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The Jimmy Irvine Bella 10K on 8th November is sold out and there are no entries on the day. All entrants should now have received their final instructions email notifying them of their race number.  The race number can be collected from Achilles Heel Glasgow store on Thursday between 9:30am and 7:30pm or on Friday between 9:30am and 5:30pm.  Numbers will also be available on Saturday at Mosspark Bowling Club between 8:45am and 10:45am. We look forward to welcoming you on Saturday https://www.bellahoustonroadrunners.co.uk/events/bella-10k

I headed down to Dumfries this evening for the 5 mile Hollywood Stroll race. It’s not quite as glamorous as it sounds, following quiet country roads on the outskirts of Dumfries. The course itself is undulating which makes it hard to get into a steady rhythm and the wind also meant my splits were all over the place. The race was 15 minutes late in starting due to a larger than expected number of runners. Not ideal since I hadn’t had any tea and was getting hungry so just wanted to get going as soon as possible! About 350 entrants eventually lined up on the start line. I started up near the front and by the time we were 200m in I was in the lead. By the end of the first mile I had built up a good lead and with a strong headwind I eased up a bit until about 2.75 miles in. Once the course turned I had a quick look round and could see the second placed runner from Dumfries some way behind. I knew from my average pace that I wouldn’t be getting a PB but knowing I was in a strong position for my first win of the year and picked up the pace in the last couple of miles and finished strongly in 27:05, a minute or so ahead of second place. Good selection of food at the finish line including yogurt drinks and trifles in the sun made for a good nights work. Only downside was that I had to run off before the prizegiving to pick up the wee man from my parents’ and get back up the road, cant have it all though I suppose!!

Back in 2005 Chris Upson set up a webpage to provide more information on the Scottish hill running scene, as well as providing race details and calendars it collates all results and allows you to look at clubs and individual runner profiles. Since its creation Bella has had 115 different club members participate in a hill race, the 6th highest total from around 120 clubs listed…… not bad for a road club. Bella Page – http://www.scottishhillracing.co.uk/Runners.aspx?ClubID=C1007 Anyway, back to the main point… tonight at ‘The Whangie Whizz’ Bella’s David Stakes ran his 100th hill race since the site was established (Only around 60 runners have reached this target so far from over 12,000 runners on the site). David has done a great job representing the club at these events and taking the purple vest on tour. From short local races like tonight’s to the gruelling Stuc a chroin & two breweries races, and from the borders to Kinlochewe in the North David is ever present. David’s full list – http://www.scottishhillracing.co.uk/RunnerDetails.aspx?FromSearch=true&RunnerID=R8084 To put this in perspective, when you compare this achievement with some of Bella’s other seasoned hill runners you can see that the rest of us have a long way to go. Dougal Ross – 55 Andy ‘Mountain Stig’ Birnie – 44 Grant McDonald & some guy Mathieson – 36 Well done David…… Keep up the good work !! http://www.scottishhillracing.co.uk

Hi Folks, Twenty-four Bellas made the journey though to Livingston for the National Road Relay on Sunday to take on the top road runners from across the country. Cold fog and a hilly, twisty route greeted us, not to mention some top-notch opposition. The route was fairly scenic though with the best bit being the trail (eh, ROAD relay?) section along the river. Ladies teams finished 17th (4th in the V40 category) and 27th. Mens teams finished 18th, 37th and 6th in the V50 category. Some really good performances in there, which is hard work when sometimes running alone in a race that gets very strung out. Without any disrespect to all us runners, the grittiest performances of the day had to be from Iain O’Donnell and Carla Ward who volunteered to marshal in response to a request from the race organisers. Three hours standing out in the cold keeeping us on track – thank you both! Thank you to all who turned out to represent the club at a very tough race. Full results attached below. I should point out that the organisers liked Graeme P so much, they added a bonus minute onto his time – well done Graeme! If anyone else notices any major discrepancies in the results lets us know. Bruce

