Greenock Glenpark Harriers Running Club logo
Back to home

Great Scottish Run 2026

Saturday and Sunday 3rd / 4th October 2026

A hugely enjoyable weekend of running saw Greenock Glenpark Harriers take a record number of runners to Glasgow for the various distance on offer for this years Great Scottish Run. Originating in 1979 as the Glasgow Marathon, where strict entry rules limited the first two years to under 200 runners combined – the event was renamed the Scottish People’s Marathon in 1981, attracting over 7,000 participants. As marathon interest waned, it shifted to a half-marathon format in 1988 before officially adopting the Great Scottish Run name in 1989. Today, it stands as Scotland’s largest mass-participation sporting event, drawing around 30,000 competitors annually for a full weekend of racing in Glasgow, featuring junior events on Saturday and both a 10K and half marathon on Sunday.

Note: Due to the extremely high turnout, this report will be updated as we get more information. Runners can submit their own GSR stories HERE to be included.

SATURDAY SUCCESS FOR OUR JUNIORS

The action kicked off at 9:00am as young runners aged 9 to 15 tackled the 2.5km Junior Challenge, officially set in motion by Gladiators stars Athena and Hammer sounding the starting bell. Sweeping along the park paths of Glasgow Green and onto Greendyke Street, participants sped past historic landmarks including the People’s Palace and the Doulton Fountain. The morning continued with the lively Mascot Dash at 10:15am, followed by the 70-meter Toddler Dash at 10:25am. Wrapping up the youth events, the Mini Dash for 3 to 8-year-olds took on a 1.5km course, with staggered starts running from 11:20am through the final wave at 12:40pm.

It turned out to be a sensational morning for our Juniors, with every single runner giving it their all and absolutely smashing their targets in a fiercely competitive field – with the headline achievements coming in the featured 2.5km challenge where the Harriers took top honours across the board. Lauren McLaughlin delivered a brilliant performance, pushing the pace early and holding strong to cross the line as 1st Girl overall in 8m51s. In the boys’ race, Josh Deegan capped off an incredible performance by pulling away in an electrifying sprint finish to claim 1st Boy overall in 7m36s. Club President Alison King may have needed a throat lozenge and a lie down in a darkened room afterward, due to over excitement at the finish line.

Well done to Lauren, Josh, and all the Harriers who took part on a strong day of racing for the club.

SUNDAY – 10k RACE (Ladies)

The 10K race is a fast, highly accessible road race that showcases some of Glasgow’s most iconic landmarks and scenic riverfronts. Setting off from the top of St Vincent Street, runners head west through Finnieston toward the waterfront. The initial kilometer includes a brief incline, but it quickly gives way to a long downhill stretch through to the 3K mark. Along this opening section, competitors take in views of Glasgow’s signature modern architecture, including the OVO Hydro, the SEC Armadillo, and the historic Finnieston Crane, before crossing the River Clyde via the Clyde Arc (Squinty Bridge) and looping past Pacific Quay. The final portion of the course is exceptionally flat and built for a fast finish. After recrossing the river, the route follows the Broomielaw and Clyde Street embankments for a grandstand finish at Glasgow Green, where runners pass under the iconic McLennan Arch to complete their 10K. Over 40 Harriers took on the shorter distance this year.

Once again, GGH ladies Champion Jill Cox had a brilliant run at an event she has excelled in over the years, heading down toward the finish with a brilliant 1st place age category, 10th female overall in 37m13s. In a highly positive note for the future of the club, two of our under 20 ladies had excellent runs for U20 5th and 6th respectively, with Anna McCrae just outside the sub 40 goal in 40:01, and Evie Harrison in 41:13 – both girls running extremely well on the day. Another lady training well at the moment is Mabel Balfour on her return from recently becoming a new mum, with a strong time of 43:34. Ladies captain Lynne Harrison ran a strong course pb to take Age Category 5th position with 47:11; and it was good to see Debbie McKenzie run 52:03 for 12th Veteran 55 category. In the V65 category Doris Heron ran a magnificent 1:02:58 for 9th in her category.

