Melanie Spencer
CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
Melanie Spencer
SAVE THE DATE - Linlithgow Athletics Club 10K ...
Melanie Spencer
LAC ANNUAL AWARDS NIGHT
LAC ANNUAL AWARDS NIGHT
Melanie Spencer
Inclusion Spotlight
Inclusion Spotlight
Melanie Spencer
Santa Dash Success
Santa Dash Success

Weekly Update

Club Championships: Mile race

Tuesday 9th August saw the annual mile race at Craigswood track - part of the annual club championships.

The weather was very pleasant - probably hotter than the runners would have preferred - and we had a good turnout in both the junior and senior races.
Both races were won with commanding front-running performances - both Richard (juniors) and Louise (seniors) led from the gun - and both quickly established a gap of around 30-40 metres to the chasing pack. Impressive stuff.

A note on Louise - our winning senior runner… Louise joined the club recently, and is - wait for it - the Cani-Cross British Champion for the past 3 years! Blimey. Hopefully she can represent LAC at some of the winter cross-country events.

Results (Juniors)

  1. Richard Norton (7:29)

  2. Ewan Emery (7:46)

  3. Imogen Howieson (8:03)

  4. Mason Ewing (8:03)

  5. Amelia Ferrario (9:29)

  6. Sofia Ferarrio (9:32)

Results (Adults)

  1. Louise Mitchell (5:41.7)

  2. Martin Maginiss (5:52.9)

  3. Paul Emery (5:59.1)

  4. Kirk Ollason (6:02.9)

  5. Scott Cumming (6:06.8)

  6. Sarah Little (6:11.7)

  7. Darren Dick (6:24.2)

  8. Claire Howison (6:25.6)

  9. Stuart McHugh (6:38.5)

  10. Tor Munday (6:43.5)

  11. Frances Wood (6:58.2)

  12. Shona Banks (7:51.3)

  13. Alex Wood (7:53.9)

Summer news toot

Just back from holidays and time for some headlines…

Firstly, congratulations to Paul Dudchenko on completing the West Highland Way race. It looked incredibly hard - the weather was tough, and Paul was struggling with knee pain from about a third of the way into the epic 95 miles. It was pure grit and determination that got Paul to the end, beating the cut off by a couple of hours. Gutsy!

Many of you will also know Paul Ward - he is dipping his toes into the world of race organising/directing with a brand new 10km event on Sunday 6th November - the Bridge of Orchy 10k. Described as hilly trail race with outstanding scenery, signups are open on EntryCentral (a chance to become the legendary winner of the inagural event perhaps?).

Another member of the club doing great things is Malcolm Hughes, who is cycling from Lands End to John o’Groats. Starting TODAY (14th July). The rest of us will normally use some mode of motorised transport when going on our holidays, but Malcolm is opting to power this journey with muscle alone. And this isn’t just about saving money on the garage forecourt… no, this is about raising money for a very good cause: First Step is a Linlithgow based charity that provides support services for individuals affected by alcohol and substance misuse. You can support Malcolm’s fundraising at the following link

Finally, at this time of year, it’s fun to see the Strava feed coming up with a bunch of running tracks in exotic locations:

Enjoy the height of summer people, and hope your travels go well if you’re heading off somewhere…

News Roundup 12th June

Firstly, a couple of dates to take note of:

The mile race (part of club champs) is now scheduled in for 9th August at Craigswood track. Kick off at 18:00. 1,609 metres between you and glory.

The ‘East District’ half marathon (part of Scottish Athletics annual road race schedule) will take place on 18th September this year. It’s being run as an event within an event - as part of the Scottish Half Marathon. Sign up here:  https://www.scottishhalfmarathon.com/half

At the Linlithgow Marches fun runs (yesterday, 11th Jun) the LAC junior team absolutely smashed it, coming joint first and just generally being amazing, despite the fierce weather (photo above).

In other news, taking a wander through the various feeds on Strava and Social Media…

Frances Wood seems to be ageing in reverse, running her fastest time in 5 years (22:39) at the Blast 5km at Cramond. Amazing.

Claire Howison ran the Skye half marathon in a highly creditable time of 1:49, but here’s the thing: the weather was insanely tough. In Claire’s words ‘absolutely the most brutal run of my life’. What doesn’t kill you…

Ann Allman scored a new PB at Falkirk parkrun yesterday (11th June) - going below 29mins for a course PB. Fantastic Ann!

