There was another great turn out from the club, with at least 33 Bellas turning out for this 3rd race in the Polariod series (and all imprtant club champioship race). We didn’t quite manage the PB rush of last week at Clydebank, but there were plenty of good perfromances. The starters has forgotten their gun, so we had to make do with a hand clap and a shout of ‘go’. With the first 50m or so on a soft grassy playing field there was a bit of carnage at the start with a few fallers as everyone bunched together to get round the first tight bend. One runner beside me complained he got a dead leg – as he tried to hurdle someone on the ground he’d whacked his head with his leg – not sure the poor guy on the ground would have seen it that way! The course was pretty flat on the way out to the turn point at about 4K at which point a nice slingshot round a fencepost had us running back towards the start/finish area. So it was back along the cycle path but in a change to last year’s course the route twisted and turned through the houses which was fine, but without 8 and 9km markers I had no idea how far away the finish was. Oscar was cheering us on at the 2nd last corner, then once the finish line was in sight (at last!) it was one last push for the line. Back to the soft grass for the last 50m Tewoldebeberhen Mengisteab (Shettleston) won the race in a fantastic 29.46. Bella highlights include a good few PBs, yet another top 10 finish for Bruce Carmichael, and 3rd mens team prize (Bruce Carmichael, Bruce Carse, Russell Whittington). Good work by David Archibald too, who threw out the rule book and ran a 10K PB 4 days after his Edinburgh marathon. We should also say a big thanks to Kenny and Andrew Hardman (and others?) who helped Julia McDonald across the line and over to the ambulance people after having a bit of wobble on the finishing straight. I didn’t witness it myself but thankfully Julia seemed fine by home time. Well done everyone, and let me know if missed out anyone’s PB asterisk below: Position Athlete Name Gender Category Chip Time 10 BRUCE CARMICHAEL M SEN 00:33:35 14 Bruce CARSE M SEN 00:33:44 * 17 Russell WHITTINGTON M V40 00:34:07 20 Iain BURNS M SEN 00:34:21 * 27 CIARAN DOUGHERTY M SEN 00:34:41 32 Nick REID M SEN 00:35:04 47 GERARD SCULLION M V40 00:35:43 78 Alastair MACLACHLAN M V50 00:38:01 88 Hamish BARBOUR M V50 00:38:18 89 STUART MCMILLAN M SEN 00:38:28 98 Frans ROELOFSE M V50 00:38:51 110 JIM ROBINSON M V50 00:39:34 135 Ann ROBIN F SEN 00:40:27 * 139 LOUISE ROSS F SEN 00:40:29 * 168 MARY SENIOR F V40 00:41:18 169 CHRISTOPHER DOAK M SEN 00:41:17 * 197 Tom MCMILLAN M V60 00:42:12 213 Camilla […]
Racing
My legs felt like they had recovered alright from the Kirkcudbright half four days earlier so I headed down to Ayr for the Land O Burns 10k organised by Ayr Seaforth. There was a good field, probably just over 300 runners and looked like some serious runners at the front as we lined up waiting for the start. I had made a schoolboy error and forgotten to charge my Garmin during the day so it was touch and go whether what little battery was remaining would see me through the race. As the race started there was the usual stampede where everyone started off a bit too quickly but after 200 metres I found myself at the front with an Ayr and Kilmarnock runner. I soon pulled away and built a steady lead over them both as we ran along the water front for the first couple of kilometres. I followed the lead cyclist as we twisted and turned through streets of houses. By 5k I could no longer hear any cheers for runners behind and as part of the course doubled back on itself I could see I had a big lead. I knew mile 4-5 featured a steady climb so eased up a bit to save my legs for the last mile. By 6 miles we had entered the old racecourse park. I picked up the pace and finished strongly, winning comfortably in about 34:15. I was delighted to take the win especially with what felt like a very comfortable run just days after a half marathon. Craig
