Last Again….. But First In So Many Ways

Cam Winton

Take yourself back two years, first time doing cross country, first time in spikes, finished last. I cannot say it did not matter but the athletics community showed respect for participating and finishing so came away with satisfaction.

Move forward to a fortnight ago. Its been a difficult year for mental health with a slow recovery so my running is nowhere near what it has been. A Whatsapp message comes in. Can you join our 1st ever Non-Binary cross country relay team? And the Scottish Championships are on the following Saturday!

I have to say it needed a little time to say yes but it is so important that we could make it happen. A lack of confidence was the only barrier so dug deep, managed expectations and agreed. It is not a decision I regret.

Come the day, Glasgow Frontrunners showed up to Cumbernauld Country Park with three teams. Is that the most ever from a LGBTQ+ sports club? First time with a female team and, roll of drums, most likely the first ever Non Binary team at a cross country event.

Through the efforts of our team manager (Finn), Scottish Athletics were aware of what we were doing. There needed to be something to make us stand out so a batch of socks in the Non-Binary flag colours were found. Laces too.

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It worked as a couple of the team were asked for a photograph from Scottish Athletics. The day was ideal, a bit warmer than expected for the time of year with plenty of sunshine but the recent rain gave typical cross country soggy conditions underfoot. The Non Binary category started with the senior men which was the last race of the day. Depending on how it is viewed, either plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere or build up the nerves.
Two of the team had been to cross country (including myself) so Alex went No 1 runner and I was fourth. Filling the sandwich was Eoin at No 2 and Ellie at No 3. By accident, that put the team in height order!

I could not have asked for more awesome team mates. Everyone was up for the challenge.

We cheered the female team in their race with some great times and a lot of pain on faces but that is just normal for cross country. The top runners who had finished their lap were lying around the finish area like the wounded after a battle.

It is worthwhile noting that the event saw a huge range of abilities, ages etc with people trying to qualify for the UK and European championships to familiar faces from parkruns.

The Senior Male/Non Binary race time approached. Lots of runners jogging around and doing dynamic stretches with very serious “game faces” on. I think both Glasgow Frontrunners teams looked the same but I guess it was just worry.

It was the biggest race of the day so the mass start was impressive. Plenty of cheering around the course with the Frontrunners being no shrinking violets. There was support for all runners with extra noise for our own.

Alex finished their lap (four km of hills, mud, autumn leaves, bumps and holes) looking good but with unpublishable language after the finish. Then it was Eoin out on the course. The changeover area was busy with the top teams one runner ahead of our lot.

Not long after Eoin came in, (More unpublishable language and lying on the ground like an elite athlete) Ellie was off. The changeover is a very exciting element of relays.

Now that they were on course, time for myself to get warmed up. The anxiety was building but all of a sudden there was a lot of commotion. Lots of yelling and shouting from supporters and spectators rushing down to the finish. Unfortunately it wasn’t Ellie (although they were going great on the course) but one of the best ever cross country finishes between Cambuslang Harriers and Edinburgh University Hares & Hounds for the silver medal position.

That got the competitive juices going but the anxieties were nagging away in the background.

Time to get in the changeover zone. It was getting more and more empty. I didn’t have any expectations but a bit of worry was there. Then the officials let me go early with the promise that the times would be sorted out.

I was last on the course. It didn’t matter. Was this the first non binary team competing in Scotland? In the UK? In Europe? In the World??

I will draw a discrete veil over my performance. What mattered was that I was cheered on. Obviously the loudest were the Frontrunners but other clubs were just like the last time. Plenty of encouragement and treating me no different than the elite runners. We all put the effort on the course and have equal value.

Across the finish as the first Non Binary team to complete a cross country. Funnily enough, I didn’t feel too bad physically so a lot of the struggle was mental. (they say running is 95% psychological and the rest is in your head). Last on the course but, in reality, first.

So the deed was done. Small acorns make large trees so hopefully this will encourage others. There must be plenty who are too worried to run or already running but too worried to open up about gender identity. One day we could have non LGBTQ+ running clubs putting in Non BInary teams. There must be athletes in the youth system that have questions over gender. One day, representation like this will allow them to develop as runners and people without fear of revealing their authentic selves. One day, there will be athletes avoiding the damage caused by living in hiding.

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Race report

Ed White

Race: National cross country relay championships

Location: Cumbernauld House Park

Date: 19th October 2024

GFR made a significant mark at this year’s National Cross Country Relay Championships, fielding our largest group of participants yet! This marks the third year we’ve competed at the event, and it was our biggest turnout to date, a reflection of the hard work former Race Secretary Finn has put in over the past season. Impressively, we had more members taking part in this single event than we did for the entire last season!

The event and conditions

The championships were held at Cumbernauld House Park, where teams of four runners each completed a 4km loop. The course was as challenging as ever, featuring short, sharp hills, but the conditions were glorious! Crisp, dry, and unseasonably warm. A few muddy patches remained from the wet weather leading up to the event, adding to the challenge. On the cheer squad we had Scott, Tony and Finn who heroically hauled the gazebo from the car park to our cheering spot on top of the hill with a great view across the field. They also took some fantastic photos of all our runners.

Senior Womens Race

The first GFR team to compete was the senior women. With a few last-minute changes from Finn, Róisín took her place at the starting line to kick off the race. Louise followed with a strong second leg, before handing over to Katie, who delivered an exceptional performance, flying through the course in an impressive 18:23. Sarah took on the anchor leg, bringing the team home in 48th place out of 73 teams – a fantastic result for GFR’s first women’s XC relay team!

Next up we had the senior mens and non binary race, and possible two events the world has never seen! The first as Gordon adorned a pair of sunglasses for a cross country race in Scotland, the second as four of our runners pulled up their yellow, white, purple and black striped socks to represent the first Nonbinary relay team in a national championship event anywhere… ever. As far as we know!

Senior Mens Race

For the senior men, Gordon kicked off the first leg before handing over to Ross. Both bringing back phenomenal sub 16min times. Neil powered through the third leg before passing over to me as I had my annual reminder of how tough cross country is! The senior men's team finished in a solid 65th place out of 115 teams.

Senior Non Binary Race

Alex Blanchard, one of our more experienced cross-country runners, led the team with a strong first leg, creating the course record time of 21:51. Eòin, making their XC debut, took on the second leg, handing over to Ellie, also debuting in XC. Cam took on the anchor leg, bringing home the first ever result for a NB XC relay event finishing in a historic first place.

I can’t convey how monumental this is. Two years ago we fielded (as far as we are aware) the first NB XC participant in a national championship event, and this year we fielded an entire NB relay team. GFR now hold the titles of three XC national championship events! And hopefully many more to come! Although I do hear that Maryhill Harriers will be hot on our tail later in the season with a very strong new recruit.

Full results

Senior Women 48th / 73

Leg 01 - 21:34 Roisin O’Donovan

Leg 02 - 23:28 Louise Keogh

Leg 03 - 18:23 Katie Athorne

Leg 04 - 22:14 Sarah Gurney

Senior Men 65th / 117

Leg 01 - 15:25 Gordon Buchanan

Leg 02 - 15:33 Ross Milne

Leg 03 - 17:11 Neil Montgomery

Leg 04 - 17:51 Ed White

Senior Non Binary 1st / 1