Admin – Page 41 – Anent Scottish Running

Doug Gillon

Posted on November 17, 2016 by Admin

Doug at Work

Doug Gillon started out as a runner, a pretty good runner, before becoming one of Scotland’s best and most respected athletics journalists. He attended three, four or ten times more Olympics than any athlete did, he covered more sports than any other journalist that I can think of has done, and still managed to keep his allegiance to his roots in the country’s athletics. It is appropriate though to start where he started – and Colin Youngson covers his career as a runner.

Eric Fisher (born 1946) became a good cross-country and marathon runner and a very good coach, as well as being a key figure on the Edinburgh Boys Brigade scene. He first got into the sport through Sunday School picnics where all the races were short sprints which he could never win. He wanted longer distance races, as did another youngster by the name of Douglas F. Gillon (born on the 12^th of July 1946) the subject of this profile. These picnics were all held at Dalkeith Country Park and when such races were introduced, these two used to beat everybody else easily.

Later on, in 1966, Eric Fisher became involved properly in the sport when he was 19 years old and Claude Jones of Edinburgh AC who worked in Ferranti’s asked if there were any runners in the factory who were not involved in the sport. Eric was pointed out to him and he was invited along. The first night there he was involved in a 2.5 mile race: it was a handicap race but all athletes started at the same time. He saw one guy he knew and told the handicapper he could beat him. It turned out that it was Doug Gillon (again) who had been attending George Watson’s College and was ranked number 3 in the United Kingdom for the steeplechase in his age group. Eric kept up with them for about 100 yards, fell away and finished between two and three minutes behind them. That wasn’t bad for a youngster on his first night though.

Doug Gillon features in the Scottish Athletics Yearbook which lists statistics from the 1965 season. With a time of 4.24.2 for 1500 metres Steeplechase, he was fastest Junior in Scotland, in front of his EAC team-mate John Fairgrieve. Doug produced this time in the Schools International fixture in Brighton on the 24^th of July, when he was narrowly beaten into second place after a bold front-running bid for victory. He had earned selection for the Scottish team by becoming Scottish Schools champion by winning the 1500m Steeplechase title at Meadowbank. His time that day, 2.25.7, was only 0.3 of a second slower than Alistair Blamire’s record, set in 1964. This was after Doug had finished third in the Schools mile at Goldenacre. The race was won by Jack MacFie of Daniel Stewart’s, who went on to finish third in the Brighton international mile. Doug and Jack trained together; and Jack was to run well for Edinburgh University, Scottish Universities, EAC and Victoria Park. His most successful event was probably 880 yards. He won many contests with a strong sprint finish and had a best time of 1.53.3.

(A really unusual feat was when Jack MacFie broke the outright record for racing up umpteen steps to the top of London’s Post Office Tower! This challenge took place in April 1968, shortly after Edinburgh University had won both the British Universities Cross Country and Scottish National XC team titles. He clocked a rapid 4 minutes 46 seconds and was 2nd to go up in the EU team of 6: Hugh Stevenson, Jack MacFie, Ian Hathorn, Andy McKean, John Exley and Ken Fife. All the EU runners were better than London University’s best. As an extra guest for EU, Sheila Duncan set a women’s record.)

Doug Gillon also made the 1965 Scottish Senior lists with 10 minutes 10 seconds for the gruelling 3000m Steeplechase.

In November 1965, Doug made the EAC team for the prestigious Edinburgh to Glasgow Road Relay – and what a successful debut it was. Doug took over from the great Jim Alder in 4^th place on the 7^th Stage and managed to hold this position. Although EAC ended up 5^th after the final 8^th Stage, they were presented with the Most Improved team medals.

There was further improvement for Doug in 1966: 9.46.0 for 3000m Steeplechase, run in London (14^th in the Scottish rankings). This was to be his fastest ever in this event.

The Scottish Universities Track Championships took place at Westerlands in Glasgow on June 3^rd 1967. Spectators watched Doug Gillon racing around indefatigably completing several events for the new Heriot-Watt University, a team that was short of numbers. The Scottish Association of Track Statisticians Archive makes clear about two of his best runs that summer: 58.1 for the 440 yards Hurdles (8^th in the Scottish rankings) and 10 minutes 0.2 seconds in the 3000m Steeplechase, when he won at Grangemouth on 6^th August (14^th).

In the 1967 E to G, Doug ran Stage 7 once more and improved his team’s position from 7^th to 6^th, which turned out to be their place at the finish.

In Summer 1968 Doug ended up 21st in the Scottish rankings for 3000m Steeplechase with 10.11.6. After he left university, his journalistic career took precedence.

Hugh Stevenson has been a member of Victoria Park AAC for many years. In his day a talented hurdler, who won the SAAA Junior 120 yards Hurdles title in 1965, he is notorious for satirical ‘imitations’ of athletics friends and foes. Doug Gillon featured frequently in Hugo’s humorous repertoire as ‘The Expert’, and was treated with fond derision as Gillon became Scotland’s finest Athletics Journalist. Doug’s friends at VP also included ‘The Doc’ (John Baird), ‘Jake the Snake’ (Jack MacFie) and ‘The Boss’ (Roddie Campbell).

Then in 1977, racing for Victoria Park AAC, Doug Gillon produced a surprise personal best time of 57.19 for 400 metres Hurdles (16^th in the Scottish Rankings). (Many years later, Doug was awarded Life Membership of VPAAC, for services to athletics journalism.)

Doug Gillon himself emailed a colourful series of memories from these early days. Inevitably these are much more entertaining than the previous paragraphs, which had to be sourced mainly from cold statistics!

“ I was born in Edinburgh on 12.7.1946, and attended George Watson’s College in Edinburgh where I tried almost every sport imaginable: athletics, rugby, squash, badminton, cricket in which I represented the school; learned to ski at Aviemore, and canoe in Loch Lomond and the Hebrides. I dabbled enthusiastically in basketball, hockey and volleyball, plus football (which we had to arrange for ourselves, being a “rugby school”). And tennis and golf at which I was abysmal. In fact not even as good as that.

I was obsessed with sport from an early age and remember beating Eric Fisher who was in the same Sunday school class, probably before we were 10. It was a cross-country race of, of maybe .75 of a mile. I recall winning in a sprint finish (first race I ever won) I’m not sure if it was from Eric. Later, he trained for cross-country with the BB, and always beat me comfortably, as did another BB lad who gave Eric some competition. His name (McMahon, I think, but Eric could confirm) never featured in athletics in future, and whenever I recalled these days in the future, I always considered him a talent lost to the sport. Especially once Eric developed in the marathon.

In the coronation summer of 1953 I remember reading the report of the first ascent of Everest. I was six and transfixed. I still have the newspaper with its souvenir pictures . . . Hillary, an alien figure against an impossibly blue sky. And who had taken this photograph, I remember thinking. Tensing, of course, but perhaps this was the first evidence of an enquiring sporting mind. The next was being summoned by my father to hear news of Bannister, Brasher and Chataway, and the first sub four-minute mile. And I recall creeping out of bed at 3.00am on a spring morning in 1955, to tune in to Eamonn Andrews’ boxing commentary on the Don Cockell v Rocky Marciano world heavyweight title fight. Cockell got his head boxed off in nine rounds. I devoured every line of all the newspaper reports. I wanted to know all about these icons. Reading about them inspired me, and while doing the greatest job in the world, I’ve since been privileged to meet and interview many of them, including Chataway, Brasher, and Bannister.

From an early age I had a dream . . . that I might be a good enough athlete to represent my country, to go to the Commonwealth Games, and perhaps even the Olympics. Well, it didn’t quite work out like that. There were a few injuries, the pre-lottery dilemma of carving a career, paying a mortgage, and raising a family. Not to mention insufficient talent. But life took odd twists which resulted in me covering 11 Olympics. Thanks primarily to having defied my parents’ wishes that I study law – a decision that caused a fair bit of domestic aggro.

My father was a public relations consultant, involved in the then fledgling sport sponsorship industry. Many early such events in Scotland were his creation, including the first national awards dinner (Usher Vaux). This brought him into routine contact with the likes of Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart, because his clients sponsored motor racing at Charterhall when these future F1 champions were young drivers. Winnie Shaw, Bobby Macgregor, Harvey Smith, Dick McTaggart, Ming Campbell, and a host of other celebrities were household topics of conversation. My dad brought home their autographs, and even that of Muhammad Ali.

So sporting excellence was a step closer for me than just reading about it in the papers. My old man was on first-name terms with them. Yet when I announced that I wanted to write about sport rather than read law, he went ape. There was a lecture about sports writers, with whom he worked daily: how advancement relied on luck, and not necessarily talent, that there were many very good journalists earning a pittance on local papers, because they’d never had a lucky break. It was a hard-drinking, cynical and unpleasant profession. But he let slip some Damon Runyonesque tales about Scotland’s sports scribes, which only whetted my ambition.

