Ultra Trail Mont Blanc TDS Race 2023.
From Courmayour in Italy to Chamonix in France.
Normally 145km (90 miles) but extended with bad weather route to 153km (95 miles).
9,300 metres ascent (30,512 feet).
Finishing time: 43 hours 55 minutes and 52 seconds.
Runners: 1649. DNFs: 651. Finishers: 998.

There’s quite a lot to organise before heading to Chamonix, accommodation being the main priority as it’s a very expensive town, and if you’re not quick, affordable places will be impossible to find. I ran the TDS race last year and the CCC in 2019, so knew I had to get things booked quickly. Even with this I missed out on getting the Chamonix Lodge hostel I stayed in last year. I was however just in time to get one of the last beds in Chalet-Gite Chamoniard Volant Hostel. This was a big relief as you can cook your own meals in these hostels and they are very friendly with lots of good chat with runners and travellers from all around the word.

I had great weather for the CCC in 2019 and managed to finish. It was the stunning Alpine views that made me come back for more. The reason I went back to run the TDS is because I had a DNF last year. It was a combination of it being 31 degrees during the day, and the forecast for it to be even hotter the next day. I also felt nauseous two thirds of the way round at 2:00am in the woods before check point 7 at Beaufort. I had my first hallucination while running there on the second night. When somebody is running behind you in the dark with a stronger head torch, you see your silhouette in front of you. This particular time I also saw silhouettes of dragons, one on each of my shoulders! There were runners resting looking scorched in the mid day sun up the mountains earlier in the day, and I didn’t want to be in that state in the middle of nowhere with no bus transport back. I had given it a good shot and had covered 100K out of the 145K and around 6,000 metres ascent out of the 9,100 metres (Normal route, bad weather route is longer and a bit more elevation). I thought it safer to take the bus back to Chamonix from the main check point at Beaufort.

My flight out from Edinburgh was a very early 7:00am, so I had to be there for 5:00am to get through security etc. I didn’t sleep too great through the week, so I was quite tired when I arrived in Chamonix. I had booked Mountain Drop Offs to take me in a shared mini van from Geneva airport to my accommodation. This worked like clockwork. A brilliant firm I’d highly recommend.

I arrived on the Sunday, which gave me time to go down to the event village and pick up my race bib that was booked between 2:00 and 4:00. My running bag was that big they didn’t do a kit check. I found from previous races I just can’t fit what I need in a small running vest without it bursting at the seams, I’m much better running with a bigger running pack I can get access to everything quickly. This worked well for me at the Ultra Trail Snowdonia 100K race earlier in the summer, so I was okay with this.

Chalet-Gite Chamoniard Volant Hostel was a lot more basic than Chamonix Lodge that I stayed in last year. It didn’t have the USB ports for charging my phone, I just expected them to have this as Chamonix Lodge had them in your room. I looked round Chamonix for a French adapter when I went into town for water, but had no luck finding one. I had taken two battery charger packs, so wasn’t too worried about having no phone battery on the trails.

I was sharing the room with an Indian guy, an Australian girl and a guy I’m not sure where he was from as he didn’t speak English, he was in the bunk below. I tried to get an early night to top up my sleep before the race, but knew this would be a challenge in a hostel. I however did expect to get some sleep with ear plugs during the night. Unfortunately the guy in the bunk below kept juddering the bed throughout the hole night, waking me up about three times, I eventually realised I was going to get next to no sleep before a mountain race involving running through two nights! I did eventually ask the guy to stop shaking the bed, but it was too late for proper sleep by then. I headed down to have my porridge in the kitchen dinning room area. I felt even more tired than I did before going to bed the previous night. I was worried this could result in a DNF through not being able to stay awake on the run. I spoke with a Swedish guy who said there was a lot of snoring in his dorm, but as he was the closest to the guy snoring he said, it was his responsibility to wake him and tell him to stop snoring. I then felt very British about me just putting up with the guy juddering the bed all night long.

The race was to start at 23:50 on Monday, so I had a lot of time to spare. I had to go back into town for more water as the hostel water was disgusting. It was a pity the UTMB village wasn’t up and running yet, they were still constructing it. It was all set up by this time last year. I took a long walk down to the car park where I would get my booked bus to the start line in Courmayour. I wanted to know how long it would take me to walk down there that evening. I didn’t hang around after as I wanted to at least rest my legs before the race in bed.

