I travelled up with Billy the night before the race and we camped at Glen Nevis which is one of my absolute favourite places. It was quite breezy and there were intermittent showers that continued through the night, keeping me awake at one point. On the morning of the race, after a fry-up to set me up I went to collect my number. The rain was coming down in sheets and the policemen directing the traffic near registration were looking less than enthused to be there. I was trying to imagine what the conditions were going to be like up there in the hills if the rain kept up. Luckily this didn’t happen and the weather front moved on leaving behind thinner cloud so that at the start of the race the sun was trying to break through. I had opted to wear long sleeves as it can be so much colder up there on the Ben, but I was now questioning my decision. Oh well too late now, no time to go back and get changed.

Described as ‘The most daunting hill race in Scotland, with the roughest toughest descent.’ I felt just as nervous as last year waiting around at the start. Once we had been paraded around the park to the sound of bagpipes and handed in our red running cards there was a loud bang and we were off. This first part of the race was rather hot and I couldn’t wait to gain some height and get into the cooler air. By the time we passed the waterfall at the halfway point I was beginning to flag. Between here and the summit I managed to swallow down 3 gels and had drunk all my 500ml of water with added electrolytes. Thankfully at the top the marshals had water and I was able to get a nice long drink whilst handing in my wristband. Then for the downhill. Just as last year I lost a lot of places on the way back down but told myself to run my own race and not worry what other people were doing. I saw a few people slip and fall and I didnt want to join them. The route avoiding the grassy section suited me quite well although it was running with water from all the rain. Once off the hill and back onto the road I did my best to run the last section, I passed a couple of people here who shouted encouragement and Scott was there taking pictures. I had lifted my top up to get some air around my middle as I was absolutely roasting at this point so I can only apologise to anyone who witnessed that! I did get lots of complements on my socks though. They were compression socks that I bought the morning of the race and I think they really helped to prevent the burning calves I often experience on the uphill, I will be using those again! Later on in the evening Billy and I joined Chris and his entourage for a few drinks back at the campsite which was a lovely way to round off a fanastic day.

Results:

02:09:54 Stuart Sanderson
02:41:09 Gillian Cairns
02:43:58 Kevin Anderson
02:51:13 Chris Downie
03:05:02 Sadie Kemp

This race was run mostly along riverside footpaths of the River Clyde, River Kelvin and Forth Clyde Canal, I had thought that would mean the route would be flat but my garmin tells me there was 605ft of gain. There were around 8 road crossings I think, one being a fly over. I took full advantage of the road crossings in central Glasgow where waiting for buses to pass gave me a much needed breather. The paths were quite busy in the second half of the race with dog walkers, cyclists and a few hundred people on a sponsored walk going in the other direction, luckily our route only clashed for a short time. Many people we passed shouted encouragement and none seemed to mind giving over their serene towpaths to a bunch of sweaty panting runners.
‘Along the way you go past some of Glasgow’s main tourist attractions:
Kelvingrove Museum, Riverside Museum, SEC Hydro, Science Centre, Tall Ship, Glasgow University, People’s Palace, Glasgow Green, Botanic Gardens, a whisky distillery, 4 whisky bonds and best of all… almost a dozen pubs.’
I enjoyed the variety in the race, as much as I love running along beside a canal it can get a bit tedious so to have all these sights along the way really kept the interest going and the miles melted away.

As far as my running went, during the first half of the race I felt great and passed a station where the marshal said ‘well done you are 3rd lady’, I started dreaming of getting my hands on a medal (they were only giving them out to the first 3 men and women finishers). Then a while later at the next station I was 4th lady, (the dream was still alive and I told myself maybe I would make up the distance later in the race). After the halfway point, where more and more runners started to pass me, reality had set in and I decided I didn’t need a medal as I had loads already and I just wanted to finish strong. My garmin was telling me I was slowing and I did my best not to get disheartened. In the final few miles my legs started threatening to cramp and at this point I did not care what my finish place or time was I just wanted to get to the end without collapsing in a heap, I’m generally not bothered by cramp but I think the miles of tarmac didn’t agree with me, I am better suited to trail. I usually bring ‘zero’ tabs with me to put in the water but like a fool I had forgotten to pack them this time and I was cursing myself as I felt my legs starting to twinge. I finally got there without any drama and glugged down a can of coke. Then it was off to Dumbarton Academy for a hot shower after which I felt restored and went back to watch the prize giving.

