In 2018 , for various reasons, I stopped running , or ran on an ad hoc basis , sometimes not running for weeks on end. Similarly I stopped competing and have very little stats or races completed between 2018 until 2023 when I started competing seriously again.
I luckily had ran for Scotland veterans continuously for cross country, between 2011 and 2015, having ran at all five hosting countries locations and had great memories of Bellahouston Park in Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin, Cardiff and Nottingham.
Dublin was particularly memorable as I stayed with Stephen Burt when he was working on the set of Penny Dreadful and he arranged a limousine to pick me up from the airport and showed me around the set in Dublin. Stephen and I worked on the set of Breaking the Waves in Mallaig where I was an “actor” carrying Emily Watson on a stretcher off the pier as part of the film.
That was my only Equity moment whereupon Stephen carved out a very successful career in the film industry. It was also the film debut of Gavin Mitchell who went onto become the iconic barman “Bobby” in Still Game.
I nearly had another sliding doors moment in 2021 when Stephen called me up and asked if I was busy in the next two weeks. I had retired and wasn’t working and he said they needed a body double for David Tennant, tall, slim etc !! Although I must be 20 plus years older. I snapped up the offer but unfortunately some other lanky git had filled the role.
When I stopped running seriously I became a football scout, primarily for Dundee FC under 20s and enjoyed it although it was a bit like Game of Thrones and when a new King of the North came in you were soon out of favour.
I had five lads at one time in the Under 20 team and also recommended Elliot Anderson to Dundee on loan for the first team, now playing for England and Nottingham Forest with Manchester United interested. They didn’t take up the recommendation!! He went to Bristol Rovers and set the league on fire and has never looked back.
This year I squeezed into the Scotland V55 team. Four athletes get picked for the aged 55-59 category for each country so it’s fine margins and frankly the other three lads are currently faster runners than me. Getting picked for your country is such an honour no matter how old you are or what the sport so I was fired up for the day.
The venue was Roundhay Park in Leeds. I know Leeds well and driving in the town centre is impossible so I decided to get the train down on Friday whilst the rest of the team came down on the bus from Glasgow.
Friday night was a tame affair, I took myself off to a nice French restaurant called Sous Le Nez in Quebec Street and treated myself to three courses. The Scotland team were staying at the Queens Hotel near to the station and my room mate Mark Walsh is a V50 2.33 marathon runner.
The weather was awful, rain that the West Highlands would be proud of incessant, horizontal, non-stop misery and it never stopped for 48 hours.
Word had come through that Ireland and Northern Ireland athletes were struggling to fly as all flights were cancelled on Friday and late that night it was decided to put all the races back an hour to allow our Celtic cousins to arrive on Saturday.
Saturday came, the rain was actually worse and as the bus took us to the venue at Roundhay Park it was obvious it was going to be a tough days racing.
A lot of work had gone into the organisation with a brilliant, challenging, undulating course, team photographs and an energetic , supportive compere throughout the day.
We had four hours to wait in pouring rain , huddled together like cattle in a tent that leaked and rain dripped down your back. There was runners from Stornoway, Shetland, Orkney as well as the central belt.
I also met Doreen Henderson a V75 whose husband and her came to stay at Winburg in Mallaig every July for 13 years when he covered for Dr Donald Duck when the family went on holiday. I was able to send Doreen the story I wrote about Donald Duck, our local Doctor, who shared the same name as the Walt Disney character.
There were runners competing for the first time. One proud Scottish lady was 76 years old competing in her first international. All the new runners thought they would finish last. They didn’t!
We were race 3 on the day starting at 1330hrs. The previous 2 races had churned up the ground to make parts of the course look like a WW1 trench.
64 men in the pen V50, V55 and V60, No room for error. Scotland. England. Northern Ireland. Wales. Ireland.
The gun goes off; like startled rabbits we rise and head into battle, 4 laps of 2.2 kilometres, a rise, a deep drop, bog, greasy slippy mud. Cheers of support, flags waving, the distant supportive echoes of the commentator. Rain, mud, trip and slip hazards. I fell going down the big hill on the last lap but bounced back up as quickly as I fell!
I know there are other runners behind me. I’m not going to come last. I mark the point at the top of the last hill where I’m going to sprint finish. I collapse to the line, no quarter asked and no quarter given. Retching, clamouring for breath. It’s over, I have finished. A bit of a warm down, endorphin high kicks-in, then time to get the bus back, soaked to the skin, muddy from head to toe, needing two showers!
A presentation in the evening, everyone smart as darts. I had the kilt on. Everyone getting on well, all rivalry forgotten. Scotland V55 got a silver team medal. My first team medal in an international. It’s a keeper.
I would recommend any runner with aspirations to try and compete for your country, it’s such a memorable event.
Next year it’s Dublin. Will try and qualify again.
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