COLIN FEECHAN TRIBUTE AND CELEBRATION OF HIS LIFE 17/09/1958 TO 16/10/2025

Cambuslang Harriers regrets to announce the passing of club stalwart Colin Feechan.  Our condolences at this sad time go to his wife Beth, sons Colin and Paul and daughter Anne Marie and their spouses/partners Lucille, Jenn and James, his 2 granddaughters Imogen and Esme, Colin’s mum Sadie, sister Bernadette and brothers John, William, Thomas, Daniel and Michael.  His father Colin predeceased him in 2021.

Colin had 2 spells with the club, a period of 8 years from 1978 to 1986 and then a longer period of 18 years from 2007 to 2025. 

I remember Colin joining the club as an enthusiastic but raw U20 athlete.  He was a local lad like myself from nearby Blantyre.  He steadily and enthusiastically built up his fitness and racing experience and was keen to represent the club particularly in team event competition on road, country and track.  Within 2 years he was contributing to the club’s team medal successes firstly at county level and then at district and national levels.  He gained several Lanarkshire and West District Cross Country team medals and ran leg 7 in the prestigious Edinburgh to Glasgow Road Relay to help Cambuslang to the silver medals for their first podium place in this competition.  He also picked up a Lanarkshire 10 miles road individual bronze medal.  He was keen to put on the red and white vest particularly in team event competition on road, country and track.  Even at a young age he volunteered to serve on the club committee.  Volunteering was to become a feature throughout his life.

Colin married Beth on the 16th October 1982 and settled in Cambuslang where they remained until 1994.  Their 3 children Colin, Anne Marie and Paul were born there between 1984 and 1988.  He continued training with and competing for Cambuslang until 1986.  Family and work commitments were making it difficult for him to pursue his running.  He made his family and work his priorities.

By profession Colin was a systems analyst and he initially gained good experience through working for Honeywell, Simplicity Patterns, House of Clydesdale, Terex and then in 1992 for Newell and Budge which was based in Edinburgh.  He remained with that company in a managerial role until he retired in 2018 although it changed name to Sopra, and then Sopra Steria.  Former colleagues remember him fondly as having a strong work ethic, being conscientious, meticulous, enthusiastic, approachable and caring.

Eventually the daily commute from Cambuslang to Edinburgh became too much especially with 3 growing children.  The decision therefore was made in 1994 to locate to Livingston which would greatly reduce Colin’s travelling time  but would keep them relatively close to Colin’s family in Blantyre and Beth’s family in the south side of Glasgow.  Family ties were very important to them both.

The children continued their primary and then secondary education in Livingston.  Sons Colin and Paul joined a local youth football team and dad Colin gave his services as a coach and helped with the running of the football club.  Volunteering was part of his DNA

It was to be 21 years before Colin again donned the red and white vest of Cambuslang although during his spell of absence from the club we still kept in touch and exchanged Xmas cards.

The occasion of the reunion was the 2007 British Masters Cross Country Relay at nearby Bathgate.  He came to spectate and shout on the team.  With the children now being young adults his interest in running had been rekindled and he had not long restarted training.  On the day we were struggling to field a 6th runner to complete our M40 team.  Although I was carrying an injury and was 58 at the time I was prepared as team manager to do the last leg.  Fortunately Colin volunteered to step in and did the necessary to anchor the club to a narrow victory.  Our 6 team members were duly awarded their gold medals.  It was a measure of the man that Colin insisted that I take the medal.  I protested telling him that he had earned it but he would not accept it.  I put the medal safely away in a drawer at home.  11 years later when I won a M65 BMAF team medal in my own right I offered him the medal again and he duly accepted it. 

Not surprisingly after such a long break from the sport he spent the next 2 years building up his running fitness and raced sparingly.  However, in 2010 he won team gold as a member of the club’s M50 team in the BMAF Road Relay Championships in Birmingham.  He also picked up a Scottish Masters Road Relay team silver medal as well as a M50 Scottish 3000M indoor gold medal and a 1500M bronze.   In 2011 he then showed good form over the half marathon distance and accompanied by Beth he contested all the races in the Hebridean Series to take the overall M50 prize.  This diet of half marathons stood him in good stead the following year in capturing his first BMAF individual championship title over the same distance.

