on a day which was pretty hot. Never again will I feel self-conscious with my hydration system when surrounded by people unfettered by such a burden; I will remind myself that it may slow me down at the start but at the end I will still be shuffling along at the same steady pace while they will have fallen by the wayside having hit the wall!

Girvan Half Marathon - 10th. July, 2011.

Official Report John Plumridge

( The author declares all information contained within this report to have been obtained by legal means, and disassociates himself from any media mogul with outrageously permed hair)

Only two club stalwarts attended this event, as most of the club were either injured, or busy getting lost in Kirroughtree. David was keen to support the local club, and improve on previous performances. John was around to erase the memory of his one and only D.N.F.. The wise doctor predicted the weather correctly and instructed his senile running partner to wear a vest rather than a T-shirt; good advice in the warm coditions, which became warmer as the race went on. Jovial comments from runners and organisers helped to set the mood for this testing run, which was well marshalled and supplied with ample stations for water.

David loped home in 1 hour 46 minutes - two minutes faster than his previous course best, and John survived a tortuous run to be five minutes slower than his previous worst, in 1hour 42 minutes, yet was awarded a prize for being extremely old.

The dynamic duo met back at the car, John in possession of a cash prize, bottle of wine and the all important trophy, David with his acquisitions from ASDA: £8 pair of trousers (good value apparently), £7 Chinese meal and some sandwiches. The latter were being used to re-fuel the Beattie athletic frame.

The journey home repeated The Beattie Family Barrhill Challenge: "How many people, on foot, will we see between the thirty mile an hour signs?". David won both versions, but nearly succumbed to local knowledge on the return when John guessed that the bowling club would be in action on Sunday afternoon. The "Hold your breath between the viaducts competition" was won by John despite the driver's efforts to drive in first gear. John was dropped off at The House o' Hill, then David resumed his journey home to take up parental duties.

Next year the two runners will consider the Kirroughtree event, where runners seem to be able to choose their own routes.

Secretary's note: Girvan and Kirroughtree half marathons seem to have been rather contrasting events - Girvan was run by the local club on a non profit bases, staffed by volunteers , ran like clockwork and cost £14. Kirroughtree cost £20 , seems to have had severe organisational problems and was run by a private company...... David Cameron , if you read this report , please make your own conclusions!

Causeway Standard Distance Triathlon 19th June 2011

(1500m swim/40k bike/10k run)

1st Rory McGuire 2h 00min 34 sec

108 finishers

David Beattie 2h 45min 40sec (93rd)

Having dipped my toes in the world of triathlon a couple of months back, it was time to do a "proper" one with an open water sea swim. Conditions were dreadful at this race last year , with a fair numbers of competitors not being able to complete the swim. Fortunately the weather, though hardly tropical, was fairly calm and settled.

Just making it to Northern Ireland with all the gear was a challenge in itself. Preparing for a run is fairly straightforward; pack shoes,socks,running top,shorts and you're sorted. Triathlon - it's like packing for trans African adventure; bike/helmet/puncture kit/goggles/wetsuit etc etc etc. Anyway , I based myself at my folks house the night before and had an early night. I was wide awake at 04.00 after a rather nasty nightmare; I dreamt I had collapsed during the swim and had to be resuscitated at the local hospital - a great start to the day!

The next scary moment was at registration. This was a serious event - no "fun triathletes" - no one raising money for charity, or fat lads and lasses who had had too much to drink one night and promised their mates that they would complete a marathon etc . Simply 110 or so very fit athletic blokes and blokesses , mostly in their early thirties . Racks of very expensive bikes were assembled alongside. The chat was about upcoming Ironman events all over Europe. I realised that this would be a day to try not to embarrass myself.

Just before 09.00 we all assembled on the beach for a pre-race briefing. I don't think a lot of it applied to me ; it was all about the rules of bike drafting. The thing is , to be able to try to draft , you have to have the ability to overtake people. I didn't have to worry about this. We were all allowed a quick dip in the sea; it was bloody freezing - my teeth went numb. Then, we were off ; I wisely swam at the back to avoid the famous "washing machine " effect , as you are kicked in the face by fellow competitors. Actually the swim went pretty well and I was out of the water in a respectable 26 minutes .

At this point , a minor disaster struck. I tried to pull my left wetsuit arm off with my goggles still in my left hand. The sleeve was stuck and it took forever to remove. I then made another rookie mistake by not wearing a top under the wetsuit. When I tried to put on a dry top , my chest was too wet to pull it on - again it took forever to sort. Anyway , off on the bike - a 25 mile stunning route along Northern Ireland's north coast. I only wish I could have appreciated the scenery but I simply had not done enough bike miles and I was being constantly overtaken. Very very depressing - despite averaging nearly 16 miles per hour , I was in the bottom 10 bike times. The run was much better which I managed in 47 minutes and managed to catch a few stragglers. The last mile or so along the beach, on firm sand, was super. I even was "interviewed" afterwards by the compere because I was a "foreign competitor" from Scotland! The organisation of the event was faultless, and the marshalls absolutely fantastic - so encouraging even when I was at the back of the bike pack. The "goody bag" was great too - a very natty mustard coloured rain jacket which I am wearing with great pride: Emer does make me take it off when I go to bed though - spoilsport.

I have to say that this event was a bit of an education ; as my running has improved in the last few years , I have become used to finishing in the top half of the field. To find myself back in the bottom of the pack has been humbling. On the other hand, I had set myself the aim of completing the event in less than 3 hours , and I did this with time to spare. It's good to be out of your comfort zone at times , and I'm determined to sort out the bike and transition times for the next race!

‘MENS HEALTH FORUM SCOTLAND 10K 2011’ BY ROSS BARK On Sunday 19^th June, Myself and George traveled up to Glasgow to Race at the annual “MHFS 10k Race” being held in Bellahouston Park.

The Race attracted 4000+ Runners and a good quality field was on show.

After been marched to the Start Line from a piper playing away, the Race got underway with a frantic pace being set with me keeping within close distance to eventual race winner David Millar and runner-up Robert Gilroy.

Soon after I quickly settled into a good group with myself, Jonny MacNamara of Cambuslang & two Bellahouston runners. We pulled each other on at a nice steady pace through to just after the 5k mark, then MacNamara went on to finish in 4^th leaving myself and the two Bella runners to ‘fight it out’ for the next Top places. I ended up splitting them, with one just seconds in front and me then battling it out to win a 800 metre sprint round to the Finish-Line! And take a strong 6^th Position Overall and a New PB by 24 secs with a time of 34.22 This was George’s first 10K Race of the year and so like Ross was really looking forward to the challenge which lay ahead.He Started off steady warming up into the race as it progressed and was always keeping a eye on the 50 minute pacemaker’s which in return knew he could easily dip into the 40 + min mark as he was getting stronger and more determined the longer the race went Going through Pollok Country Park at approx the 5K point, George was hanging on to the Sub 50 runners and was starting to “Up his Pace and game.”

Into the last few miles and he continued to get stronger in every mile to finish in a very creditable 51 minutes.He would have liked to have went a wee bit quicker though overall It went not too bad for him and was happy to have got round the course.

On a positive note he knows there is plenty more to come! As after running a faster 2^nd half of the Race, he knows if he could up the pace a little more in the first couple of miles then a PB will come soon.

Mabie Forest 10k trail race 12th June 2011

1st Mickey Breen 38:02 Dumfries R C

1st lady Mhairi Duff 41:27 Dumfries R C (6th overall )

26th John 48:16

37th Chrissie 51:18 2nd F V 45-55

Why have I never tried this before? It includes everything I like about running. The hard work of running up steep hills rewarded by spectacular views from the top, then letting yourself go to fly down the other side, leafy woodland paths and MUD.

It was a small field with 75 finishers that ran the 4th annual trail race at Mabie, very well organised by Dumfries Harriers and well supported by local clubs, especially Dumfries R C who scoped half of all the prizes. The weather was perfect on race day, and the wet day before had left just enough mud to make it interesting. The course set out on a fire road which is a steady climb for the first 2-3 kilometres, a lot like Kirroughtree, then turns on to foot worn single tracks through the forest, up and down a couple of pretty steep hills with some rocks and steps thrown in to test your foot work. After running through the woods you’re back on to the fire road to the finish.

We had a great day made all the better by Chrissie winning a trophy for female 45-55 beaten into 2nd place by Little Mo once again. Not only that, but we were also back in time to share chips with the Sunday club runners

Stranraer Half Marathon – 4th June

By Martina Moore

Winner – Kerry Wilson 1.11.37

6th Ross Bark 1.19.43

23rd Rick Williams 1.30.45

38th John Plumridge 1.37.38

62nd David Beattie 1.44.15

70th Chrissie Vincent 1.47.09

99th Paul Cleer 1.55.01

103rd Martina Moore 1.55.10

111th Emer Beattie 1.57.12

154th Simon Taggart 2.28.39

The Annual Stranraer Half Marathon took place on Saturday 4th June and in true Galloway Harriers fashion the Message Board was inundated with a list of injuries and lack of training in a bid to either excuse the poor performance on the day or the not racing on the day. Eventually on race day we had a turnout of 9 harriers for the half marathon and 7 for the 4 mile “fun” run, although Simon was running about like a headless chicken not sure what race he was doing!

After some confusion in the morning as to when the races started we lined up at 11.30am to head off on our 13.1 miles, with Ian’s words of advice firmly fixed in my head I set off being very aware of my pace and sticking to 8.30 miles. After the first 3 miles through town it was into the countryside when it seemed to become so much warmer, very much a day to keep hydrated.

For me the race seemed to go well passing Emer at 6 miles and trying to give words of encouragement as she wasn’t feeling the best, then it was up and down those dreaded hills for the next 3 miles, as I headed back towards town I started to feel tired and so it was another gel to give me boost for the last few miles back and it seemed to do the trick. As I continued with an even pace I even managed to push that little bit harder over the last mile and a half as I spotted a Galloway Harriers vest in the distance and was closing in as I turned into Stranraer Academy but as an encouraging marshall shouted my name allowed Paul Cleer (Galloway Harrier vest) to know I was just behind him and he managed that extra effort and crossed the line before me.

This was for me the best result I’ve ever had in a half marathon and was delighted to achieve this in Stranraer and also proved to be an excellent race for Rick who finished the race comfortably in what was also a PB time for him.

There were great performances by many athletes on the day and provided the club with some trophies for their efforts:-

Ross Bark – 1st Local Male

Martina Moore – 1st Local Female

Chrissie Vincent – 1st 45-49 Female

John Plumridge – 1st 60-69 Male

Well done to everyone!!

Secretary's addendum: Harriers were the first 4 finishers in the 4 mile run

Sean Conor 24.44, Ian Hannah 25.29, Josh Williams ?28.12 , Pete Horsfell 28.52. Marie Horsfell 40.17 Diane Wills 40.34

Junior Harriers galore took part in the children's events - as well as prize winners mentioned below Clodagh Beattie, Katherine Cleer, Bronagh Beattie ,Max Williams and Barnaby Wiliams also ran . As far as I can remember the prize winnners were :

Emily Cleer 1st girl age 10-11
Ruairi Beattie 3rd boy age 10 -11
Lucy Vincent 3rd girl age 12-13
Matthew Cleer 3rd boy age

Later in the evening we all said an emotional farewell to Grant , Jo and Freya Morrow who are relocating to Devon. Grant has been our chairman for longer than most of us can remember and they will all be sorely missed - bon voyage and come and visit us all soon!

Kirkcudbright half marathon and 11.2k run 28th May 2011

David Beattie

11.2 k Beeches run 88 finishers.

1st Ross Bark 40.02

23rd Jemma McNeill 53.00

49th Lorrie Graham 1 01 08

51st Ruth Leach 1 03 26

68th Simon Taggart 1 10 23

87th Alison Cleer 1 29 45

88th Andrea Williams 1 29 45

Half Marathon 165 finishers

(1st Ben Gamble 1 09 19)

16th Adrian Leach 1 25 ??

33rd Rick Williams 1 32 14 (PB)

40th John Plumridge 1 34 55

58th David Beattie 1 40 25 (PB)

82nd Chrissie Vincent 1 46 19

107th Emer Beattie 1 53 25 (PB)

123rd Martina Moore 1 58 20 (PB)

153rd Ailsa Taggart 2 09 43

The summer of 2011 has been a disaster so far , but at least the rain stayed off for most of the race and the gale force winds abated slightly. Kirkcudbright is the first big local event of the running calendar and it was great to see a good turn out from the club.

15 Harriers participated in the half marathon and 11.2k runs (this must be a unique distance as far as I know), 4 Junior Harriers in the childrens run with Clodagh Beattie and Jessie Leach walking the half marathon route . Matthew and Emily Cleer, and Ruairi and Bronagh Beattie ran the 1.5 mile Junior race . Special sympathy must go out to Matthew who was leading the race , only to be sent the wrong way by a marshall. He ended up about 10th - I'd have been steamin' if it had happened to me..... the day I lead a race.....dream on.

Ross won the 11.2 k race , only a few days after having a pot removed from his arm. Incredibly, he had run the Stranraer Christian Aid 10k earlier in the day. Jemma was second woman home - good to see her back after young Archie's arrival .

Meanwhile in the half marathon, our new chairman appeared with race number 1 on his shirt. Vague excuses were offered up about Ruth being somehow responsible for this . Anyway the added pressure didn't do him any harm as he snaffled both the 1st local and 1st Stewartry male trophies. Rick continued his staggering form this season with a huge PB (what further improvements would he make if he wore some proper shoes I wonder- I suggest a club whip round for a nice pair of cushioned Asics). David took another minute off his PB on his favourite course , and was left asking himself if a sub 1 40 might have been possible if he hadn't drunk 2 cups of coffee pre-race and being forced to make an emergency pitstop at mile 7! Emer too chopped 2 minutes off her PB and Martina ran her first sub 2 half marathon - well done. John keeps holding back the years, and Chrissie knocked 3 minutes off her last Kirkcudbright time.

Ian Hannah manfully acted as team photographer and human coatstand for all the gear - much appreciated.

Have a couple of days off everyone and then onto Stranraer next Saturday!

Glasgow Womens 10k , 8^th May 2011

Winner Masai Linet 32.11

Harriers Martina Moore 49.33 (366^th)

Chrissie Vincent 49.40 (378^th)

Emer Beattie 50.36 (474^th)

Lorrie Graham 56.13 (1447^th)

Pat Bennett 56.34 (1523^rd)

Ailsa Taggart 58.24 (2075^th)

Kirsty Green 63.35 (3793^rd)

Alison Cleer 78.10 (7087^th)

Finishers 10120

8 Female harriers travelled to Glasgow this year for the Womens 10k. Most had one simple aim in mind --- to enjoy oneself . Though for others it was to simply arrive at the start on time !!! We ensured this by arriving in Glasgow over 20 hours before the start of the race ! We then had to face other decisions like how much shopping to do? and would that be too strenuous the day before a big race ? or how much do we eat and drink ? and would eating late affect our performance? And worse still to come, breakfast didn’t start til 8am and there was no option of porridge !!

We managed to survive all Saturdays stresses and relax a little in the evening with a great meal at Di Maggios , and a chance to compile the race report ! Of course we learnt the secrets of Martina’s new healthy eating plan ---No doubt sales of baked beans soared in Dumfries and Galloway the next day !A glass of wine was permitted on good medical advise , though some wanted to test the theory “If I drink more will I run even faster ?” We then retreated to a sensible early night .

Sunday (race day ) arrived and at breakfast the main topics were, quantity (or lack ) of sleep, and how to keep dry in the heavy rain. But our well prepared Chrissie had sufficient bin bags to share with us all and thus we departed for the start. The rain did not deter the atmosphere in this great event , well organised , adequate toilets , good sign posts, lots of support along entire route , music and bands every mile and generally a positive buzz about the city. We arrived in plenty of time to join in the half hour aerobic warm up this year and you can’t help but smile when you are thinking “What would the boys make of all this ?” 11,000 women standing in the rain doing aerobics before a race !!

The course is slightly undulating and goes through the more scenic parts of Glasgow , though at times all you simply notice is the volume of runners.

While the atmosphere is why we do it , this year we had the bonus of some good times as well. Martina being particularly impressive keeping up her mid week form , and knocking 5 minutes of her time last year and Alison completing her first ever 10k. Pat who had flown up for the event also put in a PB time. We cannot finish without thanking Jo , who waited in the rain for us all to finish with much appreciated dry clothing and a promise to come back and join in with us next year.

                                 Belfast Marathon 02 May 2011
Rick Williams
2883 Finishers

Winner        Jacob Chesire       2:14:56
79^th Place    Ross                      3:07:28
246^th Place Rick                      3:27:20

After several months of hard training the marathon weekend finally arrived. I was looking forward to achieving my ‘A’ goal and enjoying seeing Belfast in the process. We decided to make a long weekend of it so we travelled over on Friday morning (and got to watch the wedding on the boat!) and came back Monday evening. We had a busy few days seeing the sights followed by a nice relaxing day on the Sunday making final preparations for the big race.

I decided against eating a big bag of Bombay mix (my pre race snack for Dublin) and instead opted for tried and tested couscous. Result? Stomach pains which lasted the afternoon and whilst they went during the evening came back as I started the race. Thankfully they quickly went so I can’t blame my second half disaster on that.