Elsewhere, Roberta Whyte ran the Coniston 15k Lakeland Trails race. This included a wrong turn in the hills, adding to the total mileage, however Roberta still managed a solid 2:46.

By the next time we speak, Paul Dudchenko will have tackled the West Highland Way race (17th / 18th June). This is the big one: the grandaddy of all trail ultras. We wish you well Paul. You’re super strong, mentally and physically. You’ve got this.

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Scottish Athletics & JogScotland Annual Awards: Group of the Year!

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The 4J Studios scottishathletics and jogscotland Annual Awards 2021 were presented at the Glasgow Hilton on 9 October 2021, with host Bryan Burnett and Guest of Honour, five-time Olympian, Jo Pavey MBE. The club’s own jogscotland group, Let’s Go Linlithgow (LGL), was shortlisted in the ‘Group of the Year’ category…

LGL celebrated its third anniversary this year and in that time it has grown from a single jog leader running one session a week, to having 15 jog leaders leading five sessions a week. The group is now very much part of the club, offering joggers (and the wider community) the opportunity to attend paced 5k runs, beginner track sessions, and has helped grow the club membership, provided pacers and new coaches to the club.

For the 3rd year in a row the Club was shortlisted but this time we won! Club President, Angus Gallie, was delighted to pick up the award on behalf of LGL and the Club. Special mention also to Lorna Simpson who started the group and without her hard work and dedication, the group may not have existed. A proud moment for all involved.

Photo credit to Bobby Gavin and Ann Gallie.

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Linlithgow AC Weekly Update

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In a week that many of us would have been building up for the local 10k race, some of you have managed to get out and do some racing!

Brian is the king of the Castle.

Brian is the king of the Castle.

But before we get into the racing part. Special mention to Brian Couper this week for completing his 100km challenge from Crail to Edinburgh Castle. Starting at 8am, just over 14hrs later Brian made it to the Castle at 10.15pm. Kudos also to his LAC support crew of Paul Dudchenko, Neil Anderson, David Dalmau, Bryan Grome, Darren Dick plus Brian’s wife and honorary member, Linda. Brian has raised over £1100 for SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) and Lymphoma Action charities. Well done on a great achievement.

Paul’s torso and inversion at the top

Paul’s torso and inversion at the top

Scottish Hill Championships

Paul Dudchenko not surprisingly chose a hill race for his first race after 6 months. The course was an uphill only course over 12km with 830m of climb. The first runners to reach the summit of Carn Chois were treated with a cloud inversion in the valley below. Paul finished 7th M50 and 89th overall, in 01:19:26.

Frances at the Monument Mile

Frances at the Monument Mile

Monument Mile

Back in December when the race was announced there had been hope of a sub-4 effort from Andy Butchart who was on the entry list. Fast-forward 9 months and 2 postponements later everyone was just grateful to have some competitive action to be part of. Hosted by Central AC who put on a great event despite all the restrictions imposed upon them. You can watch back the races here.

Our very own Frances Wood was on the start list. Using all her track experience she finished in 6:59:57 achieving her goal of sub 7 minutes (just) for an 83% age-graded time - great effort Frances!

Summer virtual series

Only a few more days in September which means just a few more days to get your 10 mile and your 5k times in. A few more runs to add to the September leader board this week. 

An outstanding run from Lynsey Hay in the 10miler breaking the tape at 01:10:45 (01:09:53) to take the fastest female over the route. This run also puts her first in the handicap, well done Lynsey. Kathryn Holm has added her 10mile in 1:22:41 (1:18:43). Linzi Matheson and Gillian MacDonald stepped up to the longer distance well with their 01:49:12 (01:14:10) and 01:49:36 (01:14:22), respectively. 

James Hammond has again shown us all how to do it with his very impressive 01:04:54 (1:03:06) over the 10 mile course. Ian Fyfe had another go at the 10 and bettered his time to 1:18:53. This further cements his first place in the handicap to 58:28 - is there anyone out there who can go under the hour? Angus Gallie ran 1:15:50 (1:05:29), Geoff Pendril ran 1:24:12 (01:08:49) coming back from injury and David Mumford ran 1:30:17 (01:06:01).

Malcolm Hughes is the only 5k'er this week with his bang on 22mins (18:51) for 2nd fastest male time and 3rd fastest handicap. 

