Welcome to the Kilbarchan Amateur Athletic Club Web Site

From ScottishAthletics web site ..

When Claire Gibson landed her first Great Britain call-up after a 20-year ‘apprenticeship’, she didn’t for a minute think her recognition would have an impact across the globe.

But that’s exactly what happened when the scottishathletics Facebook page flagged up the Kilbarchan athlete’s selection for the AVIVA International Match at the Kelvin Hall

at the age of 29.

Gibson’s magic moment caught the attention of Commonwealth Games silver medallist Eilidh Child, who at the time was at her warm weather training base in South Africa with coach Malcolm Arnold and Dai Greene......

Read the rest of the story on SA web site

Congratulations to Claire Gibson who has landed a Great Britain vest for the AVIVA International match at the Kelvin Hall on Saturday 28th January 2012.

The 29-year-old will run in the 800 metres with Jenny Meadows having pulled out of an event

which sold out a fortnight ago.

See the story on Scottish Athletics website

Sunday Training Run ...

Message from Anji Carson .... 'On Sunday 29th January 2012 we will be meeting at 10am at the Kilbarchan Pavilion and aim to do between 10-12 miles, probably the 11mile course that the club ran on New Years Eve. Anyone is welcome'

If anyone else arranges a long run at the weekend and wants company please email John Kynaston jkynaston00@hotmail.com

and I'll post it on the web site.

Congratulations to those who ran at County Antrim in the latest McCains Cross Country Races on Saturday 21st January 2012

Superb victory by a distance, for Euan Gillham in the under 15 boys race ..

And a big win for Callum Matthews, a fine run in the u17s race.

Great effort from Laura Stark, 2nd in the u13 girls race and with Rona Tytler and Rebecca Craig, 2nd team ..

Photos taken by Jim Ogilvie

Photos taken by Andrew Stark

Any other names for the Scottish Masters (Vets) Cross Country Championships at Kilmarnock on Saturday 4th February 2012?

Arthur Smith needs to know by Thursday 19th February 2012 noon ..

NB, men and women, both o40 .. and must have up to date SA membership ..

Also, still waiting for names for pre entries for ..

Renfrewshire Road Race Championships (incl u11s) at Greenock on Sunday 5th February 2012 and ..

National Cross Country Championships at Falkirk on Saturday 18th February 2012.

HAMMER AND SHOT DATES

The Glasgow Initiative Shot and Hammer at Scotstoun	Thistle League Hammer Competitions at Craigswood	Thistle League Shot Competitions at Grangemouth
22 January 2012 05 February 2012 (10:00 to 14:30) Dan Carlin (Shot) Chris Bennett and Alan Bertram (Hammer)	15 January 2012 19 February 2012 ( Light Hammer Competition) 1 April 2012 (Start time 10:30) For athletes under 16 Coaching by the H2014 Group	29 January 2012 26 February 2012 (12 noon start) for athletes under 20 a coaching team will be on hand throughout, to advise youngsters

Club Cross Country Championship is proposed for Sunday 26th February 2012 at Milliken Estate

all start at 2pm .. for all age groups

Renfrewshire Road Race Champs at Battery Park, Greenock on Sunday 5th February 2012

Entry Form Information Maps of course

Dates for Men's League

Match 1: Saturday 21st April 2012 at Meadowbank

Match 2: Sunday 20th May 2012 at Aberdeen

Match 3: Sunday 15th July 2012 at Grangemouth

Match 4: Sunday 5th August 2012 at Grangemouth

If anyone would like our Club Badge stitched onto their hoody please give it to Donna Matthews

with £5 to cover the cost.

Cross Country events coming up ....

Master Cross Country at Kilmarnock - Saturday 4th February 2012

The deadline for entries is the 21st January 2012 so we would need names by the 18th January 2012

at the latest to Arthur Smith or Donald Petrie.

Information about the race

National Cross Country at Falkirk - Saturday 18th February 2012

If you want to enter please give your name to your coaches, Donald Petrie, Christine Rankin and Arthur Smith by 24th January 2012

Information about the race

Holyrood Park on Saturday 7th January 2012

Photos taken by Donna Matthews ...

Terrific performances by our athletes who competed in the various races at Holyrood Park, Edinburgh

on Saturday 7th January 2012

Derek Hawkins, representing Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the International 8K race involving some of the worlds best, was 18th, a fine run in this major International event.