Between 2013 to 2017 as he progressed through the M50 and M55 age groups a succession of individual and team awards at National, UK and World Levels over road, track, country and trail came his way.  2016 was especially memorable for Colin as he lifted 2 World M55 silver medals as part of the GB team.  It was special too as his wife Beth was there with him in Perth Australia and they were able to combine the running with a vacation.

Unfortunately this purple patch came to an abrupt end in 2018 on account of serious sciatic problems which persisted for over 3 years.  He was unable to run and even found walking painful and difficult.  It was ironic as he had just moved into the M60 category and would have had more time to train as he had just retired.  He sought out a number of physios at considerable expense but alas with no cures.  Many a runner at this age would have given up but not Colin.  He followed the Cambuslang club motto Persevere.  Being also of an enquiring mind he researched his injury and discovered a specialist in Hexham in Northumberland where he had several appointments.  This treatment and the prescribed exercises along with some changes to his diet eventually managed to get him running again.  However, he had missed the first 3 years in his new M60 age group.  He had some catching up to do and he did so with a vengeance. 

A victory in 2021 in the Scottish Masters M60 10000M Track Championships signalled that he was back.  A further 4 Scottish medals and 5 BMAF medals were added the following year and in in 2023 in his final 8 months as a M60 competitor he added a further 2 Scottish and 2 BMAF medals.

He moved up another gear on turning 65 in September 2023.  Again accompanied by Beth they travelled to Pescara in Italy for the European Masters Athletics Championships.  Incredibly in the space of 11 days Colin amassed 4 gold medals in the 10000M track, 8K XC, 10K road and half marathon events.  He did not rest on his laurels and a few weeks later at the age of 66 he captured the Scottish M60 4K XC title.  The following week he lined up on home territory at Tollcross Park to contest the British and Irish Masters XC Championships.  After the initial downhill cavalry charge he threw down the gauntlet to his M65 rivals to open up a lead on the first climb which he increased to 34 seconds by the finish.  A proud Beth and son Paul and partner Jenn were present to witness his M65 individual and Scottish team double victories.  He ended up his XC season by clocking the fastest age group time in the BMAF Relay Championships in Leicestershire and helped Cambuslang to team silver medals.  Having driven there and back he turned out the following day for the Scottish Masters Track 10000M where he displayed remarkable powers of mental and physical recovery.  His time of 37.27.09 broke by 3 seconds the longstanding record held by former Motherwell YMCA, Clyde Valley and latterly Cambuslang athlete Willie Marshall.

Colin continued his medal haul in early 2024 by retaining his Scottish age group XC title and finished a close 3rd in the BMAF XC Championships in North Wales.  Between the months of March to September more awards came his way with a M60 Scottish 10 miles gold, a BMAF M65 relay team silver and 2nd quickest individual time, another Scottish M65 track title over 5000m, a M60 Scottish 10K road silver and a BMAF M65 half marathon title.  The remarkable thing about these superb performances was that Colin was beginning to experience some health issues.  However, his determination and strength of mind carried him onwards.  In late October he ran the fastest leg in the BMAF XC relay championships held in England to help Cambuslang to team gold.  The following day he lined up for the Scottish Veteran Harriers 10000M track event and duly trimmed his own M65 Scottish record to 37.25.61.  One week later at the age of 66 he was a clear winner of the Scottish M60 4K XC title.  By this time with an operation pending and in spite of considerable discomfort and restricted stride range he honoured his selection to the Scottish M65 team for the British and Northern Ireland XC International in Belfast.  His hope was that a lengthy warm up would help his issues and “subside enough for the race and” he “could mix it with the others”.  Unfortunately it did not quite work out in this way.  Not surprisingly he failed to match the early fast pace and was left adrift of the leading pack.  However, in the 2nd half of the race he was, through sheer determination, able to overtake some runners just in front and was even closing in on the 2nd and 3rd athletes.  In the end he finished 4th only 12 and 11 seconds behind the silver and bronze medallists.  He had given his all as usual and had the satisfaction of leading his Scottish team mates to the bronze medals.  His post race private comment was

“Any other race and I would not have run, I could not stride out properly so pleased to finish.  3rd M65 team was a bonus”.