The hotel we were staying in was sponsoring the marathon so some of the elite runners were staying there, including John Mutai who had won it 3 times on the trot and came second last year (he came second this year as well). I had a chat with his coach (who wouldn’t take me on!) and I was amazed to learn that John Mutai is 44 years old. The first three women were also staying at the hotel, one of whom was Rael Kimaiyo from Kenya. I met her near our hotel room one morning and nearly told her not to bother making our beds as I thought she was one of the cleaners! The 2 women who came first and second sat on the next table at breakfast and I noticed they only ate scrambled egg on toast. I compared their breakfast with mine – sausages, bacon, fried eggs, mushrooms and much more, and realised our nutrition was slightly different!

Up at 07.00 on marathon morning for my weetabix, banana and cup of coffee. I was raring to go and walked to the start line from the hotel. I was aiming for 3.20 and positioned myself between the 3.15 and 3.30 pacer. I thought if I could maintain a 7.35 minute mile then that would bring me in just under 3.20. I didn’t want to start too fast but looking back I think I did and which didn’t help for later in the race. The marathon website said a ‘race walker’ [Colin Griffin] would be taking part. He is a ‘pro’ and is shortly taking part in a 50k competition in Portugal. It’s a qualifying event for the Olympics. He had said he wanted to finish in 3.20 so I thought if I could use him as my pacer I would achieve my goal time. I ran with Colin for about 9 miles and then ran about 100m behind him for about 5 miles. The guy was amazing. He was walking at about 7.30 min pace and it was really interesting to chat to him. His mum won Belfast a number of years ago.

He was confident of a 3.20 time (his time was 3.19.28) so I stuck with him but on hindsight I shouldn’t have done. I should have run a little more slowly. It was quite hot and windy and it didn’t help that the water was in cups. I’m not sure how much I got to drink but it didn’t seem like much. I got to 13.1 miles at 1.40 so I was bang on for a 3.20 time provided I could keep up the pace. I did until about mile 18 when I really fell apart. I’m not sure why but at times I felt as though I would collapse (and I’d not filled in my race number!) and I just couldn’t get my legs to work. The end of the race couldn’t come soon enough and I was really struggling by time it did. I wobbled over the line in a time of 3:27:20. My legs were really sore but after a shower at the hotel I felt fine (I can definitely recommend the Premier Inn hotels who let me use a shower even though we had checked out).

Had a good chat to Ross and Allan on the ferry home. Allan seems to have run a good race (as part of a relay team). Not my best race and I don’t think I will do Belfast again but it was a good experience and a great weekend.

30^th BELFAST CITY MARATHON,
2^nd May 2011.
BY Ross Bark

This was my third year in a row running the marathon distance, and at this event having previously clocked 3.02 & 2.55 (Pb) last year.I didn’t have any targets this time around and was unsure what to expect due to only two weeks marathon training behind me!

As Race day arrived, I decided to go for it though to finish the course was probably more of a realistic goal. I started the race very cautious and the plan was to run the first 10 miles as a training run.

Though I found at this point I was 3 minutes ahead of schedule. Half-Way had flowing by and I came through this in 1hr 28 mins.I held my pace together for the next couple of miles though at mile 16 I was starting to feel a little tired. (Perhaps lack of long run’s coming back to haunt me). I kept it going and soon I found I was running alone for the next 3 miles along the cycle path by the coast with the hot sunshine blowing in my face.

Mile 20 and I had my second wind recording 2.09 and started to sense that a Pb may somehow be on the cards here…!This momentum only seen me to 22 miles, and with 4 miles to go the wheels had finally came off!‘I was faced with this large stone wall in front of me.. Though managed to find a way over It!!’The last mile and I was all over the shop!

Though I refused to stop and battled my way towards the Finish-Line taking 79^th position in a time of 3.07.28 This was not one of my best times though due to the circumstances I really didn’t have any complaints.

I was however pleased that I put in a fighting performance to the bitter end and completed the race to Win my 3^rd Top 100 T-Shirt.(Lessons learnt I shall now turn my attention to The London Marathon next year by putting in some good solid training to ensure a fast time).

Troon 10k – Wednesday 4th May

Winner – David Millar 31.30

Stuart McNeil 39.55

John Plumridge 42.56

Martina Moore 49.18

Emer Beattie 49.21

Simon Taggart 55.42

Lori Graham 56.07

Ailsa Taggart 57.36

Andrea Williams 1.19.47

Ben Williams 1.19.47

Quoted as being “a fast, flat course and where you can get a pb”, this is very true and proved to be a very successful event for many of the Harriers. This was a midweek race and attracted over 900 competitors on a dry but windy night. It was a well organised event although there was a distinct lack of female toilets!!

The race started prompt and a staggered start allowed for the faster runners to get away quite comfortably with the others following at approximately minute intervals. The course runs along the promenade but about the 500 metre mark it narrows onto a path which became quite congested but did not deter Emer as she managed to negotiate her way through the crowd and Martina tagged on behind.

Once the course widened out on to the road it was fairly flat all the way with a small hill over the railway bridge and then through the woods, round a housing estate and back over the bridge following the same route back. The 500 metres to the end were lined with plenty of supporters and encouragement giving that last boost to the end and for some enough to secure a pb.

A special mention goes to Andrea, who was running her first ever 10k, and was given the usual Galloway Harrier support to spur her on and finish under her predicted time.

So with no time to stop for fish and chips the Stranraer Crew headed off with Geoff Fidler (driver for the night) and the excitement of pbs continued with the usual athlete discussions of heart rates and red wine - Stuart McNeil revealing his secrets of getting a sub 40min 10k!!

This is an excellent race and would recommend taking part but REMEMBER you need to enter in plenty of time.

Culzean Run 2011

5.5 miles

8th May 2011

David Beattie

120 finishers

(1st Kerri Wilson 29.17)

18th John Plumridge 39.02

23rd David Beattie 40.16

35th Paul Cleer 41.47

48th Matthew Cleer 44.03

89th Emily Cleer and Ruairi Beattie 53.58

91st Emer Beattie 54.02

111th Lucy Vincent and Clodagh Beattie 60.20

While the girls ran in the Glasgow 10k , the boys and kids ignored the world of corporate sponsorship (except for Emer , who whizzed down from Glasgow to help Ruairi and Emily run). It's a pity that the National Trust decided to run this event on the same day as Glasgow. Numbers were appreciably down on last year. It's a superb trail run; one of the most scenic in Scotland, and an absolute bargain at £5. In fact it's cheaper to enter the race than it is to buy a day ticket to the park - our canny injured chairman came to support us using this ploy - very wise.

The appalling weather had cleared by the time the race started , and conditions were pretty good , though still rather windy. John led us home , and David managed to hold off the continually improving Paul Cleer; in fact David had a crick in his neck at the end after spending the last couple of miles continually checking behind him. Matthew was only 3 minutes behind his dad. Ruairi and Emily put in the performances of the day with superb times , and Clodagh and Lucy just missed out on sub one hour times.

The traditional club picnic finished off a very pleasant afternoon

The picture shows Ruairi and Emily nearing the finish; I did my very best to get the lady runner in the middle to move out of the way , but she just wasn't interested. Some folks are just so selfish!

Virgin London Marathon April 17th 2011

Sean Connor

Pos 3185 3hrs 24min 12sec

The London Marathon yes i thought cant wait so just of niteshift time to get geared up and ready for the off. So 2am in the morning off we go in the car to Carlisle to get the train to London Euston.

We got to London in no time all rested and ready for the challenge to get across London to the hotel then to get my race number and get some sight seeing done aswell. Oh yes we got loads of that done walking a long the banks of the Thames some guy comes up with a snake around his neck saying 'u want a pic with snake' and a went 'Hey feck no' and pushed Sharon between me and the snake yes a ken bad but funny now tho.

So after a good nites sleep all the prep down even the plasters all ready so of we go to breakfast it was another early start to get to ready. Got to the start okay via two trains full of runners already for the off. So got warmed up and into my pen blue start and keep telling mysel pace dont run off think pace. So the race starts we're of, the pace was mega running between 6.30 and 6.40. the crowds lined the streets mega but letting it get to me a bit running on and no thinking about pace after 5miles in a had a look at ma garmin and thought right a will have to slow down or its the wall later on. Mile 6 time for a gel and a also decided to slow down the a pace of 6.45 and 7mins.

The race was going okay until 10mile stomach cramps and culd not shift them at all full of wind and at one stage a thought a had followed thro now that wuld of been funny lol. Then jst to top things of it was getting hotter very hot indeed. Still had the cramps for at least 5mile and by this time a was struggling wae the heat and to get movin with pace a think back when a made the choice to slow down culd of been my down fall a wee bit but defo the gels werent helping. Canary Wharf woz mega unreal will never forget that the noise woz unreal. Still trying very hard to up the pace 20miles had come and gone it wos time just to dig in and get home with my name on my vest the crowd shouting come on sean am thinkin to masel am trying hehe. 24mile nearly there keep going feet getting sore, knees bursting but am slow but a will finish this race. There lots of people dropping out left, right and centre so a round the last few corners then the home straight 200 yards to go boy a tell you a woz glad to cross the line happy with the time but still a ken in my own mind a culd of done better theres always another one.

Once a got all my stuff back it of back to the hotel to get ready for home and a nitshifte to do when aye get home back on the boat for two days no time to recover really. A never made the same mistake as liverpool a took english money this time lol. But yes a very good race and wuld love to do it again but will try and not come of niteshift next time and stay two nites not one.

Coniston 14 Plus

Saturday 09 April 2011

Rick Williams

Billed as “probably the most beautiful road race in Britain” this 16.7 mile race around Coniston water was well organised and was run in glorious weather conditions by over 1100 people.

I was testing out my pacing in readiness for Belfast Marathon on 02 May so set out at a 7.45 minute mile pace. This felt a little slow but given it was so warm I decided to take it easy for the first 10 miles. At mile 10 I picked up the pace. It was quite a hilly route and during the last 7 miles a lot of runners were feeling the effects of the sun, some steep hills and from starting out too fast. As a result I was able to overtake quite a few and my relaxed pacing even meant I was able to do a sprint finish for over half a mile!

I finished in 2.06.53 and came 97^th out of 1089 finishers which I was quite pleased about.

The race started and finished in Coniston and all around the course there were walkers and cyclists as well as people picnicking by the water, and a large crowd of people in Coniston itself so it was well supported. Overall it was a good race and combined with a few nights camping in the Lakes it made for a great weekend.

Ayr Duathlon

17th April 2011

Ian Hannah

5k run - 22k cycle - 5k run

This race took part on a lovely sunny day in the grounds of Auchincruve college at Ayr.

A group of 70 + people set off on the first run on an undulating course with the leaders setting a cracking pace, I was instructed to take the first mile steady and that went ok until 1,2 and then 3 of my team mates arrived on my shoulder, so not wanting to let them get away I tucked in and we ran as a group till the end of the first run in a time of 19.14, which was a lot quicker than when I last ran at Stirling, but still feeling good.

A quick change and onto the bike, my first race on new TT bike so was anxious to see how it would go. About a mile into the ride i took a sharp bend at 25mph and met a car, so after a frantic reach for brakes and skipping of back wheel missed the car by inches and thought I should calm down. This went ok until my team mate, who I know is a good cyclist, passed me and not wanting to get beaten by him I upped the pace again and we stayed close together along with a group of 5 others trying hard to keep a space and not get done for drafting until the end of the bike section. On last downhill I got to the front of this group and into transition to change to run shoes for final time.

I managed to drop all of my cycling group and caught up with a faster runner, we ran side by side until the end keeping a good pace .At half way I heard someone say 6th and 7th but I had thought I was outside top ten so this spurred me on.The other runner on my heels was breathing hard so I knew he was hanging on but this was good as it kept us both working hard. Only 1 runner caught and passed us on the final climb to finish.

So finishing in 6th place overall and 3rd Veteran I was chuffed. Did a 19.43 second run so paced the day pretty well.

Galashiels Sprint Triathlon

17th April 2011

David Beattie

140 competitors approx

Time 1h 25 min approx (offical timings awaited)

Triathlons come in all shapes and sizes; this was the shortest recognised distance ; a 750m swim, 20k bike ride and 5k run. I thought it wise to commence my triathlon career with a shorter event. My friend Brian Harrison, seasoned triathlete, kindly offered to come along and hold my hand and oversee my attempts ( he did the event too of course - you couldn't expect him just to watch).

My biggest concern had been the swimming. A lesson from Ian Hannah 2 months before made a huge difference to the basics of my stroke (which was completely crap , though Ian was far too good mannered to say) , and I'd been swimming 3 mornings a week. I'd been cycling a bit too, but probably hadn't paid enough attention to the bike - that's the problem; I wanted to keep running, and add swimming and cycling to my fitness regime ; giving up work must be very attractive to triathletes. A few weeks ago Emer realised that I was now training 7 days a week , and I had to hide my training diary. I had also purchased a dashing pair of blue triathlon shorts for the occasion - basically lycra shorts with some padding for the bike ride. I had tried them on a few nights before the race and my supportive family fell about laughing at me - Bronagh pointed at my groin and said she could "see all my bits " - thanks kids.

The big day arrived after loading up all the gear the night before; that was a job in itself. I was incredibly nervous by the time registration started. Had my number marked on leg and arm and then set out all the gear in the transition zone. My neighbouring triathletes were incredibly friendly and chatty - I was impressed. While they weren't looking , I considered letting their tyres down but realised that this wasn't probably in the spirit of competition.

As the swim took place in the pool , we were set off in groups according to predicted swimming time. I was given a natty yellow swimming cap and swam in a lane with 4 others, setting off at 5 second intervals . 30 lengths knackered me , but I was out of the water in 15min 30 sec - far faster than I had hoped for and I was well chuffed. Probably took too long in "transition" and then off on the bike - a cracking route with a few good hills . Then back into transition and on with the running shoes. It takes about 1km to find your running legs again , but the run was great - off road and up and down through woodland. They might as well have transplanted Knockmans wood to the Borders. I managed to catch a few folks on the run and was a bit surprised to see the finishing line so quickly.

I'd encourage other Harriers to have a go at triathlon - the running provides the endurance and "engine " required for large parts of the race. Working on swimming and cycling has been great fun. Now , what's next - ah, Northern Ireland in June ; an open water Olympic distance triathlon in the sea, near my folks house .....could be tempting

TITANIC 10K 10TH April 2011

1152 finishers

1st Stephen Scullion North Belfast Harriers 30.46

David Beattie 47.15 (259th)

Emer Beattie 51.32 (435th)

This was a superb event , apart from being unseasonally warm - a balmy 21 degrees in Belfast. It's the 4th year it has been run , and the number of entrants was over 1000 for the first time. It's a pancake flat route around Belfast's shipyards , and you run directly past Thompson Dock , where Titanic was built. There were lots of stalls to browse for non runners : even a "run the length of the Titanic " competition for under 5s.

The 10k was preceded by a mile fun run for age 7- 14s; even this was chip timed! Ruairi had a storming 7min 45 sec time and Clodagh (8 min 10 sec) and Bronagh (8 min 20 sec) were not far behind. Conor was relegated to dog minder in chief.

If it had been a bit cooler , this could have been a PB course . Emer , as always , copes with the heat much better than David and came home a good minute faster than last weekend (where she had struggled with the hills of Armagh). David just couldn't keep up the pace in the sun and melted away (almost literally) in the last mile or 2. He was cheered later on when he realised he had finished in the top 25% ! He now has some serious worries about his first triathlon next Sunday.

This would make a great weekend event for the Harriers - could come over on Saturday , stay nearby and head back on the ferry afterwards - to be recommended.

Armagh 10k 3rd April 2011

305 finishers

Emer Beattie 164th 52min 55sec

David was given the task of writing up this short pithy report. Emer says this was a tough 10k with several large hills and was into the wind the last 2 miles home. The kids and I ate ice cream at the finish line awaiting her return and enjoyed the early Spring sun shine - it's amazing how different things can seem to 2 people in the same spot! Armagh is a beautiful city - the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland - with a superb open green space known as The Mall where the race ended and was a very pleasant place to spend an afternoon . Emer was happy enough with her time and is looking forward to a flatter 10k next weekend .

Omagh Half marathon 2nd April 2011

1st Stephen Duncan Omagh Harriers 1 06 32

373rd David Beattie 1 41 46

1166 finishers

5k race

Ruairi Beattie 28.50

Clodagh Beattie 31.20

Conor Beattie 31 42

School Easter holidays 2011. Where should we go/what should we do ? Easy - back to Northern Ireland for free accommodation with parents and lots of racing over both weekends.

Event number 1: Omagh half marathon and 5k run for the kids. Emer volunteered to escort the kids round the 5k and save her energy for a 10k the following day. The event had the interesting idea of starting the 5k and 1/2 marathon at the same time . Even with chip timing , chaos was virtually guaranteed as small children and elite 1/2 marathoners vied for the front positions on the line .

Plenty of weaving was required in the first kilometre before routes diverged (I only needed to kick a few small children out of my way) and then managed to maintain a steady sub 8 minute pace. The route was undulating but nothing too murderous and at the half way point I realised that a good time was on the cards. The pace slowed slightly at mile 8 -9 but managed to return to pace thereafter and sauntered over the line absolutely delighted - 2 minutes faster than my previous PB .