I headed down for my booked time of 21:45 for the bus. There had been a landslide on a major road in the area which resulted in extra traffic being diverted through the main road to Courmayour. UTMB buses had priority but it still held things up. This caused a long wait at the start line. We put our drop bags in for the main Beaufort check point pick up on arrival at Courmayour. It was quite the festival atmosphere at the start, but it soon became quite a drag as we waited about an hour past the official start time. After sitting on the road for ages, the time had finally come to start heading off.

It’s quite chaotic at the start as everybody tries to make good time early on to avoid the bottlenecks before the first couple of check points. The locals and runners’ friends and family were all out cheering us on and it’s quite an experience, especially at night with it now being almost 1:00am. I got quite a fright when a woman came running back the way she had come! I had to put my arms out to avoid a full collision. She must have dropped something? A suicidal decision when everybody is moving quite quickly and so tightly packed through the little streets.

I was quite pleased with my pace, not fast but a bit better than last year I thought, and I didn’t feel too tired from lack of sleep. It took a while to get out of town and then we were right into a big climb up to the first check point at Checrouit – Maison Vieille. The cold weather running kit had been made mandatory the day before the race, so I had started the race in my running tights and full waterproof jacket and trousers. I soon had to stop and get my gloves on, then stop again to put on the glove liners too as it was really cold and lashing with rain! I was very pleased I had packed everything I needed and could not believe how small most of the runners bags were. There’s no way full kit requirements could fit in many of them.

The temperature around Chamonix the week before had been 36 degrees! I was very worried about this, so I was pleased to run in proper Scottish weather for the first night and day, and not bake like last year! I got all the views over the first 100K last year and the great thing was the weather was to be good on Wednesday, covering the area I didn’t do.

Onwards and upwards in the lashing rain. We were soon in snow…… snow in France in August! So glad I had good gloves and proper waterproof mitt liners. I found out later from the UTMB site that it was -5 up the mountains. I passed the first check point which is very busy and hard to get anything as so many runners stop here. I was glad I didn’t need anything and made a dash for check point 2 which had the first cut off time of 3:30, now 4:30. With the delay to the race all the times were added to by one hour. I remembered from last year that this was a tight cut off and I’d best keep going as quick as possible. The route was muddy with so many runners churning it up. Not bad to run on at this stage though. My polls kept getting trod on my other runners passing here and there. I was glad I’d taken my mountain trail ones, rather than my slightly lighter running ones. The reason was that I had a problem with one of the polls which needed some WD-40 to sometimes get it to work, something I wasn’t going to pack in my back pack. Anyway, they were more sturdy for the mountains. The next few hours were quite harsh in the cold rain, but I was well wrapped up and feeling good. I remember lots of zig zagging up and down trails in the night here. The hundreds of head torches looking great in the dark all the way up the mountains ahead. It was great when we were climbing up to Col Chavannes at 2,591 metres elevation. I heard the very enthusiastic “Allez allez!” over and over again that I remembered from last year. This is a proper mountain with a great trig point. I got my bib scanned here and then quickly headed down towards the valley. With the race being delayed by an hour, dawn had arrived earlier on route than last year, and I was treated to a stunning Alpine view to my left of massive mountain peaks covered in snow, and to my right, mountain peaks poking up through the thick mist bellow them. I wanted to stop and take a photograph, but my camera was in my bag and I was worried about check point 3’s cut off time at Col du Petit St Bernard. This long stretch of trail was quite runnable and we had all opened out a bit after Col Chavannes. When I arrived at check point 3 they had some great meat and biscuits here, the only check point that I thought the food was any good at. I think a lot of the better food had been scoffed by the faster runners later on in the course. There was mostly just soup made from stock cubes and really terrible thin noodles left with some okay biscuits and little cubes of cheese. Very poor selection for such a big race. I was glad I’d taken a lot of gels and my energy bars.

