Saturday 12th April saw the latest of our Off-Road championship races at Drumchapel parkrun. It was a lovely morning with solid running on that tough course by our dynamic dozen! Well done everyone including our ‘podium’ trio of Jordan Davidson 1st, Stuart Laurence 2nd, Claire Wharton 1st lady. As always, thankyou to Drumchapel parkrun and all the wonderful volunteers! Well done to the 16 Bellas who ran the Dumbarton AAA Clydebank 10 Mile race (doubling as the West Dist 10 Miles) on Sunday. Nice conditions and great results too with the pick of teh bunch being Tony Connelly (52.36, 2nd), Oscar Coetzee (54:15, 3rd, 1st MV40) and Claire Wharton (1:10:25, 2nd FV50). Another ‘long’club championship race complete! Lastly, it was beautiful Paris in Springtime on Sunday for one of the world’s biggest marathons. As always, we had some bellas participating. Very well done to David Boag (4:44:13) & Jane Galt (5:20:14).
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Our latest ‘long’ club championship race took place at Strathclyde Park on Sunday 30th March, at the 61st Tom Scott 10 Mile Road Racer. The event also doubled as the Scottish Athletics 10 Mile Championship! We had another great turn out with 44 Bellas participating in the starting field of 327, almost 12% of the total! The route was the ‘classic’ Tom Scott, so mainly flat with some moderate inclines on the north side. It was a bright, dry morning with a fairly strong WNW wind blowing down the loch. So, some tricky conditions battling the ‘breeze’ particularly the first two miles, and returning back up the far side of the loch. It was also surprisingly warm in the sun on the opposite side with the breeze following behind. As always, there was great running from our Bellas, who always look forward to this event. Our top 3 men were Oscar Coetzee (55:12), Bryan Mulgrew (56:59) & Stuart MacDougall (57:51). Oscar was 5th in the MV40 age category after a strong run. Bryan ran brilliantly after being unsure of starting after a recent injury. For our ladies, it was Deborah Gray (1:07:16), Cathy Wood (1:10:19) & Jen Conway (1:10:41). Deborah was also 5th in her FV50 age category, and a great run by Cathy in her 10 mile race debut! And well done too, to Mhairi Hill, the sole Bella for the ‘Round the Loch’ 6k, finishing 2nd FV35 in 29:37! Congratulations to the winners throughout the field. Another great race organised by Law & District AAC. Thanks as always to all of the volunteers, marshals, officials, medics, sponsors and Perfect Timing Scotland.
It was the 40th Inverness Half Marathon on Sunday 9th March 2025, that also served as the Scottish Athletics Half marathon Championship. It was also one of our ‘long’ club championship events. The event was as popular as ever, and this year was blessed with fine, warm weather making it a greater challenge for the runners on what is a tough, undulating course. There was an incredibly close finish to the race with the first three men finishing within 3 seconds of each other in just over 65 minutes! Thirteen Bellas competed and acquitted themselves with aplomb. Ross Horgan finished in a fantastic 22nd place, registering a PB of 1:10:19, agonisingly only 2 seconds from equalling our 14 year old club record! Our remaining athletes also done very well, namely: Calum Borthwick (1:13:02), Angus Gray (1:14:18, PB), Ruairi Barfoot (1:15:16, PB), Kelly MacDonald (1:25:34, 24th lady, PB), Ben Law (1:28:40), Jonnie Felton (1:39:06), Flora Henry (1:41:16, PB), Victoria Curley (1:43:40), Joni Lindsay (1:50:37), Martin Murphy (1:51:42), Mark Worton (2:04:03), Megan Parkinson (2:10:36). Well done everyone!
The annual Cambuslang Harriers ‘Down by the River’ 10k took place on Sunday 9th March this year, with 18 Bellas running. It was a beautiful spring morning for the race that extends out and back along the River Clyde Walkway. This was a ‘medium’ club championship event and we enjoyed some impressive results, notably with the evergreen Oscar Coetzee finishing second in 32:57, closely followed by Kenny Osborne who finished 4th, first MV40, in a new PB of 33:25! Our fantastic V50 ladies trio of Claire Wharton (43:07), Katie Mathieson (43:46) & Tomoyo Fujiwara (46:22) finished in first, second and third respectively in their age category! Outwith these results there were great performances and PB runs for David Jarrett (35:41, PB), Simon Wells (37:30), Poppy Bowie (41:47, PB), Kenny Crawford (41:48), Cathy Wood (41:51), Alan Digweed (42:25), Jonny Moran (42:27), Dave Ferguson (42:57), Veronica Fusaro (43:29, PB), Laura Templeton (52:07), Catherine Laurence (54:56), Della Lansley (58:47) & Terry Nimmo (01:00:33). Another great event organised by Cambuslang Harriers. Thanks to all involved, especially the volunteers, officials and timers.
