The Balloch to Clydebank Road Race is one of the longer established road races in the Scottish Athletics calendar being first held on 31st March 1928.
Originally billed as a “marathon race of 12 miles”, it was organised by Clydesdale Harriers to coincide with the Clydebank Students Charities Day.
Dunbartonshire Amateur Athletic Association subsequently took over the organisation of the race and thereafter until 1970, when it attracted just 3 entries, only members of Clubs affiliated to the Association were eligible to enter the race.
As a result of the poor entry a decision was taken to make the race open from 1971 and it later become one of the most popular races in the West of Scotland. During the “marathon boom” of the 1980s it regularly attracted fields of more than 300 participants reaching a peak of 484 in 1984.
The distance was increased to the half marathon in the year 2000 in a successful effort increase the level of entries and it was discovered at that time that the distance of the original course was little short of 13 miles. The race has been held over the present course since 2004.
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- The start at Balloch Central Station in 1952 (with 10 runners!)
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- Willie Howie, David Bowman and Johnnny Duffy (all Clydesdale Harriers) – 1950s
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- David Bowman of Clydesdale Harriers at Greenhead Road, Dumbarton – early 1950s
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- Phil Dolan (Clydesdale Harriers) and Allan Adams Senior (Dumbarton AAC) – mid 1970s