It was roughly mid day now and it was raining heavy again. Some of the official race photos are quite comical how drenched we all were. I couldn’t download them though as I wasn’t in them. After filling up my water bottles and eating a little I headed off on a very undulating section. It started to get more muddy as we went over various hills and some very nice small bridges. At many points there were very noisy cows with the Swiss style massive bells on them. We weren’t in Switzerland though, the TDS coveres just Italy and France on the west side of Mont Blanc. At one pont a few of us ended up stuck in amongst a massive herd of cows. They were mooing very loudly but didn’t appear to be annoyed by us. The noise of the bells was quite brilliant! I was quite pleased to get away from them though as the memory of being surrounded by cows in Yorkshire on my longest training run after doing the Three Peaks there was not so relaxed. I had to dash out of the field on a section of the Ribble Way during the night. Shortly after these Yorkshire cows I got charged by a bull in a field about a mile down river from them, he was quickly joined by another three or four bulls who appeared out of the dark making tremendous angry mooing noises just after I was able to jump up onto higher ground away from the first bull! It was about 1:00am after my long three peak run during the day, so quite a scary return journey. I’ll be avoiding the Yorkshire Ribble Way from now on.

Back to the TDS. It was a very heathery steep climb out of the valley and it took longer to get to than I remembered from last year. It was great to get out of the very muddy trail below and I eventually set off down a much firmer under foot section. There was however a very steep descent down towards the woods before crossing a river which was also very muddy and slippery. There are some fantastic views of the hills we had just come down from here. I took a quick photo before heading up into the woods. I could tell I was getting quite tired, my legs were fine though. I remember getting a shock when I was getting a gel from my bag as I was running past a guy. I suddenly noticed a massive ditch to the left of me which would have been a bad fall. It was important to keep focussed as it can be very dangerous in parts. There were fantastic views of the valley and mountains on our left as we gradually made our descent down this great open trail section towards Seez, just before one of the main towns, Bourg St Maurice at CP4.

I knew I needed to keep my focus, especially with my energy dipping and terrain getting trickier. The gels helped, but I was also thinking ahead—how much I rely on small, consistent boosts during these ultras, and how much that mirrors the routines some friends have managing chronic conditions like diabetes. One of them mentioned recently how finding metformin at a good price can be a challenge unless you actively compare options or look into discount programs. It stuck with me because just like in racing, having the right fuel whether food, hydration, or medication can make the difference between pushing through or hitting a wall. That thought kept me alert as I moved through the switchbacks, noting how the footing was finally more stable but still risky if I lost concentration. The drop into Seez came with a mix of relief and anticipation—knowing a checkpoint was close always lifts your spirits. But I couldn’t help thinking how being prepared ahead of time, whether for a race or for health, is what really sustains you when things get rough.

We passed an old water wheel before going past a water trough that was fantastic to dip my head in to cool down. Now it was daytime, it wasn’t cold, just very wet. I quickly got some water at Seez and knew I had to be quick to make it to CP4 before the cut off time. From here it was running from one side of Bourg St Maurice to the other, through parks and streets. I made it with about 10 minutes to spare. By the time I got some water and had some of the soup, I left with one minute to spare. That was too close! I spent a few minutes getting my bag sorted out, then headed down through the town for a bit till the next hilly section. This was very steep and hard going. Quite a beautiful wooded section with some great views. This part of the route had a diversion away from the highest point of the race at Passeur de Pralognan, which is at 2,563 metres elevation. This was because of the bad weather warning. Unfortunately in 2020 a Czech runner fell from the scrambling down rocky section there in bad weather and died from his injuries. I did this section last year in good weather and it was one of my favourite parts of the race, but I wasn’t too disappointed about this as I saw it in great sunshine last year and we were seeing a different stretch of trail now. There was a little bit we ran along a road section but it still had stunning mountains on each side of us. I don’t think any elevation was lost with the diversion route, I think 200 metres extra. There was a large aid station at CP5 at Cormet de Roselend. I stopped here for a little while to get a coffee, filled up water bottles and had some of the quite horrible soup. I was pleased the check point was still quite full when I left, which meant I had made up some time over other runners. It was very steep from here on in up to Col de la Sauce at 2,311 metres elevation.

Soon there was a lot of snow around again and it was quite boggy in some parts. I stopped to take a photo of a couple of runners on their phone and they took one of me on my phone at the trig point. It was quite impressive in the snow and mist. At that point other runners stopped and wanted me to take their photo, but started to take ages, so I just had to say I’m off. It was very slippery in the thick mud on the descent and I was very pleased to finally get to the bottom of the mountain as I was falling all over the place and covered in mud and got very annoying with quite a lot of swearing! There was a large river here that we crossed before going along it and up a very rocky section. I was very pleased that the huge gorge section with the very steep drop to the right into the river below was not one of the parts lost in the bad weather diversion. Picture below looking back.