This was the first time this marathon had taken place and the organisers did a fantastic job. There were loads of water stations with gels, bananas, pretzles, jelly babies and coke (surprised it wasn’t Irn Bru). I didn’t carry any of my own provisions and only took a gel and some water in the first half. In the second half of the race I had a cup of water and a cup of coke at each station and a few gels too. The coke really helped as it is one of those things I often look forward to on a long hot run, but the gassiness is a bit troublesome. There was also hot food at the finish but as I don’t eat wheat the pasta etc wasnt appealing for me, but many runners were enjoying it. Billy and Michael chauffeured me to the start and picked me up at the finish. But as the race is run pretty much from Newton train station to Dumbarton East train station it is possible to leave your car at the start and then take a train back after the race. The race was well marked and marshalled, chip timed and we were kept informed in the run up to the race of a route change that had to be made. there hasn’t been a Glasgow marathon since 1988 when the old race was shortened to a half and there seems to be a great many runners who would like to see its return so I hope this race will be back next year.

Result:
66th out of 161 runners
10th female
6th FV40
Average pace 8:52/M
Scratch time 3:52:06

My mapmyrun data: http://www.mapmyrun.com/workout/1709277539
Full results: http://www.whatsmytime.co.uk/index.php/race-results/2015-09-16-20-02-55/2016-06-07-09-44-33/clyde-marathon

Duncan and I are trying to run at least 5 of the Long Classic Series (to get a final ranking). The Ochil 2000s was his 5^th but only my 3^rd. Still The Breweries and Skyline to go.

As mentioned in my last post, the race route has been [permanently] changed due to substantial forestry planting up valley from Menstrie. The new route is much more runnable, but with an extra 2kms and an extra descent/ascent of 200m, it makes quite a difference. An increase from 31.5kms (1200m) to 33.5kms (1400m) may not sound much, but when your legs are tired, it is like adding another mountain.

Ochils old and New (red)

The weather was mostly sunny with some clouds and was supposed to be about 18 degrees. I think it was sometimes warmer – hard to tell when you are running and there is hardly a breath of wind. It was definitely a sweaty race to be sure. I will not go into all the chafing and nappy rash!!

The Ochil 2000s race starts very gradually and to be honest, the first half of the race (to Ben Cleuth) is a real pleasure. Not really boggy, paths all the way and really quite fast – well – perhaps I went too fast – but the conditions were perfect. There were 62 runners and we all very quickly spread out – often it felt as if I was running on my own.

After Ben Cleuth, the race becomes more technical. The paths to Ben Buck and Ben Ever are less well defined (still runnable), and then the section over to Blairdenon Hill is through a horrible peat hag which can really destroy the diminishing amounts of energy in the legs. I luckily know this section quite well and managed to catch up a few guys. However, by Blairdenon (the marshal shouted I was 26^th), my legs were starting to feel quite fatigued. I had been running for 2 hrs 30 mins by this point and I think the profuse amounts of sweat poring off me was taking its inevitable hydration toll. I was armed with gels, muesli bars, salted peanuts and electrolyte which when combined, I think, saved me from serious collapse.

From Blairdenon I was now on the new section which Andrea and I had scouted 2 weeks before. The jog (not really running by this point) to Colsnaur Hill was uneventful except I helped a couple of runners who had not looked at the map and were disappearing down the old route and therefore I managed to temporarily make up a couple of places. The descent from Colsnaur is long. Very enjoyable (when fresh), but you can clearly see Dumyat to your right the whole way and you know that what you go down, you must come up. My leg muscles were wanting to cramp the whole way down, but managed to keep a steady, albeit slightly slower than ideal, pace.