My eclectic sports participation meant I did no real athletics until I was 17. I discovered latent cardiovascular fitness by chance, thanks to a knee ligament injury sustained at rugby. I ran every day to recover strength (straight lines, no side-stepping), and was persuaded to do some track races. I discovered the long-standing school mile record was in reach, and beat it with 4:24.1 on a five-lap-to-the-mile grass track at Myreside. I was briefly coached by John Anderson whose rep sessions at Meadowbank (in some illustrious company) frequently made me ill. I’d have run over broken glass for him, but quickly learned he could cause a row in an empty house. I retain the greatest regard and affection for him – a truly iconic coach, and we remain friends. I’d never have become a journalist but for John and the life lessons which I did not even realise I was learning until decades later.

I joined Edinburgh AC, and recall running a mile, 3k chase, and six miles “for the point” in one evening during a club match at Ayr. It was my first ‘chase and first time over a water jump. Not for the last time, I fell in, but managed to finish, in second or third, I think.

Barrier technique was clearly lacking; as were facilities. So having decided to do the #chase at the Scottish schools, I took the wooden bench seats from the Myreside stand, and stacked them three-feet high on the track, to practise hurdling, knowing that if I hit these benches I would go down, to focus the mind. So just like the real thing.

I also recall a 3k chase at Westerlands (Aug ’65, I think) in which Lachie Stewart and John Linaker had a ding-dong battle. Approaching the bell, I heard them closing on me and just managed to avoid the humiliation of beng lapped as Lachie broke the Scottish record.

EAC clubmates Jack MacFie, John Fairgrieve and I took 1, 2, 3 in the mile at the 1965 Scottish Schools Championships at Goldenacre. It seems significant, looking back, that we’d done regular very competitive weekly track rep sessions (eg 10×400, 6×600) together at Ford’s Road. As Goldenacre had no waterjump, the schools steeplechase (1500m) was held over to the Scottish Junior champs the following weekend, on cinders at Meadowbank. I won relatively unchallenged and was disappointed to learn I’d missed the national record by less than a second. I was told that medalling in both mile and 1500m SC was a first. I was more interested in it getting me selected for Scottish Schools.

At Brighton I had a lead of 50 metres in the Schools International, but got caught right on the line by a guy called Barry Davies who was unbeaten in Britain that year. He later became a cyclo-cross international, I believe.

There was no coach, and no advice at Brighton. I was then selected for an SAAA Junior team against the Army, a 2k chase, at Pitreavie. I managed to slip right under the water jump barrier for total immersion while warming up, but won the race in the same time as the runner-up. Definitely fuelled by how I’d felt when I lost on the line at Brighton.

I briefly worked in London as an executive officer with HM Customs & Excise, sharing a flat with Northern Ireland 800m internationalist Les Jones, later to become GB athletics team manager. When Les died, sadly most prematurely, I found myself shoulder to shoulder with Linford Christie, carrying one end of the coffin at his funeral in Portadown.

I joined Thames Valley where Ron Roddan was a young sprint coach. Did sessions with John Bicourt among others, and sometimes with a group which included Lillian Board.

I took a sabbatical from C&E to study for a BA in Commerce at Heriot Watt University where Adrian Weatherhead was then star athlete and Bill Walker the leading coaching light, team manager, and factotum. I recall a uni cross-country at Caird Park where Adrian was leading by about 100 yards when he shot off course. I had to resist the temptation not to shout him back (I was second) but we were team mates, after all! And he won comfortably. But the general standard of athletics was so poor that I won the 400h, 880, mile, and 3 miles in one afternoon at the University championships. My times were so dire that I carefully expunged them from my memory.

There were a few false starts before I became a journalist. I wrote the odd snippet for the school magazine at Watson’s. Malcolm Rifkind was a classmate, and before he moved at a young age, so was Mike McLean (800m CG 1970). Peter Burgess, who later won three Scottish decathlon titles, was also a contemporary and we were in the same team at the Schools international in Brighton (he did LJ then). So were my mates Jack MacFie and John Fairgrieve.

England’s World Cup win in 1966 quite spoiled my day. I’d hitched overnight from London, got a lift from Edinburgh to Ayr, and won the Land o’ Burns steeplechase. Then came off the track to learn England, drawing 2-2 when I lined up, had won. I took silver in the Civil Service 3k SC in 9.46. Can’t recall who won. Weeks later, I fell on an escalator, damaging ankle ligaments which took months to heal in my early time at Uni. This caused me to drop the ‘chase and try various events including 400 hurdles, with little success. Eilidh Doyle would have beaten me by nearly 30 metres! I guess in league matches over the years I tried every event bar the pole vault, “just for the point”.

Scotland’s big athletics hero was Jim Alder who had won the marathon at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston (and was to fight his way to silver in the 1970 Edinburgh CG). Jim was a cult figure, hard as nails. The Victor’s fictional comic strip hero, Alf Tupper, aka Tough of the Track, was a wimp by comparison.

I’d run in the same Edinburgh-to-Glasgow team as Jim (my most terrifying moment as a young athlete was Jim Alder handing me the baton in the lead, at Airdrie War Memorial). I knew all his backround. I was in awe of him, of course, but he was friendly and gave advice. No arrogance, although he was among the best in the world. I could not help comparing him with some of the very one-dimensional footballers I queued to speak to outside Ibrox or Parkhead after reporting Old Firm matches. And Lachie Stewart was from the same cloth.”

Doug later added the following reminiscences:

“AT EAC a large group would go out on Sunday mornings. For me, those peaked briefly at a max of around 2 hours 10min which, eyeballs out for me, would be no more than 19-20 miles. These would be hilly: from Fords Road, out to Colinton, Redford, Balerno, and past the reservoirs. Finlay Steele was the top junior (around 51mins, I think in the Tom Scott in 1964 or 65). I recall finishing second junior to him on a very hot day on the Law to Motherwell course. I only just broke the hour but was well out of my comfort zone – completely wasted.

Bert Carse (later emigrated to Western Australia) would slaughter everyone bar Finlay on these Sunday runs. They started very friendly, everyone chatting. Silence would gradually descend, and then the boot would go in, and we’d fragment into little competitive groups.

Carse was the class act over three miles on the track, and Neil Donnachie, Bob Greenoak, and Barry Craighead were still competing for the club. Barry, who was then a joiner, would often give me a lift home in his van, which I recall once contained a coffin, or panels thereof!

I enjoyed handicap races at Highland Games, and on reflection they taught pace-judgement which sometimes seems lacking today, as a consequence of the decline of HG.

When I joined the Sunday Post (1968) I went out at lunchtimes, jogging from Port Dundas to Westerlands where I’d join a few others in a track rep session, then jog back. Lachie was often training there, and I recall Myra Nimmo too, training in the early 70s, prior to the ’76 Olympics where she did the long jump.

My training was indiscriminate, lacking structure as well as motivation because I could not race. Athletics contests in the late 60s were almost always on Saturdays – and I worked on Saturdays, focusing on my career, which caused me to abandon competitive aspirations. With a young family, serious commitment to training would have been a huge indulgence – unfair to my long-suffering wife, Mary. My job was disruptive enough to normal family life and she was hugely supportive of my work.

Nevertheless, I did attempt to keep in some shape. I’d go down to VP on Tuesday evenings. Jack MacFie put me to shame, travelling every week from Edinburgh despite being a GP. Our sessions were always competitive, whether track reps or round the Scotstoun area, or along The Boulevard. I’d also attempt to go out from home, perhaps once a week, and perhaps twice from the office at lunchtime but would only run a total of about 35 miles per week.

I’d various trails ranging from two to a maximum of seven miles, such as out to Mugdock reservoir or round Dougalston.

League athletics opened some Sunday options in the mid ’70s, and briefly rekindled competiive juices. They did so again with the marathon boom in the early ’80s. I got quite fit prior to the Glasgow marathon in either ’81 or ’82, while working for the Sunday Standard, going out every day through Glasgow Green for about 35-40 mins and also from home. I got up to around 60mpw then. On marathon day I promised to run with Bobby Watson (Airdrie manager) in the early stages, until he settled down. I left him about five miles, and stupidly got sucked into the race. I reached 19 miles in a couple of minutes over two hours, and was really chuffed – felt I should break three hours. Within two miles I’d strained my groin. I dragged my right leg to the finish – passed by Bobby in Pollok Park! I finished in 3:45. I never ran another marathon, and about three years there was a Damascene moment: my 11-year-old son, Gregor, beat me over two miles when we jogged on holiday in Cornwall.

