Taylah Spence has relied on the planes, trains and automobiles method on her journey to the Commonwealth Games.
Few in Team Scotland will have covered as many miles as she has to get to Birmingham 2022, being a midwife in her native Orkney and needing to travel to the mainland for competitions and training.
Spence will be part of the 4x100m relay team at the Games, alongside Alisha Rees, Rebecca Matheson, Sarah Malone and Heather Paton.
Earlier this year Spence marked her Scotland debut in spectacular fashion, setting a national record alongside Malone, Rees and Matheson at a Diamond League meeting in Birmingham. The venue, the Alexander Stadium, will also host the athletics at the Games this summer.
The quartet’s mark of 44.75s hit the qualifying standard for the Games but to prove it was no fluke, they matched that time in Geneva less than a month later.
Spence’s athletic career may be based on speed but getting to this landmark competition has allowed her to reflect on the route she has taken.
“I’ve always loved to sprint. Even in pre-school I was the competitive one – I loved the sprint race on sports day. I was asked to come along to the club (Orkney AC) after being spotted at a local primary school’s competition here in Orkney.
“Shortly after that I was asked to come away and compete for the Highlands and Islands team. That’s where it all started.
“It’s a huge commitment. This year is the first time Orkney has had electronic timing at the club. Until this year we’ve had to travel away for any electronic timed events.
“People who are based in the mainland can wake up in their own bed and go to competitions. It’s always been a huge commitment, for any sportsperson from Orkney. But it’s having years like this that make it all worth it.
Name: Taylah Spence
D.O.B: 17/9/98
Home town: Kirkwall
Previous CG experience: none
Event(s): 4x100m relay
“I usually fly over, because the boat can only take you so far down and it’s a long journey. The air service isn’t the most reliable sometimes, so you have to take into account if there’s going to be delays or cancellations.
“I would at least fly the day before, depending where the competition is based. It’s flights, trains and buses – anything I need to get me where I need to be to compete.”
Couple that with a demanding job and it sheds greater light on the sacrifices needed for a lot of athletes to make it to the pinnacle of their sport.
“With the way my shifts work, I could be at work for a shift and then be on-call afterwards. I could be called in during the night, I could be in at work for more than 12 hours.
“It’s a physically and mentally tiring job and it’s hard when you’re trying to balance training as well. Over the years I’ve learned to listen to when my body is tired, when I need to change my sessions to a slightly lighter one if work has been hectic.
To add to the excitement of her summer, Spence is due to get married a week before she competes in Birmingham.
She and her fiance Jack will get married on July 30, with the women’s 4x100m relay at the back end of the Games on August 6.
“It’s all happening within the space of the week. I’m quite fortunate the way the timetable falls with the relay being the Saturday after.
“My fiance is feeling pretty smug that my first competition as a Paterson is going to be the Commonwealth Games. I don’t know what they’ll announce in the stadium – I assume it’ll be Spence as that’s what’ll be on all the forms.
“We’ve been pretty organised. I’m quite a laid-back person so as far as I’m concerned, all I need to do is get the dress on, get ready on the day and turn up. It’ll be a good day regardless if all our family and friends are there.”
The girls pulling on their spikes and a Scotland vest this summer are also aware of the role they can play in inspiring the next generation.
Female sprinters in Scotland have not had too many home-grown role models to look up to in the past but this summer changes that.
Three of the relay team – Spence, Matheson and Rees – hail from the north of Scotland, while Aberdeen’s Zoey Clark is somewhat of a legend in Scottish athletics circles.
“For our team to very nearly not be going to the Commonwealths would have been such a shame. We’re all at our best and Scottish sprinting has never been better.
“We’re all very grateful to get the chance to go and inspire young athletes and young females to keep sprinting. You can get there and achieve your goals if you keep working hard.
“To compete at the Commonwealth Games for your country is something I’ve always dreamed about. It’s a huge goal of mine so it’ll be fantastic to be back where we first broke the record.
“Hopefully that stadium is a lucky place for our team and we can go even faster on the day.”