Ruairi had a great time beating his older brother and sister in the 5k race.

The edge was taken off a marvellous day when we heard of the murder of a young policeman in Omagh shortly after the race ended. The 2 sides of Northern Ireland were once again on evidence: a wonderful community event spoiled by a a few dinosaurs living in the past.

Liverpool Half Marathon
27th March 2011

Sean Connor 1h 21 min 38 sec

The first race of the year had arrvied also did the 4 hour drive that came with it. We packed the car full of munchies and water on a bright sunny day,to nice to be driven down the micky six.
As it was a nice day we decided to stop at killington lake services for a pit stop and well earned stretch of the legs and a another chance to build up the carbs and take in some water mind u the price of a coffee u could buy the jar at tesco.

We got to the hotel and checked in and dumped the bags and headed in to the city to for a walk about yes a was dragged round the shops looking at womens clothes until we hit jd sports yes runners heaven well a thought that. After looking at loads of deals that could have been had a went to he chap and asked to see the new zig tech running shoes. Yes they looked the dogs baws so went straight to the till and got them nice wan a thought.So of we went back to the hotel we jumped on the bus. Okay driver 2 singles to Aigburth please and haned him a scottish fiver then a voice sorry cant take that oh red rage to a bull!! My boss wont take that money oh yes he will its legal tender my friend.So flashing the fiver at him you will take this pal in a good scottish voice 'This is a disgrace pal' so thought am no going to win this one so a had to give him a English fiver just to get the bus moven so sat down mad as ever.

So morning of the race had came after a no bad sleep a was ready to go oh yes no fry ups for this boyo this time lessons learnt then.So armed with new shoes aye commited a sin bye putting on new shoes without running in them first but i was that focused on the race a thought it will be fine keep her lit.

30sec to go the belly feels like its going round and round next thing bang we r off thinking to masel keep a nice stead pace lets get the first 2 mile in. Five mile in to the race and feeling rather good in facted a pushed on a bit. The course was no 3 bad at all a few tiny hills thro some parks and the lovely streets of liverpool.So full of beans a have had my first gel really going well keeping a good pace until a hit the ten mile mark a started to feel the pace slightly so had to ease of a bit about half a mile futher up the road felt better and bye this time we where on the home leg of the race. It wos time to dig in and have a go so head down a started to climb the field in front and so was everyone else. Now a could see the finish line it was a very long strecth of road just in front of me there was about five scalps a wanted so for the final push a big kick was needed and i eased by them no botha at all and crossing the line in a very goo time 1hr 21min 38secs well happy with my run cant complain. There was 7500 runners took part and the winning time 1hr 7mins a would recommened the race fello harriers to do it.

So after getting my goody bag it was back to the hotel for a quick shower and the four hour drive home. It was a good workout and enjoyed it.

Scottish Duathlon Championships 27th March Stirling

On Sun 27th march I took part in the Scottish Duathlon Champs held at Stirling University which consisted of a 10k run - 37k cycle - 5k run.
After an early rise of 5am or 4am in Martina's case as alarm was set wrong due to clock change we arrived in Stirling at 8am to a very cold morning but sun was in sky so looked like a good day for a race.

After a brief warm up I realised an extra layer would have been advisable but thought I would be ok once race got underway which was the case as the gloves came off after first run.
The first run was a 4 loop 10k which included a hill of only 75mtrs but didn't half sap the strength out of the legs. I was under orders to run conservatively so decided to stick to 40 - 41 min pace and felt ok but still had to watch 30 or 40 other runners stretch away thinking I shall see some of them later as they may have set off too hard (wishful thinking). I managed 6.27 pace.

Onto the bike I was getting leg cramps straight away, probably due to cold,so decided to do what every normal person would do and hammer the bike section as I thought I would struggle with last run anyway and lose more time than taking it easy on bike conserving some energy for run. During bike section I caught and passed around 15 people and was starting to feel pretty good even though I was thinking if only I was on my faster new TT bike (it is sitting in spare room all lonely as seat post keeps slipping). A good ride of 21.7mph ave speed and 4 mins quicker than the last time I did race.

Last 5k run started with the usual feeling of not being in control of legs but moving reasonably quick until that bloody hill where I was reduced to a shuffle. Running at 6.38 pace I was sure I would get round ok but some of the people who I passed on bike came back past so had to dig in and not lose too much time. Only stopping once when hamstring cramped with 1k to go but eased off quickly and managed rest of run, even managing a sprint for line to look good for camera's.

Managed 38th overall and 11th in my age group which was ok for a first race of the year and good to get back into race mode so hopefully speed will come soon as I change into more race specific training

Times - 10k   40.58     was actually 6.3 mile so 10k would have been 40.10
                37k 64 mins
                5k    21.29     was actually 3.2 mile so 5k would have been 20.37

Saturday 19th. March,2011.

Run for Health 5K Stranraer .

Galloway Harriers - participants:

Juniors - Max, Emily, Matthew, Charlotte, Catherine, Lucy, Clodagh, Ruairi, Barnaby, Nicole.

Seniors ( Some more senior than others) - Benjamin ( To be known as son of Rick - sorry Andrea! ), Ross, John, Lorri, Emer, Chrissie, Simon ( formerly known as club champion ), Ailsa, Ian, Martina, Alan, Stuart, Andrea ( Partly responsible for Ben ), Alison.

Dog - Daisy

This was a very impressive turnout for The Harriers at Castle Kennedy, possibly attracted by the word "fun" in the name of the event. The distance gave opportunities for runners of all abilities and ages to take part, and they did. Our elite squad featured athletes from the age of five to sixty two years, and included Ross, who crossed the line first, and Max, as the youngest, who crossed the line with an unforgettable grin on his face. Participation and fun were the orders of the day. Martina is only now stitching a running vest for Daisy, the most photographed competitor; sorry Ross but a furry canine has special appeal. You'll have to do more than just come first to take Daisy off the front page.

Rick claimed vicarious ownership of third placed Benjamin, having earlier handed over management of Max to the professional care of Emer. Andrea was out battling the course so dad was left to perform the role of club supporter.

All the kids were a credit to the club, and they put in some special performances. Normally these would go down in the report, but with such a large turnout it would be difficult to fit in individual performances for all these stars.

Post-run comments suggested that this event would feature in next year's club calendar. The relaxed environment and scenic route kept the smile ratings high. Harriers featured in four of the first eight places. Stuart and the old guy with new, streamlined haircut filling the other two.

Congratulations to all, particularly those new to running, and don't forget Ross - two more legs and a white fur coat will have those photographers clammering for your picture!

larne Half Marathon 19th March 2011

Winner Joe McAllister 1h 09min 15sec

David Beattie 1h 45min 58sec (525th)

1239 finishers

Larne ticks a lot of boxes for me - it's close to my folk's house, the weather is still cool at this time of year, and the race is very well organised. The event is now huge. Only a few years ago, the field was less than 500 strong. Now it has chip timing and even boasts a technical T shirt . It does however lack the vital "Killer App" of a flat course ; it has a whopper hill half way round. This means it isn't really a PB course. I've been incorporating some swimming and cycling into my training schedule, and I was keen to see if would make any difference in race times (have to say the jury is probably still out on that one).

The course is visually stunning, heading out along the Antrim coast before the big climb and then returns along the same route - a Q shaped course with a "long tail" if that makes any sense. Weather was superb this year ; on previous races here I've spent half the race running into a force 8 gale (good fun on the way back though).

I arrived in plenty of time and then felt very lonely - I had no fellow Harriers for company. Jogged a lap round the local playing fields and then read the newspaper!

The start was rather congested but managed to hit sub 8 minute miles until the big hill. Pace dropped to 8.40 for next 2 miles , then whizzed downhill at 7.30 until mile 9. Just couldn't keep up the pace and dropped back to 8.15 for next few miles. Even a 7.58 mile 13 wasn't enough to bring time under 1h 45 (my provisional aim) . All in all happy though, as time was over 3 minutes quicker than when I last did the course in 2009. I'd definitely recommend this race ; just a bit tricky to reach unless you come over the night before.

The Action Duchenne Manchester 10k

Saturday 12 February 2011

Rick and Andrea Williams

Rick 41.36 PB

This was my first 10k of the year and Andrea’s first race since taking up running a few months ago. It was held in Heaton Park in Manchester which is not far from where we used to live (and which incidentally is where I got my first kiss from Andrea when we started going out – it was therefore very appropriate that it was called a Love Run!).

We were staying with my parents in Manchester so it seemed an ideal opportunity to take part in a ‘local’ race. I treated it as ‘long’ run so I ran to the race and ran home again. The weather conditions were ideal. 159 runners took part in the 10k and 25 runners in the 5k including Andrea.

The 10k runners set off first and ignoring the stares I set off in my Vibrams. The race was 2 laps of the park and was undulating. I adopted my usual (annoying) policy of running just behind the guy in front and managed to stay with him for 8k when I overtook him and 2 others to finish 6^th in a time of 41.36. As I was nearing the finish line I could see Andrea about to finish her 5k. I had a dilemma. Should I slow right down so that we could cross the finish line hand in hand or run right past whilst encouraging her to run faster? With a pb in sight and no idea where the other guys were I ran straight past with Andrea following close behind. The guy I had been running with for most of the race thanked me for staying so close to him as he said it spurred him on, and I told him I was glad to have helped! Andrea was delighted about taking part and finishing her first race and is now in training for the Castle Kennedy 5k and the Troon 10k.

Barcelona Half Marathon   30^th Jan 2011

1^st Peter Kosgei Kenya   1.2.26

3278^th Paul Cleer 1.43.26

8000 runners

Was looking forward to this for quite a while and as luck would have it the cold I seemed to have for the whole of January reached its peak on the Friday before the race . So, armed with cold remedies and paper tissues, Alison and I headed to Liverpool for our flight.

Saturday was a recovery day as we did the tourist bit around this very impressive city and by the time Sunday morning arrived I felt much better than on the Friday .   So there I was at 6.15am on Sunday morning lying in my hotel bed eating two bananas , drinking a sports drink and reading the chapter in my book called Half Marathon Race Strategy . When you’re married for a while sometimes no words need to be spoken and I could feel vibes coming from Alison that she was unimpressed with this part of the trip . [ Don’t worry Grant will get to the running in a second ] . So I got up , showered , got my kit on and went for a coffee while I waited for Alison . Unfortunately they had some lovely Spanish sausages on the buffet so I stuck a couple on a hot bread roll and washed it down with some strong coffee all the while enjoying it but feeling guilty with every bite .

The Hotel was a 15min walk from the starting area and I just had time to do a few strides before taking my place amongst the runners in the over 1.40 group where I managed to squeeze my way to the front . The race was started in waves and it took about 3 mins to get to the line . The race was very congested and I was thinking I was maybe too honest with my finishing target as I tried to get a good pace going . Indeed I probably zig zagged the first 2k as I darted between runners into any gap I could find . The race never really opened up and I was guilty myself of running across someone at 18k , I could not understand what he said but I’m sure it was not complimentary .

Don’t know how much, if any, the cold affected me but I could tell by my km times I was still on target for a pb. The course is laid out in a figure 8 around the city and I got to the halfway point in 48mins . About a minute slower than I wanted to be but no need to panic and when I reached 15k I still felt good and thought I could be on for a 1.41 finish . Then suddenly at 17k my legs felt sore and heavy , so it was time for some real effort to come into play and indeed I surprised myself by doing the fastest km of the race during the final stages .

Was happy to see the 20k marker and as I passed I thought good going comfortably in the 1. 42s . So into the final section and pushing for the line . Then a nasty surprise with the final look at my watch , 1.43 , sprint for the line in 1.43.26 . A pb by 40 secs . One thing I have been wondering about since I came back is why my watch measured the course at 13.28 miles . It is only when writing this report that I have realised the reason for this is the amount of manoeuvring needed in a race like this , sometimes running sharply across to the other side of the road for a clear run . Mystery solved . All in all a fantastic weekend in a fantastic city . Will definitely combine travelling and running in the future .

Galloway Harriers Club Handicap - Saturday 12th. February, 2011.

Course - Old Stranraer 10k. route, complete with mile markers and direction arrows. Thanks Ian!

Marshalling and timekeeping by damaged athletes and The Hannah Family.

HANDICAPS and RESULTS

TIME PREDICTED TIME DIFFERENCE

John 43/22 47/00 - 3/38

Ailsa 58/33 62/00 - 3/27

Lorri 58/47 62/00 - 3/13

Martina 51/35 pb 53/31 - 1/56

Emer 50/30 pb 51/21 - 0/51

David 45/44 pb 46/36 0/52

Sean 38/36 pb 39/19 - 0/43

Stuart 40/15 40/56 - 0/41

Ian 39/29 39/15 + 0/14

Allan 47/48 47/29 + 0/19

Chrissie 49/00 47/11 + 1/49

Ross 35/14 34/00 + 1/15

Simon 57/10 54/23 + 2/47

Lorri and Ailsa leapt into action on the dot of 1p.m., well ahead of near perpetual club champion, Simon. The weather was beautifully organised by Ian and Martina as the sun shone on the youthful figure of Connor, out on the course and on his way to a pb.. Donard was in sufragette mode, chained to the railings. Competitors were cheered into action by their peers, friends and relations, as others, who had foolishly recorded impressive times prior to the event, were given a prolonged wait. Ross was participating in a twenty- eight minute warm-up which allowed some of the others to approach the half-way point before he took part in the main action.

Out on the road the battles were beginning to develop: Martina had her sights set on Simon, Chrissie was chasing Emer with a dogged Allan in earnest pursuit, John working the hills with customary enthusiasm, and way in the distance admiring flight patterns of the ducks, oblivious to race activity taking place behind them, were Lorri and Ailsa.

David led the charge of the elites with Stuart and Sean making inroads into his handicap out in the wilds of Stranraer. Inter family rivalry was upmost on his mind as he clawed back the minutes that Emer held in advantage over him. Eventually Ross was allowed to start.

Wearing vintage racing shoes John was making ominous progress through the field, taking Emer and Simon on the A75 then Martina at the five mile mark. He was yet to gain sight of the ornithologists working their relaxed way to the finish. Behind him the field was reflecting the accuracy of the handicaps by becoming much more compact. Faster runners had resisted the urge to chase after the early starters and risk overall performance. As a consequence they were strong over the final sections of the run and produced impressive course times. Sean's pb reflected his joy at fnding himself on dry land.

With half a mile to go Ailsa and Lorri came into view and John made his charge to the finish. This was spotted by Lorri as she encouraged her friend to greater efforts and thwart her spouse in his desire to gain the famous cup. Needless to say, age and experience prevailed, but the effort needed to cross the line first reduced the old devil to a retching, incoherent heap.

Within six minutes all had crossed the line and Simon had delayed the cup handover by being the backmarker, thus improving his chances of regaining his title at the next running. The speed merchants floated in, glistening like racehorses in their earned sweat.

The Taggarts emerged with The Cup and handed it fizzing with an alcoholic beverage, to the winner. On this one occasion he allowed himself to be tempted, and shared the contents with the modest, former holder of the trophy.

It had been a superbly organised event which continued at The Bar12, with food, drink and presentations. Awards serious and rather less serious were given to sometimes astonished recipients. John paraded his cup and Champions T-shirt with unreserved pride, and a few more alcoholic beverages. Even more members of the club came to share in the warmth and friendship of a truly wonderful club. As the author of this report suffers from declining facilities of memory, the details of the awards should be given by someone younger, and more likely to give an accurate account, however, it should be recorded that Grant received recognition for his selfless efforts on behalf of our community, and Ian and Martina thanked for organising a day to remember.

LONGLEAT 10K – 6TH FEBRUARY 2011

1st (Male) Allister Sheffield - 34.24

1st (Female) Amy Chalk – 37.35 (5th overall)

1st (F50V) Laura Jones – 51.27

440th (10th F50V) Pat Bennett – 59.48

647 finishers.

“This is the seventh running of this first class event that takes place from the front of the spectacular Longleat House, home of the Marquess of Bath and runs on a figure 8 route that makes it great for spectators. It is mostly an undulating route, but with a stiff hill soon after the start and repeated at 7km with a short sharp rise at 5km. The finish is a spectacular straight run down hill towards Longleat House along Lodge Drive, enabling you to have the best chance of a fast last 800m.”

Suckered in by the paragraph above, I turned up at Longleat on a cold grey February morning, full of hopes for a new PB, having faithfully performed the rituals imparted by my sister – pasta, no alcohol, lots of water and an early night, followed by porridge for breakfast. A strongish breeze was blowing, sufficient to rock the portaloos, which may explain the extremely poor aim of the gentleman who used the one I selected before me (but not why he couldn’t mop up a bit) but so far the rain was holding off, and the lions were safely tucked up indoors.

After the usual milling around we set off, and soon encountered the ‘stiff hill’. It didn’t seem too bad to begin with, but every time the road turned a corner it got steeper and steeper, and every time the summit seemed to be in reach the road turned another corner and you could see runners disappearing towards the skyline. Eventually what went up had to come down, and then it was a case of going as fast as possible down the other side, eventually reaching the “spectacular straight run down hill towards Longleat House”. There’s a really nice stone archway at the state of the drive, and I have to agree with the description.