Callum Hawkins, competing for GB and NI in the under 23s 3K International race, was 7th, again a quality run in a race of very high class .. and beating World Champion Kenenisa Bekele in the process ..

In the Celtic International u17s race, it was a remarkable 1-2-3 for Scotland and Kilbarchan with Euan Gillham 1st, Callum Mattews 2nd and Gavin McArdle 3rd .. quite spectacular.

Great successes in the Interdistrict Championships at the same venue ..

Gwen Gillham won her first major individual cross country ttle, winning the under 15 girls championship and leading the West team to victory, the 6 member team also including Katie Turnbull 4th and Jemma Reekie 7th, with Emma Kelly 13th.

Laura Stark was inches away from winning the under 13 girls title, same time as the winner but did win gold for leading the West to another team title, helped by Kerry MacAngus 6th and Rebecca Craig 7th with Rona Tytler 12th.

West under 13 boys also won Gold, helped by Conor Thpmson in 8th place. Under 15 boys West team won Silver with Euan Trout 8th and Scott McLardie 1th, while Tom Murray was 16th and Charlie Wighton 22nd.

In the Senior Interdistrict races, Christina Rankin, representing Scotland and also Scottish Universities, was 14th, helping the Unis to Silver team medals. Also competing were Jessica Martin 43rd in the women's race and Chris Devenney 31st in the Men's event.

It was quite a day ..

Holyrood Park on Saturday 7th January 2012

A couple of photos from Lynne ...

News from Holyrood Park on Saturday 7th January 2012

Photos taken by Alf Gillham

Photos taken by Jim Ogilvie ....

Taken from scottishathletics web site ...

East District claim Women's Senior team title

The East made a flying start thanks to better strength and depth in the Women's Senior race and despite Beth Potter and Abbey McGhee taking first and third for the West.

Beth, from Victoria Park-Glasgow, won by ten seconds from Emily Stewart and McGhee but the East proved victorious with their counters Keira Murray, Jennifer MacLean, Gillian Palmer, Sarah McCormack, Fiona Matheson and Tessa Hill. Scottish Universities were second.

Next up were the Under-15 girls with Gwen Gillham of Kilbarchan the winner over 4k in a tight finish from Kirstin Oakley of Ayr Seaforth. Gillian Black was third and with West taking the top four places there was a clear overall winner.

The East District struck back in the Under-15 boys, again over a 4k distance. Josh Kerr from Edinburgh took the title in this one, easing beyond Aidan Thompson of Pitreavie with Inverclyde’s Jonathon Glen in third place.

When it came to the Under-13 girls, the West were back on top of the podium largely thanks to claiming the first three places.

Giffnock’s Erin Wallace won this one in a dramatic finish with Kilbarchan’s Laura Stark as Holly Little from VP-Glasgow claimed the bronze.

And the Under-13 boys saw another team title heading West with that district enjoying a 1-2-3. Ryan Gray from Inverclyde was an impressive winner over the 3k distance with Tyrone Ryan of Ron Hill Cambuslang in second and Jamie MacKinnon of VP-Glasgow in third.

Kiprop joy in Edinburgh as Callum beats Bekele ....

Olympic 1500 metre champion Asbel Kiprop claimed cross country glory in Edinburgh – as Kenenisa Bekele found it all too tough.

The Kenyan was a clear winner but it was the fate of the favoured Ethiopian, the reigning Olympic champions at 5000 metres and 10,000 metres, which stunned on-lookers in the capital.

Bekele eventually trailed home in 11th place and the Scottish trio of Callum Hawkins, Cameron Boyek and Mark Mitchell all had him in their sights at various stages.

Britain’s Johnny Hay claimed second place behind Kiprop with Eliud Kipchoge squeezed into third.

And Hawkins actually beat Bekele in a marvellous run by the young Scot on a day when Great Britain won the overall team races from United States and Europe. Callum was seventh with Mitchell 13th and Boyek 16th in a field of 19 runners.

‘I didn’t expect to beat someone like Kenenisa Bekele and I was a bit stunned when I ran beyond him,’ grinned Callum Hawkins later.

‘It is not every day you beat an Olympic champion and it does not matter what was going on with him because he is clearly still a superb athlete. Having said that I actually felt I could have run better. I've been a wee bit under the weather over the past fortnight. But now my focus will be on the indoor season in the United States and this was great preparation.'