I continued to jog two or three times a week into my 60s, but the knees are now paying for all those times I stepped over the door and onto the road or pavement. If I knew then what I know now, a lot more would have been done on grass. The last five years I have been able to do little more vigorous than a walk.”

It is important that we started with Doug as a runner and club man because it indicates that he knows the sport from the inside, is happy with the participants, and is, indeed, happy to be a participant. How can one who mixes with The Boss, The Doc and Jake the Snake ever be accused of being out of touch? Now read on for Doug’s journalistic career.

Iain Robertson’s friends say …

Posted on October 29, 2016 by Admin

As we said, Iain knew when to stop: too many athletes and coaches would be ‘lost’ if they left the sport. Indeed there are courses for the ‘de-training’ of athletes when they retire and the same could be true of coaches. Iain is proof that there is a good life to be had after athletics. But what he did in the sport and for the sport has not been forgotten and below some of the people who worked for him and with him look back at Iain as a coach as well as a friend.

Val Smith winning the WAAA Junior 100m in 1973

I first joined Maryhill Ladies Athletic Club as as twelve year old in 1972. Coached by Ian Robertson (Rab), the next year I gained success in winning most domestic titles for my age group, culminating in the British Junior 100 metres title at Kirby in 1973.

Training was always enjoyable and varied – club sessions at Scotstoun on Monday and Wednesday nights, all day sessions at Bellahouston on a Sunday, starting with weight training, then a track session, finishing with hill runs-both uphill for strength and stamina and downhill for leg speed and acceleration. Winter training included Friday nights in the gym at Westbourne, with circuit training and gym work, followed by hill runs on the pavements outside! The club regularly had a day out to Prestwick, where I remember running along the beach dragging a tyre behind my back for resistance training, and also running up hill dunes. Co-ordination drills, hopping, bounding up sets of stairs were also common in training, along with running with weighted jackets.

Training was meticulously planned by Iain well in advance, and we all kept training diaries which were regularly discussed.

Iain was highly intelligent and extremely knowledgeable about the latest training techniques, and was very innovative for his time.

I remember competing at Cosford in the British Indoor Championships 60 metres in 1975, where I was using a one-handed start, pioneered by my namesake, the Olympic 100 metre Champion, Valery Borzov. I won my heat, and there was a rumour afterwards that I may be disqualified, as the officials were not sure if this start was legal, as they had not seen it used before in this country. Luckily I was allowed to progress, and I won a silver medal! Eventually the one-handed start became quite popular, before the current IAAF ruling of a down start with both hands in contact with the track!

It was not long before Iain was coaching a very talented squad of athletes. He turned up at training one night wearing a red hooded sweatshirt with the words ‘Rab’s Rockets’ printed on the back, so from then on, the squad was known as Rab’s Rockets!

His commitment and contribution to his athletes was second to none, and he was always well respected by his peers. He encouraged the best from his athletes, and was an extremely dynamic and motivational coach. It was an absolute privilege to be coached by him.

Angela Bridgeman Baxter

I first joined Rab’s training group when I was about 13 years old. I came to Glasgow AC when Western AC joined with the women who trained with Maryhill and we all started training at Scotstoun. Up until that point athletics was a fun hobby for me and I didn’t know another level existed really. I am not sure how it happened but I ended up in Rab’s group and soon realized that this was serious business and that he was a very knowledgeable coach. We did drills and technique runs and he explained how to do them and more importantly why. He kept detailed records and had a yearly periodized plan and he was very interested in the whole person. He was meticulous and organized. He had us monitor all of our vitals like sleep/food we ate and daily pulse rate while recommending vitamins for us to take. I coached for several years and this knowledge and approach served me well.

Val Smith and others were the older athletes in the group were all successful and I soon found out why. We trained very hard. Rab had a no nonsense approach at the club although we did have fun. He would also meet us on other days once we reached the level where we needed to train more which came with more sacrifice of his time. There was no elitism in that anyone who came to the group was welcomed. Most did not stay long as the hard training weeded people out. I believe he came from a soccer background which a lot of the coaches did. He would always come with a sheet of notepaper with the session on it and there was many butterflies in the stomach as we waited to hear what we would be running that night. He rarely told us ahead of time what we would be doing. Then as we tired he would urge us to “get the finger out”(laughs) His dedication to the sport and his athletes was amazing. When we would go to meetings he would mostly be found in the press box announcing! He travelled to Brisbane in 1982 to support the Scottish team and myself and Sandra Whittaker who were competing. He arranged for us to run around Celtic park before a big game so we could get used to big crowds before going to Brisbane! He thought of it all. I probably did not have the intense competitive drive that matched his expertise and coaching and I was somewhat injury prone which limited my progression.

I have read the bios of some of the other Scottish coaches on this site and I think Iain walks alongside all of the great ones- Frank Dick, John Anderson and others. He was more than a “just a coach” he was a mentor and good friend. I basically grew up under his influence. I learned many lessons from him that have helped me be successful in my life.

Angela is academic advisor for men’s and women’s cross country and men’s and women’s track and field

Brigham Young University Utah

Sandra Whittaker was a quite superb athlete whose running, especially in the 1983 world championships in Helsinki, the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and the 1986 Commonwealth Games, was right up there with the best in the wold. She has this to say about Iain.

When I joined Glasgow Athletic Club I was fortunate enough to be placed in the sprints training group which Iain Robertson coached.

Within the first year Iain had quickly recognised my potential and approached my parents to ask if they could bring me to training more than once a week as he said he felt he could really make something of me. After discussion, my parents committed to taking me out to Scotstoun 3 times a week and Bellahouston 1 day a week. This was the start of great things to come.

Iain was the most committed coach I had the pleasure of training with. He put everything into every single person who was in our training group regardless of ability.

His training methods, I feel, were well advanced of the time and many other coaches from other clubs followed his training schedules with their athletes.

Our training programmes were very challenging, but with Iain’s support and encouragement we got through them, sometimes on our knees by the end of a session. Iain also travelled the country and beyond to competitions abroad, paying his own way, to make sure he provided the support I needed, one of these being the Olympic Games where I needed all the support I could get. Always a man to go above and beyond. It was here that I broke the Scottish Record and ran 22.98 seconds which stood for 34 years until 2 years ago. He was the proudest coach at that time.

Alastair Shaw adds to what he says in the profile: “Although quick with the quips, and not always suffering fools gladly, Iain had a great moral sense and an understanding that coaches don’t just work on physical improvements with athletes but, wittingly or unwittingly, also set a role model for them. In that regard you might want to speak to Leslie Roy. Partly for stories from the many club trips down south when Ian was club Team Manager and she still an active athlete, and partly as I suspect she may have learnt quite a bit from him about how to go about team management.”

Lynne MacDougall

Lynne MacDougall has this to add:

“Three things I remember vividly about Rab: One was his passion and dedication to the club. He was at every UK league match. He would distribute a small piece of paper with the time of your event to each girl in the bus before the match started. This would be followed by a motivational speech to entreat you to perform your best. The bus was silent as we all listened intently. I am sure that most of us did get PBs in these matches!

The second was his approach to his training group. At the time I was in the club he had a really talented group, including Sandra Whittaker, Yvonne Anderson and Angela Bridgeman. They all worked very hard on that Scotstoun track which was just ash at the time, but also seemed to have a lot of fun.

The third was his sense of fun and humour. He was very serious and professional in his approach to coaching but also loved to kid on the athletes and of course we enjoyed the banter as well. “

Iain’s picture of Sandra and Angela in Brisbane, 1982

Back to the profile

Iain Robertson

Posted on October 29, 2016 by Admin

Iain with his wife, Linda, in March 1996

Iain Robertson was possibly the best athletics coach that I ever worked with – and I’ve worked with a few. He helped me make some good athletes better: Sam Wallace, twice British junior indoor 1500m champion twice and also indoor 800m silver medallist in the mid 80’s, and a group of good 800m runners in the early 90’s. He lectured on SAAA coaching courses at Inverclyde and we met up there as well. Of this aspect of his work in the sport, Frank Dick, Scottish National Coach at the time, described him as a top-end lecturer on coach education courses, helping shape what was to become the GB programme. A coach with Scottish teams, including the the Scottish schoolgirls courses. He worked with and developed some top class athletes: Val Smith in the 1970’s, Angela Bridgeman and Sandra Whittaker in the 1980’s and Mel Neef in the 1990’s, had to be a class act. Although his full name was Iain Duthie Robertson, he was known to everyone as ‘Rab’. And of course mention should also be made of Iain’s coaching attire.

