Author: Joe Hoolaghan

A quote from fellow coach Ewen Cameron and a set of photos of Scott are set out below.  All the best for the future Scott.

“A wee shout out to say farewell to Scott who leaves the coaching team today. I’ve had the real pleasure of working with this fella on the track, field, country and indoor and outdoor arena. He’s brought so much enthusiasm, support, encouragement and energy and had a hugely positive impact on a lot of young people and his fellow coaches. We’ve even coached a national champion amongst the hundreds of brilliant young people. All the best for the future mate, thanks for all the hours you’ve volunteered, and for everything you’ve given. It’s been a helluva ride, take it easy!”

Continue reading “Motherwell AC says farewell to Scott Kelman”

BREAKING NEWS

Jim Smith has just returned from Australia two gold medals at the Australian Masters Championships held in the Olympic Stadium in Sidney in the M75 category.

Jim won the 60 metres sprint in 9.58 seconds and the 100 metres in 15.35 seconds.

Well done and congratulations Jim on fantastic performances and for flying the Motherwell AC flag in Oz.

The third race in the Road Running championship is the Sri Chinmoy 5k. Also known as the Scottish National 5k. Best known as a long way to go for a chippie.

Always a fantastic event, entries tend to sell out within a matter of days. And they open at 6pm on Tuesday 14th. The link below should work at that time.

https://www.entrycentral.com/Sri-Chinmoy-5km

Congratulations go to Jac Molloy, Charla Hands and Scott Dickson on completion of the practical assessment in their Coaching Assistant Award.

Well done. We look forward to seeing you applying your new knowledge and skills at the club.

A message from Emma Morris

Upcoming relay race on road not to be missed! ‼️

As you might have read in the newsletter (if you’ve missed it 👇 it’s worth a read)…I’m looking for names of those who would be interested in participating in the national road relays.

I’ve not done this for a few years now but I remember it being a lot of fun 🤩 I remember I had great mac team support!

Info:

🏃🏻‍♀️on road @ Livingston

🏃🏻teams of 6 x male / 4 x female

🏃‍♂️team mates run either 5k or 10k

🏃🏻‍♀️shortest leg runs first then it alternates

🏃‍♂️race start 11.30 & 11.40

🏃🏻race date 25/03/23

🏃‍♂️closing date for entry 07/03/23

There are options for 50+ teams. For this the teams are slightly smaller 4 x male / 3 x female.

Please get in touch if you want to put your name down asap. 😃

• Please note the final date for accepting names will be 7th March. ‼️

At the Scottish Masters Indoors Championships at the Emirates Stadium in Glasgow on 12/13 February JIM SMITH won gold medals in the 60 metres and 200 metres M75 category while ALAN ROBERTSON won silver in the 60 metres M45 category.

At the British Indoors Masters Championship in Sheffield on 18/19 February JIM SMITH won silver medals in the 60m and 200m M75 category.  Jim set season’s best times in both races.

Congratulations goes to JIM and ALAN for outstanding performances at Scottish and UK levels.  Well done from everyone at Motherwell AC.  A photo of Jim on the podium at Sheffield is attached.

Motherwell AC double ladies comeback at the XBorder Run Series 10K today as Jac and Maryann took on the 10k which started in Carlisle and finished in Gretna. Superb results from both of them on their first full races back. Maryann: 46:51 Jac: 53:04. A big thanks to the organisers and volunteers for making the event another success, hopefully we can see more Motherwell AC athletes next year.

Day 1 of the Scottish Schools at the Emirates took place yesterday and we had 4 athletes competing. We had 3 PB’s in the 60M by Niamh, Ella and Sophie. We then had a superb Bronze by Ella in long jump who jumped a brilliant 4.95m which is another PB to add to her collection already this year. 

Here is the Senior Endurance Newletter for January from Alan Strang.  Just click the attached link to get the last news on the cross country and roads.

SENIOR ENDURANCE JANUARY NEWSLETTER

SENIOR ENDURANCE 2023 UPDATE

The Mob Match is over, and what an overwhelming success it was!  What’s next for 2023?  Read on…

TIME TRIAL CHAMPIONSHIP

The TT Championship kicks off next month. The website has been updated for the new season.  Rules, results and standings are available at: https://motherwellac.com/championships/time-trial-championship/

ROAD RUNNING CHAMPIONSHIP

The website will be updated soon for the new season, including the updated rules.  The full race schedule can now be announced.

Races

05/03/2023 – Down By The River 10k, Cambuslang – https://www.entrycentral.com/DBTR2023 *

02/04/2023 – Tom Scott 10mile, Motherwell (national championship) – https://www.entrycentral.com/TS23 *

05/05/2023 – Sri Chinmoy 5k, Edinburgh (national championship) – https://uk.srichinmoyraces.org/scottish5k

14/05/2023 – Shettleston 10k, Glasgow (national championship) – https://entries.runabc.co.uk/e/babcock-shettleston-10k-8837 *

03/06/2023 – Strathclyde parkrun, Motherwell – https://parkrun.org.uk/strathclyde

17/06/2023 – Loch Lomond 10k, Balloch – https://entrycentral.com/loch-lomond-10k-and-5k *

11/07/2023 – Moffat 15k, Moffat –  (date to be confirmed)

19/08/2023 – Queen’s parkrun, Glasgow – https://parkrun.org.uk/queensglasgow

* entries open

The remainder of the championship window (to mid-Oct) can be used to prepare for and participate in half and full marathons; these  can count towards the hypothetical races

Leagues

The allocation of members to the leagues will take place after the February TT and before the opening round of the championship.

Relays for Bonus Points

Bonus points are now on offer for participating for MAC in ANY relay event during the championship window.  Only one set of bonus points will be awarded to each member.

TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP

Discussions ongoing, nothing to be announced at this stage.

CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP

This was not discussed – the current championship will conclude in February; the next championship (2023-24) will not commence until October. Details will follow later in the year.

LANARKSHIRE RIVALS RACE TO THE LINE IN “BATTLE AT THE BOATHOUSE”

A fantastic 50 members of Motherwell Athletics Club and Hamilton Harriers assembled at Strathclyde parkrun on Saturday (14th January) for the inaugural ‘mob run’ between the Lanarkshire rivals.

The mob run – so called because it pits one ‘mob’ against another – saw club members race the 5k course in bracing conditions, with Motherwell narrowly defeating Hamilton in what has been christened ‘the Battle of the Boathouse’.

Motherwell fielded 28 runners plus four volunteers, with Hamilton bringing 18 runners to the event. The title was decided by the average of each team’s runners, with all times counting. Motherwell took the crown with an average time of 23:31, compared to Hamilton’s 24:09.

Motherwell runners Jonathan Moore and David Gardiner took first and second places respectively in the parkrun, with Emma Morris claiming third female for the North Lanarkshire club.