European cross country champion Fionnaula Britton proved her quality in the Women’s 6k race. The Irishwoman has made a big impact in recent months and she held off a challenge from Gemma Steel

Britton had insisted in the day before the race that she expect a big challenge from the best of British women but the response was terrific and she pulled away from Steel in the second-half of the race.

‘You sense that Britton is enjoying a real purple patch in her career,’ said BBC pundit Brendan Foster.

‘She delivered a very impressive performance and what a way for her to start her Olympic year. She has applied herself over the years and she is now being mentioned in the same breath as Irish athletics legends like Sonia O’Sullivan.’

Britton posted a time of 21.32 and won by a 20-second margin.

‘I felt an awful lot of pressure for this race as it is huge event,’ said Britton.

‘I also knew everybody was looking at chasing me after Slovenia and I didn’t know what kind of shape I was in really. It has been hard to measure training recently because it is so windy and so on so it was great to put in a strong performance here. I will look to the Olympics now. I have been told for some years now that I need to move up a distance so I will maybe accept it now and look at 5000 metres and 10,000 metres.

Freya Murray finished fifth with a very decent effort but Steph Twell was a little disappointed with her ninth-place finish as she comes back from that long spell out injured last year.

Rosie Smith was 18th on her GB debut and Amy Campbell was 23rd as Britain won the team race.

European athlete Ayad Lamdassem - a Spaniard - edged out the field in the men’s 8k race as he beat Bobby Mack from the United States and European champion Atelaw Bekele.

That gave Team Europe success ahead of Team GB with the United States placed third.

Scottish cross country champion Derek Hawkins finished 18th in a quality field with the Kilbarchan athlete posting 26:50 for the 8k race around Holyrood Park.

In the Junior Women’s 4k race, Emelia Gorecka claimed victory for Britain with the 17-year-old now looking towards World Junior Championships this summer rather than the Olympics.

Gorecka, coached by Mick Woods, won the European Junior title in Slovenia and impressed again in Edinburgh as she won from two Americans, Aisling Cuffe and Molly Seidel. Laura Muir from Dundee Hawkhill finished 10th in her GB vest but was pipped by Louisa Stewart.

Further down the field in that race there were good runs for the likes of Edinburgh AC pair Emma and Oonagh Dunnett, Sarah Potter of VP-Glasgow and Catriona Graves of Garscube Harriers.

More results and news to come

scottishathletics are developing a plan to help recruit and develop volunteers in our sport. As part of this plan we would like to raise the profile of officiating opportunities in athletics to all parents, coaches, athletes and other potential volunteers.

2012 is going to be a catalyst for athletics through the Olympics in London and looking two years down the line we welcome the Commonwealth countries to Glasgow. There no better time to get involved in the No.1 Olympic and Commonwealth Games sport than now.

More information

From scottishathletics web site .... Four Scots are bound for Africa

'Four Scottish endurance athletes head for Kenya after this weekend with London 2012 looming on the horizon.

Specialised altitude training in Africa will be perfect for the likes of Olympic hopeful Steph Twell, while Freya Murray will use this opportunity as preparation for her first marathon in London this spring.

Scottish cross country champion Derek Hawkins and Beth Potter are the other two Scots who will make the month-long trip.

Kilbarchan athlete Derek, 22, had to persuade his lecturers at Glasgow University that the chance was too good to miss.

‘We head to London on January 9 and then fly to Kenya the following day,’ he told the scottishathletics website.

‘We will be out there for a full four weeks and I am looking forward to it. It was advertised through the UK Athletics website and I wanted to see if we could put something together for me to go out there.

‘Thankfully scottishathletics have made that happen after I expressed an interest. I was told when I was in Liverpool for the Euro Cross Country trial.'

Read the rest of the article

We wish Derek a great trip and look forward to seeing the results!

Saturday 31st December 2011 .. Donald Crawford Cup 11mile Handicap

There was a slight mix up with the some of the results from Saturday's race. So here is the corrected amended results...

Results on excel

For anyone interested ....

taken from scottishathletics web site ...

Learn from Scottish endurance legends

scottishathletics are pleased to confirm the next Endurance Development Squad Day, less than 24 hours after the Great Edinburgh Cross Country (incorporating the Scottish Inter District Cross Country races.

It will take place on Sunday 8 January 2012 at Meadowbank Stadium in Edinburgh, from 10am till 3pm.