Although always dressed smartly at meetings and matches: his trademark 1970’s coaching gear of tartan bunnet, anorak (with pockets full of pens, papers, reminders, string and a stopwatch), together with his green Datsun which could most probably have driven to training and conducted the sessions themselves, so frequently were they in attendance. But unlike most people that I met in the sport, Iain knew when to stop – his priorities altered to demands of personal life and he was able to leave the sport. He now has a full life away from the sport, even has his own facebook page, has a sports consultancy company and I am told, does a lot of travelling with his wife Linda. His athletes still talk about the times they had with Iain as coach and/or team manager and some of their comments are here . So while he gets on with life after athletics, we can have a look at his career as a top quality coach.

Iain back right with (back row): -Catriona Gardiner , Malcolm McDougall, and Sandra Whittaker; (front row) Lynne MacDougall, Yvonne Anderson, Debbie Currie , Gillian Provan , Angela Bridgeman. (Taken at WAAA’s at Crystal Palace after a successful weekend. Medals all round.)

Hamish Telfer started coaching at the same time as Iain and he says: “Rab arrived in the late 60s/early 70s at the then Maryhill Ladies Athletics Club. Both of of us were taken in hand by Jimmy Campbell and we both quickly developed our own squads. We also worked closely together and quite quickly got some respectable results with some of our athletes (eg. me with Sandra Weider and he with eg. Val Smith) at Junior and Intermediate level. I departed for England in 1975 so lost a touch a bit, but he went on to coach some very good athletes such as Angela Bridgeman. “

At Maryhill Ladies AC Iain was encouraged/mentored by Jimmy Campbell and a better mentor you could not get. By the time Alastair Shaw went along to the club in 1975 to help Jimmy with some of his athletes, it had changed its name to Glasgow AC and Iain was chief coach at the club. Alastair tells us: “At that time Iain was Chief Coach and, along with a few others, was intent on establishing a businesslike professional approach to coaching and administering within the sport. I guess this followed in the footsteps of Frank Dick. However whereas Frank’s expertise was in the academic, Iain’s was in the workplace and he was able to marry the two to great success in the club environment. When I switched to coaching I immediately received his full support. He also engendered a sense of trust and loyalty in his athletes through his unswerving dedication to their individual improvement, pretty much irrespective of their underlying talent. This in turn led them to an often punishing physical commitment to improvements that led to the success of so many. I well remember the dark rainy winter Friday nights spent in the school gym at Westbourne school circuit training with a dedicated squad of 20 or so athletes including Angie, Sandra, Yvonne Anderson, Wilma Addison, to name but a few. It is these tough sessions, undertaken well out of competition, that pay the real dividends during the summer season.”

Val Smith winning the WAAA 100m in 1973

Possibly the best measure of success for any coach is the quality of athletes that he developed.

* Val Smith was mentioned by Hamish. For an impartial look at her athletics, the July 1975 issue of the now sadly defunct magazine ‘Athletics in Scotland’ wrote: Valerie Smith first appeared in Scottish athletics rankings as a 13-year-old in 1972 with a 13.1w 100 metres clocking. Since then she has progressed dramatically, leaving behind her an impressive trail of victories and titles till now she stands at the threshold of what is likely to be a highly successful career. Just turned 16, Valerie (with the possible exception of internationalist clubmate Myra Nimmo – who has her mind on other events) is the leading sprinter in the West District. Born on 4th April 1959 in Glasgow, Valerie attends Laurel Bank School, Glasgow, and is a member of Maryhill Ladies AC. Valerie is coached by Uan Robertson, the Maryhill Ladies’ coach.

Valerie’s stylish running quickly enabled her to make her mark on the Scottish scene. In 1973 she swept the boards in her age group with wins in Junior West, East v West, Scottish Schools, SWAAA Junior 100 and 200m. In that year she achieved her most outstanding victory so far (and her most satisfying) when at Kirby she beat the best in Britain to take the UK Junior 100 metres title. Despite an interrupted 1974 season due to injury Valerie managed to get into the intermediate rankings with times of 12.0 and 24.9. Back to full fitness this season, she has already taken the West District intermediate 100 and 200m titles (12.5 and 25.5) and the SWAAA National Intermediate sprint double (12.2 and 25.0). At the time of writing she hopes to do well in the Scottish Schools championships. Her best times of 1975 are the above mentioned 12.2 and an excellent 24.8 timing in the UK Women’s League in Bristol. In addition 1975 brought her the Scottish indoor 300 metres title, second place in the British Indoor 60 metres and a first place medal in the SWAAA Senior Medley Relay for Maryhill Ladies.”

* Wilma Addison who was a Scottish ranked sprinter every year from 1974 to 1978 inclusive and Scottish Schools 100m champion in 1980;

* Yvonne Anderson who was first ranked nationally at the age of 13 in 1978 and then every year until 1983 at 100m, 200m, 400m and Long Jump; she was Scottish Schools 200m champion in 1980 and second in the Scottish women’s 200m in 1980;

* Jane Etchells who was a good club standard 100m/200m/long jumper nationally ranked in 1977, 1978 and 1979 with personal bests of 12.2/25.2/ 5.34m

He also coached Leslie Roy, who is now, and has been for some time, one of Scotland’s best, best known and most popular officials.

Sandra Whittaker

Iain’s best ever squad was probably that of the early/mid 1980’s where the remembered names are Sandra Whittaker and Angela Bridgeman.

* Sandra‘s career is summed up by statistician Arnold Black who says: “she ran sub-23.65 seconds (legally) for 200 metres on 21 occasions. So far (up to October 2016), 12 Scots in total (including Sandra) have run legal sub-23.65 on 58 occasions. Or to put another way, Sandra bettered 23.65 on 21 occasions – in the 29 years since, sub-23.65 second runs have been achieved by Scottish athletes on 22 occasions.”

Statistically her progress over 200m between 1979 at the age of 16 to Olympic year in 1984 was relentless. She went from 25.7 seconds in 1979, to 25.02 in 1980, to 23.7 in 1981, to 23.24 in 1982, to 23.13 in 1983, and 22.98 in 1984. No sudden jumps followed by stasis: regular annual incremental improvement. Over 100m the record was similar: 12.5 in 1979, to 12.2 in 1980, to 12.05 in 1981, 11.81 in 1982, 11.63 in 1983 and 11.6 in Olympic year. Again we have year-on-year improvement.

Competitively, she won the SWAAA 100m in 1982, 1984, 1986 and 1987; the 200 in 1982, 1984 and 1987. Although there were no GB titles there were medals – second in the UK 200m in 1986 and 1987, third in the UK 100m in 1986. In the Commonwealth Games in 1986 she was fifth in the 100m, third in the 200m and a member of the 4 x 400m relay team that was fourth; in 1982 where she reached the semi-final of the 200m and was in the relay team that finished third. She also represented GB in the European Games in 1986 where she reached the final of the 100m and also 200m.

The really big one was the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 where she reached round two of the 200m and the world championships in 1983 where she reached the quarter-finals of the same event. In the quarter finals she was faced with the eventual winner, Valerie Briscoe-Hooks. By the end of the race she was one hundredth of a second behind third and fourth who were both clocked at 22.97 and she was eliminated. There were no places for fastest losers at these Games – the other two British women were slower than Sandra but qualified for the semis. In Edinburgh in 1986 she was third behind Angela Issajenko of Canada and Kathy Cook of GB. Issajenko subsequently admitted to using drugs and testified to the Dubin Inquiry where she gave detailed evidence of her drug regime. Two very hard decisions for coach and athlete to take. Many coaches might have walked away from the sport at that point but Iain stayed.

* Angela‘s progress over the same period also showed regular annual improvement. At 400m, her specialist event, it was 56.5 in ’79, then 54.01, 53.83, 53.03 then a jump up in ’84 to 54.35. Her progress at 100 (12.5/12.2/11.8/11.7/11.7) and 200m (25.2/23.9/23.7/23.5/23.58) follow the same pattern.

Angela is a very interesting athlete who was first ranked as a Junior (Under 15) in 1978 for the 100m (15th with 12.9w) and 200m (15th, 27.0w), by 1981 she was number five in the senior 100 rankings, number two in the 200m lists with two of the top six times, and number three in the 400m with eight of the top 20 performances. The standard was high – the top two in the 400m were Linsey McDonald and Anne Clarkson, and only Sandra was higher in the 200m. She also had a share of the second fastest 4 x 100m relay and had an eighth place in the long jump. Quite remarkable for a first year senior.

Glasgow’s Sportsperson of the Year in 1981 when studying bio-chemistry at the University, in 1982 she won the 100m and 200m at the British Universities Championships. Approached by David Hemery at her home in Drumchapel with an offer of a sports scholarship to Boston University, she turned it down since she felt that she was too young. In 1984 she accepted a scholarship to Brigham Young University where she had a successful sports career between 1984 and 1986. She was an All American indoors in 1986 and set a College record of 23.47 seconds for 200m on 10th May, 1986′ which stood until 2010.

