There was a great showing at the Scottish Athletics West District Cross Country Championship at Barwood Park, Erskine, on Saturday 30th November. Thirty one Bellas ran on what turned out to be a surprisingly calm and mild afternoon. The 7km, three lap, undulating course had some challenging sections, with a lower section of soft, muddy ground leading into a sharp rise, providing an energy sapping stretch. Our excellent ladies ran first with Cat Macdonald leading the way for BRR, finishing in 26:00, placing 5th overall. Second and third Bella ladies to finish were Jen Conway (30:06) & Sophie Jenkins (30:22). The gents race followed with our first three Bellas home being Oscar Coetzee (23:48), Josh Evans (24:23) & Calum Borthwick (24:42). Oscar was first V40, and together with Paul McNairn (26:10) & Bruce Carse (27:10) took third placed Masters Men Team. The Macdonald family rounded things off nicely with Alistair Macdonald finishing first V60 in a brilliant 29:24! Another great XC event, well done everyone!
A BRIDGE NOT TOO FAR
On Sunday 24th November, Siobhann Dunn, ran the Florence Marathon, producing an excellent performance to finish in a time of 3:30:56! It was a fantastic route around the heart of the renaissance city and very well supported. Siobhann overcame recent illness to power around and set herself up for her next challenge at the Shale 50k Trail Ultra on the east coast of Scotland on 8th December! Ben fatto, Siobhann! On Sunday 1st December, Mark Young and Stevie Bell competed in the Valencia Marathon. The Romans named the city for valour and strength and that’s what Mark and Stevie displayed. Mark recorded a PB time of 2:47:43, battling recent injury and warm conditions. Muy bien hecho, Mark! And, the legend that is Stevie, completed another tough marathon, possibly his 26.2 swansong. Well done sir! The recent winner of our Jimmy Irvine 10k also ran at Valencia. Ryan Thomson, of Cambuslang Harriers recorded an unbelievable time of 2:15:47! Congratulations Ryan! #cambuslangharriers
There’s been a definite shift in the weather this week and winter appears to be upon us. Still, there are plenty of events going on around the country to keep our Bellas busy! It was a brilliant effort on Saturday 16th November, by Ruairi Barfoot (1:59:18) & Stuart McMillan (2:44:12), at the Glentress Winter Trail Half Marathon near Peebles. It was a really tough route, with over 2,600 feet of elevation gain, on a cold day in the Borders. Congratulations to Dean Dempsey who recorded a big PB of 1:29:52, at one of the UKs most southerly races, the Gosport Half Marathon, the following day. Hard training paying dividends for Dean in getting under the 90 minute barrier. On the same day, way further north, Mark Young (in his Metro Aberdeen vest) clocked a brilliant 1:23:13 at a very cold and windy Fraserburgh Half Marathon, providing a great confidence booster for his upcoming Valencia Marathon. And more locally, the latest Acorn Trails ‘South by 5’ race took place on Sunday at a chilly Linn Park on a challenging course. Well done to the Bellas who ran. Now only four races to go in the series!
Sunday, 10th November 2024, saw the latest running of our annual Jimmy Irvine Bella 10k race at Bellahouston Park. The race is named in honour of our founder, and it was fantastic to have both Jimmy and Sandra Irvine in attendance again this year. The event was a sell out, and on the day the murky weather cleared just in time for the participants to tackle the tough, undulating course around the park’s footways. The autumn colours in the park complemented some great performances across the field and across all abilities, with our wonderful volunteer marshals and organisers cheering everyone along the way. The 600 finishers received our Charles Rennie Mackintosh inspired long sleeved shirt and were able to fuel-up and enjoy some recovery snacks at our excellent post-race buffet! Congratulations to all of the prize winners: • 1st female – Rosa Donaldson (Bellahouston Harriers): 36.23 • 2nd female – Alicia Paton (Cumbernauld AAC): 37.33 • 3rd female – Kelly Taylor (Bellahouston Road Runners): 38.27 • 1st male – Ryan Thomson (Cambuslang Harriers): 