Which means Lynsey Hay once again makes her way to the top of both leader boards with a few days to go and Paul Dudchenko is still aloft the men's table. Malcolm Hughes and Kathryn Holm in 2nd with Malcolm also 2nd in the handicap. Joyce Tannahill currently in silver for the women handicap. Neil Anderson 3rd in both with Joyce and Gillian MacDonald 3rd in the scratch and handicap respectively.

Remember, you've got until Wednesday to get your runs done. Good luck!

See the latest standings for September.

Monthly Handicap Results - September

It was also our seventh virtual handicap race this week too, well done to our 8 handicappers this month. Check out the results here.

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scottishathletics SUPERteams virtual challenge for LAC juniors

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The scottishathletics U12 SUPERteams event is an extremely popular fixture in the annual competition calendar, but while traditional track and field events cannot take place currently, the event is now adopting a new virtual format.

9 of our Junior members have now signed-up to take part with Coach Lorna Simpson supporting with athlete registration, results and scoring over the next four weeks. At the end of the four weeks, club results will be added to the National SUPERteams leaderboard, co-ordinated by scottishathletics. These will be calculated to produce a national team result, making this both an individual challenge between club members, as well as a national team challenge between clubs all over Scotland.

Week 1 is Sprints, see below to see Junior members Jessica and Liam being put through their paces! Great effort by both.

Learn more about the virtual SUPERteams event.

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Staying fit & healthy during lockdown...

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There has been an impressive array of ingenuity while we all try and maintain our fitness during this lockdown. Scottish Athletics have been sharing what Clubs like ours have been doing up a down the country on their Facebook page - impressive and funny. 

It’s no surprise that footballers across the globe have been filling up the internet with footage of various keepy uppy challenges and showboating but one of the more impressive running stories is that of Elisha Nochomovitz and his marathon balcony challenge. Pan Shancu from China took it a few stages further though, take a look.

But how can we all stay fit, healthy and improve our mobility while at home? There is a wealth of information, videos, podcasts out there on the interweb. 

Here are some ideas shared by fellow LAC members... 👉🏻

Another thing to keep you occupied is the latest edition of the PB magazine. You may recognise a familiar face in the cross country round-up…

📷 Scottish Athletics

Weekly update: Balloch to Clydebank Half Marathon and parkrun round-up

Our latest Let's Go Linlithgow Jogscotland group completed the 5-to-10K course this past Friday. Well done to everyone involved.

On Sunday, Karen Outram, Jennifer Newton and Martin Maginnis joined the 400 runners at the Balloch to Clydebank Half Marathon - one of the few road races to not be affected by the Coronavirus. The route started at Loch Lomond Shores in Balloch and took runners on a mixture of riverside paths, cycle tracks, open road with road works thrown in to add a few obstacles on the way to the finish line at Clydebank. The added incentive of a free Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer at the finish made for a fast race. Martin got his wafer first in 01:25:42 (22nd M40), followed by Karen Outram in 01:44:44 (20th F40) and then Jennifer Newton in 01:55:19 (11th F50). All 3 devoured their wafers (unconfirmed).

At parkun, the Club had 10 runners at 6 different venues across Scotland and England. Clearly, recent events provided extra motivation to try a new venue before further restrictions were put in place on large gatherings. There were new venues for Scott Cumming (Lanark Moor parkrun), Ian Fyfe, David Main-Reade, Alison Marven (all at Agnew parkrun) and Jill Horsburgh (Wallaceneuk parkrun). Jill also managed 6th female and to knock almost 4.5 minutes off the age grade record. Roddy Simpson also helped marshal at Falkirk.

See the full parkrun results for this week

Please also read the Club’s statement regarding the Covid-19 pandemic.

📷 Roddy Simpson and Martin Maginnis

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Covid-19: Club Coaching Update

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All Club activities ceased with immediate effect

The Club will be adhering to advice from the Government to avoid all non-essential social contact. We are now of the view that all Club activities must therefore cease with immediate effect.

We very much regret this but understand that we have both a duty to assist in the avoidance of the spread of the virus and a duty of care to all our members. We are also aware that all our members will be under a range of unprecedented pressures over the coming days and weeks.

We obviously hope that we will get back to organised Club activities as soon as possible.

Best wishes to you all.  Keep in contact and support your fellow-runners in this difficult period.