All-Time Rankings (as at November 2016): Both women are highly ranked in the latest (November 2016) all time ranking lists for Scotland 30 years after they ran the times specified. At 100m, Sandra is ranked second 10th with 11.5, one tenth behind Helen Golden, and Angela is 18th with 11.77 seconds; at 200m, Sandra is top with 22.98 with Helen second on 23.14, and Angela is eighth with 23.47 seconds; Angela is fourth in the 300m with 37.33 and in the 400 Angela is twelfth with 52.99 seconds. These are all legal times, wind assisted, downhill, etc are listed separately.

A coincidence that two girls from the same training group are ranked so highly with times so close? I don’t think so.

Angela Bridgeman (right) in an international at Meadowbank

* Melanie Neef, one of Scotland’s best ever 400m runners, trained with Iain for several successful years at the start of her career in the early 90’s as a short sprinter (eg British Universities 200m champion in 1991).

The figures have been laboured a bit but any one athlete’s progress is just that – one athlete’s progress. There are many ‘one-athlete’ coaches, and often enough one top class athlete makes a coach’s reputation. When you get it happening with several athletes working with the same coach over 20 years or so, you know that the coach is at the very least in touch with both the event and his charges. Rab was that and more. Further, many athletes have a sudden big jump in their performance level in one year and then progress no further. Iain’s athletes tended to improve incrementally year on year with seldom a step back unless by injury.

Another measure of success is the esteem of his peers and the level of athletics that the coach reaches. Frank Dick tells us that Iain worked with British squads at least twice: indoors v Russia/USSR and also at European Indoors in Madrid. He was also a key staff member at Point Lima College, San Diego when GB Athletics held its first pre-Olympic Holding Camp in 1984 which was actually a first for any GB Sport!

Whatever your measure of a coach’s calibre and the quality of his work you choose, Iain met the standard and even exceeded it.

Iain’s coaching helped these athletes realise their talent and there were others of all standards. It is interesting and informative to look at how he went about it.

* Meticulous and detailed in his planning, he has been described as a perfectionist who paid attention to the planning of the season, to the detail of individual sessions and to the entirety of competitive demands that the athletes could expect to meet. Everything was planned out to the smallest detail. Val Smith says that he worked in four year cycles, not just yearly ones.

* Time spent trackside was important to Iain: at one time when he was working in Edinburgh, he made the 90 miles round trip to Glasgow three times a week to work with his girls at Scotstoun or Bellahouston tracks. An hour each way in the car for each session. As a contrast, one international coach is quoted as saying “If you see your athlete once a week, that’s good; if you see them twice a week, that’s better; if you see them three times a week you’re not coaching them, you’re nursing them.” I don’t think it’s a philosophy Iain would have accepted.

* Sessions and content: The girls usually trained at Scotstoun on Mondays and Wednesdays; at Westbourne School gym on Fridays in winter and at Bellahouston Park on Sundays. Angela tells us that he would come to training with a sheet of paper in his hand and the session written on it. The Sunday sessions could, and usually did, involve weight training then running on the track (then the only all-weather running track in Scotland) and/or hill running and/or hopping on the steps up to the monument.

* His attention to detail was legendary: before the Brisbane Games in 1982 he obtained a tape of the Australian starter. Then he arranged a race for the women at half time in a big match with the starter’s commands. Not just a big match but a European Cup game: the Celtic v Ajax tie on 15 September 1982 which had a reported crowd of 57,000 (European Cup, First Round, First Leg which finished 2-2). There had been such events for men in the 1950’s and 1960’s with races held at half time at Rangers v Celtic at New Year and at Scottish Cup Finals in April. It was maybe no coincidence that David Hay’s daughter was a member of the club at the time. The Press said that Iain had persuaded Jock Stein to put the race on, but whatever the mechanics, the race went on only because the coach decided that the girls needed to the experience of running before big crowds.

* Nor was he afraid to try new ideas. For instance, when Val Smith ran at Cosford in 1975, the big name in sprinting was her near-namesake Valeriy Borzov who was experimenting with three point starts. He encouraged her to experiment with the method and she finished second in the event.

* He travelled all over the country with his athletes including to all the UK League venues as well as to the championship meetings at London and Cosford. The gym at Westbourne School was very useful but more was needed for winter training, and Iain tried hard to get an indoor running track in Glasgow with the assistance of Councillor Connie Methven.

Of course this level of input and support does not come without a cost. Like all coaches at the time, he had to cover almost all of his own costs. This was pointed up in a paragraph by Doug Gillon when Sandra qualified for the Olympics. He wrote in June 1984: “Ian Robertson, the UK 400 metres staff coach from Bearsden who is Sandra’s mentor, is now looking for a sponsor to help him get to Los Angeles as well. Robertson calculates that he will have spent £8000 in the past two years helping Sandra and his other proteges in Portugal, Holland, Finland, Australia and the USA.” And we are talking here about a British Staff Coach, not a Scottish one, accompanying an athlete that he was coaching to a major Games where his assistance to other members of the team would have been invaluable.

Great as his contribution to coaching was, there was more to Iain than that. A member of the Glasgow AC Committee he was chief coach for a number of years and worked as team manager too, travelling to all the UK League venues with the girls.

Alastair Shaw comments:

“Like me he got easily bored actually attending athletics meetings and took on tasks rather than sit about watching. Not only that but once he had the measure of a task he often took on extra duties at many meetings, mostly to satisfy his desire to be stretched. This I remember occasions when he was both stadium manager and announcer at fairly big events where two incumbents would have been the norm.”

He was also well known for having a ‘fantastic sense of humour’ and made sure that in amongst all the serious stuff everyone enjoyed what they were doing. He also played the clarinet: often on bus trips south he would take it with him and play it with a couple of others who took their instruments as well. Described as “a very good team manager – he would have made a good football team manager for the quality of the team talks he gave before events. Very inspirational”

Evelyn Smith, Val’s mother, became a top ranked administrator and also became club president and vice-president of the UK women’s league. Iain accompanied her to most league committee meetings and she even hosted the monthly club coaching committee meetings. She puts this all down to Iain’s influence.

He worked as an accountant at Tarmac in Pollokshields in Glasgow and then at Cobban & Lironi, a Glasgow firm of architects. He left them to work for sportscotland and, being married with family responsibilities, he just did not have the time to continue. Given the time he spent on coaching and on his athletes that is understandable.

Leslie Roy discovered an article in the Glasgow ‘Evening Times dated 22nd February, 1983 which, under a headline of “ROBERTSON’S RHYTHM OF LIFE: I’m devoted to athletics says Britain’s unsung hero”, reads:

“Iain Robertson is a member of the Syd Lawrence Appreciation Society. So, if anyone is in the mood to maintain the exhilarating momentum in British athletics, it has to be the Glasgow computer operations manager. Football was the main young enjoyment for Iain who now confesses, “all my time outside business interests is devoted to athletics.”

He broke his leg and elbow playing for Killermont Amateurs, and although he started coaching with the club, ” I had an urge for athletics.” The former Bearsden Academy student went back to the sport “where I’d been a sprinter of sorts” and joined the coaching staff of Maryhill Ladies AC in 1979. It was the year of the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games and now Iain prepares for the greatest festival of all – the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

As the British Board events coach for the 400 metres, he is one of those men who take the fanfare-seekers through their all important rehearsals. “I try to do a professional job in an amateur sport,” says the man who gathered most of his knowledge from working with Frank Dick (now Britain’s director of coaching) and Glasgow’s able Jimmy Campbell – “my motivating forces.”

Iain became Maryhill’s chief coach nine years ago and continued his role after the club became Glasgow AC. At last season’s Scottish Championships he pulled off a memorable hat trick of successes when Sandra Whittaker (100m and 2oom) and Angela Bridgman (400m) collected national titles. And his expertise came in useful for Scotland at Brisbane’s Commonwealth Games. It was two years ago when Iain realised that athletics had taken over the rhythm and the swing of his life. He missed a Syd Lawrence concert in Lochgelly to lead a coaching session. Now he’s entitled to blow his own trumpet.”

Coach, committee man, team manager, official and administrator, Iain Robertson contributed mightily to Scottish athletics. But the last word should go to his athletes.

Val: “His commitment and contribution to his athletes was second to none. He encouraged the best from his athletes, and was an extremely dynamic and motivational coach. It was an absolute privilege to be coached by him.”

Angela: “He was more than a “just a coach” he was a mentor and good friend. I basically grew up under his influence. I learned many lessons from him that have helped me be successful in my life.”

Sandra:

“Natural ability is a factor, but Rab’s training. I was so fortunate to be in his group. He was into all the intricacies, and I was so lucky to be in his group. His expertise took me to the top”

For the complete comments, go here

When we caught up with Iain and spoke to him he was very direct and honest about his approach to coaching and training and to read what he had to say just go to The Iain Robertson Interview and for an overview of all the other athletics (and sporting) involvement have a wee look at The Iain Robertson File .