This quote sums up Colin as a person and a team player who relished running for Cambuslang Harriers and Scotland.

Sadly this was to be his last athletics competition although the biggest race of his life was now ahead of him.  Unfortunately this was one he could not ultimately win.  However, as expected from him he gave it his best shot over the next 11 months.  During this period he had many ups and downs but he always faced his illness with great fortitude and dignity and even retained his sense of humour.  He did not complain of the hand he had been dealt with and was an inspiration to those around him.  In the final few weeks of his life he confounded the odds to attend with Beth the wedding of friends Kevin and Fiona Newberry’s daughter Stephanie, to pass his 67th birthday and to reach his and Beth’s 43rd wedding anniversary.  His inner strength and the love for Beth and his family helped him to achieve these targets.

For the main part he had remained at home and was lovingly cared for by Beth and family and visiting medical staff until he passed away peacefully with Beth and family at his bed side on his wedding anniversary date.

The countless tributes to Colin on a family website , Cambuslang Harriers website and others such as Scottish Veteran Harriers, Scottish Athletics and Livingston Parkrun clearly show that he was universally admired and highly respected not just for his running achievements but also for his many qualities.  He was first and foremost a great family man, a true gentleman and a decent human being.  He was very modest and unassuming in spite of his impressive collection of 83 Scottish, BMAF, European and World medals which he had meticulously documented.  His tally came to 44 Scottish, 31 BMAF and 8 European and World medals. His medals now sit proudly in the family home in a special cabinet bought as a kit, adapted and fixed to an internal wall by Colin and family helpers.

He was loyal to Beth and his family who were at the centre of his universe.  He and Beth took great pride in the achievements of Colin, Anne Marie and Paul and dotted on their 2 grandchildren, Imogen and Esme.  Colin along with his siblings Bernadette, John, William, Thomas, Daniel and Michael all shared in looking after their elderly parents, dad Colin while alive and mum Sadie.  He was still making his weekly visits to his mum up until the last few months of his life.

He was also loyal to Cambuslang Harriers coming back in his 2nd spell to rejoin  although he was still resident in Livingston.  He regularly made the long journey from his home to the club and back for training and monthly committee meetings.

His loyalty too extended to Scottish Veteran Harriers.  He was keen to represent them in International Competition when selected and attended many of their AGMS and participated in their accompanying 10000M track event. 

He was selfless.  He believed in giving something back to any organization he was involved in.  His maxim was not what your club can do for you but what can you do for your club.  As such he coached football teams in which his 2 sons played for and served as Cambuslang Harriers club treasurer for 14 years as well as putting in race entries and assisting in team selection.  Colin was a great organizer, was meticulous and had both a great work ethic and attention to detail in all he was involved in.  His children aptly christened him “clipboard Colin”.  He and Mike Johnston also assisted me greatly with the club’s 75th anniversary booklet.  Further he was willing to pass on advice to anyone who sought his opinion.  His final act of volunteering was as late as June this year when he acted as a steward at the Scottish Veteran Harriers 5K at Clydebank. 

During our long friendship I never heard him utter a bad word about anyone,   nor conversely anyone saying anything disparaging about him.  I never heard him raise his voice nor get angry with anyone.   There was a calmness about him.  In short, he enhanced many people’s lives as testified by Beth, his family, friends, neighbours, former work colleagues, fellow Cambuslang club mates and by the wider athletics community in their heartfelt tributes to him.

Colin may be gone but he will not be forgotten.  May he rest in peace.

David Cooney