But this was only the first third! On we ran, past Longleat House, towards the “short sharp rise at 5km” which was sharp, but didn’t seem particularly short, through some quite attractive woodland, then back round to face the first hill again. If I thought it was hard the first time it was doubly so the second. I confess to walking near the top, and was gutted to realise I’d taken nearly 49 minutes to get to 8K, so in the end I was quite pleased to break 60 minutes. Couldn’t believe the winning times!

Overall it was a well-organised event in a beautiful setting, and yes, I will probably do it again next year...

AYR TURKEY TROT 26 DECEMBER 2010
5K
1^ST     NICK KLING 16.30
2^ND    ROSS BARK 17.34

10K
1^ST      DAVID MC NAMEE     CENTRAL AC 31.58
93^RD   PAUL CLEER 46.43 PB
143^RD SIMON TAGGERT 55.03 REPORT BY PAUL CLEER

This years event attracted over 200 runners . Harriers present today included Simon ,Ross myself and Ailsa who was there but did not feel up to competing due to a recent injury. The weather was cold but considering recent conditions we really could not have hoped for any better. The course was very straight forward running along the promenade for 4k , out onto the road round a block of houses then back along the same 4k.

Sadly I missed watching Ross in the 5k, especially as he was going for a Hat trick of wins in this event. Our man was going along well until disaster struck when his shoe came off and he ran the last kilometre wearing one shoe. Unfortunately there was a holidaying Frenchman waiting to take advantage of this slip up and the hat trick was scuppered. Ross took the result in his usual cheerful way and no doubt will make sure his shoes are tied a bit more securely next time.

Simon was impressed with the line up of runners as we waited for the start. But we both agreed that the guy dressed as an elf looked out of place, surely this chap should have been in the fun run and not with the serious runners like us. We decided we should beat this guy. Well, the elf came 4^th showing that looks really can be deceptive.

Simon put in a time of 55.03 which he was happy with but I couldn’t help thinking that he could have gone faster as he was just too happy going down the last 100yds shouting over and waving to Ailsa. Yes I think there is a lot more in Simons tank and he could be saving it for the upcoming club Championships. Good luck in defending your title.

I managed to get a pb time of 46.43 which is just about spot on for what I have managed in my training. Can I get any faster? Well I’m pretty sure I can but its all down to having the time and desire to put in the miles and hours of practice, so hopefully I’ll continue my improvement but only time will tell.

The organisers put on a great spread of sandwiches and biscuits which Simon did his best to demolish. Ailsa chatted to old running acquaintances and pointed out some former members of the Galloway Harriers who’s names I have sadly forgotten. Ross was given a warm round of applause as were all the winners who put in some amazing times. Can’t help wondering if I will ever be in the prizes. St Conval’s sportsman of the year 1972 could very well be my last sporting prize.

‘FASTEST SANTA IN THE WEST’
By Ross Bark

On Sunday 21^st November I headed to Ayr to take part in the annual “Santa-Dash” 5K run in aid of Cancer Support. My close Family turned out to cheer me on which is always very welcomed.The Race started along the promenade of the Town’s sea-front and finished in the centre of the high-street in time to see the Christmas lights being switched on. Just under 500 keen runners all wearing a Santa-suit lined up getting into the festive spirit for a good cause.

Pre-Race I went and limbered up, did my stretches and checked out my fellow competitors! Seen one guy copying my routine and thought Is this the competition? Got chatting and asked him “What’s your 5k Pb m8??” Runner:- “Eh.. 12 minutes.” Me:- “Okay…!”I thought Wow a world-record, better tuck just in behind this guy!

Race The gun went off and within seconds I was out in front taking an early lead. I could hear another runner closely behind though I just kept focused and kept my pace steady. I didn’t know how much of a gap I had until I turned at the 3K mark and came back along the promenade where I got my first glimpse of the 2^nd placed runner. I estimated approx 2 minutes the difference at this point.I pushed on reaching 4K where I then turned towards the Town centre.I gave a wee smile to myself as then made my final turn onto the bottom of high street. With 200 metres to go I knew I had sealed the Win!!!This however almost turned to disaster for a split second as the marshal wasn’t precise with his hand signals and I nearly took a wrong turn!I crossed the line raising both hands pointing to the sky in memory of my Mother in Law with sheer delight taking a fine victory.

Post-Race Not sure of my official time as the organisers weren’t timing this event, though I am really happy to Win picking up £30 in gift voucher’s for a nice restaurant in Kilmarnock as my Prize. I ran a good strong race so I reckon a New PB in the 16 minute bracket was set & in a Santa-suit!!Next?… Glasgow’s Santa-Dash takes place next month with me having previously been runner-up for the last three year’s. Time for the double whammy!

Bellahouston 10k 13th November 2010

David Beattie

371 finishers

1st Robert Gilroy 31.37 Ronhill Cambuslang

35th Ian Hannah 38.38

164th David Beattie 46.36

180th Allan Strang 47.29 (PB)

207th Chrissie Vincent 48.37

244th Emer Beattie 50.38 (PB)

273th Martina Moore 52.37

6 of us ventured up to Glasgow for the inaugural Jimmy Irvine 10k. I had assumed that Jimmy was a recently departed runner from the club, but there he was at the beginning waving us on (at least I hope he was OK - I suppose that he could have been exhumed and someone was waving his cadaverous arm for him but this is unlikely) The event was organised by Bellahouston road runners , and as is usual with a new event , there were a few teething problems. The main one was that the event was far more popular than expected , and the start had to be delayed for half an hour to deal with the late infllux.

The course was basically 2 laps around Bellahouston Park , with several sharp turns and switchbacks . I encountered the leading runners coming back towards me on 3 occasions. If you had been at the back of the field , you would also have been lapped just to make you feel really slow! The course was reasonably flat however , with a couple of water stops and well marshalled . It would make a great spectator event as the course is very compact and easy to see runners on several occasions - thanks to Beattie children who cheered us all on .

Stars of the day were Allan Strang and Emer Beattie who both PB'ed - a good end to the racing year for both of them . Well done. I was bombing along at 3 miles and convinced that a sub 46 was on the cards, but couldn't keep up the pace and was aware of Allan gaining on me towards the end - nothing like a bit of competition to drive us all on. Ian finished a very creditable 35th , Chrissie ran approximately the same time as last week - her third week of competitive running in a row - and Martina was much faster than Stranraer.

There were warm showers after the finish and tea and buns plus a decent medal and goody bag - all for £7!

After the enjoyment of a pleasant morning's running , I suffered the punishment of an afternoon's preChristmas shopping in Glasgow. Ghastly!

STRANRAER 10K RACE REPORT

On Sat 6th Nov the Clan Galloway Harriers assembled at Stranraer Academy to do battle and take on all comers who had travelled from far flung places, crossed oceans (or as we call it, River Clyde) but none had travelled as far as our very own Pat.

The obligatory team photo was taken and anybody still queuing for numbers, toilets or even doing that strange custom of warming up missed out. No time to waste and no time for stragglers. Maybe next time Stuart and Allan!!!

The harriers set off for the start line where nobody could find Ailsa who had very kindly volunteered to carry warm up clothes back to finish line so after much flaffing about Martina said to all the Testosterone charged males to “just give them to me” and without a blink of an eye they piled Jackets, tops and other garments on to her and left her to deal with them. Thank you (good Girlie)

So the gun goes off and the Harriers charged along the by-pass and onto Ochtrelure like a herd of Belted Galloways, with Ross sent out front to be lead man and put pressure on front runners, behind a group formed with Adrian, Grant, Jamie, Ian and Sean setting a good pace and watching each other very closely. Not far behind were Digger, Stuart and Rick keeping a close eye on proceedings followed by Allan and Chrissie. Emer, Martina, Pat and Simon set off with the intention of keeping together until the “Hill” but got split up in the throng of runners. Chrissie left her sister to fend for herself in a strange land.

Adrian was very strong on the hill, flying up there like he had wings with Grant hanging onto his coat tails. Jamie, Ian and Sean taking it easier (they will pay for that effort) was the thought but alas they didn’t.

Emer walked some of the hill (yes you were seen) and Martina ran it all hoping to catch up which went against the plan of walking it, maybe the Carbo loading of previous night was giving extra energy. Simon passed Martina on the hill and set up another battle to the end. Pat a bit further back like a good club member making sure all the Harriers got around safely.

Down to the last kilometre and Ross was in 4th position, passing his good friend and last year’s winner. Adrian doing all the pace setting and Grant sitting behind with Jamie and Ian doing battle 15 secs back. Sean getting worried about Stuart and Digger catching him with everyone else recovered from the hill and pushing on harder and faster.

I think the kind words of encouragement from Jemma and Jamie’s wife kept everyone going and made sure there was no slacking.

Ross crossed the line in an incredible time of 34.55 and 4th place with Adrian and Grant hitting the track together (Grant was heard to say that as Adrian had done all the hard work he would not pass him) until Adrian showed some signs of weakness in the last 50m so Grant made a move and barged a fading Adrian out of the way to take the place of second Harrier home in a time of 38.47 with Adrian over the line in 38.52. Jamie was next @ 39.03 and Ian @39.15.

Sean, after losing a bit of time on the hill recovered to finish in 40.19 ahead of Stuart and Digger who had a great tussle with Digger winning in a sprint to the line in a time of 40.53 and Stuart @ 40.56.

Next up was Rick, who looked like something out of Happy Feet, ran his own race which after last weeks’ effort was not much more than a warm up distance and crossed the line in 42.47.

Then came Chrissie and Allan who ran pretty close most of the way and even though no Pb’s it was a good solid end of season performance with Chrissie @ 48.11 and Alan @ 48.52.

Emer, after the hill, set a good pace and finished the race in 51.31 some 36 secs quicker than last year and a new course Pb. Well done.

Simon and Martina, who were having their usual interclub rivalry, finished with Simon being the stronger on the day in a time of 54.23 and Martina @ 55.04 some 2 ½ mins slower than last year, so next year has decided not to get married the day before an important race ever again.

Pat crossed the line in 58.55 and happy to break the one hour mark which was great after travelling 470 mile to support her sister and our local race (shame said sister didn’t feel like running with her and keeping her company). Good to see you Pat.

The club picked up a wealth of trophies and prizes with the Guys winning 1st team (Ross, Grant, Adrian)

Ladies 2nd team (Chrissie, Emer, Martina) - who got largest cheer of the day.

Ross 4th overall and 1st local male

Chrissie 1st in age category

Emer 3rd in age category

Grant 2nd in age category

Ian 3rd in age category

I think all in all it turned out a great day for the club with Kevin’s training sessions paying off and some (who shall remain nameless) putting their body on the line literally, for the club.

So onto the after show party, all I can say is if you weren’t there you missed the good Craic and as I’m not allowed to give away any titbits (what goes on on tour stays on tour rule) you will just need to make sure you turn up next year.

Well done to one and all…………………………………end

Snowdonia Marathon 2010 - “The Most Difficult Road Marathon in Europe”

Rick Williams

3h 43min 03sec

I’m not sure how true that is but it certainly was tough! We stayed with friends the night before and travelled to Llanberis on the morning of the marathon to register. Not long after registration it started lashing with rain but by 10.30 (the start time) the rain had stopped. There were about 1600 starters and we all walked from the village centre to the start line. It was great to see all the runners with their families walking down the road to the starting point.

At about 10.29 I decided to turn my Garmin on and was panicking when it couldn’t locate the satellites. I nearly had to ask the organisers to delay the start time but thankfully the satellites were located just in time and I was ready to go. As I moved into position there were plenty of people “admiring” my vibram fivefingers, or perhaps they were just astounded that some idiot would run 26.2 miles up and down hills in flimsy pieces of rubber (I too was wondering whether they were up to the job especially as I knew that some of the route was off road on a very gravelly path, and later on a steep grassy path).

After 2 miles or so we came to the first incline (the Llanberis Pass) which I think is about 3 miles long. It was a long slow plod to the top and then a glorious fast descent down the other side and along the flat which eventually brought us into Beddgelert (13 miles). We were then faced with the second hill which again was a long ascent out of the village followed by another flat section and finally we came to the third and most brutal of all the hills on the route at Waunfawr. Whilst running from Beddgelert to Waunfawr I had been gazing at the hills on our right wondering how we would ever get over them to finish in Llanberis. I was determined to run the whole marathon and thought I could manage this hill even after 22 miles but it was a killer and half way up I had to start walking. The hills, and especially this one, wreaked havoc with my average pace per mile. Had I known it was so steep and long I think I would have run the flat sections a little quicker to make up.

At the top there was a great view of the village of Llanberis and this is where the fun began. There was a steep descent about a mile long on a grassy muddy path followed by an even steeper descent on a tarmac path for another mile before reaching the finishing line. I was trying to make up for lost time and was bombing it down the hill putting to the back of my mind that if I slipped on the mud my race would be over. My final 200 yards was spoilt a little by some guy who tried to overtake me. I had wanted to glide over the line in style with a happy smiling face for the photo but the guy next to me put paid to that. It meant there was a sprint finish and I’m glad to say I won it.

The only downside is that the finishing line photo won’t look too pretty. My finishing time was 03.43.03 which was ok. Weatherwise it was a mixture. Sunshine, lashing rain, hailstone, thunder and lightning (thankfully I had finished before the lightning) but despite the weather and the hills it was a great run. The route has everything – hills, great scenery, road and off road, lots of supporters, nice villages to run through and I would certainly recommend it. (If anyone has been inspired to run next year’s marathon as a result of this highly motivational race report then why not watch the highlights [in Welsh] on the website www.s4c/clic)

Funniest part of the race? About 50 yards from the finishing line one guy got down onto the ground and twirled round on his head. He then got up and started to run away from the finishing line not realising that he was going in the wrong direction. Someone kindly turned him round and he eventually crossed the line!

Lessons learnt? Well, I forgot to fill in the back of my race number so I should do that next time. Also, start my Garmin earlier, tie my shorts up (they started to come down as I raced down the muddy hill) and run faster. However, what really is important is if I’m going to breakdance near the finish line at my next race to make sure that when I get up I’m facing in the right direction!

Jedburgh half marathon 31st October 2010

David Beattie

520 runners

1st male Jonathan Carpenter 1h 12min 20sec

1st female Jennifer McLean 1h 24min 25sec

245th David Beattie 1h 45min 22sec

268th Chrissie Vincent 1h 47min 7sec

I had only entered this event because I had hoped to scrounge a lift from Paul Crosbie , and thought it would be good to run a half marathon off the back of Loch Ness marathon training. Unfortunately Paul was injured , so I managed to recruit Ross and Chrissie to join me. Then poor old Ross was unwell and had to pull out at the last minute..... Also Donard the dog had vomited all over the kitchen floor this morning .... omens were not particularly good.

My knowledge of Scotland isn't that great. Jedburgh - well that's in the Borders , a bit East of Dumfries , so that shouldn't be to hard to drive to. Well Vladivostock is also East of Dumfries , and while Chrissie and I didn't have to board the trans Siberian express , it took nearly 2 and 1/2 hours to reach our destination. Fortunately my paranoia of arriving late meant that we still arrived an hour ahead of the start time!

This was a superbly organised event, apart from minor difficulties finding somewhere to park ( the picture is taken in the local GPs surgery - says Doctor parking only - well it was Sunday morning and the surgery was closed). 520 half marathoners and 350 10 k runners. Everyone set off together and then the 10 k gang headed round a pole in the middle of the road and sprinted back home. I always enjoy seeing the speedsters at work and later in the race the leading 1/2 marathoners also came back past the pack. Weather was wonderful - about 8 degrees, sunny and no wind.

Chrissie spotted a couple of Machars locals at the start and we did our best to persuade them to join our merry Harriers band (they were pestered again at the end). Early on in the race I said hello to the lady with whom I walked the last mile of Lochaber marathon last year - she remembered me too, and I was happy to recount that I had managed to break the 4 hour barrier. Out of politeness , I asked her how her marathon running was going ; she has never tried another marathon since. i think she was too worried about being stuck with me again. Chrissie and I also saw Hazel , the blind runner from Troon Tortoises . Her normal partner Anne was running the Athens marathon , so Hazel had a new slower partner . This was bad news for Hazel , but excellent for Chrissie and I who managed to beat her this time round.

The course is a bit odd; sort of out and back , and in sections the faster runners come back past you. Couple of hills in first 3 miles , then flat , a nasty hill at 11 miles and downhill the rest of the way home . Chrissie and I ended up running most of the way together, and I had several failed efforts at breaking away. I eventually managed to "escape" at the hill in mile 11 and put a few seconds between us, but I fear that being beaten by Chrissie again is not too far away.

I thought this was a great race. Good value , good number of competitors and good course . Impressive medal too, if you have magpie tendencies and like a bit of bling (I know I do). I was delighted with my fastest half marathon time this year. Great to run a new course , and even better to be able to stop after 13 miles and not to have to think that there's "only" another 13 to go.

A Tale of Two Sisters Salisbury half marathon October 2010
Pat Bennett

Chrissie Vincent 1h 52
Pat Bennett 2h 20

This story involves no medical personnel whatsoever, but there is some blood.

The Salisbury half marathon is one of a series of fund-raising runs organised by the Fire Fighters’ charity, and it starts from the fire station. It was a historic occasion, because the last time the two of us competed (and I use the word loosely, because neither of us was very fast back then) in the same event was somewhen in the mid 80s.

