The club was founded on 2nd of November 1888 at Canniesburn Smithy by the local blacksmith Gilbert Thomson, John Smith, Eric Langlands and a medical student Peter Marshall who became the club’s first champion and initial winner of the Langlands Trophy in 1890.
Maryhill Harriers affiliated to the Scottish Cross Country Union in 1891 and in 1899 won the National Junior Cross Country Team title, thus enabling them to compete at Senior level. In the same year they finished 2nd in their first Scottish National Championships. In the earlier years a Maryhill runner finished 2nd in the 1897 Junior Championships and 3rd in the 1897 Senior Championships.
Winning feeling
Maryhill’s first National title holder was the high jumper James Mcfarlane in 1897, jumping 5’ 7.5”. In 1899 he cleared 5’ 9” several times and was favourite for the Scottish title but injury ended his career as a high jumper. In 1906 George Dallas joined Maryhill and immediately displayed a rare versatility by winning both cross country and sprint events at all distances from 100 yards to 10 miles.
His first major victory was in 1910 when he won the Western District Junior Cross Country title, thus helping Maryhill to win the team race. George was selected to run for Scotland against Ireland in 1912 and duly finished 2nd in the 880 yards race. After the First World War George, with the help of the club secretary Teddy Watt, set about transforming Maryhill into a major force in Scottish athletics.