about
Everything you've always wanted to know about Westerlands Cross Country Club but were afraid to ask
A brief history
Responsibility for the founding of Westerlands Cross Country Club in 1977 rests firmly on the shoulders of one person: Bill Sheridan . Conceived as a club for post graduate runners Westerlands was essentially an offspring of Glasgow University Hares and Hounds.
By the early and mid 1980s the world was changing, road running had become fashionable rather than some eccentric activity, and with the running boom, numbers joining the club began to rise. The formation of a ladies section introduced a touch of much needed sophistication and glamour along with intriguing new social skills such as incessant chatting during training runs. Gradually the future seemed more secure.
Around this time the recently formed Scottish Hill Runners [Association] had started to distribute a comprehensive fixture list of hill running events that attracted some club members. Links with the Hares and Hounds became more and more tenuous throughout the 1980s as an increasing number of new members were recruited from the hill racing scene. The club even started to organise local hill races; the Glenoyne Gallop being the first of these. Training runs wading through bog with sodden feet began to replace the more genteel road running while regular mid-winter night runs in the Campsies and Kilpatrick Hills finally convinced some road runners that the club was full of madmen.
With this wind of change came an expanding social calendar; monthly curry nights, annual events like the Loch Ossian pilgrimage, the club handicap races and the summer and winter leagues.
Club Races
As mentioned above Westerlands Cross Country Club organise some local races. You can read more about The Whangie Whizz, Cort-ma Law, Ben Lomond and all the rest on our club races page.
Look what we've done
Some of our members have excelled in terms of their running efforts. Here's some highlights.
- Charlie Campbell our club captain, ran, cycled and swam his way round all the Munros's in a world-record forty-eight-and-a-half days in 2000. Read about his exploits over at The Angry Corrie.
- Gary Tompsett set a winter record of 32 hours 48 minutes for the famous Ramsay Round in 2003; a 60 mile circuit with 28,000 feet of ascent which takes in the Mamores, the Grey Corries, the Aonachs and Ben Nevis. And in the summer of 1992, Keith Adams completed the same round in under 24 hours.
- In 2003 Chris Upson devised his own mammoth epic in the Lake District and called it Lakes 24; this covered 24 Marilyns in the space of 24 hours. He won the prestigious FRA award for long-distance running as a result. Again, The Angry Corrie published a good article about Lakes 24.
The Westies Flag is flying high
Before you think of joining, why not memorise the words to the club anthem... that'll really impress Big Al and Dave Calder. Check out a few examples of club songs; including the anthem, The Westies Flag.
Ok, you've probably read enough but...
Still need some information especially for those new to hill running? No problem, here's some tips to help you get started in hill running.