30.49 • 2nd male – Cameron Muir (Shettleston Harriers): 33.06 • 3rd male – Alasdair Campbell (Cambuslang Harriers): 33.20 • V40 female – Jill Smylie (Giffnock North AC): 41.00 • V50 female – Deborah Gray (Bellahouston Road Runners): 40.40 • V60 female – Pauline Henderson (Bellahouston Harriers): 47.26 • V70 female – Charlotte McKay (Greenock Glenpark): 1.03.12 • V40 male – Oscar Coetzee (Bellahouston Road Runners): 33.47 • V50 male – Brent Brodie (Bellahouston Harriers): 35.02 • V60 male – Gareth Walker (Clwb Run Wales): 41.42 • V70 male – Andrew Haddow (Bellahouston Road Runners): 49.41 • 1st female team: Bellahouston Road Runners (Kelly Taylor, Deborah Gray, Louise Ross) • 1st male team: Bellahouston Harriers (Fraser Armstrong, Adam Stark, John Carr) • 1st female member of Bellahouston Road Runners – Kelly Taylor • 1st male member of Bellahouston Road Runners – Oscar Coetzee We are very grateful to Migo Sports for generously sponsoring the race again this year and providing the prizes. We are proud of the efforts of our club members, whether the 54 running, the similar number helping on the course, the organisers behind the scenes and those who contributed to the amazing buffet! Thank you too, to the excellent Brian Burnett for his brilliant, insightful race commentary. Lastly, thank you to everyone who supported us in entering the race and supporting the runners on the day. See you at the Jimmy in 2025! #seeyouatthejimmy
We are well into cross country season, having recently had the various relay events. It’s now the individual races, and it was off to Kirkcaldy for the Scottish Short Course Championship on Saturday 2nd November, where 1,100 athletes across the various age grades competed. The weather was kind and underfoot conditions were good for our wonderful contingent of Bellas who took part. For our ladies, we had Cara Thom, Sophie Jenkins, Jen Conway, Flora Henry, Kirsty MacFarlane, Leanne McIntosh, Laura Wilkinson, Alice Howe & Alison Brown. The gents were represented by Calum Borthwick, Jethro Browell, Stuart Laurence, Rich Evans, Tom Thorne & Gary McIntosh. Great running again by all, on an enjoyable day in Fife. Now it’s onto Erskine at the end of November for the West District Championship! On the same day up in beautiful Perthshire, there was the Glen Ogle 33 Ultra Marathon. Again, there were almost perfect conditions for this testing event that follows part of the Rob Roy Way, from Killin south to Strathyre and back. Fantastic running again by our Bellas with Brian Mulgrew (4:10:40, 9th Place, Course PB), Brendan McGuiness (4:42:02), Stewart Penny (4:42:56), Ian Watt (5:17:23), Simon Wells (5:30:55), Lucy MacKay (6:31:12) & SJ Kissock (7:31:40). Sunday 3rd November saw the first of this seasons Acorn Trails ‘South by 5’ races at King’s Park. Good weather and an undulating course bode well for the runners taking part. Well done to the Bellas who ran, namely Ryan Macready (5th place), Melanie Ovens, Tom Thorne, Jamie Wieland, Andy Tomlinson, John Sandbach, Aileen Coulter, Nicola Barrington, Hugh Brown & club legend Brian Burnett! A great weekend of off-road running across Scotland, very well done!
Sunday 27th October saw a myriad of endurance races for our Bellas, all with a European flavour. There was autumn marathon action in Germany and Ireland, a Half Marathon in Spain and hill racing in Italy. At the Frankfurt Marathon, the top trio of Kenny Osborne (2:44:24 PB), Jimmy McGreevy (3:20:22 PB) & Claire Wharton (3:26:11) put in great performances in a fantastic, well supported event. Over at the Dublin Marathon, Tony Connelly ran an incredible 2:29:25 to finish in 39th place overall (15th M35), while Neil McSeveney smashed his marathon PB with 2:46:34. Colin Hughes ran another brilliant race placing 4th VM60 in 2:59:06! In Spain, Debi Scott, building on her recent outstanding form, expertly paced the Valencia Half Marathon to record a PB time of 1:29:04! And congratulations to Cat MacDonald, who helped her Scotland ladies team to a 7th place finish at the mountain international at Trofeo Vanoni, Morbegno, Italy, a classic hill relay over 7.2km with 435m of ascent/descent. Well done everyone, recover well!