The day will be based around round coach & athlete workshops with Scotland’s best male cross country runners of the 1990s,

Tommy Murray (Inverclyde AC), Bobby Quinn (Kilbarchan AAC) and Chris Robison (Inverclyde AC).

More details

Happy New Year to everybody

Congratulations to Alistair MacAngus, winning the Donald Crawford Cup.. chased to the finish by Elaine Eadie ..

Fastest lap Christina Rankin.

Winning ballot team John McLaughlin, Girls team 2, Christina Rankin

Looks like just 1 PB, quite a big one too, for Donald Kennedy

Congratulations to all the runners and thanks to all those who stewarded and did other necessary jobs.

Donald Crawford Results

Beith Harriers annual road races .

And a good turnout and lot of success at Kilbirnie on Monday 2nd January 2012

u11 boys .. 1 Andrew MacAngus 4.20 .. well clear

u11 girls .. 1 Eve Griffiths 5.06 .. good win in close finish ..

u13 boys .. 1 Conor Thomson 6.51 .. well ahead ..

u13 girls .. 1 Laura Stark 7.09, 2 Iona Miller 7.32, 3 Rona Tytler 7.36 ..

u15 boys .. 1 Charlie Wighton 6.38 .. well ahead ..

u15 girls .. 1 Jemma Reekie 7.05 .. a big win to beat Kirsten Oakley ..

.. all times ..

u11g 1 Andrew MacAngus 4.20 .. Lewis King 5.34

u11g 1 Eve Griffiths 5.06, Alisha Sivell 5.27, Rachel Bannatyne 5.27, Katrina Miller 5.34, Claire Tytler 5.52

u13b 1 Conor Thomson 6.51 .. u15b 1 Charlie Wighton 6.58 ..

u13g 1 Laura Stark 7.09, 2 Iona Miller 7.32, 3 Rona Tytler 7.36, Catriona Allan 7.45, Heather Fawcett 7.59, Ailsa Higgins8.45

u15g 1 Jemma Reekie 7.05 .. Chloe Baillie 8.37

Full results of all the races

Some photos taken by Kenneth Phillips ....

Saturday 31st December 2011 .. Donald Crawford Cup 11mile Handicap

John Kynaston's head cam video of the race ...

scottishathletics NATIONAL MASTERS CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

at KILMARNOCK (St Joseph’s Academy, Grassyards Road, KA3 7SL) on SATURDAY 4th February 2012

If you are interested in entering ....

More information Men's entry form Women's entry form

Saturday 31st December 2011 .. Donald Crawford Cup 11ml and Ballot team race

Revised results with splits

Saturday 31st December 2011 .. Donald Crawford Cup 11ml and Ballot team race

Congratulations to Alastair McAngus who won the Handicap race

More photos taken by Alf Gillham

Saturday 31st December 2011 .. Donald Crawford Cup 11ml and Ballot team race

.. meet 1pm at Kilbarchan pavilion .. first runner off at approx 1.30pm .. a good way to end the old year ..

The route ...

Start at Park Gate nearest to Fountain (back pillar) in New St,

via New St, Church St, Dampton Brae, through Crossflats crossroads to Clochoderick Stone ..

..turning right (2.6ml) up to Lochwinnoch/Kilmacolm Rd (3.95ml) ..

. turning right going towards Kilmacolm, passing Locher Woods Car Park (approx 5ml) continuing along then down steep hill ..

.. turning right into Torr Rd (approx 6.3ml) towards Bridge of Weir..

.. at Horsewood Rd (app 8.2ml)cut past Scout Hut onto cycle track ..

.. come off at Clydesdale Bank building at Prieston Rd junction ..

.. up Kilbarchan Rd hill, past Tannery, Penwold bend down Shuttle St into Kilbarchan, to the Cross ..

.. turn sharp left up New St to far park gate, right into park and down to finish at the Fountain approx 10.6ml ..

For most of the run, suggest run on the right ie facing the traffic BUT beware of blind bends and recommend switch to left side of the road if safe to do so.

If you plan to run please email jkynaston00@hotmail.com so he can sort out your handicap.

Club Christmas Relays - Boxing Day 2011

I took some extra video clips from various points around the route but it was too time consuming to put them

within the video below but if you'd like to see them I've put them on YouTube

Video of the race ...

Club Christmas Relays - Boxing Day 2011

Results ...

Congratulations to Claire's Christmas Crackers who were first home.

Team photos ....