29-Aug-2004

Nairn Triathlon

    Doug Cowie was the first Harrier home in the Nairn Triathlon. 

Top Marks

   As the Track season draws to a close, mark Mitchell had another fine performance at the Under 17 Scottish Championships.  Mark won the Scottish 800M title in a new Championship Record of 1:53:33 finishing 7 seconds clear of the 2nd placed athlete.

Rogan Gives It Some Wellie  

21-Aug-2004

Nairn Half Marathon

    The Nairn Half Marathon is held in conjunction with the local Highland Games and once again it was well supported by runners in the North.  This years race incorporated the North District Half Marathon Championships.

    The race was an extremely competitive affair with Mike Howell, Ewan Paterson, Paul Rogan and Charlie Noble setting the early pace over the first mile.  As the race progressed to the Half Way point Ewan and Paul were the pace makers with Charlie and Mike well off the front, a minute and a half down.

    However at Mile 7 and on the homeward turn, Mike must have thought that old father time (Danny Bird) was about to catch him, and decided enough was enough and went into overdrive.  Running strongly he began to rapidly catch the leading pair and finally passed them with 2 miles to go. 

   Paul Rogan put up a valiant chase and followed Mike home in 2nd place 23 seconds behind.  Danny Bird finished in 4th place to pick up the 3rd Veterans Medal behind Mike and Ewan.

    June Duncan ran superbly in the Ladies race knocking 4 minutes off her PB and claimed the Veteran Ladies Silver Medal in the process.

15-Aug-2004

AAA UNDER 17 CHAMPION

Nethybridge 10 Mile Road Race

    A successful day out was had by the Harriers at the North District 10 Mile Road Race Championships.  17 Harriers were competing and 10 medals were won.  Andy Ross led the team home in a new record time.

    However not content with running the road race the Ladies ( Jenny, Jackie, Frances and June) entered the 4 X 150M relay race on the track.  Not to be outdone our Men (Andy, Mike, Paul and Graeme) also entered.

    A gallant effort by both our teams as they finished 3rd and 2nd respectively.

11-Aug-2004

Viewpoint Challenge

    Many thanks to all who competed in tonight's event.  Although numbers were slightly down on last year, the race for the minor placings were keenly contested.

    Graeme Bartlett was certainly the man on form, he ran up the Califer as though it were a mere molehill, winning in a new record time of 19:59 for the 3.5 mile course.

Halliburton League

    Under 15 athlete Matthew Hester was the Forres Harrier's star performer at the Halliburton League Meeting held in Inverness, he won the 100M(12:53), 800M(2:18:95) and the 200M in a new club record time of 24:66. Keep up the good work Matthew.

7-Aug-2004

Craig Dubh Hill Race

    Graeme Bartlett continued his build up for the World Hill Running Championships with another fine win at the Craig Dubh Hill Race, which is incorporated within the Newtonmore Highland Games. 

    Graeme was challenged all the way to the summit of the climb by Inverness athlete Andrew Wright who runs for Cambuslang Harriers, however on the tricky descent Graeme broke away to finish with a comfortable lead.

    Paul Rogan finished just out of the prize list in 7th place, with June, Mike and Alexander MacDonald further back. 

Celtic Games

Forres Harriers duo of Kyle Greig and Graeme Bartlett were competing for selection to represent Scotland at the World Hill Running Championships, which are due to be held at Sauze d’Oulx in Italy later next month. 

            The selection race was held over a demanding course on the slopes of Cairngorm, the blazing sunshine and brisk breeze on the upper slopes ensured that this years Trials were extremely challenging. 

            Kyle was once again competing in the Junior Men’s category and was a little apprehensive leading up to the race.  Earlier in the year after winning the Craig Dunain Hill Race, he unfortunately injured himself in the process and was unable to train for a number of weeks.  Once the injury had cleared Kyle began to train with new vigour and was in fine racing form come the day of the race. 

            As the Junior men got under way there were 4 runners at the front with Kyle and Kyle Cowie of Moray Road Runners up there contending for the lead.  On the second climb of the day Kyle Greig made his break from the pack and was soon powering his way up the steep slopes of Cairngorm.  It soon became apparent that none of the other challengers were able to live with the relentless pace he was setting. 

            Up on to the summit, Kyle finished 1^st in a time of 39:58, over a minute ahead of runner up Scott Fraser of Lothian Running Club.  Kyle Cowie of Moray Road Runners finished in 4^th place in a time of 42:11. 

            The Senior Men’s race was an extremely competitive affair, with the cream of Scottish Hill Running talent on parade.  Graeme Bartlett was going to have to be at his very best to finish in the top 3 to ensure his selection. 

            As the race started Davie Rodgers (Lochaber AC) and Jethro Lennox  (Shettleston Harriers) were scorching the heather as they ran up the first incline.  Graeme was content to stay off the pace in the chasing pack, in the hope of catching the two front-runners later in the race.  

            Soon the leading pair were caught and passed by Aberdeen based English International Jon Duncan, who was providing an awesome display of power running at the front.  Graeme and Andrew Liston (Fife AC) also clawed their way back up to the front. 

            The chasing pack was now down to three runners on the climb up to the Ptarmigan, the breeze had now picked up and Graeme was tucked in behind sheltering from the wind where he could. 

            On the last climb up to the Summit, Jethro had run out of steam and the battle was on for 2^nd place between Graeme and Andrew.  Both athletes were giving it their all and on the final sprint for the line, the challenge from Andrew just proved too strong for Graeme who finished in 3^rd place in a time of 48:20. 