The race was organised by committee members from each club. Gayle Samson, Motherwell Athletics Club, said: 

“It was inspiring to see such a big turnout at our first ever mob run, and we are very proud to lift the trophy for Motherwell AC. Although rivals, the camaraderie between the clubs was fantastic, and the race was a great opportunity to showcase how welcoming and fun our running clubs are. We had runners of all ages and abilities taking part today, ranging from 17 years old to 70-plus. I’d like to thank parkrun for welcoming our clubs, and Hamilton Harriers for putting up a fierce fight. We look forward to retaining our title at a future mob run!”

Gordon Hay, Hamilton Harriers, added: 

“It was a great atmosphere at the inaugural mob run between Motherwell Athletics Club and Hamilton Harriers. Great to see so many people turning up, digging deep and braving the conditions. Well done everyone! Congratulations to Motherwell Athletics Club for the win. Huge thanks to Strathclyde parkrun for welcoming us and all the volunteers, runners and spectators for their support. Looking forward to the next mob run and leveling up the score!”

Motherwell Athletics Club and Hamilton Harriers are currently recruiting new members. For more information, find the clubs on Facebook or visit www.motherwellac.com / www.hamiltonharriers.co.uk

The mob run is a 5k race between the mighty MAC (our mob) and long-standing local rivals Hamilton Harriers (their mob). 

It’s easy and free to take part. Just turn up in your MAC kit and complete the Parkrun as usual. Everyone’s time will count – the team with the fastest average time wins. However, we’d love to have a big MAC turnout for this first event, so don’t worry about your time – just come along and join in the fun!

When: Saturday 14 Jan

Time: 9.30am

Where: Strathclyde Park Parkrun 

Barcode: don’t forget your barcode! It is absolutely essential to work out who wins.  

Wear club colours 

if you can’t run, please consider volunteering with Parkrun and cheer our MAC heroes to victory!

Thanks to the Senior Endurance Committee for organising this fun new race with Hamilton Harriers over the past few months, and Strathclyde Parkrun for hosting the race.

Gayle Samson

A message from Alan Strang and sub- committee

2023

The Senior Endurance sub-committee has been meeting in recent months to discuss 2023. This is a summary of what has been agreed so far:

TIME TRIAL CHAMPIONSHIP

The rules remain unchanged for 2023 with one exception. Given the decreasing impact of the pandemic, the virtual time trials have been dropped. Only runs performed at the monthly time trial now count. The rules are now, in effect, what was in place in 2019.

ROAD RUNNING CHAMPIONSHIP

Leagues

Leagues were proposed for 2022 but dropped given an apparent lack of entries for road races in general. However, they DEFINITELY return for 2023. The traditional format – leagues based on pace – will be used. The continuation of leagues in 2024 and beyond will be based on participation across all league levels in 2023.

Races

No changes to the number or mix of races. It is too early to publish a complete schedule of races, but the first four events can be announced:

05/03/2023 – Down By The River 10k, Cambuslang

02/04/2023 – Tom Scott 10mile, Motherwell (national championship)

05/05/2023 – Sri Chinmoy 5k, Edinburgh (national championship)

14/05/2023 – Shettleston 10k, Glasgow (national championship)

Tie-breaker

The November Time Trial will no longer be used as a tie-breaker to determine a champion in the result of two or more athlete’s finishing with the same points total. It was agreed that only Road Running performances should be used, and so a count-back rule will be introduced (most first place finishes wins, etc). This will also provide more time to get the trophy engraved following the conclusion of the championship.

TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP

Discussions are ongoing, nothing to be announced at this stage.

CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP

• This was not discussed – the current championship will conclude in February; the next championship (2023-24) will not commence until October. Details will follow later in the year.

We had 5 athletes and a couple of supporters braving the elements in Kilmarnock yesterday for West District XC Championships. The results follow and the XC Championship Tables have been updated on the website. Well done to everybody who made it down to Kilmarnock to represent the Club.

WOMEN (8.5K)
41 Emma Morris 37:35

MEN (8.5K)
46 Jonathan Moore 30:42
62 Chris Macdonald 31:35
200 Alan Main 38:08
205 Robbie E Pattinson 38:20

Mae McIsaac is currently looking to secure a booking with Glenmore Lodge in the coming week for a Motherwell AC Training weekend in 2023.   We had to cancel our training weekend in 2020 due to COVID.  We are now looking for expressions of interest for an event next year.  We have successfully run sessions at Glenmore Lodge on four previous occasions. If you are seriously interested please reply to this post or contact Mae McIsaac directly if you have any questions.   Here is more information: 

WHERE: Glenmore Lodge, Sports Scotland Facility near Aviemore

WHEN: Friday 28 – Sunday 30 April [arriving around 3 PM on Friday for our first training session and departing after lunch on Sunday] 

ACCOMMODATION: Capacity for a maximum of 30 attendees, consisting of 3 single rooms, 9 twin rooms and 3 family rooms (3 per room)

MEALS AND REFESHMENTS:

Friday: Refreshments on arrival [Bar meals/snacks can be purchased from the bar on the first night. Meals/refreshments are included for the rest of the weekend]

Saturday – Breakfast, Mid-morning refreshments, Lunch, afternoon tea & cake and Dinner

Sunday –  Breakfast, Mid-morning refreshments, Lunch, and afternoon tea & cake

COST [Based on Group Size of 20+ which includes a 20% discount]

Shared Room Rate – £155 per person for the weekend

Single Room Rate – £192 per person for the weekend

Partners are welcome to join us for the weekend.

PROGRAMME:

A detailed programme for the weekend will be announced in due course, however, it will contain:

– A group training session on all three days. 

– One or two educations sessions in the lecture theatre

– Pilates and/or yoga classes

– Icebreakers, quizzes, and fun activities

– Some time for rest/relaxation.

Once we know if there is enough interest to make the booking, we can start to look at deposits, room allocations, etc. 

Regards

Mae McIsaac

David Gardiner wins MV50 Gold at Scottish National XC Championships in Kirkcaldy

David Gardiner did the club proud once again winning gold at Kirkcaldy and we had a great turn out at the event with our athletes competing with the very best in the country.  Well done to everyone who attended including our small band of supporters.  A photo of David on the podium, one of the team and one of our supporters are attached.

SENIOR ENDURANCE IS OPEN FOR NEW MEMBERS – WHY DON’T YOU ACCESS OUR ONE MONTH’S FREE TRIAL

As the new season gets underway, this is an ideal opportunity to take advantage of our ONE MONTH’S FREE TRIAL (no obligation or pressure to join) to see if Motherwell AC is the club for you.  

We are an adult mixed ability group with runners who just want to be healthy and keep in good shape right through to some pretty decent runners who compete at national level.  

If you are interested just fill out the attached form and we will be in contact with you about the next steps. 

https://motherwellac.com/membership/membership-enquiries/

MOTHERWELL AC OUT IN FORCE AT WEST DISTRICT XC RELAYS @ KINGS PARK, GLASGOW

We had an excellent turn out from our junior and senior athletes at yesterday’s event. It was great to see the whole club out there braving the elements and giving it a go.