While most runners were concentrating on the Edinburgh marathon festival, I headed down to the south of Scotland to take advantage of my parents’ babysitting service and the opportunity to get a wee race in. Kirkcudbright is a wee town about 45 minutes away from Dumfries. It’s not a particularly big place and to be honest I wasn’t expecting much from the half marathon but I was glad to be proved wrong. The race formed part of the local celebrations so there was a good crowd gathered at the high school for the start of the race. They also had a BBQ doing burgers and the most amazing bouncy castle/obstacle course I have ever seen. As I lined up on the start I was beginning to think I would prefer to stay at the start instead of running! Anyway, as we set off the front two runners went flying off ahead. I recognised Neil Renault of Edinburgh AC and knew it would not be wise to try and keep up with him so I let them go. By 3 miles I was alone in 3rd place as the front two had built a good lead and the chasing pack were nowhere to be seen. The first 5 miles were nice and flat. My legs felt good and thoughts started turning towards a PB. The next 4 miles though soon put paid to that. The hills came thick and fast and a strong headwind combined with the heat made for difficult running conditions. Thankfully still being alone in 3rd place meant I could take my foot off the gas a little which meant I could enjoy the scenery and the cheers of the supporters. I think half of Kirkcudbright must have been out as there were people everywhere. Mile 9-10 was a steep downhill and then I picked up the pace again for the last 3 flat miles back to the school. I crossed the line in 3rd place in 1:14:20, a time which would have won the race comfortably the previous year but strong competition this year meant it was some 5 minutes behind the winner. I then had to do an interview for the local paper which was probably one of the most awkward moments ever in my running career. You know when you see idiotic footballers getting interviewed and they come out with a whole load of clichés and repeating themselves, well I pretty much did that but in running terms!! It was like my mouth and brain had just stopped working together, but all added to the fun of the day. By the time I got back I wasn’t hungry so never even got my burger but still enjoyed my day out. Tough, scenic course but a well organised race with good support so would thoroughly recommend it for next year. Craig
Reflecting back on my Edinburgh marathon experience, I would say I learnt three things that’s day; 1) Pacing is everything when it comes to running a Marathon and something I need to clearly work on. 2) Running a marathon is an emotional experience. Well it was for me, just ask anyone who saw me from around mile 20/21 onwards… 3) The BRR cheering crew is simply the best in the world. FACT. I woke up on the Sunday morning to a grey sky and drizzle and immediately thought yippee, today is going to be a good day for running. Not so good for the spectators as Graeme was packing his waterproofs. As we made our way to the start line, the nerves were kicking in but I kept them at bay by just reminding myself of all the training runs I had done since January to get me to this point. After a rather frantic walk to the start (and the right start at that!) I met up with Hayley and Lynne and we made our way to our pen. We had arranged to meet up and start together as we were all aiming for around the same pace. My plan was to keep it to 9-9.10s and as the gun went off I was feeling confident. The start was downhill, so it was really easy to get carried away but I kept reminding myself to reign it in and keep to my target pace. Now what is it that say about best laid plans…. So despite my plan, I ran much of the first half of the race slightly faster I should have. At one point I clocked a 8.39 mile which was far too fast (for me at least). However at this point I felt really strong, comfortable and was absolutely loving the race. In short, I felt like a super hero flying through the course. When I saw and heard the BRR support crew at mile 9/10 my confidence was boosted even further. Their cheers were immense. I was cruising along and thoroughly enjoying the experience. I seriously thought I could keep this pace for the whole way. Oh how naive I was… As I reached mile 15, I was beginning to feel a little less confident and by mile 16/17 it happened. The marathon came up and slapped me right in the face for being an idiot and starting off too fast. It all went pretty much downhill from there. A welcomed surprise of seeing Bob and Matty at mile 22/23 gave me a much needed pick up and brought tears (of joy) to my face. By this stage I was dying and every step and shuffle I made was painful and utter hell. At this point it was only 3 miles or so to go and I knew I would see Graeme and the BRR support crew soon. I had arranged with Graeme that he would be stood at mile 24, so when I reached […]