As I started walking up the steps from Menstrie, I could not help thinking that Menstrie would have been a great place to have the finish line, but alas, there was still 5 kms to go and Dumyat!!! The initial climb out of Menstrie is quite steep and my legs protested and I had to stop as a wave of cramp rippled through my thighs. After a couple of minutes of attention seeking screams and grunts, my legs realised that no one was around to provide sympathy and they settled down. I then sucked down a gel, crunched on some peanuts and drank electrolyte. Amazingly, my legs seemed to behave after this and I managed to get up Dumyat (passing another runner who had worse cramp than me – I gave him some peanuts) without too much fuss.

The final 4 kms descent was a slow and careful affair. I played a little game trying to identify which legs muscle were trying NOT to cramp up. Bar a brief cramp at the style, I managed to stumble down through the woods and was very happy to reach the track and road at the bottom. I gained an extra place as the guy in front of me got a little lost and went for a run around the Uni. He was one of the guys I had helped earlier, so I guess he owed me 🙂 .

Congrats to Duncan for coming in as 2nd SuperVet – a tough race with the heat and a great training race for the Breweries and Skyline to come.

Full results here:

Duncan: 20^th: 03:53:58

Moi: 25^th: 04:16:35

Rob

The Ochil 2000s is the next Long Series hill race (Aug 27^th). It is longer than the Skyline (31.2kms), but has less height gain with ~1200m.

More details at:

http://www.scottishhillracing.co.uk/RaceDetails.aspx?RaceID=RA-0203

http://www.ochilhillrunners.org.uk/static.aspx?id=o2000R

If you want to enter, online registration is here:

http://www.ochilhillrunners.org.uk/RaceEntry.aspx?id=1712

However this year, there has been a route change as the final third of the race has been mucked up by substantial woodland planting up valley from Menstrie. For those of us who ran it last year, this plantation was a nightmare and would prove ever more difficult as the trees grew:

http://penicuikharriers.org.uk/2015/08/23/ochil-2000s/

The organisers have seen sense and changed the route. last Sunday, Andrea and I went to have a scout of the new route and here is my brief summary of the new route with implications for the whole race.

So – the 2016 Ochil 2000s route is the same except for the 6-8kms section between Blairdenon Hill and Dumyat. The figure below compares the old route in blue and the new section in red. Because of the drop down into Menstrie, the route is a tad longer and there is now more elevation loss/gain to Dumyat.

Ochils old and New

The next figure details the new route. Run SSW from Blairdenon and keep the fence on your right and continue straight down into the small valley and cross the small stream. Don’t contour to the east as you’ll get snarled up in the bog. Coming up out from the small burn, cross the fence (there is a new one) and keep the fence on your left. There are subtle signs of an old track, but importantly is far less boggy on this side of the fence. Navigation is now easy and you simply follow the fence and wall line until Colsnaur hill where there will be a checkpoint. This is a much less technical section than the old route and, although for me at least I will have been running for about 2.5 hrs, should be quite runnable even with the slight rise.

Ochils New

From Colsnaur, turn right, head west and down (you can see the Lossburn reservoir in the distance) and follow the thin grassy track (with some switchbacks) until you cross a new track road (not on map – I have eyeballed it in) where there us a deer fence gate. Keep running SSW downwards until you hit a track. Follow this track for about 400 meters and when it turns sharply right, keep straight and follow another grassy track down past the Dun. After about 500 meters, this track will itself turn right and will soon join the main track. Bar a few “short cuts” through some of the hairpin bends, you basically follow the track down into Menstrie. On hitting the road, turn right, cross the river and after a few 100 meters or so, you will see some steps up to the right that are the beginning of the track up to Dumyat. We did not bother to scout that as I assume the route will be obvious.

So – implications for distance and height of the new route.

From Blairdenon to Dumyat:

Old: ~6.3 kms, ~470 m loss and 230 m gain

New: ~8.5kms, ~670 m loss and 440 m gain

The new route is much more runnable but is longer and has more climb. My gut feeling is that it should probably not be much different to last year’s mess but hopefully less tiring on the legs. We’ll find out in 2 weeks. It might be possible to take a more direct line off Colsnaur across Menstrie Glen – certainly, the old Dumyat Dash route went somewhere through there – but I would be loath to experiment without a further exploration.

