December 2008 - Halcrow

The
longest
day
Humble marathons pale into
insignificance next to the
latest feats of endurance
by John Sreeves
A 28 hour, 153km test of stamina
saw runners traversing the full
stretch of the West Highland Way
on 21 June (the UK’s longest
day), linking the starting line at
Milngavie, Glasgow, with the
finishing tape at Fort William.
John finished the gruelling race
69 th out of a field of 132. This
achievement came hot on the heels
of a 483km bike ride, with pedal
power taking hardy riders through
three European capitals in three days.
Beginning in London, the bridge
engineer and his fellow participants
rode to Harwich, then from the
Hook of Holland to Amsterdam
before heading to Brussels.
John’s two-wheeled adventure and
Scottish mega-run raised money
for the Mines Advisory Group (www.
maginternational.org), a humanitarian
organisation that clears post-conflict
zones of landmines. John will happily
accept any retrospective donations –
email sreevesjc@halcrow.com.
Stuart Innes, David Clee, Norman
Johnston and Katie Courtnadge
Four to the fore
Forty-four budding Tiger Woods from
Halcrow’s Scottish offices teed off on
13 September in pursuit of golfing glory.
Callander golf course’s slopes and greens
played host to thrilling drives and precision
putts from singles handicap winner Stuart
Innes and scratch victor Graeme Young, while
Kate Courtnadge swept the ladies’ field.
The afternoon saw new alliances form in the
pairs’ competition. Iain Salisbury claimed first
place with partner Stephen McCarron.
Get your motor running
With petrol fumes wafting around Dubai’s
Al Ain raceway and the squeal of tyres on
tarmac providing an appropriate soundtrack,
30 teams screamed towards the chequered
flag in the EMC Summer Karting Challenge.
Nessie takes centre
stage in Monster Challenge
Four hardy Halcrow employees took on the
Monster Challenge – a mammoth 120km test
of endurance circumnavigating Loch Ness –
on 13 September.
Representing the Glasgow office, Kyle Wilson,
Brian McCrear, Mark Welsh and Scott
McMillan completed the gruelling run and
cycle combination in a respectable time of
7 hours 53 minutes, finishing 78 th in a field
of 185 – well ahead of the stragglers, who
limped home 11 hours after the start gun.
Hawks kick
Hustlers into touch
Braving a tropical downpour, Halcrow’s
Edinburgh and Glasgow counterparts did
battle for the unofficial title of Scottish Touch
Rugby Champions on 31 July.
Star (la)crossed in Finland
Strapping on their helmets, Halcrow’s
Dave McCulloch and his England
team-mates stormed to victory in the
European Lacrosse Championships.
Lahti, Finland, reverberated with the
sound of clashing sticks and body
checks between 6-16 August, as
18 well-drilled teams competed
for the title.
The English men’s team blitzed
the field in the group stages,
trouncing Switzerland
40-0 to open their
account. Wins
against Ireland,
Latvia, Spain and
Wales followed as
England topped
group A.
England surged past
Finland and Sweden
in the next rounds
to book its place in
the final against the
Netherlands, which it
won 14-4.
Dave basks in well-deserved glory
Racing under the moniker ‘Roadkill’,
Halcrow’s Colin Morris and
Fadi Azzam sped to second place
in the endurance event, organised
by Evolve Motor Club.
A four hour final
came hot on the
heels of six
hours of solid
racing, broken
into three
heats. Roadkill
finished the
event on 85
points –
a bumper’s
width
behind the
winning team.
Office pride and bragging rights were at
stake when the Halcrow Hawks, hailing from
Glasgow’s City Park, faced off against the
home team – Edinburgh’s Hustlers.
With the game tied three-all and eight
minutes left on the clock, Glasgow’s secret
weapon and the slowest
winger in modern rugby
– Keith Bodel – made a
barnstorming charge
for the try line from
1m out, diving to
the end zone for
his first try of
the summer
campaign.
The Hawks capped
off an impressive
Hawks and Hustlers maintain their friendly rivalry
display with an additional try, Glasgow
ending the match triumphant at 5-3.
Players and supporters adjourned to the
welcome shelter of the Cumberland to
relive the match highlights, celebrate and
commiserate. Light refreshments preceded
tales of Keith’s try and how he ran the length
of the park to score.
Colin and Fadi
on the podium