After Club Championships at Scotstoun:

L to R: Yvonne Anderson, Sandra Whittaker, Iain, Catriona Gardiner (intermediate champion) and Angela Bridgeman (Senior Champion)

Alex Wilson’s Gallery 3: Distance Runners

Posted on October 27, 2016 by Admin

There are so many pictures of the distance runners that it will take several pages to show them all. We start with a wonderful runner, a Garscube Harrier who was based in England and ran for Birchfield Harriers and the Army: Sergeant RR Sutherland.

PETER ADDISON

JOHN PATERSON

ROBERT R SUTHERLAND

1930 ICCU Cross Country Race: Evanston beats Sutherland to the line

PETER J ALLWELL

Lanark, 1939: Archie Craig, Emmett Farrell, Allwell, Archie Dow and Willie Sutherland

Allwell, Farrell and Dow

GM CARSTAIRS

Carstairs in 1938

ALEX DOW

1937 Scottish ICCU Team

Alex Wilson’s Gallery: 2 Milers

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Admin

This [age has mainly milers – of course since so many of the runners featured ran a wide range of distances, it does not include all the mile champions. For instance Duncan McPhee and WR Seagrove are featured on the half milers page. There are more to come here too.

Willie Robertson

Inaugural ICCU International, Hamilton Park. Robertson arrowed.

JOHN McGOUGH

Scottish Mile Champion 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1910

John McGough

McGough, Stockholm, 1907

McGough (1) with the 1912 Olympic Team

McGough beats McNicol, 1907

HT JAMIESON

SAAA Mile Champion 1908, 1909

The Edinburgh University team of 1908 – just look at the names.

DOUGLAS McNICOL

Scottish Mile Champion 1911, 1912

Douglas McNicol

TOM RIDDELL

SAAA Mile Champion 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935

Alex Wilson’s Gallery: 1 Half Milers

Posted on October 23, 2016 by Admin

Gallery 2 Milers Gallery 3 Distance Runners

Alex Wilson has one of the best collections of photographs of Scottish athletics history that you could find anywhere. He has been kind enough to pass many of them on for the various profiles that are on the site but I feel that they are too good to be hidden away. Hence these galleries. The first of several is this one with mainly half milers. The others can be accessed via the links at thetop of the page.

ROBERT BURTON

SAAA Half Mile Champion 1908, 1909, 1910

JJ SOUTTER

SAAA Half Mile Champion 1911, 1912

1912 AAA Half Mile

DUNCAN MCPHEE

SAAA Half Mile Champion 1914, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923

Duncan McPhee, 1914

Olympic Games, 1920, 3000m team race

4:30.8 Mile, Hampden, July 1914

HUGH C MAINGAY

SAAA Half Mile Champion 1928, 1929, 1930

Founder member of the Atalanta Club

1928 World StudentrGames: Maingay Leading

1929 Edinburgh University team, Maingay on the left

CHARLES B MEIN

SAAA Half Mile Champion, 1925

WR SEAGROVE

Half Mile Champion 1926

1920 Olympic Games 5000m. Seagrove third from the right.

JC ‘HAMISH’ STOTHARD

Scottish half mile champion 1934, 1935 and 1937

Stothard running for Atalanta v Glenalmond College

More Summit results: 2016

Posted on October 21, 2016 by Admin

THE GEORGE FOX CLASSIC

15th October

Jim comments on the races: What a day- races were moved up 2 hours which meant we had to scramble to get across the mountains in time to race. Reason – big storm in the pacific which blew in while our kids were racing – great xc weather – winds gusting to 50mph, rain and mud – we lost 2 tents.

we won the both JV races, Varsity boys and 2nd in the girls varsity. Olivia put away a strong field in the girls event – beating 6 girls that had run sub 18 min this season. Desert Vista from Arizona won the team race. Next big meet will be the State Champs on November 5th.

The results are lengthy and detailed and can be seen at http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Results/Meet.aspx?Meet=114563

The nine-in-a-row girls: Olivia, Taylor, Hannah, Kelsey, Liv, Autumn and Emma

In November 2016 the girls teams won the State championships for the ninth time in a row: quite amazing that one school should have such dominance. The report on the championships is at

https://btmail.bt.com/cp/applink/mail/LoadMessageContent?cKey=1478719005750-11259&iframeID=x-mail-msg-iframe-box-1478719006111&cw=1188#/266

Archie Craig, Junior

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Admin

Scottish Cross Country Team, 1949: Archie Craig in centre, sixth from left and beside Emmet Farrell (51)

It is less usual for a runner’s son/daughter to take up the sport than one might expect. Athletes like Glen Stewart or Susan Partridge are not very common in the sport. Archie Craig is probably unique in that both of his sons became runners, better still international runners albeit for a different club. Older son Archie junior was mainly pre-war and younger son George had a career that lasted until 1951. It is with Archie junior that we are concerned here. All three raced sparingly and none of them competed much during the summer at all, and they were not ever-presents in the short relays at the start of the winter either..

Unlike his Dad, who was a member of Bellahouston Harriers, young Archie ran for Shettleston Harriers – the two clubs are based quite close to each other and there have been talks at various times of mergers, but the rivalry was intense. Archie, senior had a wonderful career winning medals both individual and team, as well as running for Scotland, with his last international cross-country event in 1924. As for the boys, the younger son, George, won the Scottish Youths championship in season 1934/35 as Archie, Junior, ran in the senior race. That season he ran in the Midland District championships where he was 63rd and in a Shettleston team that finished sixth. In the National later that season he was 59th and the team was fourth. It is with Archie that we are concerned here.

Archie was 77th in the Midland District championship at Hamilton in 1934 for the team that finished sixth but there was no mention of him in other races that winter or the following summer. The first mention of Archie in 1935 is in January when he ran in the club team in the eight man relay between Edinburgh and Glasgow in January 1935. Here he ran the fifth leg, maintaining the leading position that he had been given: unfortunately the following runners could not hold on to it and the team was fifth at the finish. In the national that year, he was 59th and fifth counter for the team that was fourth.

In winter 1935/36, Archie Craig did not run in either of the teams representing Shettleston Harriers in the Midland District cross-country relay. However when the District Championships came along, the report said that the winner ‘J Kelly (Springburn) ran with rare judgment to defeat young A Craig (Shettleston), son of a former National champion by 100 yards in 41 min 12 sec. R Simpson (Motherwell YMCA), a hot favourite, was third another 70 yards behind. Over the first lap of 1 1/2 miles the leaders were JE Farrell, Maryhill, WG Black, Plebeian, and A Craig, Shettleston. Neither R Simpson, Motherwell, nor Jack Gifford were among the leaders. On the next lap, Farrell and J Kelly, running neck and neck, drew away from the others, and Kelly with arms low and running comfortably, showed more reserve. Over the final circuit Kelly piled on the pace and speedily left Farrell. Craig came into the picture again, and actually made ground on the leader over the last mile. “

Craig led the team home but it could do no better than finish fifth in a race surprisingly won by Shawfield Harriers. The team did better in the National, finishing equal fourth with Plebeian Harriers, but they did it without Craig. The Edinburgh to Glasgow was held on 4th April in 1936 and the Craig-less team was second.

That summer, despite being in good condition, and despite his club having teams in various two and three miles team races on the track (Firhill, Hampden, Ibrox, etc) there was no sign of Craig. His father and brother were said to ‘race sparingly’ and it may have been a family thing but for such a good country runner he seems to have been posted missing during the summer months. It was then on to the winter 1936/37 season.

When the Midland District relay was held on 30th November, there were two Shettleston Harriers teams out, and one of them won the title, but the eight men running did not include Archie Craig. In the Midland cross-country championship, however, Craig did turn out and finished seventh, second club man to finish for the winning team. In the National he did even better, finishing 13th, 10th in the team race, second Shettleston runner – and winner of the SCCU Junior cross-country championship. Again he missed the Edinburgh relay in April. The Shettleston Harriers history “One Hundred Years of Shettleston Harriers” tells us that

“On July 10th a squad of Shettleston runners did not have far to travel when they took part in the fledgling Carntyne AC’s first track and field venture at Greenfield Park in Shettleston. The two mile team race trio of Jim Ross (6), Archie Craig (8) and Alec Hill (10) could manage only third place, suggesting that the competition was formidable. …. The West of Scotland championships in Dunoon stuck with yards, feet and inches and brought the Craig brothers together in the final of the 1,365 yard race (the mile) in which Archie was first and George second. ” The Two Mile Team Race at Carntyne was won by Edinburgh Northern with with 8 points, Plebeian Harriers were second with 13 points against Shettleston’s 24 and as far as the District Championships were concerned, the mile is usually 1760 yards so it was a bit short but the result would probably have been the same.