Sunday 13th October saw the latest running of the Loch Rannoch Marathon near Pitlochry. It was a chilly Highland morning but it didn’t take long for our Bellas to thaw out on the undulating course, and put in some outstanding performances! The wonderful Tomoyo Fujiwara finished second placed female in 3:29:17. Making their (impressive) marathon debuts were Michael Daniel Rice (3:27:50), Veronica Fusaro (3:51:47) & David Jarrett (3:51:48). Great running all round, and some lovely scenery too! It was also the Manchester Half Marathon on the same day. Three members ran, with Callum Borthwick leading the way in an amazing PB time of 1:11:12. Jamie Wieland also recorded a PB of 1:40:13 and Joni Lindsay continues to improve after her recent injury, finishing in 1:44:02. Well done folks! It’s great running in the autumn. There are still places available for our very own Jimmy Irvine 10k at Bellahouston Park on Sunday 10th November 2024. Enter here: https://www.entrycentral.com/jimmyirvinebella10k
The AJ Bell Great Scottish Run 2024 took place over the weekend of 5th – 6th October in Glasgow. Around 40 Bella members volunteered to marshal the various events over both days. Many thanks to them, and all the other volunteers and emergency service personnel who helped contribute towards another fantastic GSR! On Sunday 6th October, 16 members ran in the 10k. It was an early start with good weather conditions. Our first 3 gents finishers were Sean McAnallen (35:03), James Gray (37:37) & Harris Millar (41:30). For our ladies, it was Jane McNeilly (41:00), Cara Thom (42:59) & Carla Dunn (49:37). An incredible 75 members started the HM with fantastic efforts across the board, and numerous PBs recorded! Our top ten gents were: Tony Connelly (1:11:49, 14th overall), Josh Evans (1:13:35), Grant Murphy (1:16:02), Lewis Roberts (1:16:32), Neil McSeveney (1:16:53, PB), Paul McNairn (1:17:27, PB), Mark Young (1:17:47, PB), Ruairi Barfoot (1:17:51, PB), Kenny Osborne (1:18:15) & Jethro Browell (1:18:49). Our ladies top 10 were: Deborah Gray (1:25:53, 25th lady), Grainne McGrath (1:27:27), Christie Lamb (1:27:31, PB), Emer Campbell (1:28:49, PB), Debi Scott (1:30:28, PB, in her Giffnock North vest), Jen Conway (1:34:12), Cathy Wood (1:37:59), Katie Blackett (1:38:49), Victoria Curley (1:41:02) & Anne Campbell (1:43:14). Brilliant 1:30 pacing duties too by Ross Horgan We also had several members running elsewhere over the weekend. On Saturday, three intrepid Bellas ran the Glasgow to Edinburgh 57 Mile Ultra with outstanding efforts by Tom Thorne (11:48:30), Liam McNally (12:59:03) & Lucy MacKay (14:00:40). On Sunday, Bryan Kerr ran the Chester Marathon in a fantastic 2:52:06 while Jonnie Felton ran in his home town at the Cardiff Half Marathon in a brilliant 1:21:48. What a weekend, well done everyone! If you’ve been inspired to get involved after seeing all those runners in the GSR, remember that our very own Jimmy Irvine Bella 10k race takes place at Bellahouston Park on Sunday 10th November 2024. Enter here at: https://www.entrycentral.com/jimmyirvinebella10k #greatscottishrun #jimmyirvine10k
Sunday 29th September saw two significant marathon races at home and abroad. Firstly, it was the 22nd Baxters Loch Ness Marathon. A record 5,500 runners entered this years race and were blessed with excellent weather conditions on what is a tough undulating course. Seven Bellas ran, with brilliant performances for Oscar Coetzee (2:40:04, 12th place, 2nd MV40), Jordan Davidson (2:53:58 PB), Liam Barrett (3:05:26 PB), Rhona Fraser (3:17:04 PB), Hayley Drysdsle (4:19:29) & Lucy MacKay (4:32:41). Lucy has now run all 22 Loch Ness events since it began in 2002, and is now one of only two ever present finishers. A quite incredible record, and such a strong season having previously run marathons at Loch Rannoch, Rome, Belfast & Strathearn as well as Ultras at Glen Ogle, Forth Scurry & Devil o’ the Highlands! Over in Germany, it was the 50th BMW Berlin Marathon. Two Bellas ran outstanding races with Bruce Carmichael (2:42:40) and Kelly Taylor (2:58:49, PB). Our good friend, Isaiah Kosgei, also ran an amazing 2:24:16, flying the flag for Kenya and the Kosgei Walpole Foundation.
As you may have previously read, Andy Tomlinson completed the 6 Marathon World Majors following his running the TCS London Marathon on 21st April this year. Andy’s time for London was 3:58:53. This has now been confirmed by Guiness World Records as a new WORLD RECORD for a CiH Male (Coordination impairment- Hemiplegia). What an achievement Andy, huge congratulations!!
Everyone at Bellahouston Road Runners who knew Russell is devastated to hear of his passing. Russell was a much loved member of the club for many years before moving onto Giffnock North. He was a lovely guy, a friend to many and a fantastic athlete. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this sad time.