Angus Gallie, Club President
Alex. Wood, Club Secretary

Weekly update: Inverness Half Marathon and parkrun round-up

Some great running from several Linlithgow women this weekend - a great way to mark International Women’s Day on Sunday.

Clair and Kathryn at Inverness Half

Kathryn Holm and Clair Howison joined over 3000 runners in the Highland capital of Inverness for the city’s half marathon and 5k road races on Sunday. The hilly route started alongside the banks of the River Ness near the city centre and takes in many of the city’s icons finishing at Queen’s Park Stadium at Inverness Sports Centre. Two excellent runs in windy conditions saw Kathryn finish in 01:37:27, taking 4 mins off her previous best over the distance, and Clair in 01:48:47. 

At parkun, the Club had 18 runners at 9 different venues across Scotland and England. There were PBs this week for Mandy Cazes at Strathclyde (23:54), Yvonne McHugh at Falkirk (30:08), Lynsey Hay at Kirkcaldy (20:59), Stuart Newton at Princes parkrun, Liverpool (24:59) and Roy Fairley at Polkemmet (26:43). There were new venues for Ian and Isobel Lockhart who both ran Kirkcaldy and David Main-Reade who ran Stirling University.

See the full parkrun results for this week.

📷 Clair Howison

Weekly update: Smokies 10 Road Race, Meadows Half, Bishop Hill Race and parkrun round-up

Another weekend, another storm to contend with for most of you this weekend. 

On Sunday, Alison Marshall, Jill Horsburgh and Mandy Cazes joined more than 400 female runners on the north east coast of Scotland for the 32nd Arbroath Footers 10 Mile Ladies Road Race. Mandy was the first of the trio home in a fantastic 1:20:24 (46th), followed by Jill in 01:28:14 (114th) and Alison 01:29:30 (118th).

Elsewhere, Claire Rice ran herself dizzy at the Meadows Half Marathon on Sunday. Several loops of the meadows later combined with Storm Jorge, Claire finished in 01:50:29 - a brilliant effort! 

David Mason and Paul Dudchenko tackled the short (~4 km), sharp, Bishop Hill Race in the Lomond Hills on Sunday. On the summit, the winds were horrendous, and remaining upright was a challenge.  Out of the 78 finishers, Paul was 25th (26:11) and David was 28th (26:38). David's son Cameron, a cyclist, had an outstanding cross-over into hill racing, and finished in second place finish overall (20:43).

Lastly, the Club had 20 runners making the most of the extra parkrun day at 8 different venues across Scotland and South Africa - David is still on his travels and Ian is either on his way home or resting up in New Zealand. The biggest Club turnout was again at Falkirk with 11 LAC runners - Neil Halliday running a new PB of 24:44. Roy Fairly also bagged a new PB, finishing Polkemmet in 27:22. Scott Cumming chalked up another new venue at Greenock, in 23:34. David Main-Reade had fun in the mud at Hazeldean, Pretoria South Africa, finishing in 25:23.

See the full parkrun results for this week.

In case you missed it at the AGM, the Club has supported it’s local community and other worthwhile causes of late. We recently received a thank you for our donation to the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) for the money raised at our Anniversary evening in December and also from the PJ Foundation - see images below. On behalf of the Club thank you again for your donations.

Lastly, please share your feedback via our Membership Survey. Your answers can be anonymous or alternatively share your email with us and you could win a Club branded t-shirt! The prize draw is only open to Club members and you will need confirm consent to enter the prize draw (last question in the survey). Survey closes Sat 7th March 2020.

Complete the survey here

📷 Frances Wood & Paul Dudchenko

Weekly update: Fun in the mud for Linlithgow AC at Scottish National Cross Country Championships

🗓 Club AGM, 25th Feb, 7.30pm at Low Port Centre

Four seasons in a day... In changeable, challenging conditions, a record 2,460 athletes from across the country were at the 2020 Scottish National XC Championships in Callendar Park, Falkirk on Saturday. Among the record turnout, Linlithgow had 16 runners who braved the heavy mud, sleet and hailstones. In the senior women’s race, Mairi Watts was first home for Linlithgow in 47:27, Lynsey Hay in 49:15, Jennifer Newton in 56:22, Mandy Cazes 58:08, Jill Horsburgh 59:27 (3rd VF60), Rebecca Evans 59:53 and Alison Marshall in 66:45. The women’s team finished 18th overall. Ian Logan 45:07 led the men’s team home, followed by Kenny Gray in 48:18, Martin Maginnis in 48:46, Paul Dudchenko in 49:36, Paul Emery in 52:14, Neil Barnes in 55:14, Darren Dick in 55:43, Angus Gallie in 55:44 and Colin Hutcheon in 61:43. The men’s team finished 35th overall.  Well done to Frances and Alex Wood and Neil Anderson for Marshaling at the event too.