In winter 1937/38 the Shettleston club 5 miles championship was held on 23rd October, 1937, the first championship was the District Relays in October where there were two Shettleston Harriers teams in action but Craig appeared in none of these. Nor was he in evidence at the District Championships at Hamilton where Bellahouston emerged victorious. He did turn out, however, in the biggest race of the year: the National on 5th March 1938 at Ayr, Craig finished seventh – second team member to finish after Flockhart (fifth) and two places ahead of Ross but despite that, the team had to take second to Maryhill whose Emmet Farrell was champion. Archie Craig was selected for the international championship. In that race at the Balmoral Showground in Belfast, Craig was second Scot to finish (24th individual) with Flockhart eighth and the team fifth.

Season 1938/39 and the first winter championship was the Midland District relay with Bellahouston Harriers and Shettleston Harriers joint favourites for the title. The Shettleston quartet was led off by Craig on the first stage who finished second, two seconds behind Maryhill Harriers man, W Nelson, in 13:22 with Bellahouston’s GM Hunter well back on 14:01. W Sutherland went into the lead on the second stage but on the last lap, Emmet Farrell of Maryhill pulled in 80 yards and won the race for his team. Craig was fifth fastest on the day, only 19 seconds slower than Farrell in first. Well out of the medals in the District championship with a very weak team (minus Craig, Flockhart and Sutherland) they headed into the National. The championship was held on 4th March at Lanark Racecourse and was won by the outstanding athleteof the year, R Reid of Doon Harriers. Craig was fourth overall but third in the team championship and Shettleston was third team to finish. He was of course automatically selected for the international. It was the last national championship before the war and Craig had acquitted himself well but unfortunately in the international he failed to finish.

Four weeks after the international, Craig was part of the Shettleston Harriers team that finished third in the Edinburgh to Glasgow Relay Race. He ran on the tough second stage and pulled the club up an amazing seven places – from twelfth to fifth – with the third fastest time of the day. He was followed by teenage brother George on the third stage who went from fifth to third with second fastest time of the afternoon. Between them, the brothers had taken the club up nine places. On Tuesday June 6th, with war imminent, there was a strong Shetleston Harriers contingent at the St Vincent de Paul sports meeting at Maxwell Park in Baillieston. We are told that Archie Craig competed but f it was in the ThreeMiles team race, he was fourth club man – no disgrace when the first three were W Sutherland, JC Ross and J Flockhart.

That was to be one of the last meetings before the war started and Archie Craig served as a dispatch rider in the RAF. There were no championships during the war and the sport was run on a ‘maintenance’ basis by the Scottish Cross Country Association with unofficial championships being held wherever possible. There was, for instance, a Midland District event held in March 1940 in which Archie Craig finished second to Emmet Farrell of Maryhill Harriers – see the photograph below which is reproduced courtesy of Alex Wilson. But Archie Craig’s competitive career was effectively over – he ran in none of the post-war championships, the family banner being carried by brother George while father Archie forged a notable career as an administrator.

George Sinclair

Posted on September 17, 2016 by Admin

Ian Grant, John Jones, Rab Foreman, George Sinclair, Ken Hutcheson, Tom Tait and John Turnbull

George Sinclair is one of the best – and at the same time one of the least known – coaches in the country. He has worked with several of the very best athletes the country has produced. As an announcer, his voice has been heard and listened closely to by almost everyone in Scottish athletics: he was employed in that capacity at the Commonwealth Games. He is however almost unknown outside Edinburgh

A pupil at George Heriot’s School all the way up from primary to secondary level George competed for them as a sprinter and high jumper. In 1971, his enthusiasm for the sport, led to him being one of the founders of the very successful Octavians Athletic Club.

George is on the extreme right of the middle row

Octavians was formed in 1962 and was an amalgamation of eight of the Edinburgh fee paying’ schools, former pupils athletic clubs. Due to falling numbers and a consequent drop in standards, representatives of George Heriot’s School , Royal High School , Daniel Stewart’s College, Trinity Academy , George Watson’s College, Edinburgh Academy, Boroughmuir High Schoo and Melville College met and the club was formed. George was the club president. Members were to include two Olympians (David Stevenson and David Jenkins), Commonwealth Games athletes (add John Jones and Ian Grant), GB internationalists (add Bob Hay, Adrian Weatherhead, Gordon Rule and Frank Dick) and many Scottish internationalists. There is a comprehensive list of members at their website (address below).

Octavians produced, or developed, many quite outstanding athletes. Robin Morris, a pupil at George Watson’s, was one of the early members of the club, running for Octavians before he left school in 1967 in the Scottish National League at the new track at Grangemouth as well as turning out in Trophy Meetings for the club. George ran the Post Office at Goldenacre and coached many internationalists from the Edinburgh Southern Harriers club at Saughton and Fernieside as well as advising many young members. Robin also tells us that the club moved to start training at New Meadowbank before the stadium was officially opened in 1970 but two of his biggest memories of Octavians were winning the Land of Burns Trophy at Dam Park in 1969 and the formal winding up dinner at the Balmoral Hotel !

The ‘Land O’Burns Trophy winning team:

Back row: Donald Burr (team manager), John Turnbull, A.N.Other, Peter Burgess, Tony Hogarth, Mike Bathgate. Front row: Tommy Tait, Stewart Seale, Adrian Weatherhead, Robin Morris.

Distinguished international middle and long distance runner Adrian Weatherhead says that George was the first coach to give him advice when he joined Octavians in 1963. Adrian goes on to say that George also coached Tony Hogarth and Tommy Tait:

* Adrian was a sub four miler, GB and Scotland international runner indoors and out, on the track and over the country;

* Tony won 5 SAAA hurdles titles over 110m, 120 yards and 440 yards between 1964 and 1969;

* Tommy was a top class sprinter, hurdler and long jumper with a long career going from 1960 to 1975.

and of course there were others.

The success of the club can be easily seen by checking out the ranking lists and international team personnel of the period. There was an emphasis on the explosive and technical events – other than Adrian, their representation in the distance events was scanty. If we take, as an example, the lists of 1969 we see that George’s athlete Tony Hogarth had six of the top eight times for 110m hurdles and seven of the top 21 as well as winning the Scottish and East District championships; in the pole vault, David Stevenson and Stewart Seale had the top ten times between them, Peter Burgess had first, fourth, sixth and seventh decathlon performances, Adrian Weatherhead was ranked in 800m/1500m/Mile, 3000m and 5000m, and the list indicates Octavians ranked in the 100m (3), 200m (1), 400m (4), 800m (1), 1500m (1), 5000m (1), 110m H (4), 400m H (3), HJ (1), PV (5), LJ (2), TJ (-), Discus (2), Hammer (-), Javelin (1), and Decathlon (3).

George’s athletes contributed strongly to these performances – Hogarth was the stand out of course topping the all-time lists, winning the SAAA Championships, almost monopolising the ranking lists, Tommy Tait was ranked in 100m, 200m, 400m, and ran in both relays.

With the standard within the club so high, why did the club fold up only two years later? The Octavians AC website is at www.octaviansac.co.uk and it tells us that –

“The Club became a victim of its own success, as the team was principally made up of District and National Champions and both Scottish and G.B. Internationals, as a result youngsters found that they could not get into the team; so they went elsewhere. The Club folded in 1971 then, after providing two trophies – one in the form of a baton for the Octavian Relays at Grangemouth, the other a Sword to be awarded annually at the Carnethy Hill Race meeting ( won by club member Robin Morris)”

The photograph at the top of the page was taken at the wind-up Dinner on 16th December 1971 at the Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh. Members of the club then went in the main to one or other of the two big clubs in the capital, with George joining up with Edinburgh Southern Harriers.

Helen Golden

Edinburgh had many athletic clubs at this point but two big ones: the newer Edinburgh AC (established in 1962) challenging the dominant Edinburgh Southern Harriers which was one of the very best Scottish clubs. When Octavians went out of business their funds went to Edinburgh AC and their name was perpetuated in the very successful but now defunct Octavian Relays Meeting run by EAC.

George continued to coach athletes very successfully and one of the very best was Helen Golden, British and Scottish sprinter of very high quality indeed right from the very start as a girl running for ESH in 1965 until she retired from sprinting in 1980. The range of George’s coaching talents has already been indicated – sprints, hurdles, middle distance, long and triple jumps have all been mentioned already and another top class athlete who came under his influence was Anne Purvis.

Scottish 4 x 400 relay team, 1982: Lynsey McDonald, Angela Bridgman, Anne Clarkson (Purvis), Sandra Whittaker.