On Friday afternoon I began the very long coach trip to Birmingham for the UK Inter Counties Cross Country Championships. The trip down was interesting in itself with the under 17 men deciding that they would have an smartphone/headphone rap battle…I was delighted and surprised when their batteries lasted for the full 6 hour journey (surely they can’t own an iPhone). The bus driver also thought that he would create tropical weather conditions on the bus (we were heading south after all) by putting the heating on full blast. On arrival at the hotel we were fed the hottest curry known to man, all of our mouths were on fire, not the normal pre race meal I would go for but there was certainly enough to feed a small army. The race day was great if not some what intimidating. We all got rallied into pens, around 40 in total, with 6 ladies racing for each district or country. Looking around at the start most of the girls figures resembled those of models, they were so tall and thin and I must say I felt like a bit of an oompa lumpa stood next to them (this is my next fancy dress outfit!). The race started off at a blistering pace which of course I tried to go with…ha this plan would soon backfire! The course consisted of 1 small lap and 2 big laps totaling 8km. The course was hilly, muddy and technical everything that a cross country race should be. For the duration of the race I had girl A* running on my shoulder breathing like a dragon. I tried to run away from her mainly because her breathing techniques were driving me insane but no such luck she stayed right there with me for 8km! The race finished with a ridiculously steep downhill which was pretty fun to run down. With girls finishing on average every 2 seconds you can imagine the pandemonium the marshals had to deal with as girls flew down the hill and then suddenly stopped on the finishing line incapable of walking (I was potentially one of these girls). I ended up finishing 101st out of 270 which I was pretty proud of considering the caliber of runners and that I am in full marathon training at the mo. Once the race was finished we dusted off the mud off our legs and clothes as best as possible jumped back on the bus and headed back home! Oh and before you ask we got to recreate the iPhone/Headphone rap battle on the way home. It was such a great opportunity to race for West Scotland at this race and fingers crossed I can better my position next year! P.s. I beat A* by 2 seconds Carla * Girl A’s name has been changed to protect her identity.  Mostly because we’re scared of dragons.

This weekend was not spent getting a PB like the majority of the purple posse. Me and Iain headed to Madrid on Saturday afternoon to surprise his Mum for her 60th birthday. I had noted that a 10K was taking place on the Sunday at the stunning Juan Carlos park so decided to enter us both. I was still mildly paralysed from attending Carla’s ETC circuit class on Thursday AM. I would highly recommend that you try the class if you fancy a hard work out due to the small class size of 4 it is like a personal training session and you have no room for skiving (read this as TORTURE) and Iain was recovering from a 15 miler on the Saturday so PB’s where not expected. Iain had a humorous evening on Saturday trying to track down the office where we had to collect our bibs. – I will let him fill you in on this part……….. Having ditched my bags, I instantly left the hotel, I got to where I wanted to be via the Metro with one change, so far so good. On the Metro I realised I forgot my print which showed me where I was actually going. A quick swatch of the map of the local area had me off towards something that seemed familiar from the race website. As the registration closed in under an hour, I trotted along the boulevards of Madrid to arrive at the building I was aiming for, it was closed. After a quick recce to confirm the building was definitely closed, I had what was essentially a one way conversation with a Spanish security guard who assured me I was looking for the hotel next door. Entering the hotel which was really more a hostel I see the Cafeteria, which rang a bell, Success! However, it was closed. With no phone, I didn’t know the time, but was sure it was still before 9pm. I managed to find another Spanish security guard who had pretty good English & he eventually checked the website for me & told me I only had to go round the corner. In Madrid, round the corner can be quite the distance. I ran back down to the Metro I’d arrived at & up in the direction towards where I was supposed to be going. I caught up with & overtook a jogger who was making use of the cooler evening temperature to get his miles in, this after my 15 miles earlier in the day was def going to catch up with me! Having eventually got to where I understood the address to be, again nothing looked like a race registration area. Eventually I followed a couple of confused looking Spaniards down an alley into the car park of a block of flats. They stopped & started speaking to one another in Spanish, I just went over to yet another security guard in the hope that she spoke English. She did & pointed […]