            These excellent performances should see both Forres athletes selected for the Scottish team for the 2^nd year in a row.  Once again they have both done the Club proud!!

31-Jul-2004

Ben Rinnes 5 Tops

17-Jul-2004

Bird Reaches 50

    Danny Bird has just finished his 50th Marathon in Perth Australia.  Danny finished in a time of 2:52:20 to finish 7 seconds behind former Moray athlete Mick Francis.  Danny finished in 13th place overall and 2nd Super Vet.

    He has certainly set himself a punishing schedule but the old body certainly appears to be holding out.  Next race the Nethy 10 in August.

Elgin/Tomintoul Highland Games

    It was typical summer weather yet again at these Highland Games, although wet and miserable for the spectators, the conditions are not too bad for the runners.  Jackie Nicol finished 3rd Lady at the Elgin Highland Games 10 Mile Road Race.

     I hope to post the full results of the 10 mile road race shortly.

    Kyle Greig continues his recovery from injury, placing 2nd in the hill race at Tomimtoul.  Kyle is hoping to be in top form, for the Scottish Hill Running selection race which is to be held at Cairngorm on the 1st of August. 

    The first 2 finishers in the race, will be selected to represent Scotland at the World Championships, if he is successful this will be his 2nd appearance for Scotland at the World Champ's, we all wish him the best of luck.

10-Jul-2004

Halliburton League

    The latest round of the Halliburton League was hosted by Forres Harriers and Moray Road Runners.  There were some terrific performances by our junior members yesterday, especially Hannah Duncan who was involved in one of the most exciting races of the day, the Under 11 Girls 600M, where she was just beaten into 2nd place.  However she went on to win the 100 Metres in fine style.

    Thanks to Val and Howard Mitchell for all their sterling efforts with the Juniors.

Forres Highland Games

    There was plenty of action on the track and road at this years Highland Games.  The Juniors were out in force with Grant Cameron, Natalie Stansfield, Matthew Hester, Rachel Pirrie and Eleanor Duncan winning various prizes.

    Eleanor's sister Hannah was in fine form also with some gritty performances.  I will post some photographs of the action shortly.

    In the 10K road race Graeme, Robert and Kyle won the team event and Jackie Nicol beat her previous best time on this course by a massive 4 minutes, everyone was that impressed that she was escorted around the arena by the massed pipe bands.

   Big Ally had to accept defeat today, as Malcolm finished well ahead of him on this occasion.

7-Jul-2004

Monaughty Woodland Run

    A great turnout by the club at the final Woodland Run for this year, and what a result a clean sweep of all the races by the Harriers with Lee Jackson, Siobhan, Grant and Eleanor all crossing the finish line in first place.

    Also there was a welcome return to competition by Kyle Greig, who looked as though he is getting back in shape when finishing in 2nd place.

    Paul Rogan had another fine run in 3rd, which makes him this years Series Champ, well done Paul.

    Our latest recruit Stuart Davis finished in 7th place and we look forward to seeing him compete in many more races in the near future.

    However the biggest news story of the day is that Stu Burn put all that Carbo Loading on Sunday to fine use, by finishing ahead of Malcolm for the first time since the mile race on Forres High Street.  Is this the start of a new winning sequence or just a blip, we will just have to wait and see.

    Thanks once again to all the volunteers who make the whole Series possible,  it has been another resounding success.

4-Jul-2004

Summer BBQ

    Thanks to all who attended the Summer (at least I think it is summer) BBQ.  Stu and Marie Burn did us proud with the fare that was on offer.  Also thanks to the Chefs Pete and Bernie for cooking, of course lets not forget our entertainments maestro Jim Graham and last but by no means least Mark Ellis for arranging the Hall and Bouncy Castle.   

The Torch Is Still Burning

Tuesday

    My second day off, but I am not complaining.  It's been pretty amazing so far.  Yesterday I ran with Emil Puttemans, also Eddy Meryx ran a leg.

    Regards to all

      Douglas

27-Jun-2004

Harrier Takes Over BBC

    Doug Cowie has now out grown the local Gazette to become a major media star on the BBC.  Rumour has it Seb Coe, Virginia Wade, Sally Gunnell and Steve Redgrave to name but a few can all say with pride, that they have met one of the Harrier's finest.

    It's OK Doug, we have taped all the action, for you to view on your return.

Grantown-On-Spey 10K

    Graeme Bartlett was once again in winning form at the Grantown 10K.  A clear and comfortable winner, over what was described as a great 10K Trail Race.

    This race is part of the village fete, which provided a really good family atmosphere.  There was also a fun 3K race for the Juniors and all those participating looked to be enjoying the occasion.

     New club member Kenny Douglas had a solid run when finishing in 7th place (I think), closely followed by Sam Morrison, Big Alistair, Bernie Foran, Jim Graham and Stu Burn.

    Stu was obviously there trying out his fitness and to see how much ground he has to make up, to catch Malcolm, who on this occasion was well clear of the chasing Burn.  Will Stu make up the ground by the end of the Summer Season?  We shall see!!!

Lairig Ghru 

    The following is a report on the days proceedings courtesy of Mike:

    After a little arm twisting, June Duncan was talked into running in this years Lairig Ghru race.  Her first hill race over the marathon distance ( 28 miles and 21,000 ft of ascent).  The race starts at Braemar Police Station and finishes at Aviemore Police Station.

    At 10:00 AM, 73 runners set off for the Lairig Ghru on a fine morning, with some sun but not too hot, June was concerned about her lack of fitness and training for this event.  But it was too late to turn back now, as the car was parked at Aviemore 28 miles away and there was only one way to retrieve it.