Well done to all the Bellas who ran in the Clydebank 10k, it was a cracking turn out from the club, with no fewer than 35 of us showing up for this club championship race. Despite a bit of a downpour during the warm-up the conditions were pretty much perfect. Highlights include: 2nd MV40 for Russell, 2nd team prize (Ciaran, Bruce Carmichael and Russell), four runners posting sub-34 times and seven sub-35. Not sure if the ladies won any team prizes, although surely can’t have been far off with those times? And next onto the PBs…. there were a lot of PBs! Position Bib # Athlete Name Gender Category Chip Time 7 53 Ciaran DOUGHERTY M SEN 00:33:18 * 8 694 Bruce CARMICHAEL M SEN 00:33:22 * 9 42 Russell WHITTINGTON M V40 00:33:43 * 13 611 Bruce CARSE M SEN 00:33:50 * 18 789 Iain BURNS M SEN 00:34:36 * 19 657 Alastair EWEN M V40 00:34:42 * 24 643 Graeme PATERSON M SEN 00:34:59 * 38 401 Nick REID M SEN 00:35:42 43 431 Gerard SCULLION M V40 00:36:04 65 613 Peter GOODWIN M V40 00:37:40 * 68 511 Alastair MACLACHLAN M V50 00:37:52 86 770 Stuart MCMILLAN M SEN 00:38:51 99 520 Jim ROBINSON M V50 00:39:30 105 309 Andrew HARDMAN M V50 00:39:36 110 723 Hamish BARBOUR M V50 00:39:38 135 616 Louise ROSS F SEN 00:40:49 * 136 478 Ann ROBIN F SEN 00:40:49 142 267 Henry MERRIWEATHER M V40 00:40:59 * 146 76 Mary SENIOR F V40 00:41:15 * 153 421 Christopher LOGUE M SEN 00:41:19 * 162 714 Tom MCMILLAN M V60 00:41:34 * 174 652 Christopher DOAK M SEN 00:41:46 * 228 627 Shona DONNELLY F V40 00:43:11 233 399 Camilla SIMS F SEN 00:43:19 243 127 Brian KEENAN M V40 00:43:25 * 253 668 Kenny MCDONALD M V40 00:43:48 * 266 665 Tomoyo FUJIWARA F V40 00:44:16 * 276 628 Julia MCDONALD F SEN 00:44:37 285 641 Rose MCROBERT F SEN 00:44:48 * 286 783 Stuart RENNIE M SEN 00:44:33 * 307 474 Madeline SMILLIE F V40 00:45:22 314 807 Stephen BELL M V60 00:45:34 339 475 Carla WARD F SEN 00:46:17 375 240 Maree SHEPHERD F SEN 00:47:27 * 445 614 Jill HERBERT F SEN 00:49:50 * 478 402 Suzie REID F SEN 00:51:07 532 640 Natalie REID F SEN 00:52:56 * Big thanks to Kev Queenan and David Archibald and all the others who came out to cheer us along. And a massive thanks to all the coaches who have been putting in so much effort to get us all in shape to run times like these. Cheers, Bruce
Five Bellas ran the Self Transcendence 5K Scottish Championships at Silverknowes Esplanade, Edinburgh, on Wednesday night: Craig Reid (16.17), Iain Burns (16.58), Carla Molinaro (18.14), Mary Senior (20.44) and Linda Kennedy (21.43). Very picturesque location on the Firth of Forth, and very flat, but very tough. Results are here – the winning time was 14.40!!! http://run.runandbecome.com/wp-content/ … 070514.pdf You can also watch us all cross the finish line (or not – as the line seems very vague with a number of folk stopping before it!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38A_7xhTtd4#action=share
The Lochaber marathon is an out and back course that starts in Fort William and heads out on the road towards Mallaig to the turning point. The course is fairly flat apart from a couple of small climbs in the last mile, I always said a decent time is weather dependent due to the out & back nature and the fact that Lochaber is the wettest part of Britain! This was my first marathon in 2 years since the last time I scraped a sub 3hr in 2:59:46 at the same race (having being roared home by the Gruesome Twosome – Brendan Moriarty & Peter Gallanagh)! The weather started of overcast with a slight breeze and that was as good as it got as the forecast was downhill from there! Myself, Iain Burns and David Lafferty were the Bella team on the day with myself and Iain starting with 6:40 / mile pace in mind. We settled at that pace on the road out