Rob

I had entered the Glenshee 9 Long Classic Series race months ago partly to bag
some munros, but wasn’t sure if I would be on holiday or not. As it panned out,
we got back from North Devon at 7pm on the Saturday night with just enough
time to find my rucsac, compass and gels. I had a quick look at my emails and
found one from the organiser stating that due to the forecasted strong winds,
the course had been changed to a shorter ‘low level’ course. Rats. I almost
thought about not bothering, but since I was vaguely prepared and needed a
run, I printed out the new route and didn’t drink too much alcohol.

It took only 2 hours to drive up to the Glenshee Ski Centre and yes, it was
quite windy! I went in to the cafe to sign on and was shown yet another slight
alteration to the route to avoid disturbing the grouse. So the route now was
just under 15 miles and most of the way up Carn an Tuirc (to about 960m) plus
all the way up Carn Aosda (917m) (OS sheet 43). And 8 checkpoints in total.

We were off at 11:00 and straight away were climbing west quite steeply past
some ski tows up to Loch Vrotachan at 800m (checkpoint 1). Then north and a
long grassy and heathery descent to the scenic Beddoch Burn valley
(checkpoint 2). Two miles along a landrover track and we were crossing the
Braemar road at checkpoint 3. Straight across and we were now heading east up
a small valley, climbing gently on a reasonable path for a mile and a half
followed by an enjoyable descent down to Glen Callater and Loch Callater
(checkpoint 4). This was turning out to be a very pleasant run! I was probably
working a bit too hard though as I was trying to keep up with a couple of
other runners who looked as though they knew where they were going.

The wind up to now hadn’t really been an issue and I was wondering what all
the fuss was about. But it was now certainly whistling down this valley and
I tucked in behind another runner along a sort of squodgy path beside the
Callater burn.

We could now see the spectacular coire nestling under Carn an Tuirc and
turned south west and upwards through bog and heather. The marshalls at
checkpoint 5 beside Loch Kander noted down our numbers and gave us an
encouraging grin as we started the very steep ascent up to the main ridge. Wow.

I was beginning to be quite relieved that we weren’t doing the whole 9 munros
– I would never have made it at this sort of pace. On to the ridge and into
a howling gale and a slow grind up to checkpoint 6. I knew that the summit
of Carn an Tuirc wasn’t far off and was sorely tempted, but the marshall
pointed me around the northern flank instead. Rats. Another time. We traversed
around the big hill a bit too high and hit some spiky scree – slower but good
practice – and suddenly we could see across the main valley and the obvious
lump of Carn Aosda in the distance. It was about a mile and a half of gradual
easy descent on heather and then another path back down to the road.

It wasn’t quite so windy in the valley and was now quite warm in the
sunshine. At checkpoint 7 I was feeling pretty knackered and scoffed down a
gel. Now for the steep climb up the last hill, Carn Aosda. About half way up
I was starting to struggle badly and maybe should have eaten another gel,
but I slogged on, getting slower and slower.

At last the slope eased off and the heather and grass gave way to rocky
scree. But now out of the shelter of the hill, the wind really became a
problem and the last 100 metres or so seemed to take hours. It was like
being on the summit ridge of Everest with everything in slow motion. I had
pinned my number on using a record 8 pins, but by now most of it had been
ripped off.

I finally made the summit but must have looked quite bad because the marshall
(I assumed he was a marshall wrapped up in numerous polar layers) asked if I
was OK.

Wahoo, just the descent beside the ski tow back down to the Ski Centre. My
legs were now so wobbly that two other runners passed me easily, but I didn’t
care too much, I had made it!

20th out of 66 runners and 2nd M50 in 3:18:30 wasn’t too bad a result and I
later saw on the news that the adjacent munro to Carn Aosda, The Cairnwell,
had recorded a windspeed of 100 mph!!

Duncan.

Continue reading →

This report is being written rather late, but the pictures of leaping harriers were so fantastic I thought they should appear here.
After basking in the hot sun whilst waiting for a lift to the race it was quite a shock to arrive at registration to be met with cold winds and the threat of rain. The hill itself could not be seen and I gestured in it’s general direction and told Michael, ‘it’s over there somewhere you can’t miss it’. Not only did we have the temperature to contend with but the midgies who were savage and outdid their highland cousins in their lust for human blood.