Chrissie arrived by train, which South West Trains had thoughtfully scheduled so as to allow her time to fuel up on caffeine in Starbucks. Rendezvous was at 10.00, after which we spent an enjoyable hour queuing for portaloos, accosting a complete stranger to take the evidential photograph, and in Chrissie’s case taping up a rather large blister. It was a bright sunny day, but quite cold in the shadows.

Come the start, Chrissie shot off like a bullet in search of another PB, while I started at a cautious amble, not particularly confident about my fitness or my ankle. The game plan was to run a mile, walk 1/10^th, run the rest of the mile, and so on. I felt like a complete wimp the first time, but probably wouldn’t have finished otherwise.

The route goes up the Woodford valley on one side of the river, crosses over, and then winds back down again. We knew from the map that there was a mountain between 4.5 and 6 miles, with the rest of the route undulating gently, but in fact some of the undulations were mini-mountains in their own right. It was also a lot warmer than it is in Scotland. Once you get back into Salisbury, you think it’s just a case of running back down Butts Road, and sprinting for the finish, but sadistically they make you run past the finish, and then do a circuit of the playing fields before you finally stagger over the line. That last ¾ mile or so was probably the hardest bit of the entire run.

Chrissie was looking pretty cool and collected by the time I finished, but sporting a rather large bloodstain on her shoe from the blister, which had burst at some point. Please ask to see it – I understand she’s planning to keep it as a souvenir. (That was the gory bit).

I had no particular expectations about my time, but Chrissie was obviously a bit disappointed based on her recent form. If only she’d had a Garmin! However, the overall winner, Simon Plummer (who missed out on representing Scotland in the marathon at the Commonwealth Games by 3 minutes in the Rotterdam Marathon, and works part time in my office when he isn’t training) told me it was a difficult course to do a good time on as it was so hilly. His time was 71:01. Hmm. Maybe he was just being nice...

The Pink Report - part 2            5 – 9 – 10
The Great Scottish Run   -   ½ Marathon & 10 K

Chrissie Vincent

1/2 marathon winner   –   Hailu Mekonnen - Ethiopia   -1: 01: 53
1^st Lady -   Caroline Kilel - Kenya - 1: 09: 11

Total ½ marathon finishers   - 8938

Once again it was time for the Galloway ladies to hit Glasgow as planned and entered back in the spring. Unfortunately since then the ladies have had between them a list of injuries too numerous to mention, never- the- less, deciding to soldier on Chrissie, Emer, Ailsa, Amanda and Lorri headed for the city.It was a very early start with Chrissie leaving home at 5:30 am, heading for Lorri at Glen Trool picking up Amanda and Emer on the way. We took the scenic route to Ayr and had the road to ourselves (well, who else would be up at that time on a Sunday morning). After a comfort stop, some strong coffee and a bit of breakfast it wasn’t long before we arrived in Glasgow, this time using combined knowledge from the back seat rather than Sat Nav, we arrived without incident at our car park before it was even open. At this point our thoughts turned to Simon and Ailsa who were staying in the city, as we didn’t see why they should still be happily asleep when we had been up for hours, so gave them an alarm call and they were of course still asleep.The weather was perfect for the event as we followed hundreds of other Lycra clad runners to George Square where we found Simon and Ailsa, in amongst lengthy loo queues with Bat Man, several furry animals and men in tutus. The club Champion very kindly offered to carry bags to the finish but waved us off first with encouraging words. The 10 K started promptly at 9:30 and Ailsa, Lorri and Amanda with their assorted injuries set off to walk the route. The thousands of runners were split into four colour groups around the square, which started at intervals and were soon all on their way with very sleek organisation. The ½ m set off at 10:30 with the same controlled precision, along with this mass of runners went Chrissie (the only healthy one) and Emer whose back was “at least no worse than it has been”.The course was lovely, through the city streets, over Kingston Bridge, two beautiful leafy parks, Bellahouston and Pollock Park. A little undulating in places but nothing compared to our Galloway hills. Support from the crowd was great and nearly all the way round cheering people helped the runners keep going, along with periodic bursts of music, drummers or pipers to keep up momentum. Back over the Clyde to the wonderful sight of the finish line at Glasgow Green, where cheering crowds helped you to finish the last few hundred metres in style. We were met at the finish with the same smooth organisation as at the start, de-chip – collect medal – collect goody bag – keep moving – collect banana – pick up water and out into the park to meet up under pre arranged flag.The walk back to the car helped ease our tired muscles and once there we all huddled around the boot, and after a flurry of wet wipes, towels and lots of lovely smelling sprays, the ladies were transformed from athletes into “ladies who lunch” – Superman couldn’t have done it better. Lunch was exactly where we were headed next, opting for Italian, with plenty of hydrating. All nicely refreshed and full, with not much time until shops would be closing, we buzzed around quickly with pin numbers at the ready , some were not up to the frenzied pace of shopping so slipped away to rest and hydrate just a little more. We met up at arranged time and were all delivered safely home and Ailsa to Silverburn car park – Hope she is not still there!10 K walkers        Ailsa        Amanda      Lorri½ MChrissie          1: 46: 46   BP         Possision   1945Emer              1: 57: 53                 Possision   3895

Loch Ness Marathon 3^rd October 2010. A Tale of Several Doctors.

David Beattie

1^st Thomas Abyu 2h 20 min.

2488 finishers

David Beattie 3h 59min 34s (955^th)
Adrian Leach (withdrew at 22 miles)

As Adrian and I drove up to Inverness, we mused on a title for our race report. Provisionally, we decided on “A Tale of Two Doctors”. This turned out to be rather prescient, though our story ended up involving more doctors than the good Dr Leach (PhD) and Dr Beattie (MbBch) had intended.

The drive to Inverness was gorgeous , and Adrian’s Volvo ate up the miles. Inside the car we ate half of Tesco’s lunchtime supplies, feasting on sandwiches and pasta. Registration was painless, leaving plenty of time to drive the route. I was initially a little sceptical about the need to see the following day’s torture. Seeing the course however proved invaluable. The course is much more undulating than I had expected, with a couple of tough hills in the first 10 miles. They don't feel too bad at the time but badly sap energy for later on. The killer hill comes at 20 miles – a real slog, though with a redeeming long gradual downhill afterwards.

Race day involved setting the alarm for an unearthly 5.30 am, breakfasting at 06.00 and then arriving at the “finish” at 07.30. From here, the 2500 competitors were loaded into numerous buses and driven to the start by a very circuitous route, which took forever. I’m not a fan of buses at the best of times. This was not the best of times. I was nervous, tired and nauseous. In addition, some yabbering wassock from “Souf London” behind me had verbal diarrhoea and simply would not shut up. It was a relief to escape into the fresh air and join the queue for the loos. Another 10 minutes on board with that fool and I might have had to resort to drastic measures to silence him.

The start is amazing. It’s the middle of nowhere - really in the middle of nowhere. Not a spectator in sight. Not much time for last minute preparations either because of the enormous toilet queues. At 10.00 prompt off we all trotted. I won’t go through the agonies of my run, but I set off too fast, and was punished for my foolishness by mile 21. Passed an ambulance at mile 22, but thought no further about it. Had to start walking at mile 23 when I had reached a pretty dark place mentally and physically. Somehow managed to start running again and finished a few seconds under 4 hours.

Where was Adrian? I had expected to find him at the finish, so wandered round a bit, forlornly carrying a banana and bottle of water. Have to confess that I thought Adrian had become bored of waiting for me and had wandered off for a shower – wouldn’t have blamed him. Only when I collected my bag did I find a voicemail message on my phone , telling me to collect him from Raigmore hospital. He had collapsed at mile 22 with dehydration and an ambulance was called, the one I had run past (now time for a guilt trip from me) and required intravenous fluids.

By the time I located him in Raigmore, he was looking quite chipper and was charming an attractive young lady medic, Doctor Tierney. She reappeared a couple of minutes later with 2 glasses of water. I assumed one was for me, and gratefully downed it . She then pointed out that they were both for the patient, and I was sent off in disgrace to the water cooler to refill them! The hospital staff were all superb and we were soon on our way back to the hotel to rest up.

I’m really sorry Adrian's race didn’t work out as planned; he was on course for a sub 3 time when the wheels came off. He had trained phenomenally hard for several months. I, on the other hand, had not trained as hard as for previous marathon attempts , and really did not deserve to escape with a sub 4 time (but am very grateful for it!)

So there you have it. Marathons are tough events and can push you to your physical and mental limits. I wonder these days if it is seen as all too easy with celebrities saying that they have “run marathons”, when in fact they completed the course in 6 hours and walked perhaps the majority of the course. When pushing hard, the distance deserves immense respect. Whatever you do , fill in the information on the back of your race number. Otherwise I might still be wandering sadly round the finishing zone looking for my lift home.

DUMFRIES HALF MARATHON 26 SEPTEMBER 2010
                                        Report by Paul Cleer
1^ST       PAUL WATERSTONE      1.12.56 MORPETH HARRIERS
43 JAMIE DEVINE                 1.30.0688
88 PAUL CLEER                     1.44.06 PB
95 CHRISSIE VINCENT         1.45.12 PB
151 MICHAEL MC NAUGHT 1.59.57

Another September day in Dumfries with the weather at its best. Sunny with a little Autumn nip in the air made the conditions for this race near perfect. There was 186 runners competing on the course which runs out into the countryside to Glencaple before heading back towards the centre of Dumfries . In my limited experience I did not consider it a difficult course with what hills there were not being steep but long and drawn out.

Myself , Jamie , Chrissie and Michael were representing the Harriers today. Jamie came home in a time of 1.30.06 which most of the harriers would be delighted with , but as running is a sport where you set your own goals he was a bit disappointed. Jamie was flying along nicely until the 10m mark and then found the remainder of the race hard going , and missing out on breaking the 1.30 by 7 secs always leaves you wishing you had pushed that bit more in the final mile. I don’t think Ill ever get to the stage of being disappointed with that sort of time.

Chrissie Vincent is preparing for another Half Marathon this time in Salisbury. Chrissie took an amazing 1min 30secs off her pb today to finish on 1.45.12. Most people would be happy with this pb reduction but I was a bit worried about Chrissie as she seemed to look at the race results as they were posted for what seemed like an age. Sure enough she came back and said she thought she was fourth in her age group. Well done Chrissie. Can you make it a Hat Trick of Half Marathon pbs ? That would be some achievement . We don’t see much of Michael at training but he is showing up quite regularly on race days. He seemed happy enough with his time of 1.59.57. And mentioned that he may be racing in Thornhill next week. Unfortunately Michael couldn’t stay for the tea and biscuits as he was off to work. Bankers working on a Sunday? Hope he gets a big bonus for that.

This was my first Half and I was happy to post a time of 1.44.06. I found myself in the familiar position behind ‘Wee Mo’ from Dumfries Running Club. This developed into the same situation as in Castle Douglas 5m and Dumfries 10k where I would pass her occasionally on a hill but she would soon pass me on the flat . I am glad she doesn’t turn round much as I’m sure she would think I was a stalker . But my new found friend did her usual disappearing act during the final mile buggering off and leaving me to splutter over the line. Forget Pbs Sbs Mvs my target is BEAT WEE MO .

One useful piece of info is that it’s a bit awkward the finish being about a mile away from the start but there is a club car that will take your kit down to the finish where the showers and refreshments are located. This is also where the prize giving takes place. Not that we got any. All in all another race to be recommended . Makes the training well worthwhile.

GALLOVIDIAN 1OK
8 SEPTEMBER 2010                                                                             REPORT BY PAUL CLEER

   1^ST      DAVID MILLAR IRVINE AC 31.25
16^TH   ADRIAN LEACH                       37.38 PB
54^TH   JOHN PLUMRIDGE                 42.21 1^ST MV60
106^TH PAUL CLEER                            47.01 PB
109^TH CHRISSIE VINCENT               47.10 SB

    Due to numerous injuries, and David Beattie whittling a woggle on scout duty, only four Harriers made the journey through to Dumfries for one of the most popular races on the calendar. The reason this race is so popular is not the good organisation ,excellent shower and changing facilities, not even the lovely home baked cakes on offer at the end or the pipers leading the racers to the starting line.

The real reason for this race’s popularity is a four letter word beginning with F. Nope. Close your eyes and ask for forgiveness before reading on. The word is FLAT. Yes this race is flat as a pancake and just made for lazy sods trying to get a pb. Conditions were near perfect on this September evening, maybe just a little on the hot side. The course was not the most scenic but was well marshalled with the first 6k being run on the road and the last four confined to the pavement. There was a total of 225 running in this years event with a good mix of club runners present.

Among this years Harriers and first to cross the finishing line tonight was Adrian Leach who continued his phenomenal run of Pbs to finish an impressive 16^th overall with a time of 37.38. A really good run from Adrian who seems to just get better and better. Adrians 16^th place was despite appearing to be the victim of lynch mob with what looked like rope burns on around the shoulder and neck area. Turns out it’s the result of doing a 20 mile training run with one of these water contraptions strapped to your back. So Adrian is in the lead for this years most unusual injury prize.

Next Harrier home was John Plumridge who was in the prizes as usual being first mv60, coming in with a time of 42.21. John was not very confident about his chances but it came to light that he was nearly 3mins in front of the next mv60. So it was a comfortable victory in his category. Great running from John and its good to see him running the last few races I have been at and being relatively free from injury. And he did like his t shirt.

Fair weather Harrier Paul Cleer was home next with a time of 47.01. This would have been a time of 46 something if the dunderheid had looked at his watch occasionally . It was not until 400m from home when he heard a slightly familiar heavy breathing pattern [ From Tuesday night training. Honest] and turned round to see Chrissie Vincent about to pass that he kicked for home, even then he decided to look good in his new vest and shorts with a strong controlled finish. Surely a gut bursting 100m and trampling over the 70 year old granny in front of him would have seen a 46s time. Lesson learned.

Only 9 seconds behind Paul was Chrissie Vincent who concluded an amazing 3 days with a seasons best time of 47.10. This was after pb in the Great Scottish Run of 1hr46 only 72hrs earlier. So Chrissie is definitely the lady Harrier on form at the moment. Not only does this woman have some of the cleanest windows in the Port William area , she is also fast.

Congratulations were offered amongst the Harriers before Adrian said ‘anyone fancy a two mile warm down’ ‘no thanks’ said the other three. Well I suppose he had been hanging around for ten minutes to cheer the rest of us home .  This really is a race to be recommended but the weather tonight made it even more special. One last piece of advice is yes the home baking is lovely but don’t drink the coffee. Definitely not a Nescafe moment. Hope to see you all there next year.

Race Report for River Ayr Way Challenge – September 2010

Rick Williams

This was my 3rd ‘Ultra’ race this year. I hadn’t planned on doing 3 but as I really enjoyed the Highland Fling race in April I thought I would give some others a go. I ran the Clyde Stride in July and as that went reasonably well decided to enter the RAWC. It is a 41 miles route which began at Glenbuck in East Ayrshire and finished at the Citadel Leisure Centre in Ayr and followed the River Ayr ‘from source to sea’. We met at the Citadel for 07.30 and were taken by bus to the start. There were about 95 runners (this is the third year the race has taken place and in 2008 there were 19 runners and in 2009 23 runners so it’s clearly becoming a popular race). At 09.15 the race began and immediately the front runners set off at a phenomenal pace. Most of us ambled along at a more modest pace of about 8mins40. The route was really nice and as it followed the river it went through open moorland, woodland and fields. I initially ran with a guy from New Galloway and then ran with a group for a number of miles passing through checkpoints every 5 miles where there was water, energy drinks, fruit and chocolate. It was sunny with a little breeze and it was great running with a pack along the trail through some brilliant scenery. By about mile 20 the pack dispersed and most runners were then running on their own. At about mile 30 I was beginning to feel rough. My quads were really sore and I was struggling to keep running. I would run for a while then walk which I wasn’t entirely happy about as several people passed me. I was also very tired which I think resulted in me going the wrong way! Unlike the Clyde Stride where generally the route wasn’t well marked the marshals had done a great job marking the route but at about mile 36 I failed to cross a bridge and ended up on the wrong side of the river. I only knew this when the path I was on ended and I was faced with nettles and thistles. There was a fisherman nearby and he confirmed I wasn’t on the RAW. I was devastated especially as he told me the only way out was either to go back or trudge over some fields and through a wood. I should have turned back but couldn’t face it so I ended up walking across fields and through woodland. At that point my quads and calf muscles were very sore so clambering over fallen trees, barbed wire fences and wading through muddy patches and nettles wasn’t pleasant. Eventually I got back onto the RAW and at that point had about 2 miles to go. I had lost loads of time but knew that if I ran the last 2 miles I could hopefully get below 7 hours. One of the marshals met me on a bike and he guided me to the Citadel. It was a huge boost to have him there as it motivated me to keep running and I crossed the line in 6hours 55mins (well according to my Garmin). The official results haven’t been published yet so I’ve no idea what my official time or position was. As I write this (3 days later) my quads are still sore. I didn’t feel as bad as this after the Fling or Clyde Stride (and I didn’t struggle as much as I did during the Fling and Clyde Stride) and I’m not sure what the cause is (apart from running 41 miles!). I did wear some compression gear. I hadn’t worn it in a race before and I don’t think they helped. I also had sinusitis for 7 days leading up to the race so that wasn’t ideal. Anyway the race is over. At about mile 30 the end couldn’t have come sooner and whilst hobbling through the fields and woods I was wondering why I was subjecting myself to this torture but after the event all those negative feelings have gone so much so that I may do some more next year!

