Things are always changing on the Gallus Running site. Sometimes there are technical or usability changes and of course there are lots of route additions and updates. On this page we just wanted to detail some of those changes and also explain about who we are.
Creating a route to share on here isn't easy. First we have to find a route and that involves searching lots of websites, talking to other runners and just studying maps. From there the next step is to go and run that route. This sounds the easy part but routes usually take a few runs and research into options before we decide which to document. Documentation of a new route takes longer to do than run most of the routes. Pictures are processed, we create a new GPS file from our customised tool to reduce the size and improve the accuracy of the Garmin produced one. From that point it is all about populating the database with description, route markers and a host of other information. Our final part is creating images and links for social media prior to posting.
Phew a lot of activity. Over the years we have managed to automate a lot of the process and further improvements are alway being added.
Route updates
Key to a running information site is of course the quality of the route information that is shared. For this we have two main areas the first being the creation of routes and the second being the update of existing information. This is more normal in the ever changing world of race routes.
As routes are created then the process will usually involve the creation of the short summary notes. These then appear close to the top of the features page. So if you are looking to discover our newer routes then that is the place to start. The list below only covers the most recent additions and updates and is not an exhaustive list.
- Sep 25: Addition : Highland Fling ultra added.
- Sep 25: Addition : Dunoon ultra added.
- July 25: Addition : Inveraray castle route added.
- July 25: Addition : Route from Seamill added.
- July 25: Addition : Route through Glenshee added.
- May 25: Addition : Devil o' Highlands race added.
- February 25: Addition : Ardgartan trail race added.
- November 24: Addition : Path of Condie half marathon race information.
- November 24: Addition : Bennachie hill race information.
- November 24: Addition : Auchterarder half marathon race information.
- November 24: Addition : Auchterarder 10K race information.
- October 24: Update : Trident X race route and pictures.
- July 24: Addition : Trident X race in Helensburgh.
- June 24: Addition : Kilpatrick Braes to Dumbarton.
- June 24: Addition : Kenny Stevenson memorial race.
- May 24: Addition : Whiney hill from Balloch park.
- April 24: Addition : A couple of routes from Crinan.
- November 23: Addition : Glen Shira at the top of Loch Fyne.
- November 23: Addition : Dalreoch station in Dumbarton and over the Carman hill to Helensburgh.
- November 23: Addition : The wonderful Auchterarder Chilli 10K race.
Site technical updates
We apply technical updates to the site on a continuous basis. The updates resolve bugs and errors reported or found along with updates to improve the sites functionality. The most recent updates are listed below:
- Oct 25: Format errors on CSS for race route corrected.
- Aug 25: First route grouping page added.
- July 25: Find A Race now shows each event in a festival as a seperate listing.
- July 25: Route search updated to show all routes as listing.
- June 25: Route search now using Mapbox.
- June 25: Google elevation now written into gpx files. This is used on elevation display.
- April 25: Error corrected on positioning of markers to indicate distance on the maps.
- March 25: Find A Race - option to show only recently added races.
- March 25: Find A Race - defaults to Scotland only, with other areas by selection.
- February 25: Find A Race moved to MapBox from Google maps.
- February 25: Updates to Find A Race which now inlcudes regional location map and coloured coded recently added events.
- January 25: Major addition with inclusion of Find A Race with information from Entry Central and SiEntries alonside manual additions.
- November 24: On races, detailed information stream lined.
- November 24: Toggle added to switch off distance markers.
- November 24: Finish marker turned upside down to avoid overwritting start marker where start and finish are the same.
- November 24: Major overhaul of all GPX files to inculde directions and segment lengths. Elevation already there.
- October 24: Major overhaul of the search page .
- October 24: Addition of mileage/KM distance markers on detailed route page.
- February 24: Minor changes to Search page presentation. Full review and redesign of page for mobile use.
- January 24: Marker added to show start and end of a route on route detail page.
- January 24: Removal of "Buy me a coffee" button and links.
- December 23: Admin update changes to allow easier image data changes.
- September 23: Bug fix and enhancements: Resolved data error on last start location. Minor layout changes.
- September 23: Enhancement: Search page updated to allow filtering of race routes.
- September 23: Bug fix: Route format corrected on summary description.
- August 23: Enhancement: Last updated information added to database and displayed on detail route information.
Don't keep this to yourself - share on social media
Who we are
The Gallus Running site was first created around 2017 with an aim of proving technology options for a running web site. Ideally the site would eventually become self funding and there are several options that we will pursue to achieve that. However, blanket advertising, selling user data or subscription models will not be used.
So far, to the end of 2024, we have managed to self fund the site.
We are curerntly hosted by FastHosts in the UK and have been happy with them after our departure from GoDaddy. We use Apache on Linux servers for the server itself and make extensive use of a MySql database to deliver most of the content. Currently maps are served mainly through Google maps and MapBox along with the OS option for routes within the UK. The addition of MapBox was mainly due to high charges being incurred through the us of Google Maps. Feel free to send us an email if you would like to know more about any technical aspect.