Auld Scotland, on thy bonnie face,
Whan Mither Nature gied ye grace,
Lown, birken glens an floery braes,
Wild windy ridges,
To save ye frae deleerit praise,
She gied ye midges.

The race soon began and on the way to the foot of the hill, I and many others, fell victim to the swamp-like terrain and went in knee deep or worse. Careful footing is needed in this race approaching the hill (marsh) and then once on the hill (rocks). The mist was thick on the top and as previously road cones were strategically placed to show us the way, I found these particularly useful on the return journey. Once at the finish we all scarpered quickly as the midgies were swarming like runners at a post-race buffet.

Results:
16 98 Stuart Sanderson 40.08
19 104 Rob Wilson 41.04
24 103 Michael Greens 41.57
51 91 Chris Downie 50.43
53 102 Sadie Kemp 52.45

Finish-line pictures:

After enjoying last year’s race so much I was looking forward to this greatly. I again travelled up with Billy, Daniel and Michael to camp at Glen Nevis campsite, one of my favourite locations. This was my 10th marathon and so I may have become a bit blasé in my marathon prep, after failing to follow any sort of training plan (rule number 1- always follow a training plan),
I realised on the days leading up to the race that I didn’t possess any running shoes capable of getting me round the course, so after buying a pair on the wednesday and trying them out at hill reps on thursday I started the race in an untested shoe. The same went for my running vest that had only been tried on once since it had come through my letterbox (rule 2 – always try out your gear beforehand).

Just to compound my rule breaking I decided it would be a good idea to walk up and down Ben Nevis the day before the race (rule 3- always rest in the days leading up to a marathon).

So I only have myself to blame for the fact I was slower than last year by several minutes (I must have angered the marathon gods). I did 03:55:35 last year and had hoped to get in under 4 hours this year too.
Hey ho it was a fantastic weekend and I love my new clobber, it was much better behaved than I was.

Result, out of 383 runners:
Position 87 Time 04:03:38 Cat position 7 Gender position 15

The backstory – Alan (Gilly’s better half :-)) had a back operation and his place for the Spartan was up for grabs. After an online gurning contest between me and Yan, I won – obviously the ugliest – me that is!

It was only afterwards that I asked what the Spartan was. Apparently – a trail race obstacle race –  there is the Spartan Sprint (3-5 miles), Super (~8 miles) and the Beast at 12-14 miles. We were doing the Beast! Ugh!

Luckily, I was running with Gilly and Sadie, so when I would undoubtedly become undone, I knew I had some strong alpha females to drag me across the line!

This Spartan Beast was a ~20 km “fun” run hill/trail race through the southern Pentland Hills (starting/finishing at Spittal Farm). Oh – and there are some obstacles! I have no idea how many there were (30+?) – the semi-tortures of the day have muffled my mind into a muddy hazy mess.

Here is a rather schematic map of the route (I am sure Gilly can produce a better one from her fancy Garmin). Truth be told, it is not the route itself that adds on the miles, it all the switchpacks and running/stumbling/staggering in circles that pile up the distance.

The Spartan Beast Route – sort of!

Here is an idea of the types of obstacles we had to go through – there were probably more, but I am sure you get the gist:

Wading through muddy pools, carrying sandbags (2 for guys and 1 for women – where’s that equality?), climbing walls (which got higher as the race went along), carrying logs ridiculous distances up and down steep muddy terrain (nightmare), crawling under barbed wire (never-ending – some electrified), carrying more logs up and down hills, climbing hoops and monkey bars, swimming and wading through parts of the North Esk Reservoir, throwing javelins at bales of hay, carrying buckets full of gravel (this was a xxxxxxx nightmare), breeze block dragging, tipping a caber (up and down slope!), horizontal wall traverse, more bloody logs, rope climb, and carrying a 50kg metal ball for 10 meters (epic fail for me – I had to go for the lighter girlie ball).

And if you do FAIL (or refuse to do) any of these, you have to do 30 burpees – basically a combo press-up and star jump.

And then between all of these obstacles – blissful running – I mean – blissful – one fully appreciates what a joy running is when your arms have popped out of their sockets a few times. I honestly think I might become a hill runner now :-).