🎥 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/scotland/51609210

Elsewhere, Roberta Whyte was in Borders for the Glentress 10k where the weather was equally challenging but added to the fun. Roberta finished in 01:19:38. Alison Malone was in Northumberland for the Bamburgh Coastal Series. Ali finished the Half Marathon distance in 02:06:10. On Sunday, John Redding enjoyed decidedly fairer conditions in the south of Spain for the Seville Marathon. John finished in a fantastic 02:48:08.

Lastly, the Club had 8 runners at 5 different parkrun venues across Scotland, South Africa and New Zealand. The biggest Club turnout was again at Falkirk with 4 LAC runners - both Neil Anderson and Roddy Simpson finishing 2nd in their respective age categories. Another new venue for Scott Cumming at Drumchapel, finishing in 27:02. David Main-Reade was at Lonehill, Johannesburg for his 200th parkrun finishing in 26:39. Ian Fyfe was up before all of us again for Blenheim parkrun in New Zealand, finishing in 21:23 (7th overall, 2nd VM60-64).

See the full parkrun results for this week

📷 Paul Dudchenko and Roberta Whyte

Weekly update: Linlithgow AC storms the weekend!

🗓 Club AGM, 25th Feb, 7.30pm at Low Port Centre

On Saturday, Paul Dudchenko, Laura Finlay and Jill Horsburgh competed in the Carnethy 5 Hill Race. The course is a 6-mile loop in the Pentland Hills and is the first major hill race of the year, attracting 500 runners from all over the country. Conditions this year were particularly challenging: the ground was saturated (see photo), and the high winds from Storm Dennis made it difficult to remain upright on the tops (special thanks to Trevor Galloway for marshalling on the summit of Scald Law!). This year marked the first year there was a winner from host club Carnethy on its 50th anniversary. All three Linlithgow runners survived, Paul finished in 242nd position (01:23:31), Jill in 453rd (01:50:22) and Laura in 484th (1:58:03).          

On Sunday, Jennifer Newton and Ian Lockhart ran the 12.5km road race as part of the Kirkintilloch Anniversary Race Series. Jennifer finished in 01:01:36 and 4th VF50 (a PB for the distance) and Ian in 1:04:54.

Elsewhere, Martin Maginnis ran the Kinloss to Lossiemouth Half Marathon. An undulating road race along the Moray coastline with high winds in what felt like every direction. Martin  finished in 01:25:14 (14th MV40) and new PB for the distance.

Lastly, the Club had 14 runners at 7 different parkrun venues across Scotland, the United States and New Zealand. The biggest Club turnout was again at Falkirk with 7 LAC runners - Mandy Cazes and Gillian McDonald earning new PBs. There were new venues for Stuart Newton who ran Strathclyde in 26:22 and Scott Cumming at Perth, finishing in 23:44. David Main-Reade was at Roosevelt Island DC parkrun, Washington DC finishing in 23:48. Ian Fyfe was up early for Taupo parkrun in New Zealand, finishing in 26:17 (3rd overall, 2nd VM60-64).

See the full parkrun results for this week

📷: Paul Dudchenko, Paul Dobson and Martin Maginnis.

Weekly update: Masters Cross Country Championships, Devilla trail races and parkrun round-up

🗓 Club AGM, 25th Feb, 7.30pm at Low Port Centre

The playing fields of the McMaster Community Centre in Johnstone played host to the Lindsays Masters Cross Country Championships on Saturday. Linlithgow had runners across the age groups in both male and female races. Rosemary Gallagher finished 24th F45 in 32:52 and Jennifer Newton 11th F50 in 32:15 for the women. For the men, John Redding finished 14th M40 in 30:56 with Martin Maginnis 33rd M40 in 34:28. Neil Anderson finished 24th M55 in 38:42, Angus Gallie 19th M60 in 38:25. Then in the M65+ category, Colin Hutcheon was 13th in 30:45 and Alex Wood 40th in 39:26. Some great running in windy conditions and a strong field which included former Commonwealth athlete Ross Houston, who won the Masters Men’s race.

