[] 1 Included in this issue: Athlete and coach profiles Roadrunners January Schedules MAC News PB Corner Races coming up Marcothons to Marathons MAC’s Mighty Mountain Man MONTHLY January 2016 The Motherwell Athletics Club Newsletter WELCOME... to the new Motherwell AC newsletter. One of the areas that we have identified that we can collectively improve upon is communication within the membership. Not everyone has Facebook or Twitter or wants to have. By sending this to your email, having it as a download on the website and by having physical copies available, then hopefully everyone in, and linked to the club, can be aware of what is happening within Motherwell AC. Within this monthly newsletter we would like to keep you up to date on forthcoming events, let you know any MAC athletes results from the previous month, make you aware of any races who have opened entries, keep you up to date with the training schedules and whatever else YOU would like to know about. It would nice to have the track & field and road runners squad know a bit more about each other, so with that in mind we would be looking to profile some of our members and give a better insight into what makes individual MAC athletes tick. We, the committee, can’t do it without you. Any races coming up? Tell us about them. Have you run a race? Let us know. PB? PB corner is waiting just for you. As well as this newsletter I would like to do a weekend update on Facebook and on the website so please email me your results and any pics to [email protected]. Warning: may contain images of lycra
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Included in this issue:Athlete and coach profilesRoadrunners January SchedulesMAC NewsPB CornerRaces coming upMarcothons to MarathonsMAC’s Mighty Mountain Man
���MONTHLY January 2016
The Motherwell Athletics Club Newsletter
WELCOME... to the new Motherwell AC newsletter. One of the areas that we have identified that we can collectively improve upon is communication within the membership. Not everyone has Facebook or Twitter or wants to have. By sending this to your email, having it as a download on the website and by having physical copies available, then hopefully everyone in, and linked to the club, can be aware of what is happening within Motherwell AC. Within this monthly newsletter we would like to keep you up to date on forthcoming events, let you know any MAC athletes results from the previous month, make you aware of any races who have opened entries, keep you up to date with the training schedules and whatever else YOU would like to know about. It would nice to have the track & field and road runners squad know a bit more about each other, so with that in mind we would be looking to profile some of our members and give a better insight into what makes individual MAC athletes tick. We, the committee, can’t do it without you. Any races coming up? Tell us about them. Have you run a race? Let us know. PB? PB corner is waiting just for you. As well as this newsletter I would like to do a weekend update on Facebook and on the website so please email me your results and any pics to [email protected].
The weather may not have been kind in December, but for MAC the racing went on.
Despite very difficult icy conditions there was a fantastic win for Emma Stevenson in the Xmas handicap, with Tommy Sneddon winning the men’s event to cap a fantastic season for him. Craig Mackenzie took his wooden spoon in good spirits although rumours of withdrawn sponsorship opportunities continue to gather pace. After the race there was a fantastic turn out at the Electric Bar as Mark Gallacher was voted Roadrunner of the year by his club members.
The track and field section were well represented in the Open Graded meeting at Ravenscraig at the end of November, and at the Scottish Athletics Indoor League. There were a number of PBs, please see PB corner for more details. Full results on the website and on Facebook.
Club member Nigel Hetherington completed the Everest Marathon, please
see the seperate article on his endeavours.
Eight senior athletes braved horrendous conditions in the Western District Cross Country championships at Bellahouston in a course more akin to the Somme. Full results on the website.
Mark Paterson rounded off a fantastic consistent season with 24th place in the Ayr Turkey Trot 10k on Boxing Day, his time of 36.22 very impressive in wild conditions.
Club memberships for 2016 are now due and can be paid through Entry Central. If you joined after 1st October then your membership is valid for 2016. Otherwise If you intend to take part in MAC Championships/races/Time Trials, you must renew before 1 March or your points will not count.
Entries have opened for the first two races in the Roadrunner’s 2016 League and Champioships. With the other races still to be announced, the first two announced are the Cambuslang Down by the river 10k and the Tom Scott 10 miles race at Strathclyde Park. Please see the “Now booking” page for more details.
MAC NEWS
MAC in pictures. Xmas Time trial winner Emma Stevenson.
Smiles from the SAIL Event at the Emirates.
Great performances at the Ravenscraig open graded meeting.
MAC roadrunner of the year Mark
Gallacher
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Name: Joe Hoolaghan
Involvement at Motherwell AC: Coach, Road Runners Representative, and Committee Member
Date of Birth: 12 February 1955
Star Sign: Aquarius
Status: Married to Margaret in 1976 with one son David and one grandson Alex
Education: Our Lady’s High School Motherwell, Bell College of Technology, Open University, and University of Leicester.
