Edinburgh Athletic Club’s senior squad recently hosted a successful Gala Awards Night. The event was highly-anticipated after a 3-year break due to the pandemic, with a large attendance celebrating team and individual accomplishments at all levels during the past season.  

Trophies were presented to a number of athletes for high achievement. Winners of the Club’s annual Cross-Country Grand Prix championships were Janet Dunbar and Myles Bax, both of whom consistently excelled at races all over Scotland.
Janet was delighted to take the title, saying: “I love cross-country running – the grass, trees, hills and trails, as well as the atmosphere on race day and the social side too. Running for a team really motivates me to do my best for my club-mates. There are a lot of good names on that trophy and I am chuffed to have my name alongside them!” 

The Club’s Road Race Grand Prix titles were awarded to Sarah Brown and Max Meres, who each had outstanding seasons on the roads. Max commented: “I really enjoyed my road racing this year. My highlight was the Scottish Half Marathon, held just outside Edinburgh. I ran 73:57 which was a new Personal Best, and managed to finish in the top 10. It was a real honour to be awarded the Road Race Grand Prix title, and it is testament to all the hard work put in by the Club’s coaches and volunteers.” 

The “Most Improved Athlete” award went to John Lenehan, while Kevin Hamilton and Andrej Kujikis were awarded Club entries to the prestigious London Marathon in April 2023.  

Richard Clark fittingly won the “Volunteer Of The Year” award, with club coach and stalwart Alex MacEwen effusive in his praise, saying: “Richard has been a super Club volunteer over a number of years. He is a great communicator, and uses a range of creative media to keep club members motivated and aware of what’s going on. He has recently taken up a role in the Club’s Welfare and Safeguarding group, he organised the entire Awards Night, and he’s also an excellent baker, keeping everyone well-fed at the races!” 

The ever-modest Alex MacEwen has been a major figure within the Club for decades. Following the redevelopment and re-opening of the Capital’s Meadowbank Stadium earlier this year, it was fitting that his name was immortalised on Meadowbank’s grand “wall of fame” for his enormous contribution to athletics over the years.  

Alex  continued: “The club has had a great year coming out of the pandemic, and it is great to have Meadowbank open again. We had athletes winning medals at World and Commonwealth levels, on the track, road, trails and mountains. Our domestic scene is strong too, and we are prominent at athletics events all over Scotland. So many people step up to volunteer within the Club, they put huge numbers of hours in, and it’s good to see people celebrating all of this!” 

John Lenehan