until 10 miles when Iain got bored with my patter and decided to push on ahead! The rain and wind at this point was in your face and I couldn’t wait until the turn with the thought of a tail wind! With a time of 1:27:13 at the halfway turn, which I felt had been tough up to this point with the wind & rain I was concerned about being able to maintain the 6:40 pace. Iain by this point had created around a 30 second gap in front of me and was looking strong. I was now running on my own with a group of around 20 runners not far behind me. The runners were not the only thing to turn after 13 miles with the wind somehow managing to swing back into our faces with the rain now pelting down – not good when you are 13 miles from home and praying for a tail wind! By miles 18 – 20, I had slipped to 6:50 pace and feeling the pain into the wind. To my horror I felt the first jolt of pain from the early onset of cramp, with 6 miles to go the wheels had started to come off! I didn’t just feel as if I had hit “The Wall”, I felt as if I was having to push the wall into the wind and rain for the last 6 miles with bouts of cramp starting to hit with the power of a Tazer Gun! With mile 23 & 24 being the first miles to slip over 7:00 minute mark at 7:12 & 7:13. As I reached the 24 mile mark – BOOM my right hamstring & calf seized bringing me to a grinding halt, as I stood there swearing at myself I had a look at my watch which showed 2:42 and after doing the maths I got it into my head to run through it in the last 2.2 miles. The last turn with 1.5 miles was again into […]
The Bella 5K and Bella 10K races took place on Sunday 1st September in Bellahouston Park. The weather stayed dry but the races were impacted by strong winds at various parts of both courses. This was the first time that two races were hosted by the club on the same day giving the runners the choice of the 5K or the 10K distance. The runners responded well with almost 330 runners taking part in the races. This years Bella 5K was run on a new course with almost 120 finishers taking on the shorter distance. The winner was a delighted Graeme Cameron from Kilmarnock Harriers completing the distance in 15 mins 44 secs. A strong run from Kevin Brydon from Shettleston Harriers took 2nd place thirteen seconds behind the first man home. Kieran Docherty from the host club Bellahouston Road Runners took the last placing with a time of 16 mins 09 secs. There was impressive runs in the Ladies 5K race with Jessica Oliver-Bell from Shettleston Harriers winning the event in a time of 17 mins 35 secs. Jenny Bannerman from Inverness Harriers also ran well clocking inside the 18 minute mark by 5 seconds. The third place went to Clare MacAulay from Bellahouston Harriers in 19 mins 41 seconds. The hooter set the 10K runners off at 11am, one hour after the 5K race. Over 200 runners completed the race. David Savage took home the first prize in 34 mins 16 secs, with second place runner Ross Christie from Stirling University exactly one minute behind. Bellahouston Road Runner Grant MacDonald had a strong run after recent injury problems finishing in 35 mins 51 seconds. In the Ladies 10K race Julie Doncaster, a previous winner of the Jimmy Irvine 10K race, ran well to finish in 38 mins and 25 secs. Over one minute behind was Louise Mitchell of Bellahouston Harriers who ran 39 mins and 34 secs. Donna Finlayson from Victoria Park City of Glasgow completed the podium with a frustrating three seconds over the 40 minute mark. All runners received technical t shirts and were able to enjoy a feast after both races. Full results of Bella 5K and Bella 10K 5K 10K The Jimmy Irvine Bella 10K takes place on Saturday 9th November 2013 and entry is available here.
Entry is now available for this years race series. 2013 sees the introduction of a 10K race distance to accompany the Bella 5K on Sunday 1st September. Minimum age for the 5K is 12 years, with a minimum of 15 years for the 10K. The Jimmy Irvine Bella 10K makes a welcome return on Saturday 9th November. Both races will be in Bellahouston Park. Online entry is available for both races through EntryCentral.com with discounts available when pre entering both 10K events. For more details, please see the Events page.
