Author Archives: Jan Dawson

Devil’s Burdens 2024

Saturday 3rd February 2024 For the uninitiated, Devil’s Burdens is a popular hill relay race run from the pretty village of Falkland, Fife. Teams of six runners take on four legs, with legs 2 and 3 run in pairs. The … Continue reading

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St Cuthbert’s Way Race Against the Tide

Friday 23 July 2023 Distance 100k, elevation 8000 feet I first did this race in the East to West direction back in 2017, from Holy Island to Melrose. When the race organisers (Trail Outlaws) decided to switch directions to ‘race … Continue reading

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Deuchary Hill Canter 2021

Distance: 18 km Elevation: 800 m I signed up for Deuchary at the last minute in a desperate attempt to test my hill-racing fitness ahead of the Two Breweries later in September. It had been rescheduled from its usual April … Continue reading

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The purple and the white: running in the time of coronavirus

And now for something completely different. Not a race report, but a no-race report. Yes, there have been virtual events (I’ll come to those later), but with the last event that was clinging to my race calendar cancelled and switched … Continue reading

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Altra Virtual West Highland Way Race 2020

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Wooler Marathon, 16 November 2019

Mark persuaded me to run this race, spurred on by a notification in September from Trail Outlaws that there were only 30 places left for the full marathon, and that the half marathon (running the next day) had sold out. … Continue reading

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Jedburgh 3 Peaks, Saturday 26th October 2019

2 relay teams and 8 solo runners took on this year’s Jedburgh 3 Peaks ultra and relay. Conditions were brilliant weather-wise, if a little muddy underfoot! As ever, the race was full of well-kent faces, both runners and marshals alike. … Continue reading

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West Highland Way Race 2019

95 miles, through four counties, with 14,000 feet of climb and a 35-hour cut off. It’s a lot to take in, and it’s only just settling in my mind three days later. So much preparation, training, and planning went into … Continue reading

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Kielder Dark Skies 26.5

Saturday 23 March 2019 I entered this race as a practice night run ahead of this year’s big one, the West Highland Way Race. The race is organised by Trail Outlaws, who always put on a fantastic event, with an … Continue reading

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Glencoe Marathon Gathering 2018

Mark had run this event in 2016 and had praised it highly, so when Sarah Burthe offered her place to a fellow harrier in the event of her withdrawal due to injury (hope you’re on the mend soon, Sarah) I … Continue reading

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Highland Fling 2018

Saturday 28 April, 2018 Ten hardy (or just plain crazy) harriers gathered on the start line of the 13th Highland Fling Race, a 53 mile ultra along the first half of the West Highland Way, from Milngavie to Tyndrum. A … Continue reading

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St Cuthberts Way 100k

100k… Two and a half marathons. 10 x 10k. 20 x 5k. However you break it down, 100k is a LONG WAY. Not being satisfied with running a 50k, a 33 mile race and two marathons in 12 months, my … Continue reading

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Inaugural Stirling Marathon 2017 – a view from the front by an old timer!

When I finished the Boston marathon, I wasn’t sure how I felt about doing another one so soon afterwards. I was more mentally unready than physically unready, as I had recovered pretty well from Boston thanks to a thorough sports … Continue reading

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Boston Marathon 2017

Before I joined the Harriers, I didn’t know what a “BQ” was (a Boston-qualifying marathon time), or anything about Boston marathon at all really. It was only after finishing Loch Ness marathon in 2015 that Vicky mentioned I might have … Continue reading

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Glen Ogle 33 – 5 November 2016

I guess running ultras is a bit like getting tattoos. Once you’ve survived the pain of your first one, you can’t wait to do it all over again! So it was that I found myself at the start line of … Continue reading

Posted in Club Members, Race Reports | 8 Comments