First ever Falkirk Campus Chase held

Forth Valley College’s first ever Falkirk Campus Chase was held today (Thursday 5 February) during the Forth Valley Student Association’s Welcome Week event held at the Falkirk Campus.

A total of seven eager competitive runners took part in the Intermediate (One lap run or 700m around the building from 10.30am) and Advanced (five laps or 3,500m, from 11.45am) and a large group of students and staff participated in the Beginners event (a one lap walking/running 700m event from 1pm), on what was a very cold and windy winter’s day.

Those who did take part were also invited to pick their fruit and warm down on the ‘smoothie bike’ after their exertions.

Winners and times on the day were:

Intermediate (One Lap 700 metres): Lewis Proctor (18) Pathways to Sport and Fitness student - 2 minutes 24 seconds and Aaron Smith (17) Pathways to Sport and Fitness student - 2 minutes 38 seconds.

Advanced (Five Laps 3,500 metres) : Oliver Birch (19) Scottish Power Modern Apprentice studying for a HNC in Electrical Engineering – 11 minutes 48 seconds, Lesley Jackson Lecturer – 13 minutes 45 seconds, Richard Reid Lecturer - 15 minutes 12 seconds, Agnieszka Skrzynska Process Improvement Manager and Denise Browning student administration Officer – both 21 minutes and 11 seconds.

Beginners event – A large group of eager students including a class from the Centre Forward programme and staff led by Larissa Purves FVC Walking and Cycling Officer and Katie Johnstone Active Travel Coordinator.

The Falkirk event was created after the success of the recent return of the Stirling Campus Chase last September during the Welcome Week, and after a successful pilot Step Challenge Sprint event held on Monday 2 February, plans are also in place for a new event at the Alloa Campus next year.

Thanks to lecturer Michael Young and his Pathway to Sport and Fitness students who set out the course and were all excellent marshalls on the day. Erin MacDougall (20) and Jack Cameron (22) from the same class provided the warm-up for the runners.

Well done to the Campus Chase Organising Committee Dean McKirdy, Kasia Slapek, Wai Mun Lee, Larissa Purves and Robert Myler, who put in so much effort over the last few months to make the event a reality. Thanks also to the FVC Falkirk Campus Fixi-it Team and Health and Safety Advisor Conroy Hunter for all their help to organise the event.

‘The Campus Chase’ was first run in 2013 around the Stirling Campus and ran for four years, before being resurrected again in September 2025.  Now the organisers feel the time is right to introduce an event for the Falkirk Campus, as well as making firm plans to make it a hat-trick with an exploratory ‘Pilot Campus Chase Step Challenge’ to be set at the Alloa Campus during the same week.

Inspired by the ‘Great Court Run’ held at Trinity College, Cambridge, which was immortalised in the film Chariots of Fire, the Campus Chase time trial will see serious racers and fun-runners attack the perimeter of the Falkirk Campus building in various numbers of laps against the clock.

The male and female students who achieve the fastest times were presented with the Falkirk Campus Chase Shield which they had to sign. But it’s not just about running fast it was the taking part that counted.

Dean McKirdy, FVC’s Active Campus Coordinator, said: “The new Falkirk Campus Chase was a great success and it was brilliant to work with so many colleagues and departments around the College to make it happen. Very well done to everyone who took part.

“I have no doubts this and the Alloa Campus Step Challenge will become just as popular as the original one, and we hope more and more students and staff will sign up to take part in all three Campus Chase events in the future!”

Any students or staff who want to train or prepare for the Campus Chase should contact Dean on dean.mckirdy@forthvalley.ac.uk and or FVC Leisure Facilities Coordinator Wai Mun Lee waimun.Lee@forthvalley.ac.uk who can tailor sporting activities or fitness programmes for them.