What a start to September! Such a busy race calendar across various terrains, distances and geography! The Ben Nevis Hill Race took place on Saturday 6th September, with our own Team MacDonald in attendance. Up and down Britain’s highest peak at 4,413ft! Cat was impressive as normal, finishing 4th lady, 3rd FSnr in 2:06:25, while Ally ran a brilliant 2:33:24. The Great North Run on Sunday 7th, saw a great run by Angus Gray in 1:18:43, even with a dodgy tummy and nice going too by Tommy Burridge and Lynn Cumming. At the Kilmacolm Half Marathon, undulating through Renfrewshire were Bruce Carse 1:21:40, Jamie Wieland 1:33:25 PB, Dave Ferguson 1:37:23, Katie Mathieson 1:39:58, Anna Whall 1:47:17 3rd FSnr, Alex Sutherland 1:47:32, Lynne Goldie 2:05:44. It was also the 24th Stirling 10k. A great Central Athletics race as usual brilliant running by Tony Connelly 32:00 (15th), Oscar Coetzee 32:38, 2nd MV40, Grant Murphy 33:49, Bryan Kerr 34:04, David Jarrett 35:29 PB, Sean Coyle 36:25, Jay Cowan 37:57, Sam Thompson 38:31, Alan Digweed 39:57, John McKenzie 40:41, Veronica Fusaro 45:45. Down in a not so sunny Saltcoats, it was the NAAC10k. Wet and blustery, but great going by Jordan Davidson 35:05, 3rd, Sarah McSharry 42:47 PB 1st lady, Marty Campbell 43:02, 3rd MV50, Kevin Queenan 45:07, Anne Campbell 47:24, 2nd FV40, Wallace Gray 49:19. A not too shabby start to the month then!!
News
It was the last Friday in August this week, so time for ‘3k on the Green’ at Glasgow Green. This is an excellent monthly event billed as ‘The best wee race in Scotland’ and the £2 entry fee goes to charity! This event (29th August) also doubled as a ‘short’ Club Championship race with a healthy fourteen Bellas taking part. The weather was fine for our runners who produced great results: Grant Murphy (9:20, 1st & PB), Josh Evans (9:33, 3rd), Jordan Davidson (9:48), Stuart Macdougall (9:52), Bruce Carse (10:10), Jamie Wieland (10:49, PB), Dean Dempsey (11:01), Barry Edwards (11:14), John McKenzie (11:19), Rhona Fraser (11:55, 3rd lady), Al MacLachlan (12:05), Katie Blackett (12:23), Louise Ross (13:00), Lynne Hamilton (14:40). Many thanks to the 3kotG organisers and volunteers! Read the race report here https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Avr7YrdFo/
As you may know, from our previous updates, Poppy Bowie has been selected to represent Team GB in the Marathon at the Deaflympics in Tokyo in November 2025! This is a fantastic achievement for Poppy who was selected after an excellent performance at the challenging Windemere Marathon earlier this year, notwithstanding any other of her impressive performances. Poppy’s selection coincided with her plans to relocate from Scotland to Australia for a year. She left for the southern hemisphere in early August, landing in Brisbane, eastern Australia. Poppy wasted no time in finding her bearings, maintaining her running and training momentum with regular long runs mixed in with shorter interval sessions and strength workouts. She quickly hit the 20 mile mark, and has been averaging weekly miles in the high 40’s. The highlight of her running journey to date in Australia was when she took part in the ‘Surefoot Trail Race’ west of Brisbane on 24th August. A very tough 13+miles, with 3,800 feet of elevation, at Mount Coot-Tha, however an excellent performance saw her claim 3rd placed female! Poppy said “I was a little worried because I didn’t taper for it, and the elevation profile! Also one of the things on the mandatory kit list was a bandage for snake bites! But I loved it. It was mostly on mountain bike track. Trails are always fun but the hills were no joke, and with the downhills so steep, I’d have fallen if I walked, so I had to sprint down them and hope for the best! But no falls thankfully“. So, it’s onto September and a build on miles and intensity. Only 86 days until the start line in Tokyo on 25th November! Poppy has to fund her Deaflympics adventure herself, so thankyou for donating to her ‘Go Fund Me’ page, she very much appreciates this and all the kind words too. You can still donate at https://www.gofundme.com/f/poppybowie Tune in next month for another ‘Poppy Post’ update!
