Ryan Thomson

Part 2 of 2 marking 20 years of running with Cambuslang Harriers 🇦🇹

11. I bet you didn’t know I had a Scottish medal for the 4x100m. Me and my mate got drafted in last 2nd alongside 2 actual sprinters. Finished 4th before a team ahead of us got DQ’d. It was as unbelievable then as it is now

12. I managed to win a UK cross challenge in 2013. I also managed to leave my medal in the changing room in Belfast an hour later. Luckily I realised shortly upon arrival back in Glasgow and got it back.

13. My first (of two bronze) individual medals at the Scottish cross country champs. This was the pinnacle of running for me growing up because of my dad and to win a medal was inconceivable to me. Winning this race will always be a dream but I fear the moment has gone.

14. Running my 800m PB that still stands on the 2nd of August 2013. 1:57.18. I expect Josh Kerr won’t mind me telling you that I beat him that day (he is much younger than me)

15. There’s nothing particularly interesting about this photo. I just always liked it and it perfectly shows my attention seeking phase as an ~18 year old

16. One of 2 occasions where Cambuslang did a clean sweep of age group golds at the Scottish Road Relays.

17. My first “successful” track 10,000m and my first individual Scottish medal as a senior in 2019. I ran 30:19 for 3rd and actually enjoyed it. Back when carbons were allowed on the track 🙃

18. This is the first day I remember thinking I could actually be quite good at this as a senior. I spent most of 2015-2019 out of the age group ranks being decent enough but on the 27/10/2019 I thought I could break 30mins for 10K and ended up running 29:13. About 4 weeks later I was in the pub and found out the course was 23m short but I’m grateful I got some signs of potential before Covid hit or my life may have been very different.

19. The London marathon has never exactly been my finest hour but if you told 2006 Ryan that he’d share an elite start line with Bekele, he’d have thought all his dreams must’ve come true.

20. Against all the odds, I actually got through the Brandenburg Gate and to the finish line for my 2nd major in September 2025. Again, far from my finest hour but another unbelievable experience that I only got because of running.

Here’s to another 20 years!

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1 month ago | [YT] | 47

Ryan Thomson

Today marks 20 years since I did my first run at my club Cambuslang Harriers. Here are 20 highlights from the past 20 years (part 1 of 2)..

1. The first day my vest came I had to pose with it on in front of the digital camera. There’s also a photo of me and my dad in our vests from that day that I’ve posted too many times already

2. This is probably my first ever cross country race. I’ve got no proof of that but I look young

3. We made a 2 page spread in the daily record in 2007. I stood in dog 💩 about 2mins before the photographer decided I should put my foot on the fence for this photo.

4. This is definitely one of my first medals and I’m pretty sure it’s gold. I know it’s from the Lanarkshire champs because they used to come in little bags without ribbons

5. One of my first Scottish medals at the National 3 x 800m champs at under 13. I loved winning national medals as you can tell

6. Leading the Great Scottish Run (for my age group) with still best friend and occasional feature on the channel @dean.mcmurran

7. After a cross country race in Gateshead with my parents. Even as a kid, I loved going to England to race people better than me.

8. The trips were pretty fun back then too.

9. After my first ever 5K, again in England. I ran 17:41 as a 14 year old and my dad was 3rd in the V45 British champs with a 16:06.

10. My first (and to this point only) individual Scottish title. I won the Scottish under 17 Road 5K in 15:33 as a first year in the age group. The year after I was 4th in the same race. A photo from that year did not make it into this post.

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1 month ago | [YT] | 95

Ryan Thomson

Filmed a really fun podcast with ‪@TheMarathonPodcast‬ if anyone needs something to listen to on their Sunday Long Runs!

7 months ago | [YT] | 28

Ryan Thomson

Had a good chat with the guys over at the Scottish Running Podcast a few weeks ago! We went through everything from getting started at 9 years old to the Valencia Marathon almost 20 years later

1 year ago | [YT] | 7

Ryan Thomson

Ready to go! If anyone hasn’t tracked me on the Valencia Marathon app yet I’m number 168. Hoping to see somewhere between 67:00-67:30 at halfway!

1 year ago | [YT] | 57