The Battle Of The Boathouse
Strathclyde parkrun played host to an epic battle between two Lanarkshire greats at the weekend...
Strathclyde may be one of Scotland's original parkruns, but there was something decidedly new happening down by the waterside on Saturday (14 January), as around 50 members of Motherwell Athletics Club and Hamilton Harriers gathered for the inaugural ‘mob run’ between the longtime rivals.
This mob match saw members of each club race the 5K course to decide which Lanarkshire club would be victorious with the title being decided by the average of each team’s runners, with all times counting. First to claim the title was Motherwell AC, who achieved an average time of 23:31, compared to Hamilton’s 24:09.
The race was organised by committee members from each club. Gayle Samson of Motherwell Athletics Club, said: “It was inspiring to see such a big turnout at our first ever mob run, and we are very proud to lift the trophy for Motherwell AC. Although rivals, the camaraderie between the clubs was fantastic, and the race was a great opportunity to showcase how welcoming and fun our running clubs are.
"We had runners of all ages and abilities taking part today, ranging from 17 years old to 70+. I’d like to thank parkrun for welcoming our clubs, and Hamilton Harriers for putting up a fierce fight. We look forward to retaining our title at a future mob run!”
Hamilton Harrier, Gordon Hay, added: "It was a great atmosphere at the inaugural mob run between Motherwell Athletics Club and Hamilton Harriers. Great to see so many people turning up, digging deep and braving the conditions. Well done everyone! Congratulations to Motherwell Athletics Club for the win. Huge thanks to Strathclyde parkrun for welcoming us and all the volunteers, runners and spectators for their support. Looking forward to the next mob run and levelling up the score!”
There has been some fighting talk already on social media with Andrew Mclinden commenting on Facebook:"Well done Motherwell, but Hamilton should be back at full force for the next one!" It cannot be doubted that Hamilton runners will now be incredibly motivated to steal the crown at the next mob run, details of which will be announced soon.
Motherwell Athletics Club and Hamilton Harriers are currently recruiting new members, for more information on joining or future mob runs you can find Hamilton Harriers hereand Motherwell AC here.