Qualifications: HNC in Engineering, BA (Open), MBA (Open), MSc (Leicester)
Occupation: Retired early in 2009 aged 54. Formerly a Senior Operations Manager at Scottish Enterprise for 16 years. I also spent a lot of years in engineering and quality management in the electronics industry when we had one in Scotland, and worked at Honeywell Information Systems, Phillips Business Systems, Wang Laboratories, and Sun Microsystems.
Running background: I was originally a member of Bellshill YMCA Road Runners, and became an inaugural member of Motherwell AC when Bellshill and Motherwell YMCAs joined forces in 1991. I was always a very mediocre runner but a Trier. I ran lots of road races in my short and very forgettable seven year career – 22 half marathons, 20 10Ks, 1 marathon, as well as too many fun runs to mention. I was also a member of Hamilton Hash House Harriers for about 6 years and completed over 200 cross country runs with them. I had three speeds as a runner – jog, slow jog and shuffle. I was forced to retire due to a bad back injury back in 1994 when I decided to give coaching a try.
Coaching background: UK Athletics Level 3 Coach in Endurance Events, which I completed back in 1996. I currently work with the Road Runners managing the monthly time trial competition, assisting at hill and interval sessions, compiling race results, and maintaining the Time Trial, Cross Country, RR Championship, and RR League tables.
Personal Bests: 1500m – 5:17 at Wishaw Track, 10K – 42:17 at Uddingston Rugby Club (dubious course measurement), 10 Miles – 70:00 at the Tom Scott, Half Marathon – 1:37:06 at Loudon Valley. I’d prefer not to mention my one and only marathon performance at Glasgow in 1986 (4:28:00); I still have the mental scars to this day. These times are all from memory as my wife threw out my ‘seven years worth of running logs’ whilst having a clear out one day.
Favourite Race: Mull Half Marathon – my time was not great but what a scenic course!
Least Favourite Race: Helensburgh Half Marathon where I set a PW of just under two hours after a night on the town back in 1993. I had to endure the indignity of a 65 year old man (I was 38) with arthritic knees passing me at the 12 mile marker!
Hero: Steve Jones the British Marathon runner. He won the London, Boston, Chicago (twice) and Toronto marathons. He is still the fastest Britain over the marathon distance (2:07:13 @ Chicago in 1985). He also held the World Half Marathon record, running 61:14 in Birmingham the same year.
Most Embarrassing Moment: There are too many to mention. A good one was arriving for an important meeting in Ayr when the meeting was taking place 15 miles away in Kilmarnock (it always helps to read briefing notes in advance). However, inadvertently walking in to the Scotland Female Hockey Team’s shower room at the National Sports Centre in Largs is probably the best one.
Favourite TV Programmes: University Challenge, Eggheads (oh no.... Mark) , The Chase, and The Big Bang Theory.
Other Interests: I am a member of North Lanarkshire Leisure and visit the gym 3 or 4 times per week, although you would hardly think so when you see me. I enjoy reading – mainly non-fiction such as biographies, history, and self-help (I do need help) books. I also enjoy tasting different malt whiskies; my favourites at the moment tend to be the Speyside ones, although I am not too fussy.
“...walking in to the Scotland Female Hockey Team’s
shower...”
ROADRUNNERS PLEASE NOTE:John Hughes will be giving a talk on
21st January after training on a structured training year. This talk will take no more than 30 mins but
will be a very valuable tool for all members. Even if you can’t make
training, come along.
COACHES CORNERThe 2016 Committee and Coaching team:The February issue will see a full committee listing with responsibilities. It’s been suggested that it would be good to get to know a bit more about the people who are in charge of the welfare of your children, and have your athletics careers in their hands...No. 1 in the series is the man behind the whistle, Joe Hoolaghan.
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Club Member Nigel Hetherington follows his dream
The Everest Marathon is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the highest marathon in the world. The start line is at Gorak Shep 5184m (17,000 feet), close to Everest Base Camp in Nepal. The finish is at the Sherpa town of Namche Bazaar at 3446m (11,300 feet) and the course is a measured 42 km (26.2 miles) over rough mountain trails. It is the world''s most spectacular race and has been held fifteen times every two years since 1987. This year a MAC member, Nigel Hetherington, was among the starters.