Here is a quote about our younger athletes from Coach Ewen Cameron “Well done to our young athletes who braved the cross country this morning. It’s never easy and it’s out the comfort zone for now. Proud of our youngsters who gave it a good go, to be on the start line itself takes courage.”

Well done to all of our athletes and supporters.

Archive photos follow.

London magic strikes again!  On Sunday we had Evan Crane who got the club place for London Marathon racing and taking full advantage of it. Finishing in an astounding 3hr 38 seconds. Truly well done Evan. Below is Evans own race report:

Ran 3:00:38 knocking about 5 mins off my PB and getting a GFA London Marathon qualifying time as well as a Boston Qualifier. Just missed out on sub 3 hours but there’s always next time! Pleased to finish strongly and avoid cramping which I’ve not done in a marathon before. Great day out. Massive thanks to the club for allowing me the genuine honour of representing Motherwell AC at such a prestigious event.

A cracking day out at Cumbernauld 10k today for our road runners today. We had 9 athletes competing today. We had Jonathan pick up 1st place overall and his first win overall too.  Here are the results for all our athletes:

Jonathan Moore: 33:11

Paul Burns: 35:23

Iain Campbell: 39:24

Emma Morris: 42:29

Scott Kelman: 43:38

Gayle Forbes: 43:57

David Hoologhan: 46:07

Ross McLean: 51:18

Jac Molloy: 51:21

A big thanks to all the volunteers and officials who helped make the event such a great day.

TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP – CHANGE OF DATE AND VENUE

The track at Wishaw Sports Centre is unexpectedly closed for repairs. As a result, the event has had to be rescheduled.

It will now take place on Sunday 18th September at The John Cummings Stadium in Carluke. The first race will be the Senior Endurance 3,000m starting prompt at 9.30 am.  So Senior Endurance athletes, please meet at the track at 9 am for registration and your warm up.

Please consider car sharing to the track to minimise the number of vehicles travelling through to Carluke.

Saturday saw the 1st cross country (XC) session of the season take place and we had a decent turn out 🏃‍♂️🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻🏃🏻‍♀️🏃‍♂️💨 These sessions are great to build strength and resilience over the winter, will help prepare for races and they are good fun!!

Races (mud) will approach fast now so I’m getting in touch with info so everyone can get their calendar organised. It would be great to get a good squad out in our MAC vests for both the individual and team events! XC is for all!! 😀

Over the years…the team events have been brilliant and will not disappoint! Great atmosphere, pushed along by your team mates, mud, sweat and post race cake…what’s not to love!! So whether you’re new to the club or more experienced…hope you’ll get involved! 🏃‍♂️🏃🏻🏃🏻‍♀️💨

Races & details:
– 08/10/22
– District XC relay championship @ Kings Park, Glasgow.
– 4 km per person in team.
– Deadline for entry: 19th Sept (Soon!!!)

– 22/10/22
– National XC relay championship @ Cumbernauld.
– 4 km per person in team.
– Deadline for entry: 3rd Oct (Soon!!!)

– 05/11/22
– National short course XC championship @ Kirkcaldy.
– 4 km individual.
– Deadline for entry: 17th Oct

– 03/12/22
– West district XC championships @ TBC.
– 8 – 8.5 km individual.
– Deadline for entry: 14th Nov

– 25/02/23
– National XC championship @ Falkirk.
– 10 km individual 💪
– Deadline for entry: 7th Feb

The individual events are all part of our club championship and you get bonus points for participating in a relay event team 👍🏼👍🏼 (The club pays for entry into the relay events)

Important bit: Entry is now open for the 1st event on the list so I can take names and the deadline is fairly soon!!! How exciting is that!!! 🏃‍♂️🏃🏻🏃🏻‍♀️💨

I’m easily contactable…Either at XC Sat am sessions or messenger, WhatsApp, text or email.

So please get in touch if you’d like to take part!

Spread the word!!

EMMA MORRIS

Senior Endurance 1,500 metres Track Championship Scratch Results

We had 13 athletes taking part in a very competitive race on Saturday 30 July. Well done to everyone who made it along to the track and thanks to our timers, lap counters and photographers [Clare Grehan, Jim Tracey, Robert Pattinson, Douglas Samson and Joe Hoolaghan].

The results in finishing order are set out below. The male/female categories and age graded times have been published on the Track Championship page of the website – Senior Endurance Track Championship Page

In the meantime here are the finishing times as our athletes crossed the line:

1. Jonathan Moore – 4:31
2. David Gardiner – 4:42
3. Iain Campbell – 5:17
4. Emma Morris – 5:30
5. Ross McCaig – 5:32
6. Jim White – 5:33
7. Marcus Whyte – 5:33
8. Alan Strang – 5:48
9. John Hughes – 5:50
10. David Hoolaghan – 5:59
11. Emma Hunter – 6:09
12. Gayle Samson – 6:16
13. Colin Gardner – 6:28

The MAC was certainly back at the Clyde Stride Ultra Marathon where we had a team of 4 ladies take it on as a relay and Simon who was mad enough to complete it solo.
Our ladies absolutely smashed it and managed to pick up 2nd team overall and first woman’s team, finishing in a time of 5:26:23. A special mention to Emma who was the fastest athlete over leg 1. Below are the splits for each of the legs in order:
Emma: 1:08:07
Maryann: 1:31:15
Gayle S: 1:08:36
Gayle F: 1:38:25

Simon completed the full ultra in 8:38:14 finishing in 39th place. A massive well done to Simon completing this tough race and was able to keep going even after taking a wrong turn which added some extra distance on.

The results are in from this Morning’s Lanark Moor Parkrun – Championship Race

We had a 1,2,3,4 including our most recent trialist Lewis McCluskey. 11 Motherwell AC athletes participated at Lanark this morning on what I am told is a very tough Parkrun course. Well done to everyone who made it through to Lanark and a special mention to Jonathan Moore who was first across the line in 19:29.

Thanks to the injured Phyllis Hands for volunteering and cheering on the troops.

THE RESULTS

1 Jonathan Moore – 19:29

2 Iain Campbell – 21:56

3 Emma Morris – 22:26

4 Lewis McCluskey – 23:16 (Trialist)

6 Scott Dickson – 23:42

7 Maryann Trotter Milne – 24:11

10 Alan Strang – 24:26

11 John Hughes – 25:02

13 Craig Morris – 25:29

16 Emma Hunter – 26:27

36 Jim Tracey – 35:50

37 Patricia Allen – 39:34

LANARKMOOR PARKRUN

The fifth round of our Road Running Championship takes place at Lanark Moor parkrun on Saturday 16th July 2022, the club’s first championship race at this venue:

https://www.parkrun.org.uk/lanarkmoor

Scoring

To score championship points for a parkrun, participants should

* Register for parkrun:

https://www.parkrun.org.uk/register/

* Select Motherwell AC as your team. This can be done at profile creation or updated at any time

* Bring and use your barcode. No barcode, no result, no championship points.

* Wear a MAC vest or tee.