Ayr Seaforth
5 Mile Trail RaceRace Report 25/8/10
[Apologies for any accuracies in this report]

The Crosbies arrived promptly in Glentrool prior to the race, and left their car prey to local children conducting a cycle race round the village. As a consequence, the empty vehicle was involved in Glentrool's first car collision since the advent of motor vehicles, and now sports a broken indicator. Better things were to come.

An uneventful yet scenic journey to Ayr was nearing completion when white van man appeared by a town roundabout. In side was was a neat but hairy man, who followed the super Skoda round a series of other roundabouts, before coming to a halt in the college car park. From that point, the three, highly-tuned athletes strode off to he stadium to register. There they were greeted, if greeted was the word, by a disinterested council employee who was disgruntled by the interruption to his sun-bathing activities. He was employed to unlock, then later, lock, the facilities. The job description did not cover offering information on what was happening there, whether it be hare coursing, dog fighting or even bear baiting.

The race organisers were far more helpful and the intrepid trio were soon impaling themselves on safety pins, then seeking refreshment back in the town. Coffees consumed, they retrieved the white van from a hotelcar park and set about the serious business of preparing for a race. More caffeine for John, new running shoes for Bing, and whatever Simon could find to wear from the back of his van.The warm-up was watched by John, who resisted any temptation to do extra mileage and chose just to re-align his bandages. The trio assembled on the track for the start, with Bing taking an early lead before John spotted a wizened soul in the lead group and hurtled off after him. Simon solidly stalked Bing through the early stages of track, gravel, path, field, bridges and more paths. An interesting routewhich would have pleased David, who would have been able to jump in the puddles on the way round. Bing negotiated the newly cut grass in attempts to keep his pristine shoes unblemished, and Simon went on a hunt for mile markers.34 minutes and 19 seconds later John crossed the line ahead of the other pensioners. Bing followed strongly at target pace, just over 38 minutes. Simon had to be advised to "Tuck in" on the finishing straight because his flapping T-shirt was an absolute disgrace to Harrier standards. Apart from that it was detracting from the imposing spectacle of his athletic physique as it charged down to the finish.

At this point the ladies must receive a mention for their fulsome support, consuming curry and wine in empathic style, back in Glentrool. They were later collected from The House o' Hill, but not before fulfilling a further support role with chocolate fudge cake and ice cream.

The race itself attracted a good standard of local athletes, with a strong female entry. The course was varied and well marshalled with a final section which could be recognised, and therefore helpful for pace judement. That is: you could save some energy for an impressive sprint finish in front of the stand.

Casualties of the day were Bing and John, who both claimed blisters. Fortunately these faded into insignificance with Simon's post-shower appearance dressed as a fifties schoolboy. The shorts were particularly stunning, and well set off by the short black socks and dress shoes. Clearly, clothing supplies in the back of the van were running low. The next day could be a little black number and hiking boots.

After prize giving with sedate applause and comments from Simon, the Harriers set off in different directions; Simon to Glasgow to collect more hotel freebies, Bing and John to Glentrool to see if The Crosbie mobile had become an adventure playground for the village kids. Paul spent the journey munching his way through the contents of a lunch box, stopping only to admire the view as Ailsa Craig was highlighted by a setting sun.

All three Harriers recommend this event to others. Good course. Friendly people. Well marshalled. Showers. Will get more popular as it becomes known.

IRVINE 10K 18^th August 2010

David Beattie

205 finishers.

Winner Stuart Gibson Ronhill Cambuslang 32.09

72 Rick Williams 42.30 (PB)

81 John Plumridge 43.20

115 David Beattie 46.05 (PB)

138 Chrissie Vincent 48.17

170 Emer Beattie 51.57

48 Stephen Selby 40.12 (Emer and David’s brother in law visiting from USA)

This was a quality event. A fast flat course on a pleasant summer evening. 10 runners finished in less than 35 minutes, and only 5 of the 205 finishers were slower than an hour . David and Rick both PB’ed , and John was first man over 60. It’s a super course, heading out along the coast and then returning on a parallel road. You can wave to your colleagues at the turn, which I enjoyed. Compared to our local races this was pancake flat, certainly a novelty for me , after spending far too much time training with Rick. The team car had an international flavour with my brother in law (a rather useful marathon runner) from the States visiting , and he romped home well ahead of the rest of us.

Not much support on the course and the Irvine sports club was in need of a coat of paint, but this was a club runners delight , from the whiff of mucky kit bags in the changing rooms to the overstewed tea at the end . No ridiculous goody bags or even a medal, just a black cap with "Marymass 10 k " emblazoned on it - I will wear it with pride. It's fantastic that a plodder like me can run in the same race as some of Scotland's top amateur athletes; there is hardly any other sport where this still happens.

I owe John an apology – we all waited for the prize giving , but it took forever. In the end my appetite became too much for me and I persuaded the gang to leave for the restaurant. Sorry John.

Anyway, onto the main event – the post race meal. On the recommendation of a local, we headed to the Raj Indian restaurant in Bank Street. It was rather quiet inside (only 3 others eating when we arrived) but the food was good, the beer cold and the service quick.

It was well after midnight by the time we were back home , but it was a good evening’s craic and well worth the haul.

Gatehouse Roon the Watter 3rd August 2010

David Beattie

9 Harriers completed Roon the Watter this year . It's a cracking 6 miler organised as part of Gatehouse gala week. An entry fee of £3 is tempting enough, and in addition the whole of the town seems to come and offer support. The final mile downhill is superb - well done all Gatehousians! Weather was perfect for running - slightly overcast and light breeze. Emer, Kev, Grant and Lorri cheered from the sidelines; thank you also.

Ross was first home , and 3rd overall. Not too far behind was Adrian , who definitely wins the prize for furthest travelling Harrier. He drove down especially from holiday in Tarbert to compete. Either very dedicated or a teeny weenie bit unhinged - you decide. Charlie missed out by seconds on a sub 40 minute time , apparently on the back of a bit of rugby pre- season training - makes the compiler of this report sick with envy. Plenty of mid table tussles out on the course between David , Paul Cleer and Allan who all finished close together. Rick had to be held back at the end - he thought he had 5 laps of the course to complete before he could say he had run a "proper" race.

In the children's race , the Beattie children all competed valiantly aong with Olivia (Plumridge granddaughter) , but Matthew and Emily Cleer claimed the honours - 3rd boy and 2nd girl respectively .

Results (may be inaccurate as I can't find any official times on the web)

Ross Bark 34.41 (3rd overall)
Adrian Leach 37.27 (7th overall and 2nd vet)
Charlie McNeill 40.03
John Plumridge 41.54 (2nd supervet)
Rick Williams 42.11
David Beattie 45.33
Paul Cleer 46.03
Allan Strang 47.??
Jemma McNeill 50.40 (first pregnant woman to finish !)

Portwilliam Children’s Fun Run Sunday 8^th August 2010

This is, I believe, the 3^rd time Galloway Harriers have staged such an event at the playing fields. It’s part of Portwilliam gala week, and was a resounding success. Weather was perfect – sunny and warmish, with only a light breeze. I hate to think what it must be like trying to play football here in mid February as an Atlantic gale blows in.

Plenty of “Senior” Harriers were present to set up the registration area, signposting and finish zone – well done Grant, Chrissie, Crosbies, Pumridges, Beatties, Taggarts, and of course the main sponsors, Charlie and Jemma McNeill AKA Shennanton sawmills.

A total of 29 “young uns” competed and this event must rate as the cheapest children’s event in Scotland. For 50p, each child received a medal, bottle of pop, mars bar and enough fizzy sweets to keep them bouncing off the walls for hours on end. As well as a mile run, Paul had the kids participate in a warm up which put to shame some of our regular Tuesday training sessions. The older group in particular appear shattered by the time they had started, having “warmed up “ for about 20 minutes as the younger race was completed.

Prizes galore were distributed by our very own celebrity sportswoman Jemma McNeill at the end – a special mention to our own Matthew and Emily Cleer who won their age groups.

Girvan Half Marathon 11^th July 2010

Report by David Beattie

Results

Ross Bark 1.20.15 4^th

Jamie Devine 1.30.15 23^rd

David Beattie 1.48.23 65^th

Chrissie Vincent 1.52.34 78^th

Emer Beattie 1.57.24 89^th

Martina Moore 2.04.00 101^st

Simon Taggart 2.07.08 106^th (not chip timed - should be allowed extra minute or 2 off – see below)

Retired hurt John Plumridge

Winner Stephen Wyllie 1.15.16 Girvan Harriers

It was strange attending the prize giving ceremony and not receive a trophy (!), but I guess it’s an experience I will have to refamiliarise myself with. Sadly, I was not alone and all Harriers came away empty handed from the presentation. Stephen Wyllie must have needed a trailer to cart home all the trophies he received, but he’s a very unassuming chap and I hold no grudge.

On the other hand, Ross had his debut in a Harrier shirt and just missed 3^rd place with the fastest Galloway Harrier time in recent history, Martina recorded a personal best and David, Chrissie and Emer had Girvan PBs.

This is the 6^th successive year I’ve run Girvan and it was pleasant to have cooler conditions than the 2 previous runs. There was great debate over running attire before the start but a wise decision was made to run “light” and Harrier singlets (plus shorts of course) were more than adequate covering with the sun coming out later in the race.

Ian Hannah provided mobile refreshment support on his bike and Ailsa (sidelined with an achilles injury after overenthusiastic country dancing) was left with the unenviable task of managing extra clothing discarded just before the start. Paul and Amanda provided wonderful encouragement at the 12 mile hill.

The start caused one of our members some difficulty. The gun went off 2 minutes early with Simon ( Eds note : Simon continues as club champion - when is the next club handicap by the way?) still performing his ablutions at the time. This meant he had to do a bit of catching up on the rest of the field but I’m sure Scottish Athletics will listen sympathetically to his problems and reduce his finishing time on appeal.

John unfortunately injured his calf and had to withdraw at 2 ½ miles; the first time in 30 years he has to pull up in a race.

Meanwhile out on the course David was ambling happily along at 4 miles (David’s race theory is to take it easy miles 3-12 and finish with a photogenic sprint) when Chrissie bulleted past. Ian Hannah shouted out helpfully “don’t let Chrissie beat you” and a titanic struggle ensued over the next 3 miles. Well, actually we gasped along past Dailly together until David managed to open up some “clear blue water” on the next big hill. Look carefully at the photo though – was David illegally cutting a corner? – ummhh looks pretty dubious practice even if I say it myself. Jamie recorded a very creditable time but had disappeared home by the time the plodders had returned – Jamie you’ll have to slow down a bit next time so the rest of us can congratulate you.

Having all regrouped back at the finish line, we watched sadly as the trophies disappeared to all corners of Ayrshire (why isn’t there a trophy for the club that applauds all the other winners most enthusiastically?). Spirits rose again as chips and beer were devoured at the Roxy pub (a much more pleasant establishment than the name and outside would suggest). At least our club still has the best “après ski”. See you all at Roon the Watter ……

Stranraer Half Marathon 5^th June 2010

David Beattie

Once upon a time, in a small Galloway town, lived a club runner . He wasn’t very fast , but he always tried his hardest. He was a lucky runner, a member of a wonderful club who always supported him at all the events he ran in and were good friends. Sometimes, however, if you looked really hard , you could see a sad look in his eye. One night the Good Fairy visited him. “Why are you so sad mediocre club runner ?” she asked. “Oh Good Fairy” replied the runner (a little annoyed at the Good Fairy’s ability to instantly sum up his lack of athletic prowess) “I love my running so much but sometimes I look at all the other runners collecting their medals and trophies from the podium , and once, just once , I would like to stand with all the other proper runners and receive a prize too”. “You are asking a lot “ said the Good Fairy “because you really aren’t that good , but just to keep you quiet , I will grant your wish by organising a competition where many of the club’s decent runners will either be away or forget to entry the team category in time ………”

As usual, the Stranraer half was superbly organised, including a rather dashing T shirt. It was rather toasty out on the course - about 20o and not a great day for PBs. Fortunately there was plenty of water to go round - well done organisers . The course itself is quite tough - plenty of undulations to keep everyone on their toes.

Support from non running Harriers was superb – Kevin, Chrissie, Paul and Amanda and Gemma (who appeared all over the course “en velo”) - many thanks.

Two Galloway Harriers gave the rest of us something to cheer before the half marathon. Allan Strang competed in the 4 mile run and finished 3^rd , just missing out on a sub 30 minute time. Amy Vincent finished as 3^rd girl in the 14- 16 age group.

Sean Connor was first Harrier home in the 13.1 miler (not a bad time for someone who did no training) , with Ian Hannah narrowly pipping Grant in a tight tussle a few places back . John continues to hold back the years finishing 26^th , and with time one does become accustomed to his excuse for a beard . Emer squeaked home in under 2 hours much to her delight and was also first Wigtownshire woman home.

Our young Harriers had a great afternoon, with great performances from Matthew, Lucy and Clodagh ,all of whom won medals - see more below.Emily, Freya , Ruairi and Bronagh battled valiantly in the younger fun runs as parents proudly watched.

Happy Harriers retired to the Custom House in Stranraer for a well deserved drink and meal afterwards.

Trophies won :

1^st male over 45 – Ian Hannah

2^nd male over 45 – Grant Morrow

1^st male over 60 – John Plumridge

1^st local female – Emer Beattie

2^nd Male team – Ian Hannah, Grant Morrow, David Beattie *

3^rd place age 12-13 girls Clodagh Beattie

3^rd place age 10-11 boys Matthew Cleer

1^st place age 10-11 girls Lucy Vincent

*many thanks fellow male Harriers who didn’t register in time or were unwell and gave me this moment of glory (and thank you Good Fairy of course ) !

Half marathon results: 152 finishers

7^th Sean Connor 1h 26 min 21 sec

11^th Ian Hannah 1h 28 min 23 sec

12^th Grant Morrow 1h 29 min 09 sec

26^th John Plumridge 1h 36 min 36 sec

71^st David Beattie 1h 51 min 37 sec

100^th Emer Beattie 1h 58 min 21 sec

105^th Michael McNaught 2h 0 min 38 sec

111^th Simon Taggart 2h 03 min 48 sec

135^th Ailsa Taggart 2h 14 min 09 sec

Late that night, the happy club runner gazed lovingly at his cherished trophy on the bedside table. “Thank you so much Good Fairy” he said …. “Any chance of a new right leg next?”

Kirkcudbright Half Marathon – Saturday 29^th May 2010

A seriously sprained ankle, two torn calves, a creaking ankle bolt, a hamstring twang, a 10-hour Ironman, a ruined back, an entire ruined body and a week sipping cocktails on a beach in Lanzarote were just a small sample of the apparently insurmountable impediments that the Galloway Harriers carried into battle last Saturday. Given these setbacks, it’s fair to say that none of us were expecting tremendous results and, yet, our fondness for this excellent local race demanded that the Harriers turned out in force to give the KAHM 2010 all the support that our ravaged bodies were able to muster.

Being my most local and most loved race, it was to be the early summer highlight of the racing season so when, two and half weeks before the race, I got a small tear in my hamstring then I thought it reasonable to express my frustration by means of a thin veil of mild dejection (or become “utterly bloody unbearable” as Ruth actually put it)*. After two days of this abject self pity, I used my uncanny sixth sense for a woman’s mood to detect that my gloom was starting to rankle with my wife. Call it animal instinct if you will, but when Ruth let out a strangulated scream, stormed out to the shed, grabbed my bike, blew up the tyres, threw a bicycle helmet at me and told me to “b*gger off and not come back until I was at least half human” I sensed at a rudimentary level that it was time to indulge in cross-training. Hard as it may seem to believe, I still have to remind Ruth, on an almost daily basis, just how lucky she is - not all husbands have my sensitivity

Back to Saturday 12:10. Some brave decisions were required: despite his gazelle-like gait, could Simon (Club Champion) manage another half marathon with his ankle bolt about to drop out? Would David attempt a half marathon wearing a crepe calf bandage that could have doubled for a spinnaker in the Americas Cup? Was Martina really ready for an 11.2K after a week of conga-ing round a pool at Club La Santa? Would Emer (calf strain) and Jemma (ankle bracelet) be content to being towed round the kid’s fun-run course in a soap box go-cart? And would John really brave 13.1 miles sporting a goatee that might have blown off into the Dee with the slightest puff of wind?

Happily the answer to this list of questions was yes, yes, yes, no and yes. Of all the GHs only Chrissie and Jamie were shamelessly excuseless and, needless to say, they both went onto produce great things in the 11K and HM respectively.

The weather was rubbish for spectators but absolutely perfect for running: cool, overcast, light drizzle and a gentle breeze. The Harriers’ 11 K-ers did well with all completing the course and returning none-the-worse for their respective injuries. Chrissie, injury and fancy-free, flew round gaining 3^rd veteran spot in 55:58 (34^th). Shortly after Chrissie came Emer in an pleasing 56:49 (36^th) followed by Jemma, the Queen of Competitiveness, who sensibly managed to kerb her need to grind all other runners into the dirt by taking a ankle-protectingly sedate approach and going round in 59:11. Martina, the Canaries’ Conga Queen, shook off any last vestiges of a holiday hangover off with a fine 1:00:24 for 49^th.