What a day! Not sure at this moment if I’ll do it again, but a small little devil is already eating at my “competition brain cells” and asking “how quick do you think you could run it if you had not stayed with the girls?” However, it was great fun going round as a threesome and certainly much more relaxing than it would have been if I had gone for it. Maybe if Mike Brooks is fit next year…………?

A final thanks to both Gilly and Sadie for not getting too grumpy when I nearly broke their ankles. Moments of madness and puppy-like excitement – or it could have been the many many gels I consumed. I am still buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuzzzzzzzzzing!!!!

Rob

Results:

We came in 286^th from 687 finishers in 5:10:13

Sadie:  34^th F from 155; 6th F40-44 from 16.

Gilly: 34^th F from 155; 4^th F45-49 from 10. You look so good for your age. 🙂

Moi: 253^rd M from 532; 16^th M45-49 from 29.

James Bell was also running and came in 1^st in the Open Category in 2:59:18. EXCELLENT!!!

Distance 5 km
Climb 502 m

There were a total of 24 runners in this race. It’s short and sharp and a lot of fun. The race forms part of the ‘St. Ronan’s Border Games – Innerleithen’s Festival.
“Scotland’s Oldest Organised Sports Meeting, incorporating the Festival of St. Ronan”
THURSDAY 7 – SATURDAY 16 JULY 2016
http://www.stronansgames.org/
There was a great atmosphere with spectators out for the day with their fold out chairs and bottles of cider. The ‘shows’ were on for the kids and there had been a parade and other events on throughout the day. The race starts in Victoria park where you do a circuit of the park, whilst sprint races are going on, then you run up through the streets and then into the woods, there is a short section here that feels a bit like a cross country race then you are out on to the hill where it is up, up up. The path becomes a bit rocky near the top. You head for the cairn where some marshalls mark your hand with pen to show you have made it to the top. Then you turn round and retrace your steps to the finish line. This was Daniel’s first hill race and was a great one for beginners.

full results and pics
http://moorfootrunners.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/st-ronans-games-lee-pen-hill-race-report_17.html

Rachael and I were the only 2 ladies competing. Rachael got first lady and won herself some cash. 🙂

12= Michael Greens 00:33:17
18 Rachel Lees 00:38:08
19 Sadie Kemp 00:39:30
20 Chris Downie 00:39:41
22 Daniel Greens 00:41:20

Having tackled 3 hills yesterday I was ready for the 7 that awaited me in my most favourite city of Edinburgh. As this was my fourth attempt at this race you would think I would know the route pretty well now. Well for the most part I can find my way around Edinburgh without much difficulty you will be happy to hear. But I always find the middle part of this route a bit difficult and several times I missed an alleyway and was very glad some Portobello lassies did me the favour of shouting me back. It was great to see Dave en route and get some advice on which way to go before failing to take this into account and carry on following the people in front of me. By the time I got to Blackford hill I sent caution to the wind and tried a different route from previous years, avoiding getting my feet wet. This worked well until I lost confidence in myself and instead of heading straight along the path I headed up through the woods, then spent several minutes entangled in gorse, nettles and brambles. There was no way I was turning back down at this point so I scrambled on up the hill and eventually came back to the path not far from the top of the hill where the piper was entertaining everyone. From this point on the air got hotter as the sun broke through the clouds, I enjoyed the downhill here and saw Bert and Amy briefly. As I headed to Arthurs Seat I spotted Des, we took different routes up the hill. I headed for the most direct route simply as it was not a path I had taken before and I wanted to try it out. It was a very nice climb and I really enjoyed it. Once at the top of Arthurs seat all I could think of was being at the finish and having a nice cold drink. It seemed to be getting hotter and hotter. It wasn’t long before I got there and was handed my coaster (so pleased to now have a set of four to use at home :-)). I made sure I got my miniature of whisky for doing the double, Edinburgh marathon too. Not my best time for this race but I did enjoy it and was pleased to have completed my 10 hill weekend.