Volunteering

If you are not running but still want to get involved, why not consider volunteering? There are still some roles needing filled on that day:

https://www.parkrun.org.uk/lanarkmoor/futureroster/

Getting There

Please consider car sharing or the train. If you would like to offer to drive, please indicate in the MAC Members FB group.

‍TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP 5,000 METRES RESULTS

We had 8 athletes competing in this morning’s 5,000m Track Championship Race at Wishaw Sports Centre on what was a cold and windy morning. Well done to the athletes who braved the elements and the 12.5 laps on the track. Thanks to Joe Hoolaghan, Alan Strang, Robbie Pattinson, and Craig Morris for counting laps and timing the race.

1st Male – Jonathan Moore in 16:54

2nd Male – Paul Burns in 17:19

3rd Male – David Gardner in 17:50

1st Female – Emma Morris in 20:10

A link to the scratch and age graded results is attached and there is also link to the Track Championship Page on the website with the updated tables.

TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP PAGE

5,000m RESULTS

Attached is a link to an article which featured our 200th Time Trial Championship Race on 31 May 2022

DAILY RECORD 200TH TT ARTICLE

SVHC Masters Road Relays 2022 Sunday 24th July 2022, 11am

Usually held in January on a cold, wet and windy day, this year’s SVHC Masters Road Relays will (hopefully) be held in better conditions. Taking place on Sunday 24th July, it is great to see the return of this relay event on our doorstep.

One lap of the loch is all that is required here, something most of us have done on more occasions than we care to remember! So let’s put this local knowledge to good use and aim to field as many teams as possible. The team categories are:

Mens (35+) – 4 stage

Mens (50+) – 4 stage

Ladies – 3 stage

If you will be 35 or older on the day of the race and would like to take part, please inform Alan Strang (alanstrang@motherwellac.com) along with your date of birth. Even if you are not 100% sure, it is better to put your name down just-in-case rather than be guaranteed to miss out. The deadline for letting Alan know will be Tuesday 12th July. Teams will be formed later that week and finalised on the morning of the race prior to declarations.

Team Challenge Reminder & SVHC Masters Relays

MAC 5k Team Challenge 2022

This is a reminder that the 5k Team Challenge takes place this Thursday, 16th June 2022. Everyone is encouraged to attend and push themselves over the Strathclyde parkrun route. For full details, please check out this previous post.

MAC 5K TEAM CHALLENGE – THURSDAY 16th JUNE 2022

SVHC Masters Road Relays 2022

Usually held in January on a cold, wet and windy day, this year’s Masters Road Relays will (hopefully) be held in better conditions. Taking place on Sunday 24th July, it is great to see the return of this relay event on our doorstep. Keep the date free, further entry details will be forthcoming in the coming days.

https://scottishmastersathletics.webnode.page/products/lsk-road-relays/

Regards

Alan Strang

Here are the official results from Roon the Toon 10K – Scottish National Road Racing Championship.

The full race results with gender and age categories can be viewed from the attached link below.  A number of photos from the day are attached.

51st Jonathan Moore 34:00

113th Jim White 37:32

135th Iain Campbell 38:22

258th Scott Kelman 43:30

267th Robbie E Pattinson 43:59

287th Scott Dickson 44:40

314th Maryann Trotter Milne 45:21

348th David Hoolaghan 46:19

391th Dr Ross McLean 47:28

573th Jac Molloy 51:01

Roon the Toon 10K Full Results

CSSAL AT LINWOOD 5 JUNE 2022 – AN UPDATE FROM EWEN CAMERON

What a fantastic day of track and field athletics CSSAL match at Linwood today! With no less than 5 young people in their first competition, every single athlete excelled. Performances in every event were absolutely tremendous with a good many pb’s. The fact the weather was glorious was a bonus! ☀️

Lovely to have so many parents and family members cheering the team on and as always, very proud to see how well the athletes all support each other across the age groups. A massive well done and thank you to all who represented the club magnificently today. It’s a privilege for Scott and I to coach you and watch as you put the training into action in competition. Congratulations 👏🏻👏🏻

Ewen

SENIOR ENDURANCE TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP 2022

The Track Championship for Senior Endurance is being extended for 2022, from a one-off 3000m race to a three-race series.

The races will be held at the Wishaw track, and the dates are:

Saturday 25th June – 5000m
Saturday 30th July – 1500m
Saturday 17th September – 3000m

The final race will be held on the morning of the Track & Field championship day, as is traditional.

Points in this championship will be awarded based on finishing position AND age-graded score, with the points for both being combined. The female and male athletes with the highest score after three races will be awarded the championship trophies. So the winners won’t necessarily be the fastest in the club, but the fastest for their age…

This is a great opportunity to give track racing a go, in a relaxed MAC-only atmosphere. An opportunity to put the recent track training to good use, for some to try something new, for others to try distances they have never raced.

Full details are available in the rules document, attached.

SE TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP RULES 2022

MAC 5K TEAM CHALLENGE – THURSDAY 16th JUNE 2022

OVERVIEW:
The Senior Endurance 5k Team Challenge returns for 2022. For the benefit of new members or those who just can’t remember, what is this thing? Well, this is a team event where everyone will set off at the same time and run the same distance. Like a race! The scoring system will allow a winning team to be determined. It is just a bit of fun, though, an excuse to push yourself over the 5k distance.

SCORING:
Points will be awarded to runners based on finishing position. First overall runner home scores 1 point for their team, second overall scores 2 points, etc. Points will be totalled up for each team with lowest total winning. So, to be clear: finishing position is key, not time.

TEAMS:
Attending members will be split into one of three teams at the start of the session using an ‘old school’ method. Coloured stickers will be provided to be worn front and back, to make team identification easy during the race.

ELIGIBILITY:
Only current members of Motherwell AC and ‘trialists’ can participate. All are encouraged to participate, regardless of pace. Everyone is welcome and everyone will be cheered across the line.

ENTRIES:
No pre-entries are required for this event. Anyone wishing to participate should just turn up to training on Thursday as normal.

START TIME:
This event will be the club training session for Thursday 16th June. Please meet at the Strathclyde Park Watersports Centre at 6.30pm. The action will commence after teams have been formed and everyone has had an opportunity to warm-up.

ROUTE:
The route to be used will be the ‘old’ Strathclyde parkrun route. That is, high path coming out of the woods, playpark loop, low path on return.

JUNE TIME TRIAL (200th) WINNERS AND WOODEN SPOON

We had a superb turnout the 200th Time Trial Championship Race. There were 28 competitors, 4 Virtual entries, and 8 helpers. On the back of a heavy weekend of racing tonight’s race had an element of fun about it. Unfortunately the weather was not on our side and the rain poured down for the duration of the race.

First male across the line was Gary Wood in 37:01 and first female was Mae McIsaac in 31:54. Douglas Samson picked up the wooden spoon in good humour.

Charla Hands provided us with some fantastic commemorative biscuits, cookies and muffins. Thanks once again Charla.

A special mention was given to Lucy Hamilton who is leaving us for ‘The Land Down Under’ in July and this might be her last TT. Lucy you will be missed.