So, five boys went for the half: “Blackwisp” Plumridge; “Roboprop” Taggart; Jamie DuVin; David “Balfour” Beattie and I, “Gorgeous” Leach (there’s got to be some benefit for writing these blo*dy race reports). Simon put in a giant performance that saw him get round in 1:57:33 and went quicker than he did in Blackpool even with a hurting ankle. David had a sound run and only struggled in the head-wind where tacking was required because of his sail-like bandage. With the wind abaft and abeam, however, he sailed into the Academy harbour with a 1:50:04 to be proud of. John did a miraculous 1:34:40 (7:14 mins per mile), but was seemingly unimpressed by his performance. In order to determine whether he was entitled to his despondency, I put his result into the “MacMillan pace calculator” which allows the inquisitive (aka nosey) to compare race-pace at one distance (in a recent event) with the expected time and race-pace at another. Taking into account the hilliness of Kbt HM compared with Troon 10K and the Holywood Stroll his result was exactly as one would expect! So cheer-up you miserable, piratical old bugger J, you were/are fantastic. Jamie was only 9 seconds short of a sub-1:30 – and, yet again, it’s important to realise what a mind-boggling result this is from only a couple of days of running a week! And his result bodes very well for the men's team event in Stranraer next Saturday. I happily squeaked out a PB of 1:24:40 for 26^th place (1^st Kirkcubright and 2^nd Stewarty man) and was thoroughly and unbearably pleased with myself – apologies to all those that I bored witless with my inane grin and incessant retelling of excruciating race details.

Loads of GH’s kids did the fun run, showing that even children of running parents (including some teenagers(!)) can still see the joy in going out for a run. Proof, if any was needed, of the pure and primal joy of simply running. Well done the GH juniors!

After a marvellous Academy tea and prize-giving we all decamped to our house by the Dee – all, that is, apart from John who, as male club welfare officer, selflessly went home to make sure Lorri, female club welfare officer, was not over-exerting her back (shame you couldn’t both have been with us but we hope Lorri’s back is feeling better soon). While we had all been running, Ruthy had been slaving hard to get everything ready for us by preparing a wonderful array of victuals that were also fabulously augmented by Emer, Chrissie and Jo. A barrel of “Grace”, courtesy of Sulwath brewery (Castle Douglas), was doing brisk business especially once Grant arrived who was apparently looking for a sizeable personal best (and possibly chasing a World Record) - a giant performance by Grant on the day and, almost certainly, performance of the season.

By the time I had showed off our veg patch and the welcome multitudes had drank lots of beer/wine/water and ate lots of food, the kids, it seems, were about to settle down to some DVDs. Little did they know that Ruth had other plans as she whipped out the rounders equipment and got everyone outside (apart from a couple of Stewartry and Shire barrel-loiterers) into the afternoon sunshine for some more running about, good natured p*ss-taking and Tourettes-style shouting-out of half-remembered rounder’s rules. Two important prizes were given here: Simon for the Most-Children-Made-to-Cry-Prize awarded for ultra competitive fielding and David for the Most-Verticality-Achieved-for-the-Least-Horizontality-Prize at the batting crease.

The evening went on for quite some hours but as this a race report and not some salacious gossip column then I shall not indulge in further detail here ... mainly because I can't remember any.

Thanks to all for coming round afterwards, we loved having you. Clearly, as lord and master of my domain, I can say right here and now that I am looking forward to doing it all again next year ... but, if its alright with you, I had better check with Ruth first.

Cheers

Adrian x

* Look, David, I know it didn’t pass your new four-week rule for injuries but it’s my report (that you made me write), so even a renowned physician, patrician and pillar of the community, such-as-yourself, will have to “lump it” occasionally.

The Pink Report – Ladies Day Out in Glasgow, Sunday 9^th May

Some details have been excluded to spare the blushes of the participants, and race times omitted at the request of the runners.

Two contingents of competitors met at Girvan having successfully avoided kamikaze wildlife on the way there. From that point we followed Emer’s Sat Nav to East Kilbride where it had a nervous breakdown, and from thereon supplemented it by human endeavours in an effort to reach the correct destination. There a skip was to provide only partial screening for lavatorial activities and leave us exposed to the view of those in passing traffic, and watching television screens via the security cameras.

Late arrival at the event meant that Chrissie, Emer, Martine and Emma could not reach their appropriate starting areas in time, although Ailsa, Amanda and I got to our places despite a further toilet stop en route. Obviously Emer’s Sat Nav was on the blink once again! A mainly uneventful race had Chrissie failing to make progress through the massed ranks of lycra, so she settled down to a steady run. Emer managed to escape leaving elbowed runners in her wake, to achieve a personal best time for the course. Martina ran strongly and well done to Emma who did very well despite a lack of training. Mulling over in her mind had she got the required change of undergarments this year kept Amanda on course and Ailsa pounded out rhythmic miles to the mantra, this is just a FUN run. The support around the course was excellent and the atmosphere buzzing with pipers and drummers.

After the race the side of Emers vehicle became shelter for changing into our gear. A man in a nearby blue car was an enthusiastic witness to the wrigglings and contortions of disrobing females. Two motorcycle police failed to book us for indecent exposure or not having an entertainment license.Back in central Glasgow it was time for the main event of the day: re-hydration and feeding plus some team shopping. Italian cuisine was the order of the day with some choosing non-alcoholic re-hydrants. The teams departed to wave credit cards around the city, returning to John Lewis’s at an agreed time to compare retail achievements. The dynamic duo of one team returned, skipping through the shopping centre, having supported the local economy in Wetherspoons. They shall remain nameless.

It was a really enjoyable but tiring day for all, but more for some than others as they slipped into dreamland on the return journey.Roll on September when we’ll be back to do it all again in the Great Scottish Run.Many thanks to Emer and Amanda who shouldered the driving duties for the day.

Extremely Official Results for Holywood Stroll 2010

This friendly, local event was attended by a turboless Grant and two other musketeers. Allan arrived later in a blue rollerskate which he parked as far away from Grant's Skoda as he could manage, in case turbo failure was catching.

All runners signed up at the economy price of £5 each, then sat down to watch Adrian greet the female company in an apparent search of a fellow relay runner who had a friend called Barry. This Barry was an unfortunate shape according the immediate company; but who are we to criticise?

In order to start the race, runners have to march up a road past a car park, which incidentally contained Allan's rollerskate, up an embankment, over a road and a bridge, over crash barriers, down another embankment then along a track to assembling athletes and marshals. At the appointed hour, instructions were given and the field leapt into action; all apart from John, who lurched forwards trying to gain some form of momentum. Grant performed some sort of side to side movement to pass blocking runners before heading over the horizon. Adrian went off on one of his metronomic runs in Grant's wake. John and Allan observed their diminishing forms in their progress round a flat, country course which was conducive to fast running.

Grant fought off the leading lady, and course record holder, with his handbag, to cross the line in a brilliant 29m 55s (6^th place), to be the first veteran home. A well-earned success after all the recent disappointments. Adrian maintained his form with 15^th place, 4^th over 40 (and that's the position not weight, Kevin!) in 30m 48s. John flapped gently to the line in 33m 17s to be 6^th over 50 - quite alot over 50 actually. Allan ran strongly to be 45^th in 37minutes 50seconds, but declined an interview with roving reporter, John, as he crossed the line. All runners held Kevin's coaching programme in high esteem and gave it as the reason for improved performances especially under pressure. All except John, that is, who gave a long list of tablets, implants and alcoholic beverages as a reason for marginal improvements made over this distance since last year. You don't have to believe him; he miscalculated his speed by 6 seconds a mile and misplaced his house key as well. Anyone know of sheltered housing in close proximity to a pub, but a long way away from schools?

Grant featured in the prize giving and received the well-deserved applause of his peers. A gentleman to the end, he swapped his bottle of wine with an unfortunate lady whose team prize was a bottle of Newcastle Brown. We'll engrave it on Sunday. Adrian was prepared to list all the ingredients in the bottle, but could not be understood for all the E-numbers falling as crumbs from his mouth as he consumed peanuts and crisps. Grant fortified himself with a Mars Bar as per usual - cheap to take out for a meal these male runners. One cannot imagine the female fraternity settling for such meagre fare last Sunday.

Cinderella Adrian went home to his ironing and the group parted company after another successful expedition. Our thanks go to the organisers for a pleasant evening and the never-ending supply of biscuits.

Cheers

John

Official Race Report for The Troon 10k, 2010

The team were guided into the hills of Ayrshire by Adrian's dashboard pilot and given geological updates by the driver himself. We passed an unlekking black grouse on our travels, and John drooled over roadside collections of wood. Kevin recited chunks of that sixties classic - Kes - or "Kestrel for a Knave" for those who read the book before seeing the film. Grant just twitched in anticipation of athletic achievement.

At Troon, the two youngsters went for a warm up run prior to the race while John poked lethargically at his injuries. Kevin wandered around with a cluster of camera equipment looking for somewhere to ambush runners with advice and photographic skill.

Someone fired Grant out of a cannon and he headed off for glory, right from the start. Adrian used his head and maintained a steady early pace which he developed into more devastating speed as the race progressed. John hobbled through the first half until the limbs surrendered elasticity and allowed him a more comfortable finale, which even had a sprint to the line, to beat another senior to third over sixty.

Grant came home in twenty-second place and an amazing 37minutes 22seconds. Adrian smashed his personal best with thirty-sixth place in 38minutes 3seconds. John managed a chip time of 42minutes 8seconds. Kevin was accredited with praise for coaching and camera work from the young achievers, and a mouthful of abuse from the senile misery; so what is new?

Adrian had a boot full of supplies to refresh tired limbs. A gentleman and a scholar!

Cheers

John

Culzean Family Fun Run - 25th April 2010

The plain fact of the Culzean Family Fun Run is that, for me at least, it hurt. My legs were fresh, confidence was high, training had been going well and I added that all up and made the classic eejit's mistake and went off too fast. As a result, it was the most painful five miles I have ever run: after two miles I wasn’t even sure I was going to finish; by three miles I knew I wouldn’t; and at 4.7 miles, but for the encouragement of Grant telling me it was only half a mile to go, I nearly didn’t. Also, I can’t believe that I was taken in by the misty-eyed romanticism peddled by my good friends in the Harriers during the preceding weeks: “the views are spectacular”; “the route is breathtaking”; “the trails are brilliant”. I mean, at what point in ANY race does one get to stop and muse on the velvet waves fondling the wrack drizzled, barnacle crusted shores? Or gape wondrously at a gnarled beech root snaking sinuously along a shingled path? Never in my recollection. Nor do I remember co-competitors making interesting historical/natural observations such as the blue granite dome of Ailsa Craig being a haven for Catholics during the Scottish Reformation and now being the site of the UK’s third largest gannetry. It doesn’t happen. The reason for such a woeful lack of appreciation for the galvanising beauty of our environs? We were too busy with the crippling business of getting air into our lungs, not falling off cliffs and running fast when every tortured fibre of one’s being was whispering persuasively that a little lie down would be a much more sensible option. I guess my point is that the words “scenic” and “fun” are almost irrelevant when your heart is doing 180bpm and trying to leap, salmon-like, out of one’s mouth along with whatever deeply regretted last minute snack one had before the race. Racing just hurts ... there I said it.

Now onto the real business of this report, on Sunday the Harriers turned out in such a superb show of athletic and numerical force that our 23 runners (including 6 junior members!) made up 12% of the entire field of Culzean’s Family Fun Run. And we acquitted ourselves admirably. Digger (35:13), Grant (34:39) and I (34:35) finished in 7^th, 6^th and 5^th respectively with Digger putting such a final uphill sprint that he had to park a tiger at the finishing line. A psychedelic yodel or a critical review of the menu, call it what you will, it was a testament to the huge effort given by our young speed machine. Also, let’s not forget that our glorious leader, Grant, was only operating on half a lung at the time - I dread to think what he will be capable of when is back to full fitness. Jamie, John and Kev were in the next tranche of GHs coming-in in 13^th, 16^th and 23^rd respectively, with both John and Kev mastering their various injuries to fight another day – long may it continue. Jamie seems to be able to muster an amazing level of speed and fitness from a seemingly low training volume - makes one positively verdurous with covetousness. Matthew (Junior) and Allan (Non-junior) continued their on-going racing duel and both turned out fine times with Matthew (55^th) just pipping Allan (56^th) again at the finishing line.

Helen (Junior) also did superbly well running round with her Dad, Billy, in a shade over 45 minutes for 66^th and 67^th place respectively. We hope Helen’s triathlon dreams go well in 2010. Helen and Billy were followed closely over the line by Chrissie in 69^th in a time that was a full 3 minutes and 6 seconds quicker than 2008! We haven’t seen as much of Paul C as we would all like so far this year, but he is obviously still getting his training in as both Paul C and Emer came through as the next couple of Harriers in 80^th and 81^st around 46 minutes - Emer’s time being 1 minute and 17 seconds faster than 2008.

Martina (102^nd) managed to beat the Club Champion (CC) despite taking a nasty fall on one of the aforementioned tree roots. Tuesday nights and bike turbo session in front of the telly are clearly paying off. Given Simon’s tendency for bashful coyness in the face of personal success then I feel awkward about mentioning that Simon (the Club Champion’s No. 1 Champion) seems to be getting faster too and ran well over 3 minutes quicker than he did in 2008.

Lorri and Ailsa put in great times despite Lorri not feeling very well and Ailsa recovering from a monumentally bibulous 30^th birthday weekend. Happy Birthday again, Ailsa! Hope you feel better, Lorri!

Clodagh and Emily were truly excellent in 182^nd and 183^rd, encouraging each other all the way round – a pair of club stars of the future demonstrating the true nature of teamwork. Like Martina, Emma had a nasty fall and hurt her leg causing a her to limp quite badly but she still had the bloody-minded resolve to keep going and ended up two places behind Clodagh and Emily– well done Emma. Finally, my wife and brood, Ruth, Isobel and Jessie, ran about 3.5 miles of the course courtesy of a handy little short cut and I was a very proud Dad to see them come in smiling and waving.

Afterwards we had coffee, beer, sandwiches and such a superb diversity of delicious cakes that it would be impossible to list them. The banana and chocolate fairy cakes were my favourite - thank you Beatties, Taggarts, Vincents and Morrows (apologies to any missed bakers here). The children and the adults were then royally entertained by Simon the Slightly Scary Clown who ate nettles, bit the tops of beer bottles and whipped the kids into a giggling frenzy before all the tired teddy bears (big and small) in black and white vests had to traipse home for a well earned rest.

Despite my pathetic bleating at the beginning of this report, I really did have a lovely day and Culzean really is a beautiful place and I really will look forward to running it again next year but if you see me before the race next year, vibrating like an overexcited jelly, then please feel free to give me a slap* and tell me to pull myself together. Thanks.

On a completely personal note I would like to thank Grant for his words of encouragement at the end that kept me going when all I wanted to do was lie down and wait for the crows.

Cheers

Adrian

*Does not apply to Simon.

