3 Eildons 10 mile Trail Race

This was a brand new race and possibly due to this slightly more haphazard in its organisation. There had been a promise of maps but when we arrived at registration there was only one large one to memorize and none to take with us. Apparently there was a problem with the printer and hopefully next year this will have been sorted out. There were a few places where the route was rather ambiguous and meant mistakes were made and a few people could be seen doubling back on themselves when they chose the wrong option.

That said, the race was very enjoyable, a relaxed atmosphere and with an interesting route. The race had just about every type of terrain included with hill road and cross country sections. The hill part of the race comes first so it was important not to peak too soon (excuse the pun) and save some energy for the latter parts of the race where stony ground and mud made the going challenging. The scenery was just gorgeous in places from carpets of wild garlic in the woods to serene river sections. This was in contrast to the busy road we had to cross where thankfully marshalls were there to help us safely on our way.

I personally spent a good bit of the race fighting with my clothing as jacket and gloves came on and off with the very changeable weather. By the time I got back to the rugby club I was glad of some dry clothes and warm tea. There was a very generous buffet and the prize giving was done in a timely manner. With our Gillian Cairns winning 3rd lady. All in all a great race and many of us will be back next year.

Thanks to RM photography for the action shots.

Results:
6 Stuart Sanderson 1.22.21
12 Mike Brooks 1.29.02
25 Mark Snodgrass 1.33.30
35 Gillian Cairns 1.38.29
41 Jan Dawson 1.41.42
57 Sadie Kemp 1.52.55
60 Susie Maxwell 1.53.04
61 Frances Jones 1.53.05
87 Melanie Dunbar 2.11.15
91 Kirsty Loudon 2.58.33

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