    We started off at a steady pace on the 5 mile road section to Mar Lodge, next the hill tracks to Derry Lodge at 8.5 Miles, there was a cut off point at this check in and June was ahead of the cut off time by 12 minutes.

    After the cooling run across the Lui burn, the hard work starts with the climb up to the highest point at the Pools Of Dee. The scenery at this section can only be described as spectacular; surrounded by 4000ft mountains. However the concentration levels are quite intense at this point, as the terrain under foot becomes quite tricky.

    June managed to negotiate this section with ease, making her "pacer" work harder than he anticipated.  The Pools Of Dee at 17.5 Miles were reached in little over 3 hours. Next the down hill section towards Aviemore, 10 miles away on the horizon, at this point June was still running very strongly.  We managed to overtake 10 fellow competitors in the second half of the race, as the course was beginning to take it's toll.

    Although you can see Aviemore looming in the distance, it seems to take an age to reach your final destination as tired legs begin to ache, with lots of rough tracks to be negotiated. 

    Finally the run up Aviemore High Street towards the finish line is a wonderful sight to the weary competitor,  June finished in 5 hours 2 minutes, 5th female and 51st overall (58 minutes within her target time of 6 hours).

    A great achievement and a grand day oot!   

Benbecula/Skye Half Marathon Reports

Cape Wrath Challenge

    A few weeks ago Graeme Jervis was competing in a series of races at Cape Wrath.  The following is his report on the event.    

23-Jun-2004

Woodland Run 3 - Quarrelwood

    To all those hardy souls that turned out for this evening's race, thank you for making it another huge success.  With 94 finishers, this was another record turn out for the race.  The conditions were far from ideal and some of last seasons Cross Country Races were held in better.

    Race Organiser Paul Rogan has obviously been sneaking in the training and won the race just ahead of Dave Adam and Mark Mitchell.  Elspeth Duckworth was the comfortable winner in the Ladies Event.

   Grant and Eleanor were once again the dominant runners in the junior race with both athletes making it 3 out of 3 thus far.  Can they make it the Grand Slam?  Find out in 2 weeks time.

Doug's Relay Great Run

    Monday  (Day Off)

    Relay started yesterday in the Stadium with Pele the 1st runner and the last runner was Ronaldo, Zico ran in the middle.  Danny - I also ran with Kapil Dev. It's a tough schedule flying through the night etc.  But everyone seems to be coping so far.  Walked on the Great Wall and ran around the Sphinx and Pyramids.  Hotel is on Copacabana Beach.  Going for a run now and swim later. 

    Regards to all.

        Douglas

13-Jun-2004

9-Jun-2004

Roseisle Woodland Run

       The Roseisle race was dominated by the winners from the Culbin Run in both the Adults and Junior races with Eleanor, Grant, Graeme and Jane all winning their respective races.  Another fantastic turn out, it will be interesting to see if the momentum is maintained as we progress on to the two harder courses. We hope to see everyone again at Spynie Village Hall for the next instalment.

     I have posted the all the results from the Roseisle Woodland Run and some photographs as well.  Big Ally is still on a roll and was that really Kevin Prosser I saw lumbering around out there?

6-Jun-2004

Nairnshire Challenge

    A number of Forres athletes were competing in this years Nairnshire Challenge ( 13 Mile Mooreland Run followed by 18 Mile Bike Run).  Everyone enjoyed the occasion with some fast times posted.  The picture below shows some happy faces at the Start, I don't know what they were like at the finish.

Forres Harriers Summer BBQ

    The Harriers will be having a Summer BBQ on Sunday 4th Of July (PLEASE NOTE THE DATE CHANGE as I had previously stated it was going to be the 3rd of July). 

    The Venue is Roseisle Village Hall,  There will be a Bouncy Castle for the Kids( Adults please note I did say KIDS) and entertainment will be provided by our very own Jim Graham.

    Paul Rogan will be organising a run around Roseisle, prior to the consumption of the food (Cooked by top Chef Stu Burn) and drink (Bring Your Own Bevvy).

    Final costs have yet to be decided but we need to know how many people intend to come along.  Please let me know as soon as possible.

2-Jun-2004

Ben Aigan

    A great turn out from the club at the Ben Aigan Race.  The race was won by Graeme Bartlett (obviously he is back training again). 

Forres 10K Tickled Pink

    The Pink Ladies from Peterhead who were running their first 10K at Forres recently, have successfully raised £1300 for the Aberdeen Breast Centre. 

    On hearing of their charity aims, Forres Harriers gladly gave a donation from the days proceedings to assist them on reaching their target.  Well done ladies and we look forward to seeing you back again next year.

Stornoway Half Marathon

    The Club had 2 runners at the Stornoway Half Marathon.  Danny Bird and Mike Howell made the journey West and came home with the Veterans and Super Veterans prizes. See Bulletin Board for more details and reports.

Mitchell Makes His Mark

    Mark Mitchell was 2nd in yesterdays Under 17 3000M Scottish Championships.  He smashed his PB by a massive 20 seconds and set a new club record of 8:51:9.

    Mark is really on fire at the moment, and is benefiting greatly from all the support and advice he receives from his parents and coach Carol Lawrie. 

26-May-2004

Culbin Forest Run

    Another very successful Forest Run, organised by Mike Rodgers and has got this years Series well and truly on the way.  Race entries were once again up on last year, running certainly seems to be on the increase in the locality, which is great to see.