For anyone who has never done this race, it is about 1500ft of descent and there is a 20mph tail wind all the way from start to finish. At least that is what you might believe looking at the results from todays race and some of the fantastic times achieved by Bella runners today. The biggest PB I heard of was 5 minutes but there were a few people who had taken 2-3 minutes off there PB times. Fantastic effort and well done to everyone who took part. There was a massive turnout of purple vests gathered at Balloch – easily the most represented club at the event. There were a few technical problems which led to the start being delayed by 25 minutes but eventually we set off. Of course, I am joking above – the route is actually very hilly and there was a slight head wind all the way which made all the times even more impressive. As usual the Bella supporters were out in force, Brendan’s cowbell was heard in places and even though she was in Madrid, Tammy Ward could still be heard in places!! This year the race had been moved back to March from its normal time in April resulting in a very strong field with people using this as an early chance to prepare for Spring marathons. The official results have not been released at time of writing but I know that I finished 5th overall, including a PB, so was very pleased. The men also took the first team prize with myself, Bruce Carse (dipping under the 75 minute mark for the first of many times) and Russell Whittington being the first three counters. In reality the men could probably also have been awarded the second prize as well but whether we got this, again, I don’t know at time of writing. All in all, it was a very strong start to the season for so many runners. I think we might be hearing about a lot of PB’s as the season progresses!! Well done again to everyone. Craig

There was a good turnout from the club at the Nationals, held once more in Callendar Park in Falkirk this year. We arrived with a welcome addition to the team in the shape of the Bella Gazebo. Despite one of the walls attempting to swirl round the course at one point, without a race number and chip it was never going to gain us team points. Although it my first time participating in this race, there was no need to be nervous as there were plenty of club members on hand who had raced here before and were happy to explain the course and what to look out for. In addition, the familiar sound of Brian Burnett’s commentary over the PA made it feel like a Bella race in Bellahouston Park and I was immediately put at ease. After my last cross country experience, I decided that no matter how slow I was, the one thing I wouldn’t be was cold. I snuggled into my survival suit and didn’t protest too much at Gerry H’s slagging about how many layers I was wearing. He had a point. Although there was a wind chill factor in the cold February air, the sun at least made an appearance, and the torrential rain promised for the Senior Men’s Race never amounted to more than a thick drizzle. With the largest field for 20 years, the start of both the Senior Women’s and Senior Men’s races was great to watch and even better to be part of. Callendar House made an impressive backdrop, and with hundreds of runners lined up in club colours it was like being on the set of Braveheart. At the gun you could feel the earth shake under a thousand feet hurling themselves at the first hill, inevitably far too quickly for the long battle with the course to come. For a road runner, cross country is always hillier and muddier than the routes we’re used to, and Callendar Park was no exception. The hill at the back of the course was a river of mud by the end of the afternoon. Wearing trail shoes, I found my legs spinning like Fred Flintstone, except I wasn’t staying still, I was going backwards. I felt like a particularly poor contestant on Total Wipeout and the question was simply ‘when’ I’d fall flat on my face in the mud and not ‘if’. Amazingly, it was another runner who got an impromptu facial mud mask, 10 points from the Russian judge on the sidelines, and I escaped relatively unscathed. Approaching the end of the second lap two thoughts crossed my mind. The first was how quick Callum Hawkins was as he lapped me and disappeared round the last bend to win the race. I then contemplated how unfair it was that the men had to run a lap more than the women but concluded my indignation wasn’t because I was a champion of equality, it was merely a result of me being tired […]