Highland Fling 24th April 2010
Rick Williams Well where shall I begin? I can recall saying to David and Emer on the way back from last years Stranraer 10k that one day I would like to do an ‘ultra’. Not long after that I searched the internet and found details for the Highland Fling race. In many ways it was an ideal first ultra - not far from home, great scenery, very cheap (£22) and few if any rules. I decided to enter. The problem with making that decision so far in advance of the race was that it was often on my mind as I contemplated the enormity of the task. I even dreamt about it from time to time! I knew it would require a step up in training but could I really face doing those long runs during the dark nights of winter? From December to early April I averaged about 50 miles a week and during that time I did 5 runs in excess of 25 miles (If ever I needed a running companion it was during those runs!) The Highland Fling is a 53 mile run along the southern part of the West Highland Way starting at Milngavie and finishing at Tyndrum. According to the WHW website the total ascent during this section is 2605m and the total descent is 2300m (that’s the equivalent of going up and down Cairnsmore 4 times!). On top of that there is a section along the eastern side of Loch Lomond which is about 18 miles long where it was almost impossible to run. The path was nothing but rocks and roots and there were a number of times when I had to resort to climbing up or down slabs of rock on hands and knees. We travelled up on Friday night and I spent part of the evening preparing my drop bags. There were four drop off points along the way – 19m, 27m, 34m and 41m. In each bag I put a banana, 2 Muller rice, a bag of chocolate raisins, a prawn mayonnaise pitta sandwich, 2 gels, some water and some energy drink. Was up at 05.00 on the morning of the race and after eating and drinking huge amounts got to the starting point at Milngavie at 06.15 for registration. I was amongst the veterans (age 40 – 49). The senior veterans and women had left at 06.00 and the younger males left at 08.00 with relay teams leaving at 09.00. The car park at Milngavie was filled with nervous but excited men as we waited for our 07.00 start. At the word ‘go’ we set off not thinking about the fact we had 53 miles before us (to help me ‘forget’ about the fact we were going to run a distance similar to Newton Stewart to Dumfries with lots of hilly bits, tortuous paths and hot weather in between I broke the run down into a section of 12m followed by four sections of 7m followed by a final section of 12m). I started in a pair of running shoes I had been using on my long runs. On my last long run they had both ripped and I hadn’t been able to get a new pair. I therefore ran in those from Milngavie to Balmaha (19m) and at Balmaha (where my support crew was faithfully waiting – Andrea) I changed into my racing flats. Several people expressed surprise and were not a little sceptical/concerned that a ‘newbie’ was planning to run 34 miles over some very rough terrain in shoes that had minimal cushioning. Thankfully they were great and I didn’t experience any soreness at all. In fact I felt that I ran quite strongly and even at the end my legs were weary rather than sore (next year I might run the race either barefoot or in my new vibram fivefingers!). I ran with a waist belt containing two 10oz bottles and two gels. At 12m water was available so I topped up my bottles and set off for Balmaha. By Balmaha I had consumed four gels and all I wanted to eat at this drop off point was the rice. So it was a quick glug of water, my bottles topped up with energy drink, a change of shoes and socks, and I grabbed 2 more gels and I was off. Balmaha was the start of the seemingly never ending rocky/rooty up and down path by Loch Lomond. I managed to pass quite a few people which gave me a bit of a boost. More water, energy drink, rice and gels at the next drop off point (Rowardennan) then another 7 miles along Loch Lomond followed by another pit stop comprising water, energy drink, rice and gels! At this point I was at Inversnaid with 7 miles to go to Bein Glas where Andrea was waiting. Eventually reached Bein Glas and by now it was getting very warm so I changed into my Galloway Harriers vest and after my usual fayre of gels, rice and liquid set off for the last leg – 12m to Tyndrum. This section was very up and down. My legs were holding out quite well and it was during this section I passed the most people (I was really pleased that for at least 35 miles no-one apart from some of the younger males and some of the relay runners passed me, and I really enjoyed reeling the runners in one by one). About 4 miles from the end I started to feel a little weary but at that stage I was running with 2 people I had caught up and we ran together almost to the finish. One of the runners (a woman) was eating a chocolate bar and I was tempted to steal it and run off (all I had eaten was gels and rice for 10.5 hours) but she must of known I was longing for some and she gave me her last piece! As I ran through Tyndrum towards the finish line there was a bagpiper which was nice and I made the finish in 10.36.17 (the official time). On the whole it was a great experience and if any member of the club is up for an ultra then let me know – there is the Clyde Stride (40m) in July and the River Ayr Way (40m) in September! Rick Ps. Forgive the rather lengthy report but how can I possibly condense an experience like this into a few paragraphs!

Memoirs Of An Unfit Bag Carrier

Long ago David Beattie decided The Blackpool Marathon was the event for his sub four hour marathon. Adrian was to join him as pacemaker for his big effort. I had been running very well in the preceding weeks so entered the Half accompanying it along with Simon and Ailsa. Emer was being cajoled into that too, so we were six in total, a power house of Galloway’s finest.

Come the Saturday, the day before the race we were down to three after David’s fine performance in Cornwall ticked his sub four box.

So Simon, Ailsa and I flew down the M6 in the ‘Star Van Enterprise’ arriving in Blackpool in the early evening. After booking into our bed and breakfast we hit the Golden Mile sussing out the start area for the race at The Hilton Hotel and tried to find somewhere to Carbo load.

After passing several hundred Fish ‘n’ Chip shops and little else in the restaurant line we settled on Fish ‘n’ Chips (good enough for Alf Tupper, the tough of the track, then good enough for me). We pretended we were on the Champ Elysees and watched the world go by and how it went by! Stag and Hen do heaven, short skirts, shaven heads were the uniform of choice and Lager! By seven pm Blackpool was pi**ed except for small groups of extremely thin people in trainers.

I have had a cold, which came with a cough that I thought would be better come the day of the big race. I was very reluctant to pull out because I had been flying in training and the flat fast course along with a perfect weather forecast pointed to a good time for me.

In proper fashion I got up on race day morning at six am to get my breakfast before the nine am start. The whole hotel was full of runners, no one in site but me and the proprietor. I went back to my room, pinned on my number and started getting in to race mode. An hour later I joined Simon and Ailsa for their breakfasts I coughed consumptively like Doc Holliday in The Gunfight At The OK Corral. Simon said he had heard me coughing all night and I had for the first time ever filled in the medical information on the back of my number which suggested I wasn’t really up for it, so I gracefully withdrew.

W e went to the start area about an hour before the race to find hundreds of runners lining up for eight Portaloos. I became bag carrier and photographer for the day.

Jealously, I watched Ailsa and Simon run away when the gun went, then more bizarrely watched a line of fifty people rattle through the Portaloos and chase the pack down the Golden Mile up to five minutes after the start.

Conditions were perfect. A sort of figure of eight course that was flat to us Gallovidians, no wind, about nine degrees and a bright sunny morning. The Marathon did two loops, the half did one.

The course layout allowed you to see the runners several times. I managed to get pictures of the back of both Simon and Ailsa as I wrestled with technology beyond my ken during the race. I positioned myself at the end and managed to get a picture of Simon in the frame running to the line in a peculiar crab style he had developed as his knee became really sore in the race. Simon did well coming in at 1.59 on his watch (2.00.17 officially, they started a long way back) and in position 517. Ailsa ran in looking effortless in a pleasing 2.08.37, position 640 of 1001 runners.

The half was won in 1.11.54 and the marathon in 2.39.44 of 621 runners.

Leading up to this race there had been loads of negativity on the Runners World website about course measurement, marshalling etc. I think logistically it must be very hard to take over the whole prom for most of the day.

Runners said the course is mind numbing, running no more than six miles from where you started and the concrete prom at the end of the run is hard on the joints. There were problems with drink stations also.

I think we could all do well on this course however. With what we know now we could make it a great experience next year as a group.

Thanks to Simon for driving us down and organising the accommodation.

Grant Morrow.

Duchy Cornwall Marathon 7th March 2010

David Beattie

Finishers 201
Position 99th Time 3.55.24

Reflecting back , a couple of days after the event , this was a trip undertaken by a madman. Fortunately , all worked out well, and I finally , after several attempts, broke through the 4 hour marathon barrier .
If , however , I had failed , I would have travelled nearly 900 miles by train for no good reason. It is truly terrifying to think that people trust me with their health and well being.

Anyway, the club has been bored for months about my obsession with completing a marathon sub 4. I've been training extremely hard (for me ) over the winter ,coached by Rick "only one more hill to do" Williams and Adrian "you need to increase you tempo runs by 0.03 sec per mile according to the computer" Leach. My new best friend Mr Garmin had been steadily recording faster runs , and I was planning to run Blackpool marathon in April . Then, of course the Beattie demons began plagueing me once again. "It will be too hot in April and you'll mess it up like you did at Lochaber last year " they told me , and "You'll pick up an injury again" - honestly , I was hardly sleeping at night with worry. I had entered Haweswater 1/2 marathon on the 7th March , but had been rejected as the race was full. "It's a sign" I realised - "I must go south to fulfill my destiny." Flicking through Runners World magazine, I found the Duchy marathon on the same date and realised that it was meant to be. I had also stupidly thought that it might be easy to fly down , but I was sadly mistaken and had to let the train take the strain.

Saturday evening was great . The Duchy (UK's second oldest marathon) is based at the Penventon Hotel and they organise a super pasta party the night before . There were lots of other sad lonely middle aged men to chat away the night with - some nutter I talked with had run 374 marathons already, so I felt rather inadequate (marathon envy?).

Had a minor wobble at breakfast the following morning. They had no porridge. I repeat THEY HAD NO PORRIDGE. Had to make do with scrambled eggs on toast but I wasn't happy.

10.30 am . Start time - garmin on and bezel locked, vaselined in all the right places, glove on left hand only (don't ask) , lucozade bottles and gels at my side - I was ready.

It's a 2 lap course , and the first couple of miles were downhill and downwind . I went off like a bat out of hell running the second mile in 8.10 ! Fortunately , my wiser self came to the fore and settled down into a nice 8.40 - 8.50 pace. It was brilliant - gradually downhill and wind behind basically for first 8 miles . Then we turned . Uphill and into the wind. Dreadful hill at 9 miles. Coped not too bad but this was only first time round . Ended half way round with about 3 minutes ahead of schedule. Second lap. All going swimmingly until 20 miles when had to repeat the uphill/into the wind section. Bit of cramp left thigh. Slowing down - anxiously looking at garmin - slowing down to 10.20 on mile 22 with the big hill but managed not to start walking - really worried now . Then , course flattened a bit and times all came back to less than 9.30 per mile - Rick's hill work had done the job. At mile 24 , I had 25 minutes to do last 2.2 miles and realised I would do it . Crossed the line with a huge smile and a fantastic sense of achievement - wonderful!! The highlight of my rather miserable sporting career .

This was a great event but a hard and hilly marathon , and far too far away from home to contemplate doing again . I would guess that I'm first Galloway Harrier to have done this one, and the Harriers vest certainly caused lots of interest (again from sad lonely middle aged men rather than attractive female runners!). As you have all said , I can now relax and put the marathon obsession behind me ....... maybe

Kirkcudbright Candlemass 6th February 2010

OK, it may not strictly class as a race , but it was good crack.

17 Harriers and partners made it to our annual Scottish dancing evening . As always, the lady Harriers looked stunning (even better than in lycra and hi viz jackets) while Paul , Charlie and David (a kilt virgin ) worn traditional Scottish dress. John gave his suit it's annual outing and it has indeed served him well since his last court appearance.

The dancing was perhaps not our strong suit , though most of us at least managed a few rudimentary steps , except Simon , whose late evening dance with Gemma pushed the description of "waltz" to it's very limits. Rick managed to clock up 7.93 miles on his Garmin Forerunner at 8.38 pace through the evening , while injured Harriers John , Paul and Charlie (rugby frolics) had a more sedate time.

Highlight of the evening was the food , which was magnificent . The skill was constructing your plate in as many layers as possible to avoid having to go back for "sixths" or "sevenths". John managed an admirable reconstruction of the leaning Tower of Pisa , using vol au vents, sandwiches, cocktail sausages and asparagus wrapped in parma ham - sadly no photographic record remains.

Next report should be a running event .....

Stranraer 10 k race 7th November 2009

By David Beattie

A new power rising in the west ?.......and.....is less more ?

In "Lord of the Rings" , the hobbits and inhabitants of middle earth are warned of a new power rising in the west. Well, Dumfries running club and Border Harriers may not be quaking in their boots yet (the new power in JRR Tolkien's novel was a pretty nasty piece of work) , but Galloway Harriers had some stunning performances at this year's 10k. We achieved this without our fastest Harrier - Sean being unable to make it this year.

Gemma Holland 3rd woman overall
Adrian Leach 3rd male vet age 40-44
Ian Hannah 1st male vet age 45-49
John Plumridge 1st male 60+
Chrissie Vincent 1st woman age 45-49
Chrissie/Gemma/Emer 1st women's team

We probably had second men's team if not for difficulties with registration.

I arrived in the main hall to be greeted by a swarm of harriers old and new - all elegantly attired in our fine singlet. Indeed, so many were present that it proved impossible to herd all together for the group photo. Several had risen from their injury/sick beds to make it to the start. Grant had performed a Lazarus like recovery from his chest infection, and I avoided him in case he expectorated all over me. 17 Harriers in total were at the start, though unfortunately Adam Taggart had a nasty fall and had to withdraw at 7k.

The weather was perfect - 8 degrees and light wind only. As usual , the event ran like clockwork - thanks again to Karen Brownlie and team. It's only when you've run in a few disastrously organised events (see Edinburgh marathon 2009 for more details) that you realise that there is quite a bit of work put into these events.

It's not an easy run; there's a bugger of a tough hill at nearly 2 miles (one member of our winning woman's team is rumoured to have had to walk a few steps half way up , but I'm sure there's no truth in that Emer is there?). Then it's flat for a bit, followed by a downhill stretch and back home by the ever glamorous Stranraer bypass.

Lots of PBs on the day , so well done - a great performance to end a very good year for the Harriers. Thanks to all those organising Tuesday and Sunday runs. The only problem is that John is going to murder us with awful handicaps at the Christmas run, I reckon!

And ..... is less more? I'm mystified by running . I was out completely for 6 weeks with a calf injury , barely trained and then ran a PB by a couple of minutes - makes no sense at all. I think I'll pile on a bit of weight , do no more training ever and aim for a sub 3 at Edinburgh next year !

203 finishers

12 Ian Hannah 39.03
19 Adrian Leach 41.26
21 Kevin Best 41.52
25 John Plumridge 42.17
31 Gemma Holland 42.53
34 Grant Morrow 43.16
41 Rick Williams 44.36
63 David Beattie 47.00
67 Paul Crosbie 47.22
81 Alan Strang 48.56
93 Chrissie Vincent 49.32
97 Michael McNaught 50.04
121 Emer Beattie 52.07
125 Martina Moore 52.32
143 Simon Taggart 55.29
145 Lorraine Graham 55.40

Merrick Hill Race by Ian Hannah

On 20th Sept I paid my fee and ended up on the start line for the Merrick. I thought this might be good for start of winter training and the chance to spend more time off the roads to give my feet a rest.

Having not been up the Merrick for years, I called John Goldsworthy 3 weeks ago and we decided on a Recce and set off on a horrible day with rain and a mist up on top meant it was hard to see route properly but come race day I remembered all the lines and routes I needed to take.

The race itself started with a walk up the hill and took nearly 15 min's to start running then I settled in behind John and Shirley telling myself this was just a hard training day, Yeah Right! I knew if I stuck with them to the top they would leave me for dead on the way down because I am a big Scaredy when not in full control of my legs, so I pushed on up the hill still thinking I would get passed by many back down so after hitting the top in 64 mins I set off down chasing man in front but he was getting away and no one passed me to the bottom.

From Helen's stone in was a climb up to top off Buchan and catching man in front again and group behind not closing, feeling tired but confident now I only had the drop from Buchan to go so ran as hard as I dared, falling many times losing the path slightly I ended up in middle of bushes but reached bottom amazed no one passed so set off up last incline which truly is a killer on tired, cramping, wobbly legs

11th overall, so very pleased!

Galloway Harriers Awash at The Gallovidian 10k 2009.

John Plumridge

David was missed at this year’s event. He was creating something edible using chicken, Coca Cola and tomato sauce. You can tell he isn’t a dentist. Kevin came in his stead to offer support and advice, and started the journey by expressing interest in our diets. It was a pity David wasn’t present to enlighten him on the Beattie pre-race carbohydrate loading which goes on for about three weeks, and culminates in the consumption of cake and Mars Bars about five minutes from the race start. John’s packet of marshmallows seem rather inadequate in comparison. Sean wasn’t available to list his nutrients, supplements and vitamins because he was travelling on The A75 Stenna Link to Dumfries.

Grant’s nerves were eased by Kevin who gave training suggestions and asked why he couldn’t take more hours off work to achieve a weekly mileage of over ninety miles. Rick played with a strange machine which could help him measure a route round IKEA. It had a name with letters and numbers in it, but nothing to convey meaning to the unworldly. The girls concentrated on problems with clothing and bodily functions.

Unloading into the car park the athletes swung into action and followed Kevin’s new regime: Grant launched into a fifteen mile warm-up, Rick programmed his personal satellite navigation, John encased himself in bandages and swigged down a potent coffee solution, and the girls sloped off to the toilets. Sean appeared and strapped a small laptop to his wrist. Grant re-appeared only to be sent back for failing to achieve the required mileage. General stretching began to erupt around the car park; a sign that the race was due to commence.

In case we got lost on the way to the start a group of pipers led the way playing their instruments. The starter was kind enough to wait for the oncoming rain clouds before sending us on our way. By this time Kevin had installed himself at the 1k marker, in a time of just under seven minutes. There he gave encouragement to the Galloway herd as they trotted by in various levels of dampness. Although the rain was heavy, it never quite reached the biblical proportions of 2008.

Sean pounded his way round the course in an impressive 37minutes50seconds in 17^th. place, four positions ahead of Grant, 4^th. over 40 in38 minutes11seconds, missing third prize by a mere 7 seconds. John hobbled home in 42/50 to take the first over 60, and Rick achieved another PB in 44/45.

The first Galloway lady home was Chrissie in 48/26, next was Emer in 53/02, then Lorri in a PB of 57/10. All three are entered in races in Glasgow on the sixth of September when the weather may be slightly better.

Suitably refreshed by showers and dry clothing the crew set off for a local Indian restaurant, resplendent in newly-earned yellow T-shirts. Rick ate his way through the Bombay mix as John downed Cobra lagers to aid his internal rehydration. The meal was part of a club tradition for this race and helped maintain the club’s fine reputation as one that has a good social life.Emer drove the runners home and kindly kept John occupied by programming the screen with the satellite navigation system.

Congratulations to all and thanks to Kevin for the support. Keep your eyes peeled for Christmas Quiz and possibly a Handicap event.

Girvan Half Marathon 12th July 2009

David Beattie

Only 3 Harriers made it to the start line in Girvan. A combination of injuries, holidays and the thought of "It's a bugger of a tough course" kept others away. Trusty stalwarts David and John were always going to have