About us > Where we meet | History | Eccentricities | Cardiff
Gordon Mac also owns the King’s Hotel in Newport, and on the 3rd Thursday in November, Beaujolais Noveau day, we have been known to run from the casino to the hotel, and to breakfast on the normal fry up washed down with the newly arrived fruit of the grape. In recent years, Gordon has rather lost interest, but this tradition has been kept up by a hardened few, with the run being confined to Cardiff. In 2004, we ran from the Welsh Institute of Sport, and met up in Lynn Toogood’s café (since closed).
I always thought that this was an invention of Paul Mussa, to test my gullibility. Apparently it was a reaction to the women in the club having their own race, then called the Fireworks 5. Steve Rhind suggested the name the “Gay Blades”, but Paul Mussa came up with dogs. To qualify, you had to run the Poole 10k on the Saturday afternoon, enjoy the attraction of Poole hostelries and night clubs, and rise for a 20 mile run the next morning. We were all younger then...
Former member Steve Rhind explains:
This goes back to 1985/86. We used to do a number of unofficial/splinter weekend races away. (The great) Jeff Wood then asked each thursday whether I/we enjoyed our gay weekend. The term “gay dog” was certainly adopted soon after the first Poole trip in 1986 (originally organised by Mel James). But I’m sure it was Woody or even John Huggins who first called us “ay dogs”. … Race Trips continued through 1986 but the name finally stuck after me, John Plain, John Huggins and Daniel O’Callaghan returned from the Wisbech half marathon in 1987 and came upon a pub call the “GAY DOG”. We did take a photo and it appeared in one of the ACE magazine. … we finally had our team badge. How could we not be called the Gay Dogs now!
As the ladies became stronger - running in European races - the Gay Dog movement certainly did strenghten and we used to “sneak off” to the Poole 10k. It became our ’flagship’ and les croups women free zone event. … and yes you could only regard yourself as a true “Gay Dog” provided you had taken part in the Poole 10k, visit and be merry in the local tavernas and run the 20 mile training run the next day. … who needs binge drinking when you had the Poole 10k.
Another institution, also one that sprang from mad inspiration. Of course, it’s what we’re famous for now. And it has its own page.
About us > Where we meet | History | Eccentricities | Cardiff
Last updated 2 April 2007
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