ON THE ROAD catches up with the Monument Mile in Stirling, and finds hardy athletes following in the footsteps of legends

A smir of rain swirled around the Wallace Monument and down the line of those who had braved the conditions and were now making a tactical retreat from track to car park.

It was 7pm, with almost three hours of the programme still to be completed. This was the day of 30 races of one mile. This was the longest day for some. It was also something of an endurance test for all the bravehearts who came to watch.

However, there were rewards for the hardy. They witnessed native records, saw an Olympic medallist and participated in more than a smattering of history.

The Monument Mile has now been running for eight years. This year the Emsley Carr mile was added to its name, meaning the elite male athletes were following in the footsteps of the greats.

In the athletes’ warm-up area, a small red book sat on a table. It contains the signatures of those who have participated in this historic race. It was inaugurated in 1953 in memory of Sir Emsley Carr, a former editor of the News of the World. It was set up to encourage male athletes to break the four-minute mile. By the time the second race was run, Roger Bannister had broken that redoubtable barrier.

The succession of Emsley Carr Trophy books, all bound in red Moroccan leather, contains the names of such as Paavo Nurmi, Kip Keino, Steve Ovett, Seb Coe, Said Aouita, Haile Gebreselassie, all Olympic champions. It also contains the signatures of Scots who have won the race, most notably Ian Stewart, Frank Clement, John Robson, and Jake Wightman.

On Saturday night, Henry McLuckie joined the greats on this list. The athlete, born in the Isle of Wight, won in 3.53.99. This would have left the history-maker Bannister trailing but merely puts McLuckie on another rung up as he pursues the great Scots – Wightman, Josh Kerr and Neil Gourley - who are the world elite at 1500m. All 11 finishers broke the four-minute mile, including Evan Jager who won the silver medal for the USA in 3000m steeplechase at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

History moves fast. The four-minute mile is routine for the elite but on the day of 30 races over a mile it was not until the last race that it was broken.

It took Donald Shaw five minutes and 39 seconds to complete the four laps at the University of Stirling track. At 55, he had every right to be pleased. A maths teacher at Fairview International School, on the doorstep of the university, Shaw is a keen runner, still competing in the over-55 age group which he has just joined. A former head teacher at Queen Victoria School in Dunblane, he retired but decided to return to teaching and his satisfaction at winning the race was complemented by his fulfilment in his new role.

‘A great school with excellent colleagues,’ he said as some of his pupils trailed to the finish line in his wake.

The Monument Mile is an unusual event, not just because every race is over four laps of the track but because its range stretches from under-13s through a series of age groups until the elite races. This means there are more than 300 competitors and room for two races for Fairview, one of the sponsors.

The first race started before 4pm and the fireworks signalling an end to the Emsley Carr mile went off not long before 10pm. The departing spectators at 7pm were mostly the family and friends of the young competitors.

There was still an eager crowd as the second stage of races took off at 7.30pm. The man with the most to watch was Michael Wright, the race director.

A keen runner since youth, he gave up competition in 2020 to devote himself to coaching. He has watched the event grow, gaining a world athletics licence and drawing competitors from all over the world.

He is the performance and endurance coach at Stirling University and the event has the aspects of a vocation for him. ‘I grew up on this track, I raced on this track and I coach athletes on this track so I know what a great environment it is,’ he said.

One of the athletes he coaches, Ryan Martin, took part in the Emsley Carr mile. ‘He is a talent,’ said Wright of his protégé who dropped off after helping set the pace.

The event obviously makes demands on Wright but he was clear about why he puts his time into it.

‘If I was a kid, had this on my doorstep growing up, I would have loved it. I would find it inspirational,’ he said.

There were groups of kids, some of whom had run in earlier races, swarming around the elite athletes at the finish line. Megan Keith, who finished second in the Millicent Fawcett race, the elite women’s event, was immediately asked for her spikes after she crossed the finishing line. She graciously acceded to this request from a small boy, giving her warm-up jacket to his mate.

Her time of 4.26.85 was a new native record for the mile but it also served as a sign that Keith is in fine form ahead of the World Championships in Tokyo. The Inverness Harrier will compete in the 10,000m final on September 13 but her surging run on a dreich Scottish Saturday gave her belief that she can produce quick laps on demand in the longer distance.

‘This was good practice for me. I wasn’t chasing a time. It will stand me in good stead,’ she said after finishing second to Tsige Teshome of Ethiopia.

She was watched by Mark Pollard, head of performance at Scottish Athletics. He was also a keen spectator, too, of the younger age groups. ‘These events give you an idea of the breadth of talent,’ he said.

‘We are in a positive place in Scottish athletics. We have established internationals who are performing well at international level but we are also seeing younger athletes coming through.

‘It is probably unfair to single any of these youngsters out but they have the kind of tools Josh Kerr, Jake Wightman and Laura Muir had.’

He was pleased that the Emsley Carr Mile had pitched up in Scotland. ‘It is a real accolade to win that race and Michael (Wright) has done such good work to have that race here.’

Good work was also the watchwords for Henry McLuckie. At 23, his best days are ahead of him but he is now in that leather-bound book as a winner of Emsley Carr. ‘I first ran in this race a few years ago and I have always dreamed of winning it,’ he said.

‘My eyes are on the Commonwealth Games next year,’ he said. ‘But really all I want to do is keep progressing. The level of competition in this country is so good. The best GB runners at 1500m are the best in the world. That is the level.’

All this and more was being recorded by Callum Matthews, founder of Stride Athletics, a company dedicated to hosting races and supporting athletes.

Matthews, 29, started the company two years ago. He ran for Scotland as a junior but he now seeks to help athletes fulfil their potential.

‘I have been involved in athletics for about 16, 17 years and I love it,’ he said. He won the Scottish under-18 1500m championship and once beat Neil Gourley in a race. ‘He went on to run in an Olympic final and here I am,’ he said with a smile.

One of the athletes his company supports, Sarah Calvert, produced a personal best of 4.27.30 in finishing third in the elite women’s race.

Matthews watched on with an expression that proves there can be glimmers of warmth on even the rainiest of evenings.