    I even spotted Carol Lawrie out running around the Forest, I even have photographic evidence, which will be posted shortly.

    Congratulations to the Forres athletes who won on the night, Grant Cameron, Eleanor Duncan and Graeme Bartlett, along with Road Runner's Jane Barker.

    There were a number of our newer members also competing which is always very encouraging and I hope the experience was an enjoyable one.

    I hope we will see you all at Roseisle in a couple of weeks.

    Oh and yes Malcolm has once again finished ahead of Stu Burn, however Malcolm has a new rival, Big Alistair finally achieved a first by finishing ahead of Malcolm.  You had better get out and train that bit harder Malcolm, as you seem to be a marked man these days.

Mitchell Scorches Round Track

    It wasn't only the weather that was hot this weekend, Mark Mitchell has once again powered his way round to a new 800M Personal Best.  Mark set a time of 1:53:89 at the British Milers Club Meeting held at Solihull last night, which now currently ranks him N01 in Britain for his age.

    This is a fantastic achievement so early in the season and Coach Carol Lawrie informs me, " he hasn't really started his speed work in earnest yet!!"

    Thanks Mark for blazing a trail for the Harriers, after they read about your performances in AW this week, the will be digging out their maps to find out where Forres is.

17-May-2004

Road Runner Bird In The Prizes

    The remarkable Danny Bird has just clocked another Sub 2:50 Marathon along the way to claiming the Super Vets prize at the Copenhagen Marathon.

   Is he a man or a machine? Answers on the Bulletin Board Please.  His splits are posted below.

16-May-2004

North District Athletics Championships

    The Forres Harriers youngsters were in action yesterday at the North District Athletics Championships.

    The Junior athletes brought home an impressive haul of medals:  Seven Gold medals were won along with two Silver and five Bronze.   

    Robert Stitson won 2 Gold's in in the Under 17's High Jump and 100M Hurdles.  James Warham won 2 Bronze at 400M and 1500M

    But pride of place went to  Mark Mitchell who was once again in devastating form winning both the 800M and 1500M in new Championship Best Performance times.

    In the Under 15's Natalie Stansfield won Bronze in the 100M, she also set a new club record in her heat in a time of 13.86 seconds.  Rachael Pirrie won Bronze in the 800M.

    Grant Cameron won Silver and Bronze at the High Jump and 800M respectively and Matthew Hester was king of the sprints picking up Gold at both the 100M and 200M.

    In the Under 13 Girls 800M there were 3 Forres athletes who had successfully qualified for the final( Eleanor Duncan, Phoebe Haymer and Rachel Gibbon).  All the girls ran a fantastic race with Eleanor picking up the Silver Medal.

    There was only one Forres Senior competing, Dave Adam won the Gold in the 5000M in a time of 17.06.4.

    Once again thanks to Howard and Val Mitchell for all their hard work, also the Parents of all the competitors who were there giving valuable support and encouragement to their young stars.

15-May-2004

Forres 10K

    THANK YOU.

    That goes to everyone who was involved with Forres 10K.  It was our most successful 10K to date with over 230 entries.

    This was the last race in the Northern Scot 10K Series and also the North District 10K Championships.  There were a number of Harriers in the Prize lists with Mike Howell picking up the Bronze in the Veterans Category of the North District Champ's.  Mike also won the 2nd Veterans Prize in the 10K Series.

    Paul Rogan was 3rd Male in the Series and Jackie Nicol picked up 2nd in the Veteran Ladies Category.

    The Overall winners were Graham Bee and Jane Barker(for the 4th time and now equals the record by Angie Ross of Nairn Road Runners).  

    Also I would like to thank Steve Murdoch and Kevin Morice for their sterling efforts on the timekeeping front.

    Sarah has been very busy drawing the athletes in action.  Can you name the 2 Forres characters she has depicted in this masterpiece.  A special prize is awaiting the winner.

    LOST PROPERTY:  DID YOU LEAVE BEHIND A BLACK SWEATSHIRT ON SATURDAY?  IF SO, CONTACT ME BY E-MAIL.

6-May-2004

Forres High Street Mile Race

    A great turn out for this race to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first sub 4 mile.  I will post a few photographs on the site in the next couple of days. 

    Stu Burn finally got the better of Malcolm for the first time in many a race, I doubt Stu has been piling on the training and Malcolm had better watch out this summer!!

Runners World Magazine

    Another Forres athlete has gained National exposure, Andy Johnson along with Moray Road Runner John MacGregor feature in the latest Runners World magazine, in a race report from the Kinloss-Lossiemouth Half Marathon. 

    Along with his appearance on BBC at the London Marathon, John will be demanding appearance money from race organisers soon!

24-Apr-2004

Andy & Phyliss Law

    All of us at Forres Harriers would like to wish Andy & Phyliss all the best on their imminent re-location to Carnoustie.  They have both been great supporters of not only the Harriers but the Athletics Scene in the North Of Scotland.

    A weekend barely passes that Phyliss and Andy are not assisting at an Athletic event in the North.  Speaking Personally it will make our race organisation that wee bit more difficult, as you could always rely on Andy & Phyliss to be there, no matter the climatic conditions or the duration of the event, all for the price of a cup of tea (great value I would say).

    I sincerely hope that they will find the time to give us an occasional visit in the future and once again Thanks for everything.

Forres Youngsters In Action On The Track

    The clubs youngsters were in action on the track in the Halliburton League at Inverness the other weekend, to see how they got on follow the LINK

Scottish Marathon Championships - Lochaber

    The Old War horses were out representing the Harriers at the Lochaber Marathon, Danny Bird (yes the same man machine that has competed in the Paris and London Marathon races recently) lead home  the Harriers along with that other long distance stalwart Mike Milmoe and the young pretender Robert Paterson. 