Thanks to our many helpers – Joe Hoolaghan Margaret Hoolaghan Mark Ellis John Burns Emma Morris Anne Hughes Jac Molloy and Dougie O’Hare.

A selection of photos are attached – courtesy of Margaret Hoolaghan.

CSSAL 2022 – Competition Opportunities for Senior Endurance

From Bob McCrum (MAC’s T&F Representative) to all Senior Endurance members:

The Central and South of Scotland Athletic League (CSSAL) was formed to offer competitions in the form of league matches for all clubs throughout the area. The first registered meeting was held in 1972 and at its peak had 6 divisions. It currently has 21 clubs competing in 3 divisions.

Motherwell AC are in Division 2 this season. (We should have been demoted to Division 3 but a club resigned from the league so we remain in D2 this season.) MAC usually ping pongs between D2 and D3 depending on how many athletes we have available for each meeting.

As you can see from the Match 1 timetable (in the linked Handbook document), there are opportunities to compete in 3000m/800m for Senior Endurance athletes. If anyone wants to have a go, please contact Richie Leach (richieleach@motherwellac.com). He will have some athletes entered in 800m and will be happy to arrange entries for you.

CSSAL 2022 HANDBOOK

REMINDER – LONDON MARATHON CLUB BALLOT

The deadline for entering the ballot for the club’s London Marathon place is Wednesday 13th April. For further details and eligibility requirements from the following link.

LONDON MARATHON CLUB BALLOT

BREAKING NEWS FROM THE MANCHESTER MARAHON

TWO MOTHERWELL AC ATHLETES RUN SUB 3 HOUR MARATHONS

DAVID GARDINER 2 HOURS 51 MINS AND 9 SECS

IAIN CAMPBELL 2 HOURS 57 MINS AND 21 SECS

FANTASTIC PERFORMANCES. CONGRATULATIONS FROM ALL AT MOTHERWELL AC 👏👏👏👏

ROAD RACING CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE

INTRODUCTION

The Senior Endurance Road Running Championship got underway last weekend with the bonus points National Relays – three males took part and secured themselves an early lead in the standings.  The action proper commences on Sunday with the first of eight races – the Tom Scott 10 mile.  In recent years the championship has tended to start with a 10k event in March.  This year the start was delayed to allow the club to participate in the Allan Scally Road Relays.  Alas, only four members raced that day; this will very much be taken into consideration when planning the 2023 season.

LEAGUES

As for this season, the number of club entries for the races announced so far (nine for Tom Scott, four so far for Dunblane, eight so far for Roon The Toon) would result in having leagues of just two or three individuals, with everyone receiving medals.  For this reason, the sub-committee has decided not to have leagues this season.  If participation increases over the course of the year, they will of course be considered for a 2023 return.

SCHEDULE

The sub-committee is also pleased to announce the three events to complete the championship. The Paisley 10k returns after our successful outing in 2019, while two of the more local parkruns will make their championship debuts – Lanark Moor and Drumpellier Country.  The schedule now looks like this:

April 3rd – Tom Scott 10mile
May 6th – Scottish 5k
May 29th – Dunblane 12k
June 12th – Roon The Toon 10k
July 16th – Lanark Moor parkrun
August 21st – Paisley 10k
September 11th – Cumbernauld 10k
September 24th – Drumpellier Country parkrun

Remember, both marathons and half marathons count as ‘hypothetical’ races this season.  This gives ten opportunities in total to score points, with the best six counting.

SUB-COMMITTEE

Gayle Samson recently joined the sub-committee following the earlier departure of two members.  There remains one vacancy which would ideally be filled by another of our female members.  If you are interested, please get in touch with Alan Strang for more details, etc.

The Scottish 5k is the second race in our Road Running Championship. It’s a fantastic event. Entries opened on 29 March, and historically you need to be quick off the mark as this tends to sell out quickly.

ENTER THE SCOTTISH 5K ROAD RACE

BREAKING NEWS – EVAN CRANE TAKES FIRST PLACE OVERALL IN THE 105 TRACK SERIES

Evan managed to run a 4 minute marathon PB and take victory in the marathon race. His cumulative time across the track series 10K, Half Marathon and Marathon got him first place overall in the 105 Track Series.

Evan is absolutely delighted and he has done Motherwell AC proud. Well done on an outstanding series of performances from everyone at the club 👏👏👏👏

JUNIOR TRACK & FIELD ATHLETES DO MOTHERWELL AC PROUD AT THE EMIRATES ARENA – 6 MARCH 2022

A big well done to our Under 13 Girls and Boys teams at the Scottish Indoor 4 x 200m Relays at The Emirates Arena today. Some excellent performances and club debuts for Ailsa and Andy. Great experience competing at national level and the youngsters should be very proud of their efforts.

Continue reading “JUNIOR TRACK & FIELD ATHLETES DO MOTHERWELL AC PROUD AT THE EMIRATES ARE”

Allan Scally Road Relays

Entries remain open for the Allan Scally Memorial Road Relays. To date, six men have paid to confirm their entries. No women have done so…

One men’s team (of four) has been entered. Two more men are required, however, before a second team will be entered.

https://www.entrycentral.com/AllanScallyRoadRace

If you would like to participate, please let Alan Strang know before the end of the month. The club will NOT pay for this event, so members are required to pay Alan the £8 fee to confirm their place.

National 6/4 Stage Road Relays

The TruWealth scottishathletics 6/4 Stage Road Relays take place on Saturday 26th March in Livingston. The 6/4 relates to the number of stages team have to run – male teams run six, female teams run 4. The legs are not of equal length, though – they alternate between short (approx 5k) and long (approx 9k).

More details available here:

https://scottishathletics.sportserve.net/pages/event/athletics/athleticsbookingdetails.aspx?id=11765

If you would like to participate, please let Tommy Sneddon know. The club will pay for entries, but members are required to pay Tommy a £5 deposit to secure their place; this will be returned to those who do take part.

Just in from the LAAA, Maryann Milne was 3rd in Saturday’s W40 XC Race. A fantastic debut performance for Motherwell AC. Superb and well done Maryann 👏👏👏

Continue reading “BREAKING NEWS – MARYANN MILNE TAKES BRONZE IN W40 @ LAAA XC”

MORE BREAKING NEWS AS EVAN CRANE ACHIEVES ANOTHER PODIUM FINISH

Evan Crane completed the Chatelherault 6 Hour Ultramarathon yesterday, managing 37 miles in absolutely dreadful conditions and following up last week’s podium with another one finishing 3rd place overall. It will probably take till Monday for Evan to dry out.

Well done Evan on another fantastic performance 👏👏👏

BREAKING NEWS – DAVID GARDINER TAKES SILVER IN THE M50 SCOTTISH MASTERS XC CHAMPIONSHIPS IN ABERDEEN WHILE PHYLLIS HANDS COMES 6th IN THE W65 RACE

Congratulations David on your achievement and well done Phyllis for representing the club at National Level 👏👏👏

A few photos courtesy of Phyllis

FURTHER RACES ADDED TO THE ROAD RACING CHAMPIONSHIP

Five of the eight races for the 2022 championship have now been chosen and can be revealed.

