Parting from the safe confines of George Square on the same morning, a Haries Division instead turned southbound away from the smooth grass of Glamis and towards the knee-deep bog and ankle breaking terrain of Wales and Snowdonia.
Tackling the British Fell Relays Championships last year with one men’s team after a prolonged absence from the event, this year saw the club send three teams (two men’s and one women’s) to this exciting race.
For this year’s bout of race reports, I will be delving into the world of graphs, charts and infographics. There will be no Jacob Adkin style ‘hashtagging’ in these reports. These stats will build in complexity throughout the academic year but for the first race of the cross-country season, I will start off simple:
Continue reading “When the hurlyburly’s done, when the battles lost and won”-East District Relays 17
This week had lots of racing action so I thought I’d write a quick report highlighting the amazing achievements of all our members.
First up, Dumyat Hill Race. This took place on the beautifully sunny evening of the 3rd of May, with barely a cloud in the sky and only a very light breeze – ideal conditions for what is many people’s favourite (or at least, only) hill race of the year. A minibus and a car’s worth of Haries attended this race, which also doubles as the Scottish Student Sport Hill Running Champs. So, with the promise of some good views and maybe even a few medals, we set off up the 390m hill at 7pm sharp (perhaps too sharply for Sasha Chepelin, who’s pre-race toilet trip was very close for comfort). Continue reading Hills, Wheels, and 5k Thrills
For full results, click here. Photography credit: Cameron Young
*Disclaimer: The results linked above published two different times, ‘Chip Result’ and ‘Finish Result’. I have based this report on the latter.
Even for the most dedicated road runners, Grangemouth has never been well-regarded for its scenery, especially when the race taking place there is a 10k plod under the grey, chimney-dotted skyline. Yet this has never deterred the Hare and Hounds, who turned out in great numbers to flash a bit of green in the spring sunshine. Continue reading Round The Houses 2017: Men’s Overall Team Take Gold
The Hare and Hounds are notorious for their three passions: mud, beer, and recruiting people named Callum*. Yet occasionally the club leaves behind the boggy fields and swaps their trail shoes for footwear more suited for the road. Our biggest race across the tarmac of the year, KB5, is a five mile dash around Kings’ Buildings that takes in the beautiful Edinburgh vista. This year was even more highly anticipated, as the race was followed by the Harie’s first annual Charity Spring Ball in aid of CRY. We may have gone without the mud, but the beer was flowing – and all Cal(l)ums were on great form. Continue reading KB5 Road Race 2017
Scottish Cross Country Championships: the culmination of the cross-country season and the end of Creative Learning Week. Whilst Alice was indulging on Pastrami bagels and big fat donuts in NYC, and the Orienteering lads were ‘training’ in Alibanté, a select group of the hardiest Haries descended on Callendar Park to be met with some of the toughest cross country conditions this season. The mud in some parts can only be described as ‘soupy’.
Kicking off the Falkirk festivities were the U20 Women. Catriona Graves battled it out at the front of a very competitive field for 5th place. Eve Mackinnon, running for Ronhill Cambuslang and another of John Lees’ elite, followed her home in 6th place. A fantastic silver medal was secured by Rosie Wright and Jennie Glass in 17th and 19th places respectively. The team was completed by Eve Sealy in 27th place. Continue reading Scottish XC Championships: Muddy Fun in Falkirk
The annual BUCS XC races are some of the most anticipated on the University running calendar, and the Hare and Hounds never fail to send their best down South to show exactly why we’re considered one of the country’s best clubs. Experienced Haries will know that nothing can put us off competing in this race – not rain, or mud, nor even nine hour long bus journeys. So imagine our delight as we walked into Graves Park in Sheffield to find glorious sunshine cascading across the (soon to be devastated) green lawn.
Yet in traditional BUCS style, there was no shortage of mud and we still managed to almost lose toes to the chilly air – as I write this I am starting on my third round of antibiotics. Now that’s what I call dedication to the cause. It was worth it, however, as the three races were some of the most exciting running I’ve witnessed in a while. Mo Farah, eat your heart out. Continue reading BUCS XC Championships 2017: Women Take Bronze in Sheffield
The new semester was started in frosty style as the Hare and Hounds traveled to Broxburn to compete in the East District XC League on Saturday 14th January. This race is notorious for its often snow-covered terrain and tenancy to topple even the most experienced runners. The turnout was excellent as many Haries pinned on their homemade numbers – although some seemed confused as to what shade of vest to wear underneath. Pretty sure our colour was green? Regardless of club affliction, the Haries delivered some great winter running. For full results, click here.
In the women’s race, the Hare and Hounds finished 5th place overall thanks to an excellent performance from Sophie Collins, who came 12th in a time of 22:18. She has proven, time and again, to be a reliable competitor – Saturday’s race being no exception. Not far behind her was Captain Amy Frankland, finishing in 23:43. Rosie Wright rounded out the top three Haries in under twenty five minutes, securing their 5th place overall positon.
As the last day of 2016 comes to an end, no one will be able to deny that the first semester of the Harie’s racing calendar was defined by two things: medals and misunderstandings. From the beginning of Fresher’s week right up to exam season, the enthusiasm from all our members never ceased. We have seen many new faces join our ranks this term, showing commitment to rival even the most seasoned Harie. The socials have been excellent, and we’re not too bad at this running lark either. Here is a look back at the last four months of racing:
The season began with the East District XC Relays, held in Livingston on Saturday, 8th October. (This was my favourite race, simply because the consequences of our “disqualification” gave me several weeks of headaches and allowed me to make my first official statement as Publicity Sec – just the sort of drama I get my kicks from.) The race itself was a team affair, something the Haries are particularly good at. After a nailbiting competition, our team made up of Steph Pennycook, Louise Mercer and Catriona Graves came second! For the men’s race, the team comprising of Elisha de Mello, Callum Symmons, Andrew Lawler and and James Dunn came third/second depending on who you talk to. A special congratulations to Euan Gillham, Logan Rees, Scott Stirling and Michael Christoforou, for not racing, not coming first, and not being the victims of envy and bureaucracy. What was wonderful about this race was the amount of freshers who turned up to represent us in green vests. The future of the club is in safe hands.