    Their efforts have not gone unrewarded as they managed to claim the 2nd team prize.  I am led to believe that all the prizes are still intact and in the back of Graeme Jervis's car awaiting to be claimed.  However with the soaring temperatures I think Graeme might have been tempted to snaffle a couple of the drinks that were included in the team booty.

    The following race report courtesy of Graeme Jervis:

    It was a great day for running, with little breeze slightly overcast and reasonable temperatures. 306 runners left the An Aird sports centre at 12.00 noon to complete the 26.2 mile route with the lead soon being established by Simon Pride and Steve Wylie (Ronhill Cambuslang).

    This remained the same to the turn at Half distance some 11.5 miles down the Mallaig road. Split for the leading two being 1.09.45 and a gap of almost 7 minutes to the second placed runners.

    Danny Bird was through in roughly 1.25 with Bob Paterson only a minute or two adrift. They were all chasing Charlie Noble and a group of some 5 other athletes. Back in towards Fort William and Simon took off with Steve Wylie dropping out (Possible pacemaker). Simon pushed home to a new course record of 2.21.12.   I believe to take first place £400 and a bonus holiday for the new record.

    The field became more fragmented and Danny began to surge towards the 19 mile marker, overhauling several runners in the process. Unfortunately his efforts came unstuck with a stitch at 24.5 miles and saw his very close rival from Greenock Glenpark catch him with 1 mile to go. Both athletes failed narrowly to catch a very tired Charlie Noble, who took the honours in the super vet championship. Charlie finished in 2.46,  Danny and counterpart finished within 30 seconds of each other in 2.48ish. Bob unfortunately suffered for the early pace and finished 3.08(placed 37th) a pb by some 8 minutes.

     However the really big surprise was the team event which saw Forres claim second team overall behind Metro and knocking Perth into third slot. Once again the unsung hero was Mike Milmoe (3.27) for the third counting place(around 106/108th place overall) Shield medals and beer are in the boot of my car which will be a pleasant surprise for the two early departees.

Scottish Primary Schools Cross Country- Kirkcaldy

    Eleanor Duncan had another fantastic performance when finishing third at the Scottish Primary Schools Cross Country Championships.  Other girls competing representing Andersons Primary School were Kirsty Rogan, Emma Larkin and Sammy Larkin.

22-Apr-2004

Moray Primary Schools Cross Country

    A few of the Forres Harrier youngsters were competing for their schools today at the Moray Primary Schools Cross Country Championships.  Fiona MacLean representing Logie won the P4-5 Girls race and Eleanor Duncan (Andersons) won the P6-7 Girls race.  Eleanor led the Anderson's Girls to team victory along with Emma Larkin and Kirsty Rogan.  Well done girls.

18-Apr-2004

BBC Catch Harrier In Action At London Marathon

    Forres Harriers had 3 runners competing in the London Marathon this year, although Steve Hilditch was also representing the RAF in the Inter-Services competition.

    First home was Danny Bird just a minute outside his PB that he set at Paris a couple of weeks ago, another piece of phenomenal running.

    Next home was Steve Hilditch followed by telly star Siobhan, if you had BBC interactive selected to the finish line, you would have caught a glimpse of the sprightly John MacGregor of Moray Road Runners on the homeward stretch, followed shortly by our Siobhan, fame at last!

    Harrier Results as follows:

Danny Bird: Position (Overall) 386  Position (Gender) 361

Splits:   

Steve Hilditch: Position (Overall) 576  Position (Gender) 546

Splits:

Siobhan Evans: Position (Overall) 3424  Position (Gender) 301

Splits:

11-Apr-2004

Harriers Win At Speyside Way

    A fantastic turn out in this years Speyside Way race with 98 competitors starting at Ballindalloch and heading on their way to Spey Bay.  If the thought of running 50 Km was pretty daunting so is the challenging terrain up Ben Aigan and along the narrow roads to Fochabers.

    Simon Pride was once again the easy winner of this race and with his only challenger being the race clock.  Simon was setting a relenting pace, obviously with one eye on the course record, however on this occasion he was just outside his own record finishing in a time of 3:02:15.

    Next to finish were Nigel Hull and Andy Eccles who after 50 Km of racing were inseparable and both finished with a time of 3:24:11.

    However the main question of the day was who was going to be the Daddy between Mike Howell and Mark Priestley.  Mike made his break from Mark just after one mile, gradually building a lead of over 4 minutes after Ben Aigan. Once they had completed the descent down off Ben Aigan, Mark began to make his move on the undulating road to Fochabers and boy did he start reeling Mike in.

    After passing under the A96, Mike was really working hard to keep his lead and as he approached the finish line in Spey Bay Mark had him back in sight, but just couldn't muster up the final push to catch Mike.  So Danny watch out, it looks as though Mike is after you next!!

Mark hanging his head in defeat as he hands over the prize for being the Daddy to Mike Howell.

     With Mike Milmoe (4:40) the 3rd Forres athlete home, this was enough to give the Forres Lads the Team Prize for the first time in the events history.  Jenny and her husband to be, were the only other 2 Forres athletes to compete and finished in around 6 hours.  A fantastic effort by you all and I hope the legs are not too sore.