03/04/2022 – Tom Scott Memorial 10 mile (Nat, WD) – Strathclyde Park
06/05/2022 – Run and Become Sri Chinmoy 5k (Nat) – Silverknowes, Edinburgh
29/05/2022 – Dunblane 12k – Dunblane
12/06/2022 – Roon The Toon 10k (Nat) – Kilmarnock
09/2022 – Cumbernauld 10k – Cumbernauld

That leaves one more 10k race and two 5k races (or parkruns) to schedule in the second half of the year.

Entries are already open for Tom Scott, Dunblane & Roon The Toon on EntryCentral. Announcements will be made as entries open for the others.

Allan Scally Memorial Road Relay

What is it?
The Allan Scally Road Relay is a long-standing event on the Scottish athletics calendar. Indeed, the event to be held on Saturday 5th March will be the 51st! The format is 4 x 5k on a accurately measured, traffic-free course in Glasgow Green. When this event was first suggested to members back in October, interest levels were high. So it is hoped that MAC can enter teams in both the female and male categories. For more details, see https://www.entrycentral.com/AllanScallyRoadRace

Who is eligible?
Current members of Motherwell AC.

Am I good enough?
If you can run 5k, you are good enough. The aim here is to have as many MAC vests on show as possible. No-one should rule themselves out because they perceive themselves to be ‘too slow’ for such an event.

How much does it cost?
Each team costs £32 to enter, so that works out at £8 for each runner.

How do I enter?
If four club-mates want to form a team and run together, that is absolutely fine. One of the team members should let Alan Strang (alanstrang@motherwellac.com) know the names of the runners, and to arrange payment of the £32 team fee. Alternatively, the team can enter themselves directly, but please do still let Alan Strang know who the runners will be.

If you are happy to be placed in any team, let Alan Strang (alanstrang@motherwellac.com) know you wish to enter and to arrange payment of the £8 individual fee. Teams will then be entered and formed from these entrants.

The club closing date for entries will be Monday 28th February.

30th ANNIVERSARY CEILIDH ON SATURDAY 19 FEBRUARY IN ST BRIDE’S HALL, COURSINGTON ROAD, MOTHERWELL ML1 1PP @ 7 PM

By now, you will probably have seen the email about the forthcoming 30th Anniversary Ceilidh. Scottish Government have relaxed the restrictions on hospitality and we can confirm that the Ceilidh will definitely be going ahead.

The Ceilidh is open to members and their family and friends. To book your tickets speak to any of the coaches to put your name plus number of tickets forward to the club secretary or alternatively email secretary@motherwellac.com. Tickets are £10 for adults and £5 for children.

There will be a fantastic Ceilidh Band, Dancing, Haggis Neeps and Tatties (including a vegetarian version), Raffles, and lots of fun.

We need raffle prizes too, so please donate what you can – spirits, wine, chocolates, toiletries, gift vouchers etc. Elaine Jamieson will be happy to collect any raffle prizes from you at training.

We look forward to seeing you there for another great night.

Motherwell AC Athletes out in force at the Emirates Arena today 12 December 2021.

A strong MAC contingent visited The Emirates Arena today for the second Scottish Athletics Indoor League match of the winter season.

A number of young athletes from under 11 and under 13 were making their competitive debuts for the club and every athlete from under 11 through to under 20 competed superbly and as always, represented the club with pride.

Some tough competition and every one of the team gave 100% effort. Thanks to all the athletes who represented us so well, to all the coaches and team managers, and for terrific support from the parents. Well done to you all.

Motherwell AC endorses the principles of equality and inclusion in our sport.

The Rainbow Laces campaign is asking participants to show their support for LGBTQ+ equality in sport, and is running from 25th November to 12th December.

Find out more here: RAINBOW LACES

MOTHERWELL AC ATHLETES OUT IN FORCE ON SUNDAY 21 NOVEMBER

We had a MAC contingent of four running in the UK’s oldest road race The Brampton to Carlisle 10 Miler. The provisional results are in:

Jim White – 65:00

Scott Kelman -72:21

Alastair Loudoun – 73:53

Gillian McCaffer – 78:01

Well done troops 👏👏👏

Down in the Borders we had Evan Crane running in the Tweed Valley Ultra 65 KM race where he finished 18th in 6 hours 44 minutes and 31 seconds. A fantastic effort from Evan 👏👏👏

Keep the updates coming. Joe

Congratulations go to Tom Timmons (Silver) and Joey Leach (Bronze) for achieving podium finishes at Livingston on Saturday 13 November.  Well done from everyone at Motherwell AC 👏👏👏

David Gardiner defended his title and took Gold in the MV50 category with Phyllis Hands winning Bronze in the FV60 category.  Well done from everybody at Motherwell AC.

In total we had 14 athletes competing at Lanark yesterday who did the club proud.

REMINDER – PRIZE GIVING AND FAMILY NIGHT IS AT 7.30 PM FRIDAY 12 NOVEMBER IN “100 CLUB” EDWARD STREET, MOTHERWELL, ML1 2PP

The event will take the usual format – Presentation of medals and awards, some food, music from the DJ and time for socialising. The bar will also be open.

We do hope yu will be able to attend and we look forward to seeing you there. Mums, dads, and other family members are, of course, invited.

Kindest regards

The committee

NOVEMBER TIME TRIAL SEASON FINALE RESULTS, UPDATED CHAMPIONSHIP TABLES, AND MEDALLISTS

The detailed results and tables are now available on the Motherwell AC website (link attached).

Last night’s race concluded what has been a quite successful Championship as we emerged from the Covid restrictions in the spring. Thanks to everybody for their support.

In the Women’s Championship it came down to the wire with Pyhllis Hands managing to hold off Emma Morris to take this year’s trophy. Top three women were:

1. Phyllis Hands (74 points)
2. Emma Morris (67 points)
3. Gillian McCaffer (51 points)

In the Men’s Championship Scott Kelman consolidated a commanding lead from Alastair Loudon to win the men’s trophy. However, we had an unprecedented three way tie for 3rd place between Alan Main, Alan Strang and Iain Campbell. The third spot and medal goes to Alan Main as “the runner with the most high scoring results – a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.” The top three men were:

1. Scott Kelman (58 points)
2. Alastair Loudon (40 points)
3. Alan Main (35 points)

2021 TIME TRIAL CHAMPIONSHIP

SENIOR ENDURANCE CROSS COUNTRY – NEXT UP

Entries are now open for the 3rd and 4th events in the club’s Cross-Country Championship. The event at Lanark is probably the ideal ‘toe in the water’ for those unsure if XC is for them. It’s short, it’s local, and it’s not a relay (so no teammates depending on you to get round).

