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Great news from the weekend: The club had two representatives at the British and Irish Masters Cross Country in Bellahouston Park. Russell Whittington was running in Scotland’s V35 team (and came away with a Silver medal), and Julia Harris representing Wales in the V40′s.

It was certainly a wet and windy Saturday afternoon, so huge congratulations to everybody who took part.

Russell sent in this superb event report:

On Saturday I had the amazing opportunity to run for the Scottish Masters team in the British and Irish Masters Cross Country in the home surroundings of Bellahouston Park. The race is split up into age categories in five year groups starting at V35 and going up to V70 for the men and V65 for the women. The event is made up of teams from Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

I was put in a strong looking V35 team along side David Miller, Jamie Reid, Robert Gilroy, Joe McKnight and Iain Connell.

The weather and course conditions were very challenging. The weather was wet and windy and the the course was muddy and hilly so all in all it was a proper cross country.

The first race was for all the women and the male V65 and V70 categories and was made up of one big loop and one smaller loop. The Scottish women got the team off to a great start with stand out performances from Lesley Chisholm third overall and second V35, Melissa White 4th overall and first V45 for the second year in succession and Fiona Matheson 5th overall and first V50. The F35 and F45 teams were both one point behind England in second place and the F50, F55 and F65 teams all took bronze medals.

Our own Julia Harris was representing Wales in this event and finished 75th overall in a time of 27:15.

The male race for categories V35 through to V60 was two big loops of the course. The race started at 12.45 and started on the pitch and put area. From there we headed uphill through the wooded area of the park followed by the downhill heading towards the House for an Art Lover. This descent was the trickiest part of the course as it was very muddy and several runners fell over in this section. After the House for an Art Lover we headed into a strong headwind past the Palace of Art and then up the second of the tough hills. The loop finished with a lap around the back of the cycle track before setting off on the second muddy lap.

I finished in 76th place in a time of 28:39. Peter Matthews was first home for Ireland in 24:54. First Scot was Jamie Reid who was 7th overall and 2nd V35. My V35 team finished 2nd overall one point behind the winners Ireland. The four to count for the team were Jamie Reid, David Miller, Robert Gilroy and Joe McKnight. Fortunately for me there were medals for all six of the team and so I am the very proud owner of a British and Irish Masters silver medal. The V55 team also won a silver medal and the V50 team won the bronze.

The event was followed by a dinner dance and awards ceremony at the Crown Plaza which I went along to with my wife Maureen. There was some very entertaining ceilidh dancing later in the night with more marks for effort than quality, but all teams got involved and the dance floor was always full.

Next year I think that the race is due to be in Belfast and I am going to give it my best effort to retain my place in the team and make the trip over the Irish sea for the event.

And Julia added:

Yes, it was a fantastic opportunity and although no medals for my Welsh team (I was put in with the young V40′s) and I slipped and went down my full length both times on the wee boggy downhill, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Cymru am byth.

Full results available on the Scottish Athletics website.

For more on Scottish Masters Athletics, they have a website here.

Craig Reid sent in this report from last Saturday’s Glen Ogle Ultra marathon.

Saturday 5th November saw the first running of the Glen Ogle Ultra Marathon. The 33 mile out and back route started in Strathyre at 8am and followed a scenic route towards Killin. Weather conditions were perfect on Saturday morning and over 120 runners lined up at the start line. Due to the larger than expected field the route had to be cut to around 31 miles.

I started at the back of the pack as I didnt want to set off too fast. The first 6 miles or so were very hilly and so it was difficult to get into a steady rythm. As I moved up through the field I met fellow Bella runner, Rebecca Jonson who was also doing the race. Miles 6 – 10 were very gradual and took us up through the glen and over the viaduct to the second checkpoint. My legs felt fresh and after stopping for water I pressed on.

Miles 10 – 18 were through the forest on a mixture of paths and trails. By this point I was completely on my own and was making good time on the paths. By mile 14 I hit a massive hill and actually had to stop and walk up it as my legs ached. This left me feeling full of doubt as I wasnt even halfway round and I was walking already, I began to wonder if I would even finish. Thankfully that was the worst uphill section and once I got to the top I soon got back to running and returned to the 18 mile checkpoint.