The Kirkintilloch Olympians Neil McCover Memorial Half Marathon ran on Sunday 9th February, in damp, chilly weather, but this didn’t stop our Bella contingent on what is a tough, undulating course. This was our first Club Championship ‘long’ race of the season. Bryan Kerr was 3rd in a fantastic PB time of 1:15:58. Poppy Bowie finished 2nd lady in 1:35:17, proving that her recent 2nd place finish at the Buchlyvie 10k was no fluke. Our remaining finishers produced fantastic results too: Grant Murphy (1:16:16, 4th), David Jarrett (1:26:36), Cathy Wood (1:38:23, 3rd FSnr), Veronica Fusaro (1:40:17, 2nd FV40, PB), Tomoyo Fujiwara (1:42:32, 1st FV50), Pauline Wright (1:45:05), Andy Tomlinson (1:47:15), Wallace Gray (2:10:52) & Louise Gray (2:13:43). Our top three of Poppy, Cathy and Veronica won ladies team prize and similarly, it appears that Bryan, Grant and David took the mens team prize. Very well done everyone! It was also simultaneously the Kirkintilloch Olympians 12.5k race, with Stuart Macdougall (45:16), Brendan McGuiness (50:35), Anne Campbell (1:00:20) & Kirsteen Waddell (1:22:32) all running. Another great outing for our athletes!
Well done to the 16 Bellas who ran the Maryhill Harriers ‘Nigel Barge 10k’ today (Sunday 19th). It was an excellent, well organised event around the Garscube and Dawsholm Park grounds. There were near perfect conditions on the tough, undulating course with brilliant performances throughout. Our finishing order was Tony Connelly (31:58, 3rd), Stuart Macdougall (35:11), Bryan Mulgrew (35:24), Stuart Laurence (37:14), Jamie Robinson (37:58), Dave Ferguson (40:51), Ian Watt (42:02), Stuart Douglas (42:45), Ross Wood (43:42 PB), Tom Ferris (45:29), Jamie Howie (49:10), Alex Sutherland (52:30), Gary McIntosh (52:30), Leanne McIntosh (52:31), Murdoch Rodgers (57:49, 3rd MV70), Terry Nimmo (1:00:43). The final Acorn Trails Sx5 at Queen’s Park (series race 6) also took place today. Well done to the Bellas who took part, especially Ryan Macready who with a 5th place finish, took 3rd place overall for the series! There were some other races taking place on Sunday too. Very well done to Jordan Davidson who recorded a PB of 1:18:11 to finish 2nd at the ‘Up & Running’ Glasgow Green HM, where Stephen McQuade finished 5th in PB of 1:20:13. David Jarrett ran a great 1:21:35 at the Santa Pola HM in Spain, while Rich Evans returned to his old stomping ground to complete the St Albans Striders ‘Fred Hughes 10 Miler’ in a brilliant 1:07:07.
The 2024 Tilli 10k, hosted by West Fife’s PH Racing Club, took place on Sunday 29th December, in the shadow of the beautiful Ochil Hills. The course is traffic free and follows the Devon Way cycle path, extending from Tillicoultry to Dollar and back. Registration was smooth and well organised, with a choice of a swanky beer or fancy soft drink for the race recovery! It was a fresh, blustery morning but the rain thankfully held off for the race. The first two miles were busy before the field stretched out, with a bit of shelter from the westerly wind. After the turn in Dollar, the headwind kicked in all the way back to Tillicoultry, but with an overall elevation gain of only 91ft, it was thankfully a fairly flat course! It’s a great event and there was an excellent turnout of 21 Bellas, with our results as follow: Tony Connelly (32:16), Calum Borthwick (33:06), Bryan Mulgrew (35:07), David Jarrett (36:24 PB), Stephen McQuade (36:52), Ryan Macready (38:16), Kelly Taylor (38:36), Dean Dempsey (40:49), Colin Hughes (40:55, 3rd MV60-65), Michael Daniel Rice (41:15), Cathy Wood (43:00), Marty Campbell (43:58), Ross Wood (44:58), Lauren Rice (45:11), Tom Ferris (46:04), Anne Campbell (46:41), Kevin Queenan (48:29), Joni Lindsay (49:36), Laura Wilkinson (50:31), Louise Gray (57:10), Wallace Gray (1:02:09). Well done everyone, and enjoy the beer! #Tilli10k
The weekend of Friday 19th – Sunday 21st July 2024, saw the annual ‘Run the Blades’ (RTB) races at Whitelee Windfarm. It’s a tough, undulating, exposed, but eerily beautiful place to run, with frequent unseasonable weather changes. The events are always really well organised by Breaking Strain. Begining with the 10k on a pleasant Friday evening, we had brilliant running from Claire Wharton who was 3rd lady home (47:03). Our men finished, Jethro Browell (39:00, 4th), Jordan Davidson (39:10, 5th), Simon Wells (40:43, 11th), Gerry McDonnell (46:00) & Andy Tomlinson (49:05). Great performances, especially given the challenging climbs towards the finish line. It was the big one for our on Saturday with the 50k Ultra Marathon on a cloudy, humid, then rainy day. Amazing running all round from Stephen McQuade (9th, 4:07:47), Jordan Davidson (11th, 4:13:36), Siobhann Dunn (18th, 5th lady, 4:27:27), Brendan McGuiness (4:44:23), Jamie Robinson (5:18:16), Jimmy McGreevy (5:18:18), Alan Digweed (5:51:17) & Cormack Smith (7:58:18). Great commitment and resilience to tackle this discipline, so a huge well done to all. To finish, it was the Half Marathon on Sunday morning. Again, a tough undulating course, starting off in chilly conditions, although not the stormy weather of 2023! It was an absolutely outstanding run from Ross Horgan in 1:15:15 to win and break the course record, while Fraser Kelly finished in a brilliant 3rd place with 1:23:34. Following on were Jordan Davidson (1:32:09, 13th), Alan Chalmers (1:32:40, 14th), David Vallance (1:49:55) & Gavin Elliott (2:02:45). Another great morning of running. And the recurring name in the three races was Jordan Davidson, running 10k, 50k and 21k RTB races in a single weekend. An epic starring role!