Report from David Boag Walking across Place Saint-Michel, towards the Metro, which will take me to the start, I could see a group of bleary eyed revellers sitting in a nearby cafe and clearly they were coming to the end of their own marathon – though more of the drinking variety! Twenty years ago I might have been sitting there with them (who am I kidding – more like five years ago!) wondering why anyone could possibly wish to run over 26 miles on a Sunday morning! Anyway, it was bitterly cold for the start of the 37th Marathon de Paris; the Arc de Triomphe was an imposing, majestic back drop to the start, as almost 40,000 runners gathered to go through their personal pre run rituals. Shortly after 9am my particular group set off down the Avenue des Champs-Elysees – surely one of the best starts to any marathon in the world! I’m never quite sure how the old body will hold up, so I started off looking for around 3hrs 45 mins and if things went well maybe a new PB. The first 5K was not as busy with runners as I remember in previous years, which allowed me to hit target pace from more or less the start, so much so I felt that I had to slow down as we approached Place de la Bastille. The crowds here are brilliant – totally in your face! Shouts of ‘courage’ and ‘bravo David’ send you on your way to Bois de Vincennes, where understandably the crowds thin out a bit. Time to knuckle down, after the opening excitable stages, and focus on maintaining target pace – at this point I also passed a ‘running’ Tour Eiffel… I wonder how he got on? Anyway, made sure I kept taking food and drink at every 5K stage and things were going well as we left the park to head back to the city centre. We hit half way just before we reached Bastille for the second time… the crowds are still as noisy! A change to previous years and we get some lurid sports drink here, it looked like blue Aftershock…fortunately it didn’t taste like it! We cut down to the Seine, past Notre Dame, and the river is on our left for the next 7 Km or so. A few tunnels to head through that give a bit of shade and quite frankly play havoc with the Garmin, so this calls for even more focus on keeping a steady, constant pace. The Tour Eiffel comes into view on my left – it’s not moving this time – awesome! To my right is the Trocadero and things, I sense, seem to be shaping up well, though I have done enough of these to know not to take anything for granted! In my head I keep telling myself to get the ‘third’ 10 K out of the way and then see how you really ARE coping! I get through 30Km and […]
This years Jimmy Irvine Achilles Heel Bella 10K race is filling up even quicker than it did last year! A big thanks to those who have already entered, we are absolutely delighted with the support so far. With three and a half weeks until race day and only 21 entries of the initial 500 entries allocated available we are happy to say we are releasing a further 100 places for the race. Please see all race details with entry details on the events page here. Preparations are in full flow and we are looking forward to a bigger and better experience for everyone taking part this year! See you all in November!
Report from Nea The 4Th race of the Hebridean half marathon series took place in the scenic island of Barra on Sat 30th June. 4 Bellas made the journey, myself, John Sandbach, Sandra Houldsworth and Louise Gray. With Sandra being the cheerleader after nursing 2 broken toes in a fall during the Benbecula half. The weather was a bit damp for the start with a light wind (which in the Hebrides is usually around 50mph!). The race was started by Father John Paul MacKinnon from the island Parish TV series, he gave a rousing speech and wished everyone luck!! He should have thrown in a couple of prayers for good measure knowing about the poor souls that were about to tackle the 340ft hill at the 11.5 mile mark! A local girl held the Olympic Torch for the start, I thought about grabbing it and taking it round the island but decided against it as this route is bad enough without the extra baggage! The race started on the West side of the island in Castlebay and followed a clockwise route round the island. Andrew Laycock from Kinross Road Runners settled into the lead after the 1st mile followed by myself and Joshua Low. The first 4 miles are fairly flat for the Heb series, passing some of the most beautiful beaches in the Hebrides, then the route turns to the east into the wind and the hills! At the 5 mile mark there is a steady climb of 170ft, with the leader in sight and still hearing Joshua Low’s footsteps behind me, I wondered if I had went