On Sunday 4th June, 6 of us set off early for this lovely trail race in Milngavie. The race is arranged by the Scouts as a fundraising event, and is really well organised, and with cakes at the finish which rival our own 10k feast! They even managed to get us sunshine again, though not as hot thankfully as it was last year. A few less Harriers were able to make it due to injuries.
The 8.5 mile race starts in the town centre, and after a brief bit of tarmac running out of the park and through the square, the route takes you onto part of the WHW and through Murdock country park . Most of the elevation is within the first part of the race, and felt just as tough as last year!
I really enjoyed the first half of the race; the 4 miles passed very quickly and we were soon at the turning point at the Carbeth huts. I love this race because it’s where we walked our wee doggie many years ago, so brings back some happy memories. My hill legs then realised that I wasn’t going to get any nice uphill sections to walk, and I had to just keep up the pace and attempt to catch the next runner. After around mile 5 is the slightly technical bit of the race, with some nice undulating parts negotiating tree roots etc, and I was enjoying the change from the packed trail surface when I fell flat on my front on a downhill section, managing to whack my knees, shoulder and chest. A couple of kind runners just behind me stopped quickly to check I was ok, and I did manage to get up and run for another 30 seconds, then stopped again as it had totally knocked the wind out my sails – literally!
The last mile and a half was a bit painful and I was glad to see the finish. I was really happy with my time, two minutes faster than last year and third lady.
Julie came in next, followed by Mel, Alan and Julie Y. Ellie was waiting at the finish to cheer us on – so sorry you had to pull out, Ellie :-(. We then went to the hall for the brilliant cake spread and a cuppa.
Definitely recommend this race for anyone who enjoys a trail run!
29 Gillian F3, F40 1, 01:03:41
80 Julie H F11, FSen 8, 01:12:41
98 Mel F21 V40 9, 01:14:18
135 Alan M98 V60 4, 01:20:53
201 Julie Y F84 V40 40, 01:39:14
Aww sorry you hurt yourself. You still managed a fantastic time and getting third lady! You are definitely on a winning streak. Well done to all of you.
Thanks Sadie, glad the fall was near enough to the finish!