Race:

29 Des Crowe 2:05:03 (Freaking awesome time and winning himself a prize)
85 Yan Horsburgh 2:19:58
95 Kevin Anderson 2:23:14
121 Alasdair Hind 2:32:01
123 Andrew McDermott 2:32:17

Challenge:

48 Craig Davenport 2:36:16
75 Sadie Kemp 2:41:48
104 Amy Kerr 2:47:01
158 Melanie Dunbar 3:02:12
176 Susie Maxwell 3:05:05

Des with his prize

With the formidable Des Crowe

My battle scars.

Distance 7.2 km
Climb 480 m

These little hills look rather innocent in this picture and might fool you into thinking this is a rather easy run. Well on the day they proved to be a slippery and cantankerous beast. The sun had been shining as we left Penicuik, and in what seemed to be a cruel twist of fate the rain was coming in heavy downpours at our destination in melrose. We picked up our numbers at the Rugby club, thought better of a warm-up on the waltzers that were there for the gala day and left our jackets in the car as this was a summer race and no amount of storm cloud was going to stop us from wearing vests. The race is fast and furious up through the town, through a narrow lane where the route bottlenecks for a couple of minutes, then up through the woods where you can take the wooden steps or take your chances through the trees. Then you are out onto the hillside. The going gets tough here, so the tough got going and i just slipped and skidded my way up as best I could trying not to be last. It was a good excuse not to run as the path was narrow and the rain had made the clay soil very sticky and slippery. Once onto the hill tops there was some nice running and the rain came and went without causing too much issue. The problems only came again when on the last downhill where even with hill shoes I couldn't get much traction. What goes up must come down, so I did but with little speed and even less grace. Back at the finish we didn't hang around for long as there was another downpour and news came over the tannoy that the sack race had been cancelled for safety reasons. So off we headed back to sunny Penicuik. I really should stop moaning as I do like a mud race and usually pay extra for it!

49 Duncan Ball M50 00:43:19
78 Rob Wilson M40 00:46:32
86 Michael Greens MU23 00:47:32
108 Gillian Cairns F40 00:49:42
156 Andrea Wilson F45 00:56:00
173 Sadie Kemp F40 00:59:03

The Venue:
Cultybraggan lies close to the village of Comrie, in west Perthshire. It was first used as a prisoner of war camp during World War II, and then became an Army training area. It later housed a Royal Observer Corps nuclear monitoring post, and a Regional Government Headquarters.

The camp ceased to be used by the military in 2004, and now belongs to the Comrie Development Trust, bought through a community right-to-buy option for £350,000 in 2007. There are now allotments and small businesses contained in the camp.

Some of the original 100 Nissen huts on the western side of the camp were demolished in the 1970s to make way for a firing range, but the majority remain. The surviving huts, together with an assault course and modern Officers’ Mess facility, make Cultybraggan “one of the three best preserved purpose-built WWII prisoner of war camps in Britain”. More info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultybraggan_Camp

A couple of the huts were used for registration and changing rooms. There was the possibility of camping which was free to runners, but as the forecast wasn’t great we opted for driving up in the morning. Yan and I headed off at 5.45, Vicky made her own way there.

The Race:
We were set off to the sound of pipers and did a little loop of the camp before we headed out on to the roads. There is about 1500 feet of ascent and the route is on quiet B roads, so the traffic isn’t stopped.

The route winds up for quite a while then out over the moors. There is quite a steep hill around mile 11, so I took the chance to walk a bit and eat something at this point. I didn’t take any gels or drinks and just made use of the frequent water stations that were provided (water points at approximately 3, 7.5, 10.5, 14, 18.5, 21.5 and 24 miles). The marshals were fantastic and didn’t let the drizzly weather dampen their spirits. The pipers appeared at various points on the course and it was fantastic to hear their drone float over the moorlands as we ran. The finish line was well managed and our names were shouted out as we crossed the line.

There were showers available on site which were very welcome as we were soaked to the skin on the course. Then it was off to one of the other huts for multitudes of home baking and tea. Mark Beaumont was there to help out with the prize giving. The race had a lovely community spirit and is a marathon I will have a go at again in the future.

Route map :

Route profile:

The Results:

14 201 Yan Horsburgh MV50 3:10:01
61 35 Sadie Kemp FV40 3:44:40
153 36 Vicky Lyon FV40 5:38:44