It took Nigel, who has run under 4 hours for a “normal” marathon, over 8 hours to complete. And he loved it. Nigel said: “It was everything I could have expected and more. “The real challenge was getting to the start line because you didn’t know how you’d respond to the altitude, you didn’t know if you would have any health issues.
“However fit I was going out, I didn’t know how that was going to pan out over the 2½ weeks. “At less than 50% air pressure everything is hard work – you have to lower your expectations. When you try to run and it feels like you are travelling at what would be a 5k race pace at sea level but you’re only actually travelling at a fast walking pace because that’s all your body will let you do.” Supervet Nigel battled back to fitness to take part in the marathon after being diagnosed with Graves’
disease but said his cold was the only issue for him during the race. He said: “One participant was evacuated by helicopter a week or so before as he had fluid on the lungs – it was a potentially lethal situation to be in. Thankfully he recovered
quickly and was able to be a marshal in the race.
“I suffered a serious sinus infection and head cold. Although at sea level a cold is a bit of a nuisance at high altitude everything is multiplied. I was already doing the equivalent of getting around on one lung but now I was on half a lung because I couldn’t breathe.” The self-employed sports and education consultant raised £2,400 for the Nepal earthquake recovery efforts. All at Motherwell are very proud of Nigel’s efforts.
Making plans for Nigel Nigel will kindly be giving a talk on his Everest experience after training on Thursday 25th February
“..now i was on half a lung
because I couldn’t breathe..”
MAC’S MIGHTY MOUNTAIN MAN
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P.B. CORNER
Well done to the following for achieving Personal Bests:
SAIL Indoor athletics match Emirates stadium: 60m, Taylor Frame, 9.83 800m, Cavan Marie Ryan: 2.51.57 60m, Rachael Knox: 9.13 300m, Michaela Dwyer: 46.52
Ravenscraig Open graded meeting: LJ - Cavan Marie Ryan 3.58
MAC Time trial handicap: Emma Stevenson 26.28
“MAC made me believe”
MAC Athlete Profile
Name: Jim WhiteAge Category: V40Club Nickname: “the Legend in Lycra” Biggest Achievement: Being Mr June in the MAC calendar,
hoping to have a full calendar to myself next year
to be taken from every race whether you've ran well or not.
Why MAC?: They have made me believe I can keep improving.
Want to appear here? Please email me your answers to the above questions along with a recent pic.
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Marcothons to Marathons
Motherwell AC have had some of it’s members doing the annual Marcothon. This involves running at least 3 miles a day EVERY day in December. We hope to have a report in the February edition. Also we will be following 4 MAC runners as they go on the marathon trail. Good luck to Helen McLean (Loch Katrine), Gary Wood (Berlin), Susan Stewart and Jim Proffitt ( London),
Events Coming Up
Masters' Road Relay and Cross Country SVHC road-relay takes place at Strathclyde park on Sunday 24 January at 11am.Female teams of 3 and male teams of 4 - each leg 1 lap of the park.Entry open to anyone aged 35 or older on the day.Scottish Masters X-Country takes place at Grant Park, Forres on Saturday 30 January. Female teams of 3 (6K) and male teams of 4 (8k).Entry open to anyone aged 40 or older on the day.If you wish to be included in a team either:1. Speak to Benny or Phyllis.2. Reply to the posting on the MAC message board.3. Text Benny (The number is on the MAC message board)
4. Reply to Facebook post and Joe will pass your details to BennyFor both events you have until Thursday 14 January to register an interest.As usual no late entries or substitutions - so if you miss the deadline you miss the race.
Club Champ Races The Road Runners sub group held their first meeting and although the full list of races for the 2016 league and champs has to be completed, the first race in the series will be the Down by the River Cambuslang 10k. Entries are now open at the link below. The rest of the races will be announced after the January meeting, however it was felt it was right to announce this in order that as many people as want to take part can in case the race sells out.https://bookitzone.com/dave_thom/Kj2FFXThe second event will be the Tom Scott 10 mile race, again details as below:http://www.stuweb.co.uk/events/2016/04/10/2321/
Further Reading:
Interested in reading about running? Please let us know about any blogs you’ve seen, we will highlight some each month.
https://markgallmac.wordpress.com
Motherwell AC member documents his journey from overweight 30 a day smoker to competing club runner.
https://therunbetweeners.wordpress.com great blog by 2 Bellahouston athletes
What about you? This is a draft newsletter,
and we know that there could be more of some things, and less of others, please let me know what YOU the members want: [email protected] We are looking at favourite races, other races that are open, but tell us anything else we can add in for you.
