New Track, New Club For Glasgow's West End
Knightswood Park's running track is getting a new lease of life thanks to community-minded runners...
Glasgow has a new home for track training and a new running club to boot, and the best bit? Both are free! Located in the west of the city, Knightswood Park’s running track is entering a new era, thanks to a ‘bit of a makeover’ and the support of those involved with new club, Knightswood Harriers.
Speaking about the new club and rejuvenation of the track, Jay Cruz Semple told runABC: “We are living through a cost of living crisis, kids have nowhere to go, those who want to train on a track have nowhere to do so for free and those who want to run with the support of a club can also miss out due to club fees etc. We wanted to change that, and the facility at Knightswood Park provided the perfect solution.”
Jay is joined on his crusade by Steve Koepplinger or ‘Steve from Ohio’ as he is affectionately known. Steve is no stranger to improving the worn-down facilities of local communities, having already turned his hand to Maryhill Park tennis courts and running tracks in other parks including Maryhill and Eastwood. He says: "It is important for me that children have something to do, and somewhere to go after school."
Members of Knightswood Harriers will benefit from Jaymo and Steve's experiences and expertise in coaching, personal training and sports nutrition and the club is open to anyone, those looking to lose weight, do something for themselves or work on their mental health. The club currently meets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings and it is hoped that a Monday evening session will start up in the near future too.
Speaking about the track, Jay said: "We want to see youths and kids here and anyone else that wants to improve their health and have some fun. We appreciate that a free space to run already exists in the form of parkrun, but here at the track you can avoid dogs, cyclists, swans, groups of people... It is a great place to really work on challenging yourself."
Jay himself is a registered blind athlete, suffering from a rare genetic disorder called Choroideremia. Despite this set back he is becoming an accomplished distance runner (aided by a guide runner) and so training runners in guide running is another aspect to the track that Jay hopes to develop over time.
If you'd like to know more, visit the Knightswood Harriers Facebook page.
Image: Knightswood Harriers