Knockfarrel Hill Race

    There were only two Forres Harriers at this years Knockfarrel Hill Race, which was a great shame as it would have been great if we had a team to defend the team title which we won last year.  However  Graeme Bartlett and Andy Beattie were the brave ones lining up on the start line.  Kyle Greig would have been there, but unfortunately he was unable to compete after picking up a niggling muscle injury at last weeks Craig Dunain Hill Race.  Graeme Bartlett is quickly getting back in shape winning this race quite convincingly.

4-Apr-2004

Another PB at Paris

    Apologies to June for not mentioning her brilliant PB (3:54:46) at the Paris Marathon.  This was a complete oversight on my part.

Black Records PB At Rotterdam

    Not to be outdone by the Senior Man at Paris, relative youngster Al Black recorded a PB at the Rotterdam Marathon on Sunday, his official time is given as 2:40:19 and he finished in 91st place overall.  Yet another piece of quality running from this determined athlete.  What a difference 10 years makes Al, I remember the times the furthest that Al ran was to the nearest Pub and a marathon to him was a chocolate bar!

Veteran Melts The Streets Of Paris

    It's been an exhausting weekend for a few members of our Club, Danny, Mike and June were competing in the Paris Marathon. 

    Danny has proved once again that age is no barrier and providing you are willing to work hard the  rewards will be reaped when it counts (take note Mike!!).  Yet another fantastic result from old father time, Danny finished in a new PB time of 2:46:19 and placed 401st overall and 11th in his age group.

    Mike finished in a time of 3:27:28 to finish 693rd in his age group and June's time was 3:54:46 placed her 378th in her category.  Congratulations to you all.

Harriers Victorious At Craig Dunain

    Due to a number of injuries and late call off's, the Harriers team that was going to be taking part in the National Six Stage Relays had to withdraw from the event, which was a great shame.  However 2 of the team decided to compete at the Craig Dunain Hill Race instead.  As it turned out, the day was a great success with Kyle Greig and Graeme Bartlett the first 2 runners home and with the support of Paul Rogan as the 3rd team counter in 4th place, the Harriers won the team Prize.

    Willie Dixon had his first outing on the Hills and was battling it out with Stu Burn to see who the next Harrier home would be, I am sure he enjoyed it but I bet his legs are aching today.

    Spring time is now upon us so that means the long distance runners amongst us start getting all excited about Marathon running.  This year is no exception, with a fair few of our members testing themselves over the longer distances.  First off are Mike Milmoe, June Duncan and Danny Bird who are all competing in this weekends Paris Marathon.

    Then It's the Speyside Way where Mark Priestley and Mike Howell will be punishing their bodies to the full to see who is the Daddy.  Currently Mark holds the Title but Mike has been training exceedingly hard for this one, so I'll be there to see the outcome, it could all end in tears though.

    London is the next port of call for Danny.  Steve Hilditch and Siobhan will be there also on the start line.

    Al Black will be making a brief return to this continent to compete in the Rotterdam Marathon where he hopes to run sub 2:40 we wish him well (I suspect he might just get close to 2:36, no pressure Al)

    Then it's Danny once again in action at the Copenhagen Marathon in May.

    Finally Big Alistair and Robert Paterson will be in action at the Edinburgh Marathon in June.  It's great to see the Red Vests travelling the world.

    Good Luck to you all and we hope to see a few PB's recorded.

28-Mar-2004

Elgin 10K

    The second race in this years Northern Scot 10K Series has proved to be another resounding success with the number of competing athletes up on previous years.  The race for the overall titles looks to have already been settled providing Jane Barker and Graham Bee compete in the final race at Forres next month.

    However if Graham does not compete the men's title will be thrown wide open with a number of athletes in serious contention.

    Danny Bird was extremely focussed for today's race and was looking for revenge after the Nairn 10K after the youngster Howell put him in his place.  The race got under way and Howell immediately was applying the pressure leading Danny by 20 yards leaving Cooper Park.  However Danny was not to be phased by this youthful folly and chased Mike all the way up the hill out of Elgin.  Then at the half way point Danny let him have it with both guns blazing as he powered his way home to finish as first Super Vet. (In fact Danny was running that fast towards the end of the race that his famous moustache was blown clean off his face, Mike says that this is cheating as it now makes him more aerodynamically streamlined).

    Not to be outdone Siobhan was having her own personal battle with Hamish all the way round, but on the day it was experience that counted, with the wily old fox Cameron making his break at the start of the climb for home towards Bishopmill.  Siobhan tucked in behind but just couldn't find that final bit of energy to pass him on the homeward straight.

    Willie Dixon and Alan Reid had their own personal battle with Willie just edging ahead on this occasion. Jackie, Big Alistair, Donald and Andy Wonnacott all finished within a few seconds of each other.  Another good turn out by club members.

    It looks as though Stew Burn's efforts to challenge to Malcolm has taken a turn for the worse with Malcolm in a commanding position going into the final race of the series.

    There were a number of Harrier prize winners on the day: Paul Rogan, Danny Bird, Mike Howell, Hamish Cameron and Siobhan Evans.

    Thanks to Moray Road Runners for results provided.

Nairnshire Challenge 5 June 2004

        If you would like to participate in this year's Nairnshire Challenge (13 Mile hilly mixed terrain run followed by a 16ish Mile Cycle)  Please e-mail me with your details and I will pass them on to the team concerned.  Many thanks.  Nairnshire Challenge

History In The Making

        The Forres Harriers have a long and distinguished history, follow the link to read a little more on one family that have graced the red vest with distinction over the years.  Find out more here

14-Mar-2004

Harrier in Olympic Spotlight

    Doug Cowie is just about to embark on the trip of a lifetime.  Doug has been selected to escort this years Olympic Torch, as it travels through all the Cities of the World that have hosted an Olympic Games in the past, on it's road to Athens.