Sunday 24th August, what a morning! As part of our monthly events to celebrate our 25th year, we held a special club social run, crossing the Clyde at every bridge from the new Renfrew Bridge, all the way to Glasgow Green. Most took on the 9 mile route, so a meet-up at Glasgow Green before heading west by train to the Renfrew Bridge. A few brave souls however, took on the full challenge, setting off from Glasgow Green, out to Renfrew to meet up for the route back, so taking in a full 25 bridge junctions the whole way around! The run back to Glasgow Green called for a picture at each bridge, and we rounded things off in style with a well earned celebration at ‘West’. A fantastic effort from everyone – well done team Bella!
There was a fantastic performance from Pauline Wright at the Reykjavik Marathon on Saturday 23rd August. Overcoming injury, on a tough course, in windy conditions, to produce a brilliant PB of 3:43:19! And great running too from Stewart Penny at the Dunoon Ultra to finish 10th overall in 4:32:41 covering 30.2 miles with 981m of ascent. Saturday also saw the latest running of the Tom Robb Memorial Trail Race, our final Off-Road Championship race this season. 7 miles through the picturesque Carron Valley Forest. A great showing with Alan Moss (47:38), Rebecca Croney (58:41, 2nd FSnr), Victoria Curley (58:45), Brian McQuade (1:03:16), Alice Howe (1:07:05), Sue Campbell Senior (1:09:35), Roz Wilson (1:09:44), Megan Parkinson (1:10:49), Fiona Birrell (1:11:02), Lynn Stuart (1:14:02), Rhoda Yarmahmoudi (1:16:14, 3rd FV60). In Glasgow FrontRunners OUTrun 5 Mile Race at Kelvingrove Park on Saturday, we had Benjamin Nurse (29:42, 3rd), Jamie Wieland (32:24, PB), Cathy Wood (35:10, 3rd FSnr) & Stef Boyle (42:21). On Sunday 24th, Poppy Bowie, tackled the 21.1k Surefoot Trail Race at Mt Coot-Tha, west of Brisbane. 1,112m of elevation to contend with, but a brilliant run to finish 3rd lady in 2:18:03. Great training for that Deaflympics marathon, which will hopefully be a wee bit flatter! Closer to home, Cathy Wood ran the Forth Bridge 10k in 43:13, taking 3rd FSnr.
Sunday 17th August was a busy Club Championship race day on the east and west coasts. First off was the Scottish Half Marathon on a warm morning! Very well done to our magnificent seven of Tony Connelly (1:11:22, 10th), Callum Dickson (1:22:20, PB), Lyle Robertson (1:24:40), Andy Hallam-Whitehill (1:43:58), Flora Henry (1:49:05), Claire Galloway (2:15:12) & Camilla Dyer (2:50:17). Tony was only a second outside of his PB, and only a minute from the 14 year old club record. There was a big PB from Callum too! In the west, it was another biggie at the Paisley 10k. The heat was building for this one, with a record 3,500 field participating. A brilliant 47 Bellas ran in these testing conditions so well done everyone! Our amazing top threes were (M) Oscar Coetzee (33:27, 3rd MV40), Grant Murphy (33:30), Bryan Kerr (34:34) (F) Deborah Gray (40:14, 1st FV40), Rhona Fraser (41:52), Lauren Rice (43:05). A great PB of 38:34 for Liam McNally too!
