A memorial service for Fred Cowan is planned to start at 11.00 on 3rd June at the Cardonald Cemetary, 547 Mosspark Blvd, Glasgow G52 1SB followed by a lunch at the Redhurst Hotel, 27 Eastwoodmains Rd, Giffnock G46 6QE. Numbers are no longer so restricted so we can give Fred a good send off!!
Fred joined Bellahouston Harriers around 1950 from the West of Scotland Harriers and he became a very good 880 yards track runner, winning quite a few handicaps, with a best time around 1-56. He was also a good distance runner. One of his outstanding runs was winning the first stage in the 1956 Edinburgh to Glasgow 8-Man Road Relay, when he beat Bobby Calderwood (Victoria Park) in a sprint finish. Fred was a reliable member of Bellahouston teams in the very late 1950s and early 1960s, with one bronze and two silver medals to show for his efforts in the prestigious Edinburgh to Glasgow Relay.
After he turned 40, he joined the Scottish Veteran Harriers Club and continued to train and then race in the Scottish Veterans/Masters Track Championships.
In the 2019 Scottish Masters Indoor Athletics Championships at the Emirates Stadium, Glasgow, Fred set a new M85 British Masters 400 metres record of 91.97 seconds. He also broke the existing Scottish Masters 200 metres record with 44.00 seconds.
Jimmy Irvine, a distinguished clubmate of Fred’s at Bellahouston Harriers and the SVHC, wrote the following tribute.
“It was sad to find out Fred had died. I had known him for 70 years since he joined Bella. Fred was a well-liked member of the club because he was a really good-natured guy, easy to talk to and a very talented runner, especially over the short distances. Apart from running in the E to G and the Renfrewshire cross country, he took part in short relays (over 2 and a half miles) with quite a bit of success. On the track, racing the 880, he was very good, seeming to thrive on handicap racing off short handicaps – he won a lot of prizes. When we were younger, I used to train with him every Saturday up at Stanalane track, trying to improve my own speed – he helped me quite a bit. I had a lot of good races against him but it was always friendly rivalry. Owing to coronavirus, only myself and Steve McLean from Bella managed to attend his funeral. The last time I saw Fred was when a few of the old Bella attended Bob Stoddart’s (one of Fred’s old 880 rivals) 60th wedding anniversary down at Ayr in December 2019. We all thought that Fred looked the picture of health at 87.”
Obituary Fred Cowan 8/6/32 to 21/7/20 (aged 88)
Fred at the 2019 Scottish Masters Outdoor Athletics Championships at Grangemouth, where he set a new M85 British Masters 400 metres record of 96.00 seconds.Fred joined Bellahouston Harriers around 1950 from the West of Scotland Harriers and he became a very good 880 yards track runner, winning quite a few handicaps, with a best time around 1-56. He was also a good distance runner. One of his outstanding runs was winning the first stage in the 1956 Edinburgh to Glasgow 8-Man Road Relay, when he beat Bobby Calderwood (Victoria Park) in a sprint finish. Fred was a reliable member of Bellahouston teams in the very late 1950s and early 1960s, with one bronze and two silver medals to show for his efforts in the prestigious Edinburgh to Glasgow Relay.
After