This week saw our final Club Championship ‘short’ race this season at the aptly named ‘Fast n’ Flat 5k’ on Friday 20th September. It was quite a night for the 10 Bellas who made their way east to historic Linlithgow to run in the event, that consisted of five waves of starters. The weather was cooler than it had been earlier in the week, meaning that conditions were good. An outstanding run meant that Tony Connelly broke his own 5k club record and PB of 15:20 (from last year’s Allan Scally meet) to clock a fantastic 15:12! Huge congratulations to Tony who also holds the club records for 10 miles (51:58) and Marathon (2:26:28). The remaining field of Bellas fared not too badly either with just a few PBs!! Very well done to Ross Horgan (15:28 PB), Calum Borthwick (15:46 PB), David Jarrett (17:07 PB), Bruce Carse (17:19), Jay Cowan (17:21 PB), Ryan Macready (17:30 PB), Alan Moss (17:33 SB), Joni Lindsay (21:57 PB) & Mark Young (17:03 PB, in his Aberdeen Metro vest). Very well done everyone! If this puts you in the mood for a late-Autumn race, with a great long-sleeve shirt and post-race buffet, it’s the Bella Jimmy Irvine 10k at Bellahouston Park on 10th November 2024! https://www.entrycentral.com/jimmyirvinebella10k
Twenty Bellas headed to Tighnabruaich, Argyll, for the Kyles 10 Miler on Saturday 14th September which was the penultimate ‘long’ Club Championship race. It’s a very scenic, well organised event on a challenging course, and this year saw some wet and windy conditions with fairly mild temperatures. Brilliant performances again from our purple posse with Neil McSeveney (59:33) 2nd place, 1st MSnr, Craig Ross (1:02:40) 3rd place, 2nd MV40, Colin Hughes (1:04:47) 4th place, 1st MV50, Louise Ross (1:09:20) 1st Lady, 1st FV40, Ross McGeoch (1:09:31), Gregor Crawford (1:13:10), Jonny Moran (1:13:30), Marty Campbell (1:14:49), Deborah Wright (1:17:22), Anne Campbell (1:18:26) 3rd FV40, Gavin McGowan (1:19:57), Alex Sutherland & Leanne McIntosh (1:19:59), Charlotte Parkinson (1:21:31), Lyndsay Kennedy (1:22:29), Pauline Wright (1:23:30) 3rd FV50, Shirley Wieland (1:24:28, PB) 1st FV60, Laura Wilkinson (1:24:49), Gary McIntosh (1:30:06), Babs Wilson (1:34:31), Stevie Bell (1:40:14) 1st MV70 & Terry Nimmo (1:45:00). Brilliant running, well done everyone!…and not forgetting Bella No. 21, Kevin Queenan, for his excellent race photography! Just over to the east, it was some effort by Jamie Wieland (6:34:26) who ran the 30 mile (nearly 4,000ft of elevation) Dunoon Ultra on Saturday capping off another fantastic weekend of running for Team Wieland! www.kyles10miles.co.uk https://www.entrycentral.com/jimmyirvinebella10k
What a recent weekend of running by our Bellas! Podium news first, and congratulations to Jordan Davidson (1:21:42) on winning the Run Nation Strathclyde Autumn HM at Strathclyde Park on Sunday 7th Sept AND to Kenny Osborne (34:33) who won the Kilmacolm 10k. Then, up in Carnoustie, Kirsty MacFarlane (1:18:53) had a great run to finish 2nd lady at the Barry Buddon 10 Miler. Sunday also saw the ever popular Podfather Stirling 10k with 20 Bellas racing in a Club Championship (CC) event. A big well done to Ross Horgan 32:22 (PB), Calum Borthwick 33:21, Grant Murphy 33:26, Bryan Kerr 33:53 (PB), Bruce Carmichael 35:11, Paul McNairn 35:38 (PB), Mark Young 35:58, Callum Dickson 37:01, Jay Cowan 37:11, Liam McNally 38:50, Sam Thompson 39:02, Grainne McGrath 39:14, Christie Lamb 39:48 (PB), Jane McNeilly 40:34, Andrew McCulloch 40:53, Debi Scott 41:08, Gerry McDonnell 42:18, Joni Lindsay 47:35, Murdoch Rodgers 53:50 & Lucy MacKay 55:51. Another CC race also took place on Sunday at a very warm and ever ‘undulating’ Kilmacolm Half Marathon. 