10k RACE (Men)

Unable to get a place on the Half Marathon start line, first Harrier home Andy McCall had a strong run in the Senior group, with splits of roughly 17 minutes at 5k and maintained the pace well running under the 35 minute mark with 34:52 for 41st overall and a brilliant 8th in his age category. It was great to see Malcolm Maclean taking on the 10k this year after a great summer’s training, and with a well deserved 5th in his category just outside 40 minutes with 40m17s. Gerry Gallacher has been everywhere this season and had another fine 10k, going 16th in the V50 group with 45m dead at the finish. In the v60 group, GGH Podcast host Robin McAuslan had a great run, also taking 5th with 46:29 – Robin claimed to be slightly disappointed with his time as the wind was picking up but happy with his final category placing. It was absolutely brilliant to see club legend Eddie Devine complete the run yet again, defying the years with 1h33m and 5th place in the V80 race.

On a side note, the GSR 10k marked a farewell to GGH runner David Williamson, representing the club for the last time as he moves to pastures new. All the best David! A huge shout-out to Catriona and Rory Morrison, who both tackled the Great Scottish Run for the first time after joining Glenpark through the Absolute Beginners group! Catriona crossed the line in a fantastic 1:01:07, with Rory right on her heels in a brilliant 1:04:30 a unbelievable milestone and a testament to how far they’ve come since taking those first steps with the club.

TALES FROM THE HALF MARATHON

The Half Marathon starts on St Vincent Street – mercifully at the top once again this year – where runners gather into staggered, colour-coded wave assemblies that set off from around 10am onward. The course leads participants through the city centre streets and straight onto the iconic Kingston Bridge, offering an elevated, panoramic view of the skyline and the River Clyde below. From there, the opening stretch weaves south  toward the never ending horrors of  Pollok Park and Bellahouston Park. The route features a noticeable climb through the parkland sections around miles 2 to 8, before rewarding runners with a steady downhill stretch back toward the city. After exiting Pollok Park, participants double back along Paisley Road West, crossing the Clyde via the Squinty Bridge near the 11-mile mark. The final leg heads along the river before culminating at Glasgow Green.

Dee Waka is fast becoming another club legend, and for more reasons than his outstanding running talent. We had high hopes for the youngster on his first attempt at the GSR, and to be fair he had a brilliant run on the day, the fastest Harrier by over three minutes with a time of 1:11:25, 31st from over 35,000 runners and 2nd in his u20 age category. However, let’s say a misunderstanding at the start line saw him mistake his wave label and head to the Yellow Wave (11.30 start) rather than the White / Yellow Elite wave (10.00am start); meaning Dee had to fight through crowds of costumed fun-runners, folk carrying fridges etc. – a definite case of what might have been had he been shoulder to shoulder with the elite group he should have been starting with. Lessons learned!

Lewis Khan was next home for GGH – an absolute cracker of a run from Lewis, in a very competitive field. Lewis was 69th overall with 1:14:57, delighted to be sub 1:15 and 46th in his category. The next major goal for runners taking on the distance is going under 1h30m and four of the harriers men achieved that – Duncan Anderson in 1:24:43, the returning Andrew Osborne after a long period of injury running well for 1:26:48, William Taylor for 1:27:51 and Owen Atkinson for 1:29:36. Club Secretary John Stevenson put in a great shift for 24th in the V55 group, finishing in 1:32:36, just ahead of Sam McVicar in 1:34:00 in the same age group. Coming off six weeks of injury and with a distinct lack of training at the distance, Stephen Harrison was delighted to run under his 1h40 target in 1:37:00.