National Short Course XC Championships – Saturday 6th November
Entries are open for the National Short Course XC Championships, to be held at Lanark Racecourse. They remain open until Thursday 21st October. Not a huge entry window, so best act sooner than later if you want to compete. Full details and booking link – DETAILS AND BOOKING

West District XC Championships – Saturday 4th December
Entries are open for the West District XC Championships, to be held at Maryhill Park, Glasgow. They remain open until Thursday 18th November. Full details and booking link – DETAILS AND BOOKING

Ten seniors attended Alexandra Park on Saturday to represent Motherwell AC in the West District XC Relays. Each leg was 4km long. How hard could that be…?

First in action was the women’s team, with Joey Leach running the opening leg in a very strong 16:56. Phyllis Hands then took over and surprised herself with her time. Emma Morris brought the team home as 23rd Senior team.

16:56 Joey Leach

20:37 Phyllis Hands

17:31 Emma Morris

Later in the afternoon it was the men’s turn. The club had entered two teams – a full Masters team and, unfortunately, an incomplete Senior team. David Hoolaghan and Craig Morris got things underway. An impressively strong run from Craig saw him finish his leg a good distance ahead of David. It was then over to ‘young’ Scott Dickson and ‘old’ Mark Ellis. The wiser head prevailed and towards the end of the lap Mark had reeled in Scott and began to pull away. The third leg saw Alan Strang and John Burns in action, attempting to gain positions whilst also being passed by the leading whippets on their fourth legs! The final runner of the day was Robbie Pattinson who ran strongly to bring the Masters team home in 12th place.

19:27 David Hoolaghan

16:25 Mark Ellis

17:13 Alan Strang

17:08 Robert Pattinson

The Senior team was unclassified.

18:46 Craig Morris

17:16 Scott Dickson

19:53 John Burns

So how hard was it? Well, without exception, all the club’s athletes were shocked at how tough a course it was. Golf courses aren’t usually that hilly, right?

But more importantly, without exception, all the club’s athletes were glad they had taken on the challenge and enjoyed the team spirit on show in abundance.

If you haven’t tried cross-country before, why not give it a go?  Then you will understand…….

GILLIAN McCAFFER AND MIRANDA RICHMOND DO MOTHERWELL AC PROUD AT THE VIRGIN MONEY LONDON MARATHON

Running alongside a bit more than another 40,000 competitors, club members Gillian McCaffer and Miranda Richmond had outstanding performances at today’s Virgin Money London Marathon.

Gillian completed the famous 26.2 miles course in an excellent 3 hours 41 minutes and 56 seconds while Miranda finished not that far behind in a very creditable 4 hours 5 minutes and 7 seconds.

Well done and congratulations to Gillian and Miranda from everybody at Motherwell AC.

A few pictures from earlier today are attached.

West District XC Relays – Entries

Our deadline for entering the season-opening West District XC Relays is midnight on Tuesday 21st September.  Another couple of male and female entries would help the club field full teams.  If you are on the fence, why not put your name down and decide closer to the day?

West District XC Relays – Marshalls

The organisers of the West District XC Relays require marshalls and are requesting assistance from the West District clubs.  It would be great if the club could provide one or two marshalls to help this event run smoothly.  If you are available and interested, please contact Alan Strang (alanstrang@motherwellac.com) for further details.

National XC Relays – Entries

Entries for the National Cross Country Relay Championships are now open.  This event takes place on Saturday 23rd October at Scone Palace, Perthshire. Full details are available here [https://scottishathletics.sportserve.net/pages/event/athletics/athleticsbookingdetails.aspx?id=11570]. Please note your Scottish Athletics membership must be current in order to participate.

As before, entries for team relays are submitted by the club. If you want to take part, please let Alan Strang (alanstrang@motherwellac.com) know and arrange payment of a £5 deposit. This can be paid in person, by bank transfer, or by PayPal. Only once this deposit has been paid is your place in the squad confirmed. This deposit will be refunded on the day of the race.

Our closing date for entries for this event is midnight on Tuesday 5th October.

Track & Mud

Two reminders for Senior Endurance members.

Firstly, the club’s 3000m Track Championship takes place on Saturday 18th September. That’s next weekend.  It would be great to see as many members as possible support this race.  Full details are available in this earlier post:

 https://motherwellac.com/senior-endurance-3000m-track-championship-2021/

Secondly, team entries for the West District Cross Championship Relays are open and will remain so until Tuesday 21st September.  The event itself is on Saturday 9th October in Glasgow.  If you are not sure whether cross country is your thing, a relay event is probably the best ‘toe in the water’.  Again, full details in this earlier post:

https://motherwellac.com/senior-endurance-cross-country-championship-2021-22/

SENIOR ENDURANCE TRAINING UPDATE 27 AUGUST 2021

Over the next few weeks we will see a change in the emphasis of our training. We adopt a structured approach to training and encourage a short period of rest or easy training for a few weeks around this time each year. This will help to ensure you recover from a hard period of training and feel refreshed, ready for the start of a new season.

Obviously, some athletes will have their own targets and should adapt the training schedules to suit their needs. However, we would recommend they do consider a period of rest and recovery at an appropriate stage in their training.

Following our recovery period, the next phase of our training will be aimed at building an aerobic base, through progressively longer steady runs. We will start our cross country training on Saturday 25th September. This training will be mostly on grass and is aimed at preparing our athletes for a series of cross country and relay races over the Winter. The club hold a separate cross country championships over the Winter and you may wish to target some of the following races:

West District Cross Country Relays – 9/10/21

Lanarkshire Road Relays – 16/10/21 (TBC)

National Cross Country Relays – 23/10/21

National Short Course Cross Country – 6/11/21

West District Cross Country Championships – 4/12/21

Lanarkshire Cross Country Championships – (TBC)

National Cross Country Championships – 26/2/22

If you would like more information on our training, have a look at the annual training plan on the training schedule page of the website https://motherwellac.com/senior-endurance-training/ or have an interest in getting more involved, please contact one of our coaches.

‏Three Motherwell AC athletes (Alastair Loudon, Gillian McCaffer and Scott Kelman) made the journey to compete in the  Fleetwood Half Marathon on Sunday 22 August 2021.

All three achieved PBs and Gillian McCaffer was 3rd Female in the race with 224 competitors.  Well done and congratulations from all at the club.  Times and finishing positions follow.

Scott Kelman (28th) – 1:36:38

Alastair Loudon (58th) – 1:45:08

Gillian McCaffer (3rd Female) – 1:46:03

Continue reading “William Bailey Wins Bronze at Scottish Championships”

Congratulations go to Gillian for a superb 5 miles time of 34:46 and F35 3rd place finish in Redcar at the weekend. Well done Gillian from everybody at the club. Keep up the good work.

The First Minister announced on Tuesday 13 July that all of mainland Scotland will move to Level 0 on Monday 19 July.  Scottish Athletics has updated its Framework document (see attached) and it guidance documents on its website.