The Scottish Masters Cross Country Championships have been held annually since 1971. It’s a chance for athletes over 40 to prove they’re not over the hill. At least not until they’re halfway round the course and have disappeared over it. Teviotdale Harriers celebrate their 125th Anniversary in 2014, which is why this year’s event was held in Hawick and not anywhere remotely nearby. After seeing the weather forecast, I was clearly several chips short of a fish supper for not pulling out like almost half of the registered field. If, heaven forbid, “I’m a Celebrity…” is ever set in Scotland, Saturday’s event would make the perfect Bush Tucker Trial. The weather wasn’t too bad when Robert, Peter, Shona and I met at the Ski centre shortly after 10:30. Once on the M8 though, the rain became torrential. Ever the optimist, our Club President assured us that it was always drier on the East Coast. Ever the realist, Shona reminded us that it was always colder too. Two hours later we arrived at the Leisure Centre in a very cold, and very wet Hawick, and met Greig and Danielle, and Scott and Linda Kennedy but there wasn’t any sign of Hamish. We got our numbers, put our change of clothes in a locker for after the race and looked to get to the start. It was so cold and wet we decided to drive the 1/2 mile or so. A sensible plan if I had the first clue where we were going. After our impromptu tour of every street in the town, we eventually found the course 5 minutes before Shona’s race, up a steep hill and round a narrow farm track between two houses. The course itself was well designed with a mix of hills, open terrain and muddy farmland, but that was irrevelent. It was just so cold. And wet. The women’s race was won by Angela Mudge of Carnethy Hill RC in 26:06, almost a minute and a half ahead of second place Janet Dunbar of Edinburgh AAC. Shona placed a very creditable 36th in 32:41, and considerately neglected to say how much worse the weather was on the far side of the course. I thought waiting for the 8km men’s race to start were the coldest 45 minutes of my life, as we kept running up and down the field supposedly to warm up. Only we weren’t getting any warmer. And there still wasn’t any sign of Hamish. The relief of huddling together on the start line like a bunch of penguins was far too short lived. The first kilometer was ok, steadily up hill with footing that wasn’t too bad and I could see Robert not too far ahead. After that the course was onto the open moor, with horizontal hail and sleet and a wind that cut deeper than one of Malcolm Tucker’s tirades in “The Thick of It”. Foolishly I’d left my hat, gloves and long sleeved top at home (what was I thinking?!?). […]

With this race counting for both the club championship and the winter handicap, there was an impressive Bella turnout of 24 guys and 9 ladies. After a (mostly) straightforward distribution of race numbers up at the yacht club, and me recieving lots of envious comments about my fancy new Bella tracksuit (buy one here: https://www.bellahoustonroadrunners.co.uk/the-club/club-kit/), and some not so envious comments about the colour of my ridiculous new race shoes, the migration to the start area began. A stiff breeze meant that the normally flat and fast course was likely to be a bit more tricky than usual. Everyone was shivering on the start line, subtly looking around for someone suitably large to hide behind in the wind, and simultaneously realising that unfortunately they were surrounded by scrawny club runners. Oh dear! After a lap-and-a-half of Battery Park we were out on the road and up the one slight hill and down past the yacht club and onto the esplanade. The waves suggested the wind was at our backs to carry us (although I didn’t feel it myself) down to the turn point. So it was round the lone high-viz jacketed marshal who was acting as the human turn point, and back into the wind It looked like there were some pretty serious battles going on at the faster end of the race, with an extra-fast field this year from all over Scotland (well, a few folk came through from Edinburgh). And it turns out Callum Hawkins set a new course record in a staggering 23.58. After the world’s longest raffle (seriously, did anyone who bought a ticket NOT win anything!?) it was time for the prize giving. Inverclyde MP (that means’ Member of Parliament’, not ‘Marathon Pace’…) Ian McKenzie was there to dish out the prizes, not before taking a good ribbing from the race organisers about how sh*t he is at running. Anyway, little did team Bella know, untold bounty was headed their way…. Ladies: Carla was 2nd in the ladies race, and Katie won a gold medal for 1st place FV40, with Mary Senior hot on her heels taking the silver for 2nd FV40. 2nd team prize (Carla Molinaro, Katie Mathieson and Louise Ross) Men: 3rd team prize (Craig Reid, Bruce Carse, Bruce Carmichael, Iain Burns, Russell Whittington and Grant MacDonald) There may well some male vets prizes to follow too, but Bella club captains were severely reprimanded for not filling in the entry forms properly with age group categories. It sounds like there were PBs galore in some tricky conditions which is great to see. Your captains are proud, well done folks! Bruce