Scottish Mentor Programme

One valuable part of being a member of Wellington Scottish is having access to a group of experienced runners, who have been through the seasons and know the running community inside-out. Our mentor programme has been built to help Wellington runners to connect with their community and to find a home in the sport.

Mentors allow prospective and new club members to connect with someone who knows a thing or two about how to get the most out of a membership with Scottish. If you’re interested in joining a running club, but need to connect with an existing member to learn about their experience, contact one of our mentors, below!

Connect with one of our mentors

Submit the form below to connect with one of out experienced Mentors. Once a Mentor receives your message, they’ll contact you with next steps – whether that be catching up over a coffee, an easy jog, or setting up a meeting online.

Email us to connect with a mentor

Meet our mentors:

Anna Fifield

“It’s an amazingly supportive community. People have really cheered me on and encouraged me on my running journey

Though she’d been running sporadically over the years, Anna has considered it to be a major part of her life for two years now. She’s been a member of Scottish since then, too. So far, her highlight of the racing season is the Bernie Potenski Memorial Trophy, which has runners competing over a handicapped race around Titahi Bay.

For those looking to start on their running journey, Anna believes that consistency and simply showing up is the key – “I would say any running is better than no running. Can you get out and do 2km? And can you do it again two days later? Amazing start.” It’s that consistency and perseverance that’ll carry Anna to completing the Motatapu Trail race in March, which will be her first time running the marathon distance (albeit with over 1000 metres of vertical gain…).

Anna can vouch for the support that the club provides, inside and outside the running bubble – “It’s an amazingly supportive community. People have really cheered me on and encouraged me on my running journey – and I’ve made actual friends. That feels pretty special.”

When she’s not running, Anna is adventuring with her son.

Simon Keller

Men’s 50 team member, cook, music lover.

Simon and running have been inseparable for 45 years – fourteen of these have seen him wearing the Scottish singlet. For those looking to pick up the sport, he suggests that you forget about some of the techy tools that we rely on today. Leave the watch at home – “Don’t time yourself, try a variety of routes, and enter a short goal event (no longer than 5k)”. If you’d like to test yourself on Northland’s hills, you’ll likely see Simon running the Pembroke Rd loop, training for one his favourite events – Dorne Cup, National Road Relays, or anything on the track.

What’s his proudest Wellington Scottish moment? Captaining the men’s 40-plus team to a very close win at the renowned Takahe to Akaroa Relay as part of the National Road Relay Champs. While riding on the shoulders of this memory, he’d like to take his running journey a step further this year by helping the men’s 50-plus team to win gold in Feilding at the same event.

Catch up with Simon over coffee during the week if you’d like to familiarise yourself with the club. Break the ice with anything about cooking, music, or cricket.

Sierra Ryland

“You’ll make lifelong friends, and get to know the city and all of its shortcuts well”

Sierra knows Scottish like her feet know a good pair of daily trainers – she’s been a member of the club for 16 of the 40 years that she’s running. Her favourite local spot to spend her running time is Makara Peak.

Why join Scottish? “You’ll make lifelong friends, and get to know the city and all of its shortcuts well” (I think that’s a pretty good deal…). Though she loves the grit of the Xterra Trail Running series, Sierra can also commit to the speed of a road race – the Galashiels Trophy in Eastbourne ranks up there as favourite event. Being such a diverse runner is likely to carry her toward her main goal for 2025, which is to run a personal best over the half marathon distance.

For those who are new to running, she suggests that you, “start with small runs and aim for consistency over anything else”. These early days are “a great time to build long lasting running habits such as strength work and good recovery practices”. Catch up with Sierra over a coffee or online during the week to learn more about those recovery techniques. She might also suggest a couple of seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a favourite binge-worthy past time.

Sierra’s proudest Scottish moment? Medaling in cross-country during the winter season. When she’s not running, she’s either making things or adding a bike and a swim to the mix during a triathlon.

Kath Littler

“Having lots of members means you’re likely to find people to run with and people who are supportive of others’ goals”

Kath has a ton of stoke for Wellington’s trail scene. When asked what her favourite event is at the moment, the (in)famous Vosseler Shield comes to mind. Run over the trails of Matairangi Mount Victoria, this course boasts a serious amount of elevation gain over a short span of horizontal distance! Her fondness for the trails shows up clearly in her training week as well – Te Ara Utiwai and Whitirea Park in Porirua are favourites next to Aro Valley’s Waimapihi.

Running has been a part of Kath’s life for the past eight years— for six of those, she’s been a member of the Wellington Scottish community – “The club is full of friendly people of all ages and abilities and is welcoming no matter how fast you are or whether you think you’re fast enough to join a running club. Having lots of members means you’re likely to find people to run with and people who are supportive of others’ goals”. For those who are new to running and don’t know where to begin, she’s an advocate of celebrating every bit of progress, no matter how small.

Her proudest moment since joining the club? “Winning the Shirley Barton Trophy for a 10-mile run along the Hutt River in my first season with Scottish”. This year, she’s hoping to embrace having fun within the sport while supporting club events. When she’s not on the trails, she’s hanging out with her cat, maintaining a couple of possum bait lines, doing cryptic crosswords, or having a craft beer with her friends.

Catch up with Kath online or in person if you’d like to hang out with a kindred trail running spirit.

