Updated: New mile run in Borders anything but bog standard

Now, however, 21 years on from, and 350 miles north of, that infamous bout of televised diarrhoea, Gala Harriers have gone beyond the pale to fill that perceived gap in the market.

Last Friday saw them stage their inaugural Pail Merk Mile at Tweedbank Sports Complex, so called in reference to Galashiels residents being nicknamed pail merks, literally bucket marks, in years gone by because of their reputed reliance on said vessels for toilet-going purposes rather than plumbed-in lavatories, resulting in rim imprints or defecation-derived stains – or both – allegedly being left on their buttocks.

That event might not have seen Edinburgh runner Josh Kerr’s new mile record time of 3:42.66, set in London in July, challenged, but with a field of 135 taking part in ten races and a winning time of 4:30.1, it was anything but bog standard.

That winning time was recorded by the host club’s Robbie Welsh, a senior, in the last race of the evening, with his under-18 clubmate Oliver Hastie as runner-up in 4:31.8 and Teviotdale Harriers senior Rory Anderson third in 4:32.7.

That race’s remaining top-five places went to Teviotdale senior Mark Young and Gala under-20 Archie Dalgliesh, respectively fourth in 4:37.2 and fifth in 4:37.9.

The race before, the ninth of the meeting, was won by Moorfoot Runners under-18 Lewis Riddell in 4:55.4, with Teviotdale Harriers senior Sean Linton second on the same time and Gala under-18 Charlie Dalgliesh third in 4:59.9.

First places in the other eight races went to Gala under-12s Mason Riddell in 6:48.5 and Mollie Ker in 7:28.8, Gala over-40 Colin Jamieson in 6:29.7, unattached senior Ian Chalmers in 5:19.7, Gala under-20 Sam Robertson in 5:03.8 and unattached over-40s Natasha Cranston in 6:50.0, Tommy Graham in 6:04.9 and Gary Pringle in 5:58.2.

Gala under-20 Ava Richardson was first female finisher, and ninth of 14 overall in the meeting’s second-last race, in a time of 5:15.1.