At 18 miles I took my first energy gel even though my legs were still feeling surprisingly good (apart from on that one big hill). I decided to try and run nice and steadily to the last checkpoint at 25 miles but the route was slightly downhill at this point and everytime I looked at my watch I was hitting between 6:30 and 7 mins per mile. At 24 miles I managed to catch another runner. He told me I was looking good and that the other guys werent far ahead so if I pushed on I could catch them. I thought at this point I was maybe in the top 20 or so but this runner informed me that by overtaking him I was now 5th!

At mile 25 I got to the last checkpoint. Unfortunately this was where I had left my drop bag so I would have to do the last 6 miles with a rucksack on my back. I wasted a couple of mins trying to find my last energy gel and bottle of lucozade and set of again. The last section was on road and by mile 27 I had caught the 4th place runner and could see 3rd a few hundred yards up the road. Somehow my legs still felt good and I was battering out 6:45 miles. Before I knew it I had passed 3rd and just had to dig in until the end. There were some tough hills in the last 2 miles and I kept thinking eventually I would hit the wall and the runners behind would catch me!!

Amazingly though, it never happened and I crossed the line in 3h 40mins taking 3rd place! I was (and still am) absolutely delighted. I collected my goody bag, had a seat and before I knew it Rebecca was also finishing in 3h 59mins, taking the 2nd ladies prize. Overall it was a very succesfull day along a stunning and challenging course. I would definitely recommend this race to anyone thinking of doing an ultra next year. Race website can be found at http://www.go33ultra.com.

At the club’s annual awards evening, which also marked the club’s 10th anniversary, the following members received  awards for their efforts this year:

• Veteran Female – Claire Wharton
• Senior Ladies 3rd Position – Jane Wild
• Senior Ladies 2nd Position – Linda Kennedy
• Senior Ladies 1st Position – Jane Simpson
• Super Vet (male over 50) – Alistair MacLachlan
• Vet Male (male over 40) – Gerry Scullion
• Senior Men 3rd Position – Scott Kennedy
• Senior Men 2nd Position -  Russell Whittington
• Senior Men 1st Position – Kenny Richmond
• Club Member of the Year – Richard Leyton

In addition, Tenth anniversary Tributes to the Terrific Twelve, for services to the club:

• Bryan Burnett
• Jackie McGuire
• Andy Birnie
• Emma Birnie
• Dougie McGregor
• Scott Kennedy
• Linda Kennedy
• Robert McEwan
• Oscar Wild
• Jonathan Slow
• Nicky Johnstone
• Brendan Moriarty

Well done one and all, and here’s to a successful 2011 and ten more fantastic years!

We’ve had a number of enquiries about whether the club is meeting in the current cold conditions. We can confirm that the club is meeting as usual: sessions take full account of the conditions and are always enjoyable!

More details on the club forum. If you don’t have an account, please get in touch. See the forum tab for more information on getting an account.

Photos from the 2009 Ben Venue Hill Race are starting to appear. Check back for further pictures, or post a comment with links!

Pictures in the forest of all runners from Alasdair McLeod:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/43183046@N05/sets/72157622514811606/

Above the forest by Ian Nimmo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottishhillrunners/sets/72157622387565595/

And from the finish by Chris Upson:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisupson/sets/72157622392072319/

The weather looks lovely!

Results for the Bellahouston Road Runners first ever hill race, the Ben Venue Challenge, are now available. Click here for the results (PDF). Please report any result corrections to Andy Birnie via benvenue@bellahoustonroadrunners.co.uk. Feel free to send any comments or suggestions via e-mail, or in the comment section below. Drop us a note too if you have any pictures from the event.

The gusting 80mph wind forced a course change, but nothing could dampen the friendly atmosphere or the competitive racing for Bellahouston Road Runners’ inaugural Ben Venue race.  The race had a bit of everything – fast forest paths, muddy bogs, open hillside & a quick taste of the gales at the cairn but more importantly there were lots of smiling faces and plenty of homebaking at the finish!

Matt Williamson (Bellahouston Road Runners) was eventual winner of the 6 mile race (1800 feet of ascent) in a time of 51 mins 17secs, having led for most of the way. He held off newcomer Peter Devenport (Unattached) and Matthew Sullivan (Shettleston Harriers) during the fast descent through Gleann Riabhach.