Linwood parkrun was the venue for the latest Bellahouston Road Runners Club Championship race. This was a ‘short course’ event and coincided with Linwood’s 8th parkrun birthday!! Almost 40 Bellas made the trip on a lovely summers morning, with some fantastic running across the board. Kenny Osborne, Jordan Davidson & Stuart Laurence finished 2nd, 3rd & 4th, with Paul McNairn also making it into the top ten. Grainne McGrath finished just outside the top ten claiming 2nd placed lady. Shirley Wieland kept up her recent run of form with another great 5k PB in 24:13! As always, we are thankful to the organisers, volunteers and fellow runners for making us welcome and it was great to be there to help celebrate eight fantastic years of parkrun at Linwood. Happy birthday!!
The Scottish Veteran Harriers Club 5k ran in Clydebank on Wednesday 26th June on a cloudy but warm evening. Whilst not the most scenic of courses, it’s a great well-organised event on a flat and fast loop. There was some great running from our Bellas as always with, in finishing order; Oscar Coetzee (15:50, 2nd place), Calum Borthwick (16:09, 5th place), Paul McNairn (16:51), Alan Moss (17:59), Kelly Taylor (18:03, 2nd lady), Al MacLachlan (20:06), Calum Sinclair (20:51), Andy Tomlinson (22:18), Joni Lindsay (24:13), Robert Macleod (27:20). This was another short course Club Championship race completed. Congratulations to Oscar on his second place finish, and Kelly on second female placing! Great return performances too from Joni and Andy who were both recovering from injury and illness. Well done everyone! The latest Off-Road Championship race followed on Friday 28th June with the Calderglen Harriers 10k. Calderglen Country Park provides a tough challenge, with the course undulating through the woods and with having to bat away the midgies! Seven hardy Bellas ran with, in finish order: Simon Wells (46:41), Rhona Fraser (47:49, 4th lady), Anne Campbell (55:32), Stevie McIntyre (56:37), Charlotte Parkinson (58:01), Henry Merriweather (59:10) & Laura Wilkinson (60:20). Congratulations to Rhona, Anne & Charlotte who made up the third place ladies team. If this puts you in the mood for a great 10k run later this year then check out our very own at https://www.entrycentral.com/jimmyirvinebella10k
It was a busy race weekend in the midst of 10k season with over 60 Road Runners competing around the country. Firstly, it was the excellent Brian Goodwin Memorial 10k on Friday 7th June, hosted by our Bellahouston Harrier friends. Although there was some sunshine, it was a cold blustery evening around Pollok Park. Some 25 Road Runners tackled the course with an incredibly strong field, headed by local Olympian, Callum Hawkins, who won the race in 29:45. Tony Connelly (32:26, 10th), Calum Borthwick (33:25) & Kenny Osborne (34:39) led our gents home. Katie Blackett (44:23), Kirsty MacFarlane (44:42, PB ) & Charlotte Parkinson (47:48) were our top three ladies. A great run by Lucy Mackay (54:43) saw her take 1st V55. There were numerous PBs for our members too who celebrated with the traditional Goodwin burger and beer. On Sunday 9th June, the 10k racing moved to a sunny Kilmarnock for the increasingly popular ‘Roon the Toon‘ event. Over 1,800 started the race with 22 Bellas among them. Our top 3 gents were Paul McNairn (35:59, 3rd V40), Craig Ross (36:30) & Mark Young (36:38). For the ladies it was Deborah Gray (39:16, 1st V50), Emer Campbell (39:22, 3rd V40, PB) & Anne Campbell (46:03). This meant that our gents and ladies both took silver in the team competition! Connoisseurs of the longer events were out in force too with the ever impressive Colin Hughes putting in another great performance to win V60 (1:27:37) at the Isle of Skye Half Marathon on Saturday 8th June, finishing 17th overall and beating all of the V50s in the process! At the Strathearn Marathon on Sunday, Poppy Bowie, making her marathon debut, had an outstanding performance on a challenging course, to finish 7th lady in 3:35:43. And finally, with all this 10k racing on the go, remember that our own Jimmy Irvine 10k will run at Bellahouston Park on Sunday 10th November. Entries are now open at https://www.entrycentral.com/jimmyirvinebella10k