7 Linlithgow AC members were among the 300+ runners who took on the Devilla Forest trail races on Sunday. The wind was again strong, but the real story was underfoot; recent heavy rain led to knee-deep, muddy puddles that were unavoidable. Paul Dudchenko was first home for the Linlithgow men in 01:03:55, Paul Emery in 01:05:16, Ian Lockhart in 01:18:31 and Graham Chambers 01:29.52. For the women, Charlotte Moran finished in 01:14:37, Hannah Danson in 01:19:33 and Katryna Mcleod in 01:25:37. Isobel Lockhart also ran, finishing the 5k distance in 30 minutes 05 seconds. The bottle of Schiehallion beer (other bottled beers available) in the race goody bag was well-earned for persevering and finishing the race. 

Lastly, 15 Linlithgow runners were at 8 different parkrun venues across Scotland and Florida in the United States. The biggest Club turnout was again at Falkirk with 7 LAC runners among the near 341 runners - Stuart Newton earned an all parkrun PB of 26:22. Tamsyn Sloan and Roy Fairley both earned new PBs at Polkemmet finishing in 25:54 and 28:17, respectively. There were new venues for Scott Cumming who ran Victoria Park in 23:28 and Neil Anderson at Dean Castle, finishing in 22:52. David Main-Reade was at Clermont Waterfront near Orlando, Florida finishing in 22:24.

See the full parkrun results for this week

📷 Rosemary Gallagher and Ian Lockhart

Weekly update: Foxtrail Winter Series Success, Edinburgh Winter Warmer 5k and parkrun round-up

On Saturday, Ian Logan and Gerry McArdle ran the Harvest Moon Half, the 5th race in the Foxtrail Winter Running Series, near Dunbar. Ian took top podium spot, finishing 1st overall in 01:26:36 while Gerry was 31st in 01:42:25. Well done to both on what was a tough course in challenging conditions.

Also on Saturday, Rosemary Gallagher and David McNish ran the Edinburgh Winter Warmer 5k around Arthur’s Seat. Rosemary finished in 24mins 25 seconds and was first FV40 while David finished in 20mins 19secs and was the 2nd MV40. Paul Ward also ran the Vogrie Park 10k trail in 49mins 30secs finishing 13th overall. Great running.

Elsewhere, Frances Wood and Angus Gallie led a cross country taster session despite the inclement weather at Callander Park on Saturday morning. 10 runners including 3 junior members attended the session which involved a leisurely run round one lap of the Nationals Cross Country Course and sampled a taste for the mud! 

On Sunday, Frances and Alex Wood completed their Level 1 Endurance Officials course at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow. As regular volunteers both have gathered plenty relevant experience and hope to secure their licenses soon. Both plan to gather more experience at various events this year and progress toward achieving their Level 2 licenses.

Lastly, the Club had 15 runners at 6 different parkrun venues across Scotland and the United States. The biggest Club turnout was again at Falkirk with 10 LAC runners, Alex Wood finished 3rd MV65 in 28:51. Neil Halliday got a parkrun PB at Livingston finishing in 24:30. Scott Cumming ran Ruchill for the first time in 25:17. David Main-Reade ran Weedon Island Preserve in Tampa, Florida in 23:14; running on boardwalks through mangroves in the pouring rain, nevertheless, highly recommended.

See the full parkrun results for this week

Weekly update: Devil's Burden 2020, Buchlyvie 10k and parkrun round-up

Malcolm Hughes, Darren Dick, Bryan Grome, Jennifer Newton, Graham Burrows, Andy Hemingway, Laura Finlay, Paul Dudchenko, Gerry McArdle, Jill Horsburgh and Mandy Cazes took on the Devil’s Burdens Relay race this past Saturday. The popular mid-winter race is made up of three ‘hill’ legs in the Lomond Hills, including climbs of East and West Lomond, and a trail leg. Organisers, Fife AC, had made some, mostly welcome, changes for this year’s event helping to mix things up for previous participants. The conditions were as anticipated, wild and windy on the hills, and one of the two Linlithgow teams were unable to finish due to an injury. The second team finished in 5:04:47, for a respectable 91st position (out of 151 teams). A notable finish was Andy Hemingway’s leg 4 effort, which was 31st fastest (again from 151 finishers). The customary soup and rolls post race were very welcome for the chilled runners in the Falkland village hall.