Cat MacDonald continued with her excellent run of form competing for Scotland’s hill runners, on thi soccasion at the Home Countries Senior Home International in Cumbria on Sunday 17th August 2025. A very tough 14k (up and down) at Whinlatter Forest, with 750m of climbing, on a warm day in the north west of England. Scotland women were 2nd placed team, with Cat being the first Scots lady home! Well done Cat! You can read the Scottish Athletics race report at the link below. Scotland men win SHI hill golds – amid strong individual performances
A fantastic 19 Bellas ran at the first ‘public’ Bill Elder 10k in Greenock on Sunday 10th August 2025. It was an excellent new event put on by Greenock Glenpark Harriers (GGH), with great organisation and they even supplied lovely weather! The event had an almost sold out 300 limit, with 231 starting on the day. There was ample parking space around the area, with a smooth registration process at the boat club, with toilet and changing facilities here too. It was a flat, out/in course from the boat club, east along the esplanade/quayside and back. It was a wee bit warm at 17 degrees with only a light westerly breeze, so pretty decent conditions. Most of us regularly run the Renfrewshire AAA 5 Miler in Greenock each February in the cold and wet, so this was a nice change! The start was on the esplanade just east of the boat club, with the starting gun going off at 1100hrs sharp. There was some congestion moving off, as with most sizeable events, but things eased out very quickly, while avoiding the benches and bins on the right side. It’s a flat one mile stretch right down the esplanade before some right, left turns around some of the quayside buildings, before hitting the quayside proper again past Customs House Quay, East India Quay and Virginia Quay, before a 180 degree turn just past Garvel Point. Then it was back in the opposite direction. On the return, the race winner, John Bell of Inverclyde AC, was opening a sizeable lead of almost 2 minutes from our Tony Connelly, with Josh Evans and Kenny Osborne (on home turf) following closely behind. Also showing strong were the vastly improved Jamie Wieland, with Rhona Fraser pushing on in the second half, and Cathy Wood, continuing her injury recovery, closely behind. It was again a full stretch of the esplanade to finish, into the breeze with only that very gentle incline towards the finish. Overall, we had great running from our contingent including: Tony Connelly – 32:15, 2nd Josh Evans – 33:51, 7th Kenny Osborne – 34:37, 8th, 1st MV40 Jamie Wieland – 39:01, PB Rhona Fraser – 42:25, 3rd Lady, 1st FV40 Cathy Wood – 44:05, 3rd FSnr Brian McQuade – 47:21, PB Shirley Wieland – 50:27, 2nd FV60 Brilliant efforts from our podium crew, and carrying on their fantastic recent form, big well done’s to Jamie and Brian with excellent PBs. We had 4 ladies (Rhona, Cathy, Katie Blackett & Louise Ross) in the top 10, and 3 gents (Tony, Josh & Kenny) likewise top ten finishers! GGH put on a great after race BBQ on the beach at the boat club too! A great new event and one to put in the diary for 2026. With thanks to GGH, the marshals, volunteers, officials and Protay Timing. See you all next year! Full Results: https://protay.co.uk/billelder10k2025/results.php
It was the Scurry Around Devilla Forest 10k Trail Race on Sunday 10th August, our penultimate Off Road Championship event this year. Devilla is a lovely woodland at the north side of Kincardine, with the start \ finish within the grounds of the Scottish Police College. The weather was fine and dry, so a great day for it! We had three Bellas competing with outstanding efforts from our trail trio with Jordan Davidson 1st in 38:01, Simon Wells 3rd in 40:02, and Rebecca Croney 1st lady in 47:53! Absolutely fantastic results, well done folks! That means only the Tom Robb Trail 10k on 23rd August remaining in the current Off Road competition.
We had some fantastic news recently for our very own Poppy Bowie, who has been selected to represent Team GB in the Marathon, at the Deaflympics in Tokyo in November this year! The Deaflympics will take place between 15th – 26th November 2025, its 100th anniversary. It is the second oldest multi-sport and cultural festival in the world, celebrating deaf athletes. Since the games began in 1924, only three British women have competed in the marathon, so Poppy will be the fourth; the first from Scotland; and the only GB marathoner in the 2025 games! Running is a huge part of Poppy’s life, and being selected for this event is an amazing achievement, breaking new ground for deaf athletes from Scotland. Poppy explained “In 2019, I started doing parkruns with my first parkrun taking 29 minutes. I couldn’t run 5k without stopping, but over time my 5k performance steadily improved as I built healthier habits and rediscovered my love of running. In 2023, I joined Bellahouston Road Runners, which helped me take things to the next level. I took ten minutes off my 5k time and began racing longer distances. I fell in love with long-distance running and started exploring trails in the Scottish countryside, including some Munros. Long runs became the highlight of my week, and I’m grateful to have the stamina to enjoy them. I ran my first marathon at Strathearn in June 2024, placing 7th female. A year later, I finished 2nd female at the Windermere Marathon. That result secured my qualification for the Tokyo Deaflympics. I find women, especially mothers, who take on ultra trail challenges deeply inspiring. Stephanie Case, who breastfed her six-month-old at feed stations during an ultra, really stands out. She displays endurance, strength, and consistency in the best way possible. I hope to be like her one day!“ Unlike the Olympics / Paralympics, Deaflympics athletes receive no funding and need to raise money to train, travel and compete. Poppy has begun a ‘Go Fund Me’ page which can be found at https://gofund.me/79d4daef Poppy was until recently a primary school teacher in the southside of Glasgow, but had planned a career break this year to visit Australia. Congratulations Poppy, we are delighted and proud of you! Have a good training journey and good luck in Tokyo!