16 brilliant Bellas ran, with great performances by: David Jarrett 1:22:24, Colin Hughes 1:25:55, Sandy Macdonald 1:32:15, Al MacLachlan 1:34:33, Dave Ferguson 1:36:06, Tomoyo Fujiwara 1:41:14 (2nd FV) Cathy Wood 1:43:19, Veronica Fusaro 1:45:08, Louise Ross 1:45:10, Ashleigh Love 1:56:54, Tony Breslin 2:02:10, Lynne Goldie 2:11:09, Christine Milligan 2:16:09, Michelle Smith 2:16:09, Robert Macleod 2:18:36 & Nicola Barrington 2:32:11. A special well done to Michelle on her first HM. And just south if the border we had Bella members running the very wet and murky Great North Run, namely Chic Forsyth (1:26:29, PB) and Jamie Wieland (1:49:19). And then we had those who laughed at these ‘short’ races and decided to ramp it up. Tommy Burridge ran the 33 mile Tiree Ultra, while the machine that is Bryan Mulgrew completed the Glenmore 24 Hour Trail Race near Aviemore, and pending confirmation, finished 4th with 109 miles in the bag, and raising funds for the Beatson https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bryan-mulgrew Now, breathe……. So….if that has inspired you, sign up for our own autumn 10k at Bellahouston Park, Sunday 10th November 2024 https://www.entrycentral.com/jimmyirvinebella10k
It’s been a busy few weeks for members participating in a number and variety of Club Championship (CC) races as we see off a disappointingly wet summer into, hopefully, a dryer autumn! Saturday 24th August, saw the final ‘Off-Road’ championship race at the challenging 7 mile long Tom Robb Memorial Trail Race, in the lovely Carron Valley. Very well done to Stephen McQuade (11th, 48:57), Joni Lindsay (13th lady, 1:01:04), Stuart Mathieson (1:02:09), John Sandbach (1:06:34), Aileen Coulter (1:08:59), Brian McQuade (1:09:34), Fiona Birrell (1:09:35), Chi My Ta (1:12:57, in her Westerlands vest) & Sue Campbell Senior (1:13:56). The stats team will be busy tallying up the final points and placings before our annual awards night on 19th October! The sky eventually ran out of water on Friday 30th August for ‘3k on the Green‘ at Glasgow Green. 134 runners took part including 21 Bellas for this CC ‘short’ race on it’s flat, out-back route along the Clyde. Well done to Oscar Coetzee (9:13, 2nd), Grant Murphy (9:22, 3rd, PB), David Jarrett (9:46), Jay Cowan (9:56), Jordan Davidson (10:08), Rich Evans (11:03), Jimmy McGreevy (11:18), Gerry McDonnell (11:20), Gerry Scullion (11:28), Dave Ferguson (11:37), Al MacLachlan (11:48), Jen Conway (11:48), Tom Thorne (11:55), Jamie Wieland (12:39), Frans Roelofse (13:00), Henry Merriweather (13:15), Tony Breslin (13:21), Lyndsay Kennedy (13:40), Graeme Pert (16:04), Stevie Bell (16:04) & Rachael Goslan (16:17). Have a read at the race report from the organisers, some quite incredible performances! https://www.facebook.com/share/p/JoqqZPeNVQHyTxP2/ And so, on the first day of meteorological autumn (Sunday 1st Sept), it was the North Ayrshire Athletics Club 10k at Ardrossan. This popular race has a track start and finish, with nice flat seafront stretches. It was a cool, overcast and blustery day for the 300+ runners including 11 Bellas keen to tick off one of the few remaining ‘medium’ CC events. Great performances as ever from our Bellas: Fraser Kelly (36:57, 5th overall, 3rd MSnr), Jordan Davidson (37:01, 6th overall), Colin Hughes (38:33, 1st MV60), Alan Chalmers (40:58), Jane McNeilly (41:44, 5th lady, 3rd FV40), Rhona Fraser (42:14, 6th lady), Marty Campbell (43:06), Andy Tomlinson (44:20), Jamie Wieland (46:23), Laura Wilkinson (49:43) & Laura Templeton (53:09). Cross Country season isn’t far off with the first race being the West District Relays on Saturday 5th October in Kilmarnock. And, it’s only 9 weeks to our own big race event of the year, the Jimmy Irvine Bella 10k at Bellahouston Park, 1200hrs on Sunday 10th November 2024. It promises to be its usual great outing, including a locally inspired long-sleeved shirt and great post-race buffet. Sign up at: https://www.entrycentral.com/jimmyirvinebella10k