🎥 Take a look at Paul’s video from the race to get a flavour of the action!

Also on Saturday, Hannah Danson and Joyce Tannahill were in Buchlyvie near Stirling for the local 10k race. A largely flat out and back course north of the village helped both secure new PBs for the distance. Hannah finishing in 47:30 (14th female) and Joyce in 52:53 (33rd female). Well done to both.

Lastly, the Club had 21 runners at 7 different parkrun venues across Scotland, England and Northern Ireland this weekend. Mike Watts was in Victoria Park, Belfast and took full advantage of the flat course finishing in 18:36 for a new parkrun PB. Ian Fyfe added Aviemore to his tally of Scottish parkun venues, finishing in 21:09. The biggest Club turnout was at Falkirk with 11 LAC runners amongst the near 400 strong field - Stuart Newton, Clara McKenzie and Linzi Matheson all getting course PBs while Alex Wood was 3rd V65 finishing in 28:51. Graham Chambers continued his great progress from injury with a PB of 25:24 at Livingston.

See the full parkrun results for this week

📷 Pete Bracegirdle, FIfe AC.

Weekly update: East Districts Cross Country, Tynedrum 24 and parkrun round-up

Saturday afternoon saw the third and final meeting of the East Districts Cross Country at Livingston - co-hosted by Lothian and Linlithgow running clubs. Linlithgow providing 10 volunteers – Rhiann Ferguson, Joyce Tannahill, Alex and Frances Wood, Graham Burrows, Gerry McArdle, Roddy Simpson, Lorna Simpson, Roy Fairley and Tamsyn Sloan - carrying out a range of tasks from car park management to marshalling and taking down the course after the event. 

In the senior races, Linlithgow was also well represented. For the women, Charlotte Moran was first home in 30:41, followed by Mandy Cazes in 32:19, Jill Horsburgh in 32:47 and Jennifer Newton in 32:53 and Rebecca Evans in 33:10 - the team finished 15th for the season (of 24 teams). For the men, John Redding was first home in 35:48, then Martin Maginnis in 39:54, Paul Dudchenko in 41:33, Neil Barnes in 42:22, Angus Gallie in 44:44 and David Marshall in 46:33 - the team finishing 24th for the season (of 33 teams).

Also on Saturday, Brian Couper was in Tynedrum to run the Tynedrum 24, taking on the 12-hour edition of the event. The tough 50-mile trail lap race takes place mostly in darkness with 150m of ascent and involves a mixture of dirt tracks, rocky paths and small river crossings. After heading off at midday, Brian finished in 11:48:52 finishing 9th overall. Incredible effort.  

On Sunday, Michael Watts and Jennifer Newton ran the Nigel Barge 10k race in Glasgow. Michael got a new 10k PB finishing in 38:35. Jennifer and husband Stuart also ran, Stuart’s first in the LAC vest, finishing in 47:02 and 52:05, respectively.

The Club had 11 runners across 5 different parkrun venues across Scotland, England and Australia on Saturday! Neil Halliday secured a new PB at Falkirk (25:09), Ian Fyfe ticked another Scottish venue off his list, running Kelso (22:26). Junior member Clara McKenzie ran her first ever parkun at Falkirk (30:13) - well done. Volunteering this week was Jill Horsburgh who was tail walker at Polkemmet. Lastly, David Main-Reade was in Sydney, Australia and ran Kamay parkun in Sydney (24:02).

See the full parkrun results for this week.

On the coaching front, Frances and Alex Wood will be attending their first ever Officials Course on Sunday 2 February to become Level 1 Endurance and Risk Awareness Officials.  With the sport crying out for more officials to run events like Saturday’s XC event, they will be a welcome addition to the ranks. If you’re interested in finding out more: https://www.scottishathletics.org.uk/officials/courses-for-officials/

📷 Paul Dudchenko and Roddy Simpson

Weekly update: Weather impacts coached sessions and parkrun

A shorter update as the weather unfortunately wreaked havoc to both track and XC taster sessions this week - although a few hardy souls braved the elements. Great determination (but just a little bit mad!). And, a great turnout on Thursday evening for Mike Watts first coached session for the Club, Preston Road hill reps. A hard session made trickier by the slippy underfoot conditions, good fun nevertheless. 