    So he has had to dig out the running kit (and Tartan Shorts) for one final appearance, what a great finale for this Harriers stalwart. 

Youngsters Lead The Way

    Another fine set of performances from the younger members of the Club.  Kirsty Rogan finished 4th in the North Of Scotland Primary Schools Cross Country Championships.

    Mark Mitchell and Grant Cameron were competing in the Scottish Schools Cross Country Championships held at Irvine.  Mark finished in 5th place in the Under17 event ( he will now represent Scotland at the British Schools Cross Country later in the year)

     and Grant was the star of the day when he finished 2nd in the Under 13 Boys event.  By all accounts it was a fantastic race and he was only beaten for first place in the final few yards.

    Great performances all round guys and girl.

Veterans Get Droochit

    Danny, June, Mike, Jackie, Alexander MacDonald, Dave Howes and Andy Wonnacott were all competing in the Inverness Half Marathon and my trusty cameraman informs me that Danny was travelling that rapidly (unlike Mike Howell), he was unable to photograph him   However here are a few wet souls who braved the conditions:

FULL RESULTS

7-Mar-2004

Nairn 10K

    The opening race in this years Northern Scot 10K Series was an extremely well supported event with 239 finishers. Danny Bow and all his willing volunteers did a magnificent job and hopefully the next 2 races in the series will attract the same level of interest.

    The race was won by Aberdeen Student Graham Bee of Fife AC in a very impressive time of 32:23 closely followed by Inverness athlete Andrew Wright who competes for Cambuslang Harriers.  The Men's team event was won by Moray Road Runners ( Andrew Clarke, Brian Foreman and Martin Flynn).  Brian was also the first Veteran across the finishing line.

    The ladies race was won impressively by Jane Barker, who had also competed in the Scottish Veterans Cross Country Championships the previous day.

    Danny Bird was the sole success on the day for the Harrier's, when scooping the Super Vet's title, however on this occasion he had to trail home in Mike( revenge is sweet) Howell's wake.

    I am sorry to say that the stand in David Bailey aka Mark Priestley failed miserably with the digital camera, funny thing is; the one decent photo he took was of himself, see below for a couple of samples

29-Feb-2004

Scottish Athletics Under 17 Indoor Championships

26-Feb-2004

North Of Scotland Schools Cross Country

        Grant Cameron was once again in winning form when he claimed the North Of Scotland Schools Cross Country Title in the Under 14 Category, he just keeps getting better and better.

 23-Feb-2004  

Scottish National Cross Country

        Grant Cameron had another exceptional performance at the National Cross Country Championships at Perth, where he finished 4th in the Under 13 Boys race.  A really fantastic effort and I am sure there is still plenty more to come from this talented all rounder!

A Bit Of A Do

    Jim Graham was our host master at the Harriers end of Season bit of a doo, he certainly entertained us all with his music, patter and games.  See the Bulletin Board to see a few of the comments, especially if your name is Mike Howell.  Mike was team captain in name only and his team won many of the prizes on offer last night.  To quote one Mr Danny Bird " These are the only prizes that he is going to win this season!"

Race Report

The Forres 10K we hosted last year obviously made a positive impression on one visiting runner, hopefully we will see a few more this year.  Find out how he enjoyed his run

   15-Feb-2004  

Scottish Schools Indoors

    It has been an extremely hectic weekend for many of the Club's runners, but before I carry on, I must once again congratulate Mark Mitchell on his fine performance at the Scottish Schools Indoor Athletic Championships, where he was in commanding form, winning the Under 17 Boys 800 Metres in a time of 1:57.  I have said it before, but we at the club are really proud of you and hope that you have another cracking outdoor season.

 Carnethy Hill Race

    Kyle Greig and Mike Milmoe were competing in the extremely popular Carnethy 5 tops hill race on Saturday.  Kyle finished in an excellent 16th place.  To find the full results go to the excellent Carnethy Web Site

Moray Road Runners Cross Country

    Also on Saturday, Moray Road Runners hosted the 6th and last North District Cross Country League race of the Season.  Although we did not repeat the performances of last season overall, we still had a number of individual winners and an excellent team win by the Under 11 Girls.

The Harrier Ladies have had yet another fantastic season over the Country and this race determined the final League placing's.  June Duncan was looking really strong in the early part of the race, but unfortunately lost her shoe in the mud on the first lap and lost a lot of time and places recovering the situation.  Jackie Nicol was the first Harrier home, closely followed by Alison Rogers.  Once again these 2 Ladies have been really consistent, with Alison winning 3rd Lady Overall and Jackie 3rd Lady Veteran Overall.  The Ladies Team also finished in 3rd place just 4 points behind Moray Road Runners who were in 2nd.

    The Harriers Senior Men were thin on the ground, due to many of them competing in the Kinloss-Lossiemouth Half Marathon.  However this did not deter Robert Paterson (who also competed in the Half) having a really storming run.  Robert got stuck in on the first Lap and was right up there with the leading runners.  However as the race progressed Robert became detached from the chasing group and finished in a fine 15th place.

    Congratulations to Veteran athlete Ross Arbuckle of Keith & District on a quite remarkable season.  Ross has been dominant in all the races recently and is an inspiration to all the younger runners, proving that age is no barrier and as long as you have the desire, you can achieve your goals. The Men's Championship was once again settled on the final day of the season with Keith & District just edging out Moray Road Runners by 4 points, a great Championship!