It was the Girvan Half Marathon on Sunday 13th July, one of our ‘long’ Club Championship events. It was 28°C with plenty of hills, but this didn’t deter Grant Murphy, who won the race in 1:16:13! A fantastic effort by Grant, bettering last year’s third place and continuing his return to fitness of late.
It was ‘Run the Blades’ (RtB) this weekend, the events 10th anniversary. There were the usual 3 races: RtB 10k, Friday – a warm sunny evening with great performances by Jordan Davidson (36:18, 2nd), Simon Wells (38:59, 1st MV40), Andy Hallam-Whitehill (44:16), Jamie Wieland (44:38), Gerry McDonnell (45:30), Ruth McKelvie (45:46, 3rd FSnr), Rebecca Croney (47:05), Claire Wharton (47:47, 2nd FV50), Gianluigi Re (49:51), Kenny Mcdonald (51:16), Laura Loddo (52:49), Claire Galloway (57:43). RtB Ultra, Saturday – another warm, humid day and a remarkable turn around for Jordan Davidson, 3:41:15, 4th, 3rd MSnr. Brilliant running too from Tom Thorne, 6:01:40. RtB Half Marathon, Sunday – the final race of the weekend and still very warm. Cue Jordan Davidson (1:22:58) WINNER of the HM. 3 races, 3 days, 3 medals! Brilliant performances too from, Simon Wells (1:31:35, 3rd MV40), Colin Hughes (1:34:23, 1st MV60), Michael Daniel Rice (1:44:38), Jamie Wieland (1:48:08), Lynn Stuart (2:19:51), Della Lansley (2:23:36, 3rd FV60). So what a weekend of running by Jordan, but no surprise given his committed training regime. But hopefully a few days off now!!
It was the Scottish National Trail Championship at the Creiff 10k on Sunday 13th July. And it was another great run in warm conditions by Cat MacDonald (39:57) to finish 3rd lady. The following week, on Saturday 19th July, it was the 48th Snowdon International Hill Race (Ras Yr Wydffa). 15.35k with 994m of elevation, in warm conditions. Another great performance from Cat to finish 9th lady (from 87) in 1:27:28. What a fantastic season Cat is enjoying on the trails and hills!
Linwood Parkrun on Saturday 12th July was the venue for our latest Club Championship ‘short’ event. A total of 45 Bellas ran on Linwood’s 9th anniversary. It was also Lynne Goldie’s 500th, and Gerry Scullion’s 200th parkruns respectively. Fantastic achievements. Bryan Mulgrew finished second and Stuart Macdougall was third. Deborah Gray was first lady, with Sarah McSharry second. A great morning out for BRR! Well done everyone, and many thanks to Linwood parkrun for having us again!
Congratulations to Flora Henry, who finished 4th lady, 2nd FSnr in 1:43:36, at the Isle of Harris HM on Saturday 5th July. A hilly course in wet and windy conditions. This meant that Flora completed the ‘Heb3 Race Series’ (3 from 5 minimum island HMs required) having previously raced the Stornoway & Skye HMs this year and fingers crossed, it looks like Flora was the ladies champ for this years Heb3! Well done too, to Oscar Coetzee, who ran 51:07 at the Eersteriver 15k in South Africa on the same day, to finish 7th overall, 2nd MV40. On Sunday 6th July, David Jarrett ran a brilliant Stonehaven HM in 1:24:40 to finish 4th overall, 1st MV40. A great results on a tough, hilly course.