off too fast as I could see the local coastguard jeep being used as the lead vehicle, I have only ever seen a lead vehicle upto the 1st mile!! I was keeping a close eye on my pace as the hard bit was still to come, having experienced THE hill in the previous year on which I lost my heart and soul and struggled to conquer it!! With the beaches left behind and the hills beginning, the leader was only a couple of minutes ahead but I still hadn’t shaken off Joshua Low in 3rd. So onto the hill, in the previous year I had been given good advice – “To leave a good bit in the tank for the hill”!! I felt OK at the bottom of it as I started the climb, my legs started to feel heavy as soon as I took the 1st step of the 340ft climb and I had a quick look behind me to see Mr Low bearing down on me having closed the gap significantly. The baby steps I was taking on the climb were hurting and they hurt even more when I slipped back into 3rd position. With a position lost the head went down just as well as I didn’t want to see how much of the hill I had to go!! The end of the climb was in sight and […]
The 2012 President’s cup took place on Wednesday 27th June. It’s a handicap 5k, using the Bella 5k course, taking the place of training on that night. Provisional results (complete with Oscar’s spelling) are available here: http://bit.ly/QlJJj7 Ladies cup winner: Judith McGregor Gents cup winner: Scott Johston First 3 ladies (by time) 1. 20:17 – Anne Robin 2. 20:23 – Emma Bryson 3. 20:45 – Elsie D First 3 Gents (by time) 1. 16:50 – Bruce Carmichael 2. 16:58 – Bruce Carse 3. 17.03 – Craig Reid Well done to all club members who took part, and thanks to everybody who helped organise the event.
Entry is now available for this years race series. The Bella 5K takes place on Sunday August 19th and the Jimmy Irvine Bella 10K takes place on Saturday 10th November 2012. Both races will be in Bellahouston Park. Online entry is available for both races through EntryCentral.com with discounts available when pre entering both events. Both races are kindly sponsored by Achilles Heel. For more details, please see the Events page.
Beautiful spring weather welcomed 500 runners to Fort William for the Lochaber Marathon on Sunday, 15 April. An out and back course along the shore of Loch Linhe was the challenge and 6 runners from Bellahouston Roadruners were up for it. The course is fairly flat, undulating in places. Basically you run towards Corpach and continue on until you reach 13 miles, then turn round and run back. The snow capped mountains give a scenic backdrop and the fact there are only 500 runners and few cars means you get a clear run. Although there is a sneaky wee steep hill in the last mile. Bellahouston highlights included PBs for Greg Glendinning ( 2.41 and 1st MV40) and 2.59 for Nea Macinnes. Thanks to Danielle, Brendan, Susie and Peter for their excellent support around the course. Bellahouston Times Greg Glendinning 3.41 Nea Macinnes 2.59 John Gilhooley 3.09 Frans Roelefse 3.14 Tomoyo Fujiwara 3.33 David Boyle 3.39 Full results Above report from David And some additional reporting… from Tomoyo I enjoyed running this race, beautiful view and plenty of water station there. It was my 19th marathon and I had my first experience “I took a wrong turn” at 25 miles, as I did not see any runners in front of me. However the guy who was running behind me (actually he was walking when I passed), he shouted and rescued me!!! I wonder if this guy ignored me….am I still running now?? Lucky me, I guess! I will try hard again at the Edinburgh marathon next month to get sub 3:30!!! Thank you for all your support. And more from Nea ….. Phew, that was close! Ran 2:59:46, new PB by 10 mins. Perfect running weather on lovely flat course, until the last mile when little hills come out of nowhere and feel as if you are climbing Ben Nevis itself! I thought I had 90secs to spare and cruise to the finish until Brendan started running beside me in the last mile screaming at me and looking worriedly at the stop watch on his iphone. My garmin was showing that the finish must be round the corner, but alas it was round the corner, up the hill, round another corner and then the final straight (0.25miles longer than I thought!). In the final straight just as the legs wanted to fall off I had Brendan screaming behind me and Peter screaming in front of me – there was NO way I was not going to finish under 3 hrs!! Great support from Danielle, Suzie and the Sadistic Duo – Brendan & Peter! I know I could not have done it with out your support – BRILLIANT!!!! Well done to all Bella’s on the day and Greg getting 1st V40!