Paul Barwick

The yellow singlet is “pure magic for smashing PB’s”

According to Paul – and probably a majority of the club – the yellow singlet is “pure magic for smashing PBs.” If you’re thinking about joining Scottish, “Do it!” he says – “You won’t regret it”. It’s as simple as that. And, Paul simply loves to run on the roads. This guy is a salt-of-the-earth marathoner, through-and-through. He’s got some racing clout to pair with that as well, running a 2:38:14 for 13th overall at the 2024 Auckland Marathon. During 2025, you’ll see Paul looking to PB over the distance while also sending it over Wellington’s road racing circuit. When he’s not running, he’s watching sports, drinking good coffee, and eating carbs (hopefully, all at the same time).

What advice would he provide someone who would like to start running, but doesn’t know where to start? “Join a club and connect with its welcoming members”. If you’d like to connect with Paul about all things Scottish and road marathons, maybe expect a few miles of running on Mount Vic – it’s his favourite spot for training.

Alice Sowry

“We’re a broad church kind of club with something to offer every runner… We’re an amazing community that can provide it all”

Alice was able to lean into running during the start of 2020 after her gym shut its doors, which motivated her to commit to the half marathon distance. She joined Scottish at the beginning of 2021 after a work colleague, who also belonged to the club, beat her to the line during the ‘Round the Bays 10k. Since then, she has truly immersed herself in the club scene – eventually becoming a member of the Management Committee.

A true student of the sport, Alice doesn’t hesitate to test herself throughout each season – “I’ve raced every distance and on every surface from the 60m to the steeplechase to the marathon! Favourite event so far is the Rotorua Marathon, but I’d love to get better at short track races like the 800m too”. She’ll carry this mindset into 2025 as she sets her sights on the Christchurch Marathon (which doubles as the NZ marathon champs), the Wellington Half Marathon (where she’ll look to break 1hr 30 mins), and eventually, shorter distances from 800m to 5km.

Her proudest moments with the club are attached to events where the supportive energy of the club is plain to see. Recalling how Scottish was able to support a Wellington Harriers event a couple of years back, she mentions, “The best moments are definitely when we get everyone from across all ages and pace ranges coming together to support an event, whether it’s big or small.”

What advice would Alice provide to someone who’s looking to start running? A few things come to mind… Firstly, focus on being consistent, but keep the pace easy. Next, “Mindset is everything” she mentions. “… be humble, be patient, make the most of others’ generosity sharing their wisdom, and be willing to try new things”. Lastly, “Join a club! It’s such a great way to meet new people and you benefit so much from being part of a community of experienced runners sharing their knowledge of training and all the best running routes.”

Contact Alice to talk more about how you can get the most out of a Scottish membership, regardless of what you’re trying to achieve in running – “We’re a broad church kind of club with something to offer every runner… We’re an amazing community that can provide it all”.

Andrew Wharton

“The Scottish community is incredibly welcoming, and you’ll always find someone at your pace who will encourage and support you”

Andrew has been a proud member of Wellington Scottish for fourteen of the fifteen years that he’s been running. Though his race repertoire spans from 800 metres on the track to ultra distance events, his proudest racing moment comes from the 2019 Auckland Marathon, where he executed his pacing and nutrition plan to perfection. During his build up to Auckland, he thrived off completing an intense block of training alongside his Scottish mates who were all working toward a shared goal. Over the years, he’s completed some 60 laps of the historic Makara circuit – a pilgrimage for some of the region’s best marathoners – and countless laps of Karori park.

During 2025, his goal is to be in peak form for the winter season while also helping the team aim for gold at the National Road Relay Championships. As a coach, he’s excited to witness his team achieve incredible things next year.

What advice would he provide someone who would like to start running but doesn’t know where to begin? “Start small and stay consistent”. Andrew started running when his son was born – “At 34, I weighed 112 kg and lived an unhealthy lifestyle. One day, I saw a photo of myself holding my newborn and decided to change. I started with a 3km walk and jogged to a lamppost. Over time, that walk/jog turned into a full 3km jog, and I just kept building from there. Many Scottish members have similar stories”.

Looking to join Wellington Scottish? Andrew can help you to navigate through all of the different ways to connect with the club – “The Scottish community is incredibly welcoming, and you’ll always find someone at your pace who will encourage and support you.”

James Turner (JT)

There should always be coffee.

James (JT) has a bone or two to pick for 2025 – he’d like to lead the Men’s 60 and over team to a gold medal at the National Road Relay Championships (JT’s team won gold in 2024), and to get back under 40 minutes over 10km. He’s going to get there by clocking in weekly for workouts at Karori Park and Newtown Park, and by dragging the trail team over Waimapihi Reserve. JT is absolutely not a stranger to the sport, putting together 25 years of running – 14 of these have been run in the Scottish singlet. So, for all members looking to connect with a mentor – new or old – be sure to connect with JT to tap into his experience on Scottish and the sport as a whole.

When he’s not running, he’s on the bike, completing a triathlon, or travelling with his family. Looking to start running, but don’t know where to begin? JT suggests going “for a short jog with someone who you like who runs regularly, followed by a coffee afterwards! And then join a mixed pace group run which also concludes with coffees!” There should always be coffee.

If you’re interested in learning about Scottish, reach out to JT and let him shout you a cup; or meet him at one of our group sessions before committing – “that’ll give you a sense of whether it feels right for you”.