What a night at Bellahouston Park on Wednesday 15th May for our President’s Cup 5k Race. A fantastic 74 members ran in this annual ‘handicap’ event with each individuals start time calculated against their recent 5k /10k race performances. This ensures that everyone has a chance of winning, and also involves a very busy finish line! It was fantastic to be holding the event in Bellahouston Park again after a couple of years at Rouken Glen, although a fine substitute. We were blessed with a fine spring evening, with good running conditions on a reasonably flat course. Congratulations to our champion on the night, Graeme Pert;, who was cheered on by our army of volunteers and supporters. Overall, there was some fantastic running and several PBs, with 44 members finishing within 30 seconds of their predicted finish times. Testament indeed to the hard work put in by our stats team. Our President, Emer Campbell, commented “This was another superb night for the club. Huge thanks everyone who helped organise this event, the volunteers, supporters and of course congratulations to Graeme”
We were back at the Emirates indoor arena today for another club track event. We’d previously been there in January 2020 for our 20th Birthday event. We had a fantastic time, with a series of mile and 800m races with brilliant performances from all members! Fab club spirit throughout the whole morning Well done everyone
The club recently got together for one of its biggest, and certainly most anticipated, awards night! Every year we celebrate the performances, achievements and accomplishments of our memberships over the preceding twelve months. Last year we held it virtually, but we were delighted to be able to hold a traditional evening at Sloan’s again for the first time since 2019. Full details on our members forum, and over on our Facebook members group you can catch a copy of the premier of the celebratory video of the last year, as well as a collection of photographs from the evening. A huge part of our club year is the Club championship, so a huge well done to everybody who completed the criteria, and – of course – to the many winners of the categories! A particular shout out to the banner award winners! Member of the Year: Kevin Queenan Most Improved Female 2021: Siobhann Dunn Most Improved Male 2021: Alan Moss Ladies Club Champion 2021: Rebekah Russell Gents Club Champion 2021: Tony Connelly Many thanks to everybody who helped made the event possible! Particular shout out to Kevin for his epic organisation, Susan for handing out the awards, Richard for hosting, and Craig for the photos!
Our website news page has been a touch quiet over the last wee while, we’ve been busy at the club! Do check out our social media feeds (facebook.com/bellaroadrunner, twitter.com/bellaroadrunner) for the latest. A couple of big highlights from the last month! 2021 President’s Cup The President’s cup is a big part of the club year: It’s run as a handicap, with members setting off in time stagger relative to their estimated time. Theoretically, everybody should finish at the same time, and has a chance of winning, but there’s always a mix of circumstances to add a huge amount of fun. Last year it was run virtually, but with the easing of restrictions and group size limits for organised activities, we were able to stage it ‘for real’ on the 13th June. Organised in a couple of heats, and members who weren’t running or volunteering, were able to support everybody out on the course. Over 90 runners, spectators and volunteers stayed within Covid rules and had a fantastic time. And of course we can’t have a Bella occasion without plenty of cake afterwards!! Congratulations to our winners Joni Lindsay and Nick Windley , who collected their trophies from our President Richard Leyton 2021 AGM Tuesday 15th saw us hold our 2021 AGM, virtually on Zoom. Much as the President’s cup is a big part of the participation, the AGM is a big part of our governance. Member’s can access a recording of the AGM, the video featuring Leanne, Kevin and Richard, reflecting on the last 12 months, on the members’ forum. Our annual report is available on our public website. Key outcomes from the AGM, all of which allowed members an opportunity to question and discuss elements: Finances and Treasurers report were accepted Club annual report from the President was accepted COVID Coordinator, Emer provided an update on our Coronavirus plan Membership secretary Susan updated members on our membership A motion to formalise virtual meetings and voting (per OSCR recommendations) was passed unanimously. Membership fees were retained at present rate. Our Trustees were approved for another year. We held an open discussion about local sports facilities at Nethercraigs, and associated issues. Full details on the members forum