In the girl’s race, Fiona Maxwell (Shettleston Harriers) had a slightly greater winning margin, winning in 59 mins 22 secs from Ellie Homewood (Westerlands) and Lyndsey Munro (Bellahouston Road Runners).

The boys from the east coast cleared up the vet prizes with Carnethy boys taking the vet40 prizes in order of Adrian Davis, Bruce Smith & Steve Fallon.  Gordon Pryde (Lomond) collected the V50 prize while Keith Burns (Carnethy) was 1st in the competitive group of V60s.

The ladies vet prizes were better spread around Scotland, with Jo Schreiber (Lochaber), Joanne Anderson (Carnethy) & Caroline Strain (Wee County Runners) collecting the V40 prizes and Helen MacPherson (Westerlands) taking the V50 prize.

Both team prizes went to the home club with counting runners Matt Williamson, Mark Johnston & Marcos Sans Gomez for the guys and Lyndsey Munro, Pauline Wright & Katie Padgham for the girls.

Many thanks to the 83 runners who ignored the weather forecast and turned up today, and helped raise over £400 for the Lomond Mountain Rescue Team.  This was Bella’s first hill race, so we’d love to hear your suggestions for how to improve things for next year.  And there will be a next year, since we want to run the full advertised course, because we are so confident you will just love it!  Please email any comments to benvenue@bellahoustonroadrunners.co.uk

Last night’s AGM saw a new committee elected for the next year. We’d all like to thank committee members who were standing down for all their help and dedication over the last few years, particularly Scott Kennedy and Club president Emma Birnie who’d both served for a long time and given so much to the club.

We’d like to wish the new committee all the very best over the next year, which next year will see the club’s tenth anniversary.

The new committee is:

Club President:: Robert McEwan
Club Secretary:: Carla Deans
Membership secretary:: Maddie Smillie
Treasurer:: Peter Gallanagh
PR officer:: Alistair Kell
Womens captain:: Jane Wild
Men’s captain:: Brian O’Donnell
Social convenor:: Lucy Mackay
Ordinary member 1:: Jim O’Hara
Ordinary member 2:: Julie Fitzpatrick

If you’ve recently completed the Glasgow Half Marathon or 10k, you’ll soon be looking for your next challenge, rather than putting your running shoes away for another year. What better way to prepare yourself, and keep your fitness up, than joining a running club? Bellahouston Road Runners are a friendly, welcoming, active and sociable group of runners, and we always welcome new faces.

With the winter months approaching too, having company on long runs or training sessions is invaluable. The winter months are particularly good for building up your core strength ready for next year. But you may also fancy giving cross country or hill running a go to provide a little variety. Whilst running your race, you may also have noticed the many purple topped runners (it’s the biggest race for the club, and marks the end-of-championship), and must have heard the many supporters out along the route? It makes a big difference to have so much support when running.

Check out the rest of the website to find out more about us, and if you fancy coming along see the details on the Join Us page. If you can run for an hour, and have a 10k time of approximately 55 minutes, you’ll have no trouble.

We know ourselves it can be daunting joining a club – we’ve all been there – so we always try to provide a warm welcome. Your first two sessions are free, so what have you got to lose? Pitch up at about 6.15pm (there are basic changing facilities/toilets, but no showers), look out the on-duty committee member in the ski centre club room (just ask anybody that looks like a runner, or ski centre staff member, to point you in the right direction), and they’ll explain what the score is and introduce you to coaches and other runners. Sessions vary in length, but are usually around 1-1.5 hours.

Congratulations to club members Iona Robertson and Kenny Richmond, who have been selected to represent Scotland at the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships at the Kaisermarathon in October. Click here for more details on the Scotland team.

Both had great runs at the Ochils 2000 race at the weekend to earn their places in the team. Good luck to them both, from all members of the club, plus also good luck to Iona in the Transalp Race starting this weekend.

Not bad for a road running club!

In the last few years, some members of Bellahouston Road Runners have found that they actually prefer running up (and down) hills rather than on roads.

We have enjoyed running many hill races the length and breadth of Scotland, so we decided it was time to do our bit, and organise Bella’s first hill race.

The race will be on 3rd October, starting at 1pm, on Ben Venue in the Trossachs, close to Aberfoyle. More details can be found here

All race proceeds will go to Lomond Mountain Rescue Team, who will be on duty providing safety cover during the race.

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday 3rd October.