Still got it: Vet Eddie Stewart in Open win
Prague title comes on busy weekend for Harriers
It was once again a busy weekend for Cambuslang Harriers’ athletes who competed home and abroad and continued their impressive record on the road.
The Stewart family performed well in the Czech Republic from November 19 to 20. Eddie - who was one of the mainstays of the record-breaking Cambuslang senior team in the late 1980s before moving to Prague - showed that even within a month of his 60th birthday he is still a force to be reckoned with as he won an open 6K cross country race.
Since becoming resident in Prague, Eddie has returned to Scotland to win the Scottish Masters Over 40, 45, 50 and 55 Cross Country Championship titles.
His daughter Moira was the first U23 runner in the Czech Ladies Cross Country Championships and gained selection for their team in the forthcoming U23 European Championships. Moira is a former Scottish under- 20 1500m champion and was a member of the Cambuslang Harriers ladies U20 team which won silver in the Scottish Cross Country Championship. His son Gerron, a sub-two-minute 800m runner, finished 16th in his first year in the U20 age group.
It is not surprising that both Moira and Gerron are talented athletes given Eddie’s running pedigree and their mother was a senior Czech internationalist and is still winning Czech Masters Championship medals. U20 athlete Eve Mackinnon, who was running for Edinburgh University, finished an excellent third in the Scottish Universities Ladies Cross Country Championship, with Alex Lamond representing Strathclyde in fifth place.
Both ladies should have done enough to gain selection for the Scottish Ladies University team in the forthcoming competition in Edinburgh against teams from the north, west and east of Scotland.
While a number of members were involved in a Glasgow endurance training session, the main domestic racing focus for the club was on the Lanarkshire Cross Country Championships at Coatbridge where Cambuslang won a number of individual and team medals.
U13 runner Niamh Riggins gained an individual gold and enjoyed support from Millie Nicholl and Maura MacKinnon, who secured team bronze.
The U13 boys team of Fearghus MacGregor, Stewart Millard and Robbie Woods went one better to lift team silver.
In the U15 girls race Ruth Kelly won silver and Keir Crawford, Caoloan Millard and Michael Black combined well to take team silver in the U15 boys’ event. In the U17 boys’ event second placed Drew Pollock led Ryan Stephen and Andrew Carey to team gold.
The U20, seniors and masters women and men also contributed to the club’s success at the county championships. The club had its largest representation ever in the ladies’ event with seven athletes taking part including Claire Mennie and Julie Dell who were making their debut for the club. The trio of Kirsty O’Brien, Bernie O’Neil and Lesley McCardle finished third team with Bernie being awarded the bronze O40 medal.
The men too had a large representation with 17 athletes competing. U20 Brendan Carey, who has been training consistently well, was a clear winner in his age group. Not surprisingly, with Ryan Thomson, Robert Gilroy and Alistair Campbell in first, second, and fourth place, the club were decisive winners of the team competition. Down south, the Cambuslang M55 team of Frank Hurley, Paul Thomson, Dave Thom and Colin Donnelly were emphatic winners of the UK Over 55 Male Cross Country Relay Championships.
Colin recorded the fastest time in his age group while Dave was third fastest.
Elsewhere Kenny MacPherson finished third M45 in the Brampton to Carlisle 10-mile road race and Alasdair Campbell was the first athlete home in the Glossop Parkrun.