Rewind to last Saturday, where David Main-Reade, Ian Fyfe and Alison Marven weren’t content with running Ury Riverside parkrun (where Ian got his highest WAVA score) the trio then headed to Huntley for a 5K race. Well done to all three.

This Saturday, the Club had 7 runners across 5 different parkrun venues across Scotland, England and Malaysia! A number of local parkrun events were impacted by the stormy weather this weeked but while Jill Horsburgh and Ian Fyfe were at a very wet and wild Crammond, in stark contrast, David Main-Reade ran his first parkrun in Malaysia at Putrajaya in 28 degree heat and humidity (and again followed it up with a 5k fun run this time round the Petronas towers). Scott Cumming picked up a course PB at Polkemmet, finishing in 26:11.

See the full parkrun results for this week.

Weekly update: Frank Clement recognised on New Year's Honours List and parkrun round-up

Frank Clement at LAC 40th Anniversary event

Frank Clement at LAC 40th Anniversary event

A belated congratulations to Club founder member and Olympian Frank Clement who was recognised for his contribution to Scottish Athletics in the New Year’s Honours List and will be presented with a British Empire Medal (B.E.M). This followed the news that Frank’s grandson, teenager Andrew McGill of Livingston AC, will represent Scotland for the first time at U17 level at the Run Stirling international XC event on January 11. Congratulations to the Clement and McGill families.

On New Year’s Day, the Club had 27 runners at 10 different parkrun venues across Scotland and England - a great turnout. New Year provides the rare opportunity to run two parkrun venues in one day. Mandy Cazes, Paul Emery, Ian Fyfe, David Main-Reade, Linzi Matheson, Charlotte Moran, Joyce Robertson and Lorna Simpson all ran Polkemmet and Livingston. Scott Cumming ran Ayr and Girvan Prom. Colin Hutcheon also ran his first Polkemmet parkrun finishing 1st MV65-69 and smashed age-group course record by 32 seconds (22:00).

On Saturday, the Club had 24 runners at 5 different parkrun venues across Scotland and Australia! The biggest Club turnout was at Falkirk where 14 Club members ran - James Hammond, Hannah Danson and Linzi Matheson all getting new PBs - well done. 

New Year’s Day results

Saturday 4th Jan results

Weekly update: Christmas Cracker, Beecraigs Festive Handicap and parkrun

The weekend prior to Christmas is generally a quieter period, most choosing to wrap presents rather than race. For Paul Dudchenko, it was an opportunity to squeeze in one last hill race before the festive break, racing the Kirk's Craigs Christmas Cracker in the Ochils last Saturday. A 6.5 km out and back up to Kirk's Craigs. And like any good hill race, it featured a great spread of cakes and pies afterwards. Paul finished in 52m 50s, earning 31st place out of 83 finishers.

On Boxing Day the Club turned out in good numbers for the annual Festive Handicap race hosted by Lothian Running Club at Beecraigs. Runners had the choice of one or two laps, albeit a slightly changed route, but the same number of times up Cockleroy - a race not for the faint hearted. Nevertheless, some fantastic times over both the 7km and 14km routes.

In the 7km race (Chip time), Lynne McGill in 32:40, Paul Emery in 33:15, David Dalmau in 33:25, Brian Couper in 38:52, Jill Horsburgh in 40:02, Graham Burrows in 41:05, Jennifer Newton in 42:11, Alex Wood in 45:32 and Gillian McDonald in 50:39. In the 14km race, Grace Molloy finished in 1:02:39, Martin Maginnis in 1:04:38, Gerry McArdle in 1:06:31, Ian Boxall in 1:07:42, Neil Anderson in 1:11:51, Ian Fyfe in 1:14:04 and Rachel Waugh in 1:43:33. The full race results includes your Race time which is your handicapped finish time and the Chip time which is how long you took to complete your 7km or 14km run. 

At the Saturday morning parkrun, the Club had 13 runners across 5 different venues across Scotland and Wales. The biggest Club turnout in Falkirk with lone runs at Plean, Oriam, Loch Leven and Wepre, near Connah's Quay in Flintshire, Wales. You also made use of the bonus parkrun on Christmas Day, again 13 runners across 5 different venues. Full results available here:-

Saturday 21st results

Christmas Day results

Photo credit: Frances Wood
Roddy has posted more photos here.

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