Amy had recommended this race and very kindly drove some of us through to Muirkirk in her ‘pocket rocket’. The weather was a little chilly when we got out of the car and we had some debate over whether or not to wear a tshirt under our club vests. I didn’t bother and was glad as I got too hot as soon as I started running. The race has a relaxed atmosphere and we were given sticky numbers (new to me) to put on. The race is an out and back route and is marshalled and there are road cones marking the way so very easy to navigate. The ground at the beginning and end is a real quagmire so you need to choose carefully where to place your feet to avoid going in knee deep. 
This makes it quite tiring as your shoes are soaked from the start. Once you get on to the uphill section the ground is drier with some rockier sections and when you get to the large cairn at the top the views are gorgeous. I was managing to keep close to Chris Downie and Amy until this point but as we made our way back down the hill they both seemed to get further and further from me (I really need to work on my descents!). I was very happy at the finish to be handed a bottle of water and a medal. All in all a very enjoyable race and the weather stayed dry apart from a little shower which was quite refreshing at the time.
Distance 7.2 km
Climb 330 m
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results:
20 Mike Brooks 0:40:09
53 Christopher Downie 0:49:11
59 Amy Kerr 0:51:08
60 Sadie Kemp 0:51:47
Still a fab race, and the mud makes it so much more interesting!!
hardly any mud last year – I think it was in the high 20s then and Amy and I nearly died of heat exhaustion!! Good times – wish we had some warmth now!