Teen distraction; motherhood; sepsis . . . but Yvonne wasn’t derailed

Sunday 1st November 2026

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Take Charge

When Yvonne McNairn won the Lindsays Scottish 10-Mile title at this year’s Tom Scott road race, she was a long way from the younger runner who once wondered whether she would ever break 40 minutes for 10k.

Now in her early 40s, the Giffnock North AC athlete is running the best times of her life.

This year has brought Scottish titles, a winning appearance in a Scotland Masters vest and personal bests from 5k to the half marathon. Alongside it all, she is a full-time primary teacher of 21 years and mum to eight-year-old Alexander.

Getting here has taken a while . . .

Yvonne joined Giffnock North as an U13 and grew up competing on the roads, over cross country and on the track. She was often part of a successful team, though individual success was harder to come by. There were a few fourth places, with the medals just out of reach.

By 15 or 16, she had drifted away from running. She felt she was missing out. Nobody else seemed to have a hobby taking up so much of their time. Being a teenager won out over training.

She returned at 21, after finishing university and qualifying as a teacher. For a few years, she dipped in and out. She had three targets in mind: under 20 minutes for the 5k, under 40 for the 10k, and under 90 for a half marathon. None would come easily.

During her pregnancy with Alexander, however, running became a distant concern.

Yvonne developed sepsis and became critically ill, spending time in high dependency as her organs began shutting down. She needed a central line and a nephrostomy to drain her kidney. The nephrostomy remained in place throughout her pregnancy, restricting her to walking.

Returning to running afterwards was a slow process. She began racing again around six months after giving birth and, in May 2019, nine months after Alexander was born, finally just dipped under that sub-40 10k goal she had wanted for so long.

She still remembers a conversation with Frank Clement at the Great Scottish Run during that period.

When she told him about her ambition to break 40 minutes, he asked what her training involved. She explained Tuesday and Thursday sessions and a Sunday long run. He politely but frankly said three runs a week wouldn’t get her there.

It stayed with her. She began training more regularly, enjoying the time to herself while working toward a faster race.

Yvonne raced her first 10k aged 18 (second from right)

During Covid, running provided an escape from the house and something to focus on. Her mileage was still relatively low, but she was getting out more often. Virtual races kept her interested, and times she’d thought were beyond her started appearing in training.

Once racing returned, the improvements came quickly. Her 10k dropped through 38, 37 and 36 minutes. Over the half marathon, she went from 1:27 to 1:19, then 1:18.

The 20-minute barrier over 5k was followed by 19 minutes, then 18.

West District and Scotland Masters selections followed. It was a period of running she had hardly dared imagine when those original targets seemed so stubborn.

A marathon gave her a fresh goal. She had already completed four, bringing her best down to 3:13, but a dedicated build-up for London in 2024 took her to 2:54. She was delighted.

The months afterwards were frustrating. Looking back, she feels returning to race at the Troon 10k just four weeks later was a mistake. Instead of building on London, she found herself running slower and struggling to get back to where she was.

Even in a season as successful as this one, everything has not gone to plan. The heat in Berlin meant her 2:56 marathon fell short of what she had hoped for.

Eventually, the Personal Bests became harder to find. Faster times brought expectations, including her own. Training had lost some of its focus, and she began wondering whether she could improve any further.

Photo by Bobby Gavin 

Then she took charge.

By the end of 2025 and into 2026,the training ramped up, and Yvonne put together a remarkable set of performances.

There has been V40 gold at the Scottish Short Course Cross Country Championships and silver at the Scottish Masters at Tollcross.

At Inverness, she finished fourth overall and won V40 gold in the Scottish Half Marathon Championships. She later improved her half marathon best to 1:17:37 at the Great Scottish Run.

Her victory at Tom Scott brought both the Scottish senior and V40 ten-mile titles. At Roon the Toon, she won senior and V40 West District gold in a then-personal-best 36:09. By Paisley, she had brought that down to 35:31, finishing second.

Over 5k, she took V40 silver at the Scottish Championships, won the SVHC Masters 5K race at Clydebank and ran a personal best of 17:21 at the QA 5K race in Dunfermline. She also represented Scotland at the inter-area track match in Bristol, winning her 3000m race convincingly.

Any athlete would be pleased with that season. For Yvonne, it has come alongside the demands of teaching, motherhood and the mileage needed to keep improving. Running matters a lot to her, and she has worked incredibly hard to make room for it in an already busy life.

That is what makes her such a good example for other women in the sport. Plenty will recognise the teenager who gave up because she wanted to fit in; the mum who wanted a little time for herself; or the runner wondering whether she had already reached her best.

For any young athlete wondering whether they are good enough, Yvonne’s story is worth hearing. Her junior results gave little indication that she would one day win a Scottish Senior title.

That success duly arrived in her 40s, after years away from the sport and plenty of setbacks along the way.

Once, a sub-40 10k would have been enough to make her season. This year, she ran 35:31, and even that is only part of the story.

Yvonne has waited a long time for moments like these. She has earned every one of them.

Photo by Neil Renton

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