RAF Kinloss - RAF Lossiemouth Half Marathon

    31-Jan-2004  

    Forres Harriers hosted the 5th race in this years North District Cross Country League Championship.

    Once again the Harriers star performer on the day was Grant Cameron in the Under 15 Boys race, where he put in another commanding performance over this challenging course, Adam Todd finished in 4th place, but due to injury the Harriers 3rd counter dropped out of the race, therefore the Harriers failed to count in the team event.

    Kirsty Rogan and Fiona MacLean finished 2nd and 3rd in the under 11 Girls race.  The Under 11 Boys was a fiercely contested affair with the first 5 finishers finishing within 13 seconds of each other.  Matthew Levy and Jamie Campbell having their own personal battle finishing in 3rd and 5th places respectively.

    Rachel Pirrie and Emma Higgs finished 4th and 6th in their race.

    The Senior Ladies team of Siobhan Evans, Alison Rodgers and Jackie Nicol won the team event by 1 point ahead of Moray Road Runners.

    Now down to the race of the day! After much pre race hype and feigning of injuries AL (I'm full of the cold) Black and Paul ( My shins are killing me) Rogan, lined up at the start line ready for the challenge. As the starter got the Senior Men's race under way Al Black charged his way to mix it in the front pack, closely followed by Paul Rogan.

    As they powered their way up the first hill, there seemed to be no stopping Black as he tried to dominate the pace.  However this was not going to just be a 2 horse challenge between the young stallions as the old Cart Horse Matheson was tucked in behind to monitor the progress of the race.

    With the first lap completed, Rogan seemed to detect that Black was beginning to fade after his initial burst and stuck the wellie in on the climb out of Grant Park, however Al was not going to be beaten that easy and stuck right in behind him.  As the race began it's final lap the Old Cart Horse fired up his weary legs and this time he made the bolt up the hill out of Grant Park.  However the young Stallions were not going to stand for this, first Al edged ahead on Honeysuckle Hill and Paul edged ahead on the Water Tower.  With all three of us charging down in to the Park the wheels came flying off the Cart Horses wagon and the youngsters were zooming up the final furlong.  However it was to be Blacks Day with Rogan trailing in wearily behind. 

    After the race Al was convinced that Paul had bribed Graeme Jervis to put Lead in the shoes that he borrowed from him, cause he did not expect him to be that close.

    Great race fellas, we look forward to the next instalment later in the year.  Al says he had to drop down the distances to compete today and reckons Paul should be up for the Marathon challenge next.

    A huge thank you once again to all our willing helpers, especially the ladies (Margaret, Val, Edna and Caroline) who did such a sterling job in preparing the post race refreshments.

24-Jan-2004  

    Well done to all the Harriers who competed for the North District at the Inter District Cross Country Championships held at Ayr.  Also thanks to Charlie Forbes, the team management and organisers for doing a magnificent job with all the logistics involved. 

Full Harrier's placing's as follows:

Under 13 Boys

Under 13 Girls

Under 15 Girls

Under 17 Boys

Senior Men

    10-Jan-2004  

    The 4th North District Cross Country League Race was held on a new course within the grounds of the Loch Ness Golf Club.  The courses set up by the Inverness Harriers proved to be very demanding for all age groups, with a number of tricky descents involved.

    There must have be some guilty people out there, who have enjoyed themselves a bit too much and decided to go out there and shed a few pounds.  All the races were very well supported especially in the younger age groups which is very encouraging to see, I hope this will continue for the rest of the season.

    First off, to get the New Year under way were the Under 11 Girls and the Harriers youngsters did not disappoint, with Kirsty Rogan finishing 2nd leading the team of Fiona MacLean and Siobhan O'Hare to victory.

    The Under 11 boys race proved to be extremely competitive with Mathew Leavy and Jamie Campbell having their own personal battle for 4th and 5th places respectively.

    Eleanor Duncan produced a really gritty performance in the Under 13's finishing an extremely close 2nd to Moray Road Runner Laura Sharp.  I am sure these 2 girls will do the North proud at the Inter District Championships if they compete.

    The best Harrier team performances of the day came from the Under 13 Boys team.  Grant Cameron was the clear winner in this race,  with his team-mates (Adam Todd, Thomas Leach and Sean Parry) in close attendance to give the youngsters a fine team victory in this very competitive age group.

    Rachel Pirrie and Emma Higgs were 3rd and 4th in the Under 15 Girls Race.

    Mark Mitchell had to settle for the runners up spot on this occasion in the Under 17 Boys after a keenly fought affair with Moray Road Runner Kyle Cowie.

    The Ladies event was won convincingly by Inverness Harriers, the Forres team of Jackie Nicol, Alison Rodgers and June Duncan finished in 3rd place just behind Moray Road Runners.

    The first Harrier home in the men's race was Dave Adam, who is once again beginning to fire on all cylinders, unfortunately it now appears that the Harriers defence of their League Title is now over, as it is now between Keith and Moray Road Runners with 2 races remaining.

   02-Jan-2004  

    Thanks to all at Moray Road Runners for another enjoyable Sair Heid Run.  A few of us turned out for a really enjoyable run on the roads around Miltonduff, an ideal way to get rid of all that alcohol.  It was also Dave Green's final run, before departing to new training grounds, we wish him all the best and thank him for all his enthusiasm and assistance at races throughout the year.

 01-Jan-2004     

    Andy Ross welcomed in the New Year by pulling on his Racing Kit at the Portobello Promathon finishing 14th (21:59) in a field of 251, he obviously had not drank to excess the previous evening.