We had one category gold medal on the day – veteran Graham McGrattan delivered a standout performance, stopping the clock in an impressive 1:45.51. Competing in the V70 group, Graham’s outstanding effort earned him first place in his age category, particularly impressive as his stated goal was running under two hours. Well done Graham! Another veteran GGH runner, Stephen Campbell continues to run well and got a 6th place finish in the V65 group with a time of 1:40:25.

Jennifer Rooney had arguably one of the outstanding runs on the day. Following a significant medical recovery that began late last year, she worked her way back to fitness starting with the Couch to 5K plan in March. Just seven months later she lined up alongside hundreds of her Greenock Glenpark Harriers teammates to take on the half marathon. Not only did Jennifer complete her first 13.1-mile race in two years, but she also smashed her expectations by running her fastest half marathon since 2017, crossing the line in an amazing 1:36:00. Jennifer credited her run to a strong support network: her family, especially her Mum and Dad, the surgical team at the RAH in Paisley, and coach Alan O’Rourke for his constant belief and encouragement. Above all, the encouragement from her Greenock Glenpark Harriers teammates kept her going every step of the way, making her race all the more special.

Relative newcomer to the club, Ryan Beaton took 20 minutes of his previous pb at Kilmacolm, his dedication to training really paying off – 1:50:52 on the day. Ryan made a point of thanking all his fellow harriers and coaches for the advice and support during his first year with the club, but also says he’ll never go near Pollock Park again!

Another new member, Kris Connelly was running in the 35-39 group and got a massive pb of 1:25:42, three minutes quicker than his previous best. Running solo as he was unsure people would know who he was, Kris began chatting to fellow Harriers along the route and later said how welcoming the Glenpark community has been since joining. Buzzing after the race and looking toward future training and racing, Kris looks forward to representing the blue and yellow in many more events to come.

Paul Meahan had a difficult lead in to the HM, as injury and a lack of training had left him unsure if he would even make the start line. However, after a decent run at the recent JG Cameron race, coupled with some timely sports massages and short, easy runs, convinced him to give it a go and target a new personal best under 1:45:00. Pre-race nerves made for a anxious build-up, with pre-event butterflies leading to a few necessary pitstops before heading to the line. Navigating the rainy, windy conditions, Paul was once again joined by fellow Harriers Alan Robertson and Stephen Campbell, who provided a welcome morale boost. Setting off slightly ahead of target set him up nicely for the challenges ahead – including an unavoidable 48-second portacabin break at the 5km mark to settle a nervous stomach. Feeling immediately ‘refreshed’, he regrouped and maintained a steady pace all the way to Glasgow Green, crossing the line in a fantastic official chip time of 1:44:17 to comfortably shatter his previous 1:47:00 PB.

It must have been a very emotional and difficult day for Greg Luke, running the Half in memory of his father who passed away recently in tragic circumstances, and raising funds for the British Heart Foundation as he did so. Greg’s time was 1:44:19, but today wasn’t about the time – today it was about who he was running for. Greg has raised £3000 for the foundation and the Just Giving Page remains open HERE if you would like to donate to Greg’s cause. Greg thanked the phenomenal support from GGH and Strathy and all the friendly faces on the day.

POST RACE SOCIALS

  • Over 50 Harriers completed the GSR Half this year, meaning the club was represented by over 100 runners over the weekend – every single one of you did us proud and you should be equally proud of your achievements.
  • A special thank you to Club President Alison King for support over both days, particularly with the Juniors.
  • A special thank you to Alan O’Rourke and Lynne Harrison for the amount of organising behind the scenes for transport, food and drink
  • A shout out to all the Harriers who attended as supporters – there’s nothing like seeing the blue and yellow in the crowd, cheering you on.
  • Thank you to St. Luke’s and the Winged Ox for their hospitality once again!
  • Find your RESULTS HERE.
  • SEE YOU NEXT YEAR…?

Want to see your story from the day in this report? No problem! We’ll update to include any and all reports, please submit yours HERE.