On Saturday, 22nd October, the Haries set out once again to break records (although this time without dispute) at the Scottish XC Relay Championships. Our women put in outstanding performances, illustrated by the team made up of Lydia Blythe, Sophie Collins, Rhiannon Kirk, and Sarah Douglas finishing in an excellent 15th place. Steph, Catriona, and Louise continued their success along with Mhairi Maclennan by coming 1st! Almost as if they had something to prove, the men’s team comprising of Scott, Logan, and Euan came second having acquired the slightly less controversial Andrew Lawler into their ranks. These results were certainly one of the highlights of the semester.
There were also some good results from the National Short Course XC Championships, where Steph, Catriona, Sarah, and Eve MacKinnon ran their team to 5th place!
Up next was Braids XC Hill Race. If you were not in attendance, then quite frankly you didn’t really live this semester. Some notable performances came from the likes of Alexander Chepelin and Craig Campbell, who finished 12th and 15th respectively in the 10km. As a new member of the club, Anna Vesaluoma took on the harder distance and it was fantastic to see the familiar faces of James Bryson and Sarah Henderson tackling the hill – twice! Brown looks fetching on both of them. Andrew Lawler came 2nd in the 5km, while Eilidh MacQuarrie completed the race in under 26 minutes despite sustaining a nasty leg injury, and Linette Knudsen, this year’s ‘Hariest Harie’, traveled from Denmark just to take part. The hardest part of Braids isn’t the mud or the hills, but rather trying to condense all of the fantastic running into one concise report. The effort that everyone put in cannot be overstated.
Only a week later, on the 19th November, it was the our turn to host the Scottish University Cross Country Championships. In something that Captain Alex described as ‘textbook domination’, the Haries won gold in both the Men’s Team and Women’s Team categories. Logan Rees placed 1st for the men, and Catriona Graves took 2nd for the women. Newcomer to the Hare and Hounds Alex Carcas placed 3rd for the chaps, proving to be another fine addition to our club. There were dozens of exceptional performances, almost too many to state. So I won’t. But I will tell you that it was recently announced that 14 Haries were chosen to represent Scottish students in the Inter-Districts teams out of a total of only 24 athletes. Hot dayum. Thank you, once again, to Sophie Collins for organising both Braids and Scots Unis – flawlessly.
To see the full results of all the races or relive the cracking reporting from across the semester, click here. Once again, we are indebted to everyone who makes the Hare and Hounds possible – our coaches, the people behind the scenes, the minibus drivers, and everyone who actually pays the membership fee.
There are some exciting races to look forward to in the new year, like the rescheduled Glasgow 5 Mile, BUCS, Isle of Man, KB5, and Dumyat. There are others that are less great, like Broxburn, but that’s just a personal grudge. So strap on those running shoes, sync your Garmin and get ready for #newyearnewme.
Stay groovy.
Alice xoxo
For full results click here.
On Saturday 19th November 2016, Scotland’s finest student cross country runners took to the hills of Craigmillar Castle Park on the Hare and Hound’s home turf of Edinburgh, to compete in a grueling race for the national titles. The route, pieced together by Sophie Collins and James Dunn, had no mercy, incorporating some steep inclines, sheer descents and twists and turns through the woods – the epitome of a proper cross country course. Technical, challenging, but hugely enjoyable both for spectators and competitors.
Not only an organisational success (nice one Sophie), the race yielded some of the most outstanding performances by those in green. For the women’s race at midday, Catriona Graves, recently having received a call up to represent Scotland, placed second. Eve Mackinnon followed swiftly behind to take bronze. A wave of Haries tailed the leaders, with Sophie Collins producing a fantastic run to finish 4th, and Amy Frankland also running like the wind to take 8th. A tight final sprint for the line between three runners saw Sarah Douglas finish 12th, and fresher Rhiannon Kirk ran a storm placing 18th. All the athletes reaping the rewards of dedicated training and hard work.
For the men’s race, a field awash with green vests also proved that the Haries dominate Scottish student cross country. Logan Rees, another athlete who represents Scotland, took gold in his stride, running tactfully so that his positioning was perfect for the final downhill dash for the tape. Alex Carcas took 3rd in the close battle for the medals. Next home was Alexander Chepelin placing 7th, Jack Leitch in 8th and Craig Campbell in 10th. James Dunn, flourishing on his home-made course finished 14th, with Cameron Young in hot pursuit placing 15th.
Overall the Haries won gold in both the Men’s Team and Women’s Team catergories. Out of a field of 60 in both races, the Haries held the court (or mud and hills). ‘Textbook domination’, as described by men’s captain Alex Luetchford. Both the men and women won the team prizes, and therefore the overall title, setting the tone for the remaining races of season, and making a very strong green mark on the university cross country scene – BUCS, here we come!
Lots of celebration pursued that evening, medals and trophies galore. It doesn’t stop there though. Monday night still saw everyone out at DVC, battling the Baltic winds, and proving why the Haries are reigning cross country kings and queens. Next up is the East District League which will see plenty of green vests travel up to Aberdeen on 3rd December to run (pretty fast) and compete for the regional titles.
However, until then, we wish the Haries heading down to Liverpool for the European Trials this weekend the best of luck.
Written by Lydia Blythe