Scottish Athletics Covid-19 Level Framework

Three Motherwell AC athletes excelled at the Scottish Masters Championships in Kilmarnock on Saturday 10 June 2021.  Congratulations go to:

Alan Robertson ‘Gold’ in the M40, 100m and 200m

Phyllis Hands ‘Gold’ in the W65, 800m and 1500m

Jim Smith ‘Gold’ in the M75, 100m and 200m

To quote Phyllis Hands “There is life in the old dogs yet”

SENIOR ENDURANCE IS CURRENTLY RECRUITING NEW MEMBERS

As we emerge from Covid-19 restrictions we are now in position to actively recruit new members to the club.  We cater for a mixed range of abilities for adults from 18-year-olds upwards within Senior Endurance.  If you are interested in joining us but are not sure if we are the club for you – we are currently offering a one month’s free trial for you to try out with us.  Just click on the membership Enquiries link below to find out more about us, fill out the enquiry form and we will contact you about the next steps.

Membership Enquiries – Motherwell AC

MAC Senior Endurance 5k Team Challenge Reminder

Tuesday 15th June 2021

REMINDER:

A reminder that this evening sees the MAC 5k Team Challenge.  Please see the earlier post for full details.  Club kit is NOT required for this event.

ENTRIES:

No pre-entries are required for this event.  Anyone wishing to participate should just turn up to training on Tuesday as normal.

START TIME:

This event will be the club training session.  Please meet at the Strathclyde Park Watersports Centre by 6.30pm. The action will commence after teams have been formed and everyone has had an opportunity to warm-up.·

MOTHERWELL AC SENIOR ENDURANCE RELAYS – THE TEAMS

The teams have been formed for this Saturday’s MAC Team Relays!

Team A: Charla Hands, Emma Morris, Ewen Cameron, Jim White
Team B: Alan Tait, John Burns, Scott Dickson, Simon Marshall
Team C: Alastair Loudon, Gayle Samson, Mark Ellis, Scott Kelman
Team D: Gillian McCaffer, Iain Campbell, Neil Richardson, Phyllis Hands
Team E: Douglas Samson, Gary Arthur, Robert Pattinson, Steven McCaw
Team F: Alan Main, Brian McLinden, Lauren Wyllie, Miranda Richmond
Reserves: Alan Strang, David Gardiner

RUNNING ORDER:

It is up to each team to decide on its running order.  The only requirements are that each team member runs at least one leg, and each team must run four legs.  So for incomplete teams, team members may run additional legs in order to complete the relay.

NON-ENTRANTS:

Members who did not enter prior to the deadline are still welcome to participate, but only until the maximum bubble size of 30 (28 runners, 2 helpers) has been reached.  Such members will be used to fill up any incomplete teams on the day, but only after the reserves have already been used.  If no reserves are actually needed, then a Team G can be formed.

If you do intend to participate, best drop a message in advance to alanstrang@motherwellac.com to be sure of your place.

ROUTE:

The route will be a mini version of the Strathclyde parkrun and can be viewed here: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1537352

Note, for those that way inclined, a Strava segment (‘MAC Team Relays’) has been created for this route.  Luke Traynor holds the backdated record.  So that’s a nice target for us…

START TIME:

This event will be the club training session for Saturday 22nd May.  Please meet at the Strathclyde Park Watersports Centre by 9.30am. The action will commence at around 9.50am, and certainly by 10am.

ON THE DAY:

Please make every effort to wear your MAC vest.  This event is a great opportunity for the club to be seen as being back.

If you can also bring some safety pins for the home-made race numbers, that would be appreciated. Some will be made available, but possibly not sufficient for all.

HELPERS:

Joe Hoolaghan and John Hughes will kindly help on the day to ensure everything goes to plan.  Joe will also have his camera, so be sure to brush your hair…

April Time Trial detailed results and updated championship tables are now available on the Time Trial Championship page of the club website – see attached link

Time Trial Championship 2021

We are returning to a ‘real’ version of the Time Trial on Tuesday 6 April @ 6.30 PM.

While the travel restrictions remain in place we will have one group starting in Strathclyde Park and a second group starting from the Mausoleum in Hamilton.

Due to individual concerns or medical advice, members who do not wish to participate in the group session may submit a virtual time, as per previous guidance.  Your run can be completed anytime between now and Tuesday and must be submitted to Joe Hoolaghan (via messenger or email – joehoolaghan@motherwellac.com) by close of play on 6 April.  Participants may do this on two occasions during the season.  This limit does not apply to entirely virtual time trials (see 2021 TT rules on the TT Championship Page for more details – link attached).

Time Trial Championship 2021

Senior Endurance Training Schedules for April and May 2021 are now available on the club calendar.  You can access them from the following link.

SENIOR ENDURANCE TRAINING SCHEDULES

Senior Endurance will return to training from Saturday 20 March @ 9.30 AM.  Due to travel restrictions across Local Authority boundaries until 26 April, we will have two training locations:

The Water Sports Centre in Strathclyde Park for North Lanarkshire Residents; and

The Mausoleum in Hamilton Palace Grounds for South Lanarkshire Residents.

There is no need to book in advance as we can have multiple groups of 15s and have sufficient coaching cover, if the demand is there.  Social distancing (2 metres side by side, and 5 metres when running in single file) must be maintained before, during and after training.  Hand sanitizing gel will be available but it is advisable to bring your own.

We will be continuing with the current March Training Schedule (see attached link) for the remainder of the month and new schedules for April and May will be published before the end of the month.

Senior Endurance Training Schedules

Please note – only current members on Loveadmin.com are eligible to attend training sessions.  Individuals on our waiting list are also eligible to attend, by invitation, for their free trial.

As of 11 March Scottish Athletics has updated it Covid-19 Level Framework which allows a return to training for all age groups from Friday 11 March 2021 within specific criteria.   A link to the Covid-19 Level Framework is set out below, and summary of key changes follow.

Further information on the plans for returning to training will follow from next week.

Scottish Athletics Covid-19 Level Framework

The key changes are summarized below:

From Friday 12 March,

Age 11 and under (Level 4)

• Children aged 11 and under can take part in outdoor organised athletics training, group exercise and competition (internal only) within their usual club or facility environment.
• An outdoor sporting ‘field of play bubble’ for children aged 11 and under can consist of up to 30 people, including coaches and officials, at any one time.
• Children are not required to physically distance. Coaches and officials should maintain physical distancing where possible.
• Where there are multiple bubbles operating at the same venue risk assessments must be completed to ensure there can be no mixing of participants before, during or after the activity.

Age 12+ (Level 4)

• Those aged 12+ and over can take part in organised athletics training, group exercise and competition within their usual club or facility environment.
• Group sizes of up to 15 people, including coaches and officials, are permitted at any one time.
• Physical distancing should be maintained at all times.
• Where there are multiple bubbles operating at the same venue risk assessments must be completed to ensure there can be no mixing of participants before, during or after the activity.

Travel

• Children aged 17 years or under may travel into or out of a Level 4 area for organised athletics activity if that is where their club or activity normally takes place.
• Adults (18+) should only travel locally (within their local authority area) to take part in organised sport or physical activity.
• For informal exercise, people of all ages should only travel up to 5 miles from their local authority boundary.
• Coaches and Jog leaders can travel across local authority boundaries to coach/lead. However, please remember to minimise travel where possible.