She says, “I started training with George when I was 14 in 1973. He was then Head Coach of Edinburgh Southern Harriers. He coached a number of athletes from sprints to Middle Distance. The athletes I trained with then were Helen Golden, Mary Munroe, Annie Littlejohn, Elaine Douglas and Fiona Macaulay.

George did not believe in over-training young athletes, so I only trained at a maximum of 3 times a week which gradually increased over the years eventually 6 days a week often twice a day. His training was always specifically targeted for competition either club, championships or international. George was always keen to learn as a coach and apply new ideas to your training. He always attended the Coaches Conventions organised by Frank Dick and would listen to other coaches.

He was also happy for you to train with other coaches as he arranged training sessions for me with Donny McLeod’s squad for elastic strength work in the winter and Bill Walker’s squad for quality sessions in the summer. Over the years a number of other athletes came to him for coaching including Katherine Shepperd and Fiona Hargreaves. All the athletes I have mentioned became Scottish Internationalists, some also competing for Great Britain.

As a coach he was always very fair giving advice equally when he had two athletes in the same event. In the winter we did gym and weight sessions, stair sessions, hopping and bounding as well as the cardio vascular work required for the summer season. In the summer his training sessions were planned and tailored to fit the competition you were peaking for and to deal with the requirements of an eight hundred metres. He always expected you to compete for the Club as it was extremely important to him. If things were not going well he looked for ways to encourage you and keep you interested in the sport. Finally I remember he always said that sport was only a part of your life and that first and foremost you should enjoy it.”

That contribution tells us a lot about George and what made him such a good coach:

*an openness to new ideas and also a desire to seek out information to help;

* sharing his athletes with other coaches when he thought it would benefit them. The expression about ‘the athlete should never be restricted by the coach’s limitations’ seemed to have been heartily endorsed by George.

* treating his athletes as individuals, even when they were competing against each other in the same events;

* a sense of proportion.

How did that philosophy show up in practice? In athletics the yardstick must be quality of performance. Taking the 1975 athletics yearbook as an example we can look at the 1974 season. The women mentioned by Anne above all performed superbly well.

* Helen Golden had to be the stand out performer – the top 21 performances over 100m by a Scot, the top 21 performances by a Scot over 200m plus competition success for her club, for Scotland and for Britain winning races in all these colours. First year intermediate that season

* Elaine Douglas was third ranked in 100m and second in 200m.

* Anne Littlejohn had the top six 400m times and seven of the first eight.

* Anne Clarkson was also an Intermediate and had 5 of the top 20 400m performances, and was also ranked at 100m and 200m but made a major breakthrough at 800m when she ran 2:08.8 at the age of 15.

* Fiona McAulay was fourth fastest Scottish woman – and she was also an Intermediate that year.

* Fiona Hargreaves had pb’s of 23.8 for 200m, 53.34 for 400m, 2>11.1 for 800m. She ran in the ’86 bCommonwealth Games in the 400m and 4 x 400m relay.

* Kathryn Shepherd was a top talent at events from 800m upwards and won the SWAAA 3000m in 1982 and was third in 1984.

The Inters all went on to excellent careers in the sport – Anne Clarkson’s was maybe particularly noteworthy. George was also known to be a top class coach for relay teams. His work with the sprinters and relays – the ESH time of 45.2 secs when they won the WAAA title at Crystal Palace in 1970 is the standout: it was faster than the Scottish team managed in the Commonwealth Games later that year (although the order was changed and one of them which wasn’t selected).

His credentials as a coach were well established but like all talented individuals he worked well on club committees and also represented the club on other bodies. Like most coaches and officials with an interest in the good of the sport, he is a man of strong opinions and among the topics easily found to indicate this on the internet was the following. In 1987 there was a move to create a ‘pyramid of provision’ for athletics in Edinburgh but it was seriously opposed by the athletic community for whom George was one of the strongest voices. There is an article by Brian Meek in the ‘Glasgow Herald’ of 18th March that year outlining his views, and it can be seen at :

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19870318&id=eC41AAAAIBAJ&sjid=_KULAAAAIBAJ&pg=3731,4300821&hl=en

George was also a member of Edinburgh Sports Forum.2007, a body involved in athletics provision and government not only in Edinburgh but at a national level as well. After much re-organisation and various club combinations, there was at last a single club for Edinburgh which is currently Edinburgh AC and it encompasses both the former Edinburgh AC and Southern Harriers. In recognition of his contribution to the club George was made an honorary life member in 2002.

The profile indicates what an excellent coach George was, how highly respected by his athletes and fellow coaches he is and his total involvement in the sport. He really should be better known.

Sports Miscellany: 26th August 1912

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Admin

Ian A Clarke, the Scottish hurdles champion, who gained such a surprising victory against Ireland at Powderhall on July 20th, is going into residence at Oxford University in October, probably for two years, and should stand an excellent chance of securing a “double blue” in athletics and rugby football. He is studying forestry, and will with that object in view spend his vacations in Germany.

The “Olympic Games ” in aid of the Hamilton Brasss Band Fund have resulted in a profit of £200, which is much in excess of what was expected. Provost Smellie was at the head of the movement, and the result must be gratifying to all who lent their services, chief among them was Mr Thomas Moore of Hamilton Academicals. There has been quite revival in athletics in the ducal town this season, and, no doubt, other industrial centres will keep mind of this fact when another summer comes around.

WR Applegarth (Polytechnic Harriers), perhaps the fastest sprinter in Britain, was second in a 300 yards handicap at Windsor last week, 33 1-5th sec being the winner’s time. The track was a grass one with bad corners and these facts should be kept in mind when estimating the worth of Applegarth’s performance.

Poloc Cricket Club have set aside September 21st for their annual fete – a form of entertainment which they have made their own. Mr William Dunsmore is again convener, and hopes to introduce one or two recreative novelties which will tax the stamina of the competitors, and produce no end or merriment for the guests of the club. Poloc excel in this class of thing.

Salford Harriers Sports on 14th September will be patronised by one or two Scottish runners. The programme will include two first class and two second class handicaps over half-mile and mile. Imitation, we are told, is the sincerest form of flattery and Rangers and Celtic should therefore feel proud that a club of the influence of Salford Harriers are not above taking a leaf from their books. These special handicaps bring to the surface qualities that are often lost in races where the fields are large and composed for the most part of inexperienced runners. And what is more to the point, they develop a higher standard of speed.

Harry Hughes will not be able to run for the West of Scotland Harriers in the team race at the Edinburgh Southern Harriers Sports on Saturday, He is the only distance runner of note that the ‘West’ have, and the team without Hughes will not be very formidable. It is strange that while the West of Scotland Harriers have always been more or less well replenished with sprint and middle distance runners, Clydesdale Harriers, on the other hand have always been rich in distance talent and poor in sprinters. The ‘West’ will be represented by A McPhee, R Hutcheson, D Peat and G Mason.

The Germans are making sound progress in the science of athletics. Their championships were held at Duisburg a few days ago, and the performances generally are astonishing when it is borne in mind that it is only recently that the Germans organised a national test. Hanns Braun, who was here recently, won the 400 metres in 51 3-5th sec, but does not seem to have taken part in the 800 metres, the winner of which was Lehman in 2 min 0 9-10th sec. R Rau, a very fine sprinter, won the 100 and 200 metres, the former in 11 -5th sec and the latter in 23 1-5th sec, but to the surprise of all, himself included, he was beaten in the 110 metres hurdles by one Martin in 15 4-5th sec which is German record. R Passoman, an ex-AAA champion, won the long jump with 21ft 0 3/4in but was beaten in the pole vault by Olaf after tieing at 11 feet 5 in. In the high jump the winner cleared 6 ft 1 3/4 in, and the winning put was 35 feet 5 3/4 in. Germans are nothing if not efficient, and these performances represent a development in applied athletics, which if maintained will them serious rivals to Britons and Americans alike.

South London Harriers who will always have a warm place in the affections of Glasgow athletes owing to the helping hand they extended to the West of Scotland Harriers some seasons ago in connection with the Connell Cup competition, are including a three miles invitation handicap in their programme on the 14th of next month with the object of breaking record, so we are told. But in the meantime there is not a runner in England capable of lowering Shrubb’s three mile record, and the little embellishment about record breaking therefore displays an ignorance of the resources of English distance runners that is surprising in a club like South London Harriers. Unless it be R Hales, whose splendid performances at Celtic Sports a few days ago have produced a modified sensation in athletic circles across the Border, there is no one in Britain capable of coming within reasonable distance of Shrubb’s monumental time – 14 min 27 1-5th sec. And even Hales has yet to demonstrate that he is of the same fibre as Shrubb. GM Hutson may in another year accomplish something big but, like the Irish crack, he is some way off the magical zone of record breaking.