I remembered this from last year. I had my phone in my bag then and I was wanting to get a photo of it this year. One of the best parts of the route! It wasn’t as great as last year in the very hot sunshine, but much better to run in and still brilliant. After taking a few shots I headed along and looked down to the valley below where CP6 was at La Gittaz. This was also a big food station and I still felt fine here.

I could still stomach the soup a bit and had some bread before heading off up the mountain into the start of the next night. I got speaking to a French guy for a short stretch but it really wasn’t that easy to chat with people with the language barrier on such an international race. It was quite cold again but I was well wrapped up. The nights are the hardest to run through as there’s no views to keep you going and it seams to take for ever to run through it. I knew that if I kept going, all would be fine when I eventually saw the dawn again.

My head torch was still good after last night and I clambered up the mountain. This was a long rugged section up Pas d’ Outray at 2,178 metres elevation. I was very worried by the thick mist that came down over this high section as the weather was still bad. It made seeing the markers very hard as my torch wasn’t picking them up. It was easy last year in good weather. Most of the other runners had stronger head torches and I found myself having to go with where I saw a head torch ahead of me. Not the best as I knew I didn’t have enough spare time to take a wrong turn. I was really having to move fast to keep up with some runners with better torches but knew everything was fine as I saw the markers as I passed. This went on for quite some time. My torch suddenly cut out, going from on to nothing as the battery had run out. I stopped to get my second torch out which should have been fine but it was really dim and hard to see. I definitely charged it before the trip, so didn’t know why this had happened. I was running with it in my hand and keeping it low to the ground to see. This was ridiculous and I was so pleased I did take a third torch. It turned out my old torch which I had to take to show I had spare batteries for one was really not that bad and all was fine again. Quite a relief! After forever running about in the dark in the mist I was finally descending towards CP7 at Beaufort. There’s a 1,370 metre descent to it though and it takes ages in the dark woods. Since I could see the town lights from high up last year it gave me a false sense of getting there soon and I forgot to fuel up as I went down the endless forest trail which was like a black route bike track and very hard going. Just like last year here I started to feel nauseous. Thinking about last year I thought I just needed an energy bar. Just after finishing it though I retched and was horrified to do a massive projectile vomit! I retched again and the same happened, then again!!! This has never happened to me before and it was quite shocking. I did however feel a bit better after and managed to have a gel. I set off down the creepy woods. There was a very strange sight ahead of me. I was sure I was seeing it and it wasn’t a hallucination like last year. As I got a bit closer it was a runner who had luminous lights on his back which made him look like a big spider as his arms and legs moved…… brilliant! A bit further on and there was the figure of a woman just standing at the side of the trail. She had a cloth over her head and it looked like two slits cut in it which looked like creepy eyes. I quickly passed her as she was freaking me out a bit, sure she was just a runner having a rest though. Those woods are not right! I eventually made it down to the Beaufort CP7. My stomach was quite sore from the violent retching and I managed to get some milk which helped a little. I had an hour before cut off here which was great after the mist in the mountain above. I however felt very rough. I picked up my drop bag which was dropped off at the start to be picked up here. It was great as I had lots of caffeine gels in it. I thought I’ll rest for half an hour and have some pasta, the only aid station with a main meal. Unfortunately I didn’t manage to eat hardly any of it. I used up the full hour there in the end, but was determined to carry on and not duck out here as I’d regret it so much later.

I headed out at the last moment and was off again into the night. I was now worried about cut off times again, so made an effort to pass a few runners as the route went up a long wooded trail and quite quickly to the next aid station at CP8 at Hauteluce. The four miles up through the forest went very quickly, so I must have been really motivated after cutting it fine leaving Beaufort. I didn’t hang around long at Hauteluce but there were a lot of runners there when I left. It was now dawn and I was looking forward to all the views as the weather had taken a dramatic turn for the better. There was a long slog up Mont de Vores at 2,062 metres elevation. I passed a field full of cows with huge mountains in the background. There was a large trig point at the top and an aid station was a little further along. There was some bread, cheese and soup. My stomach was still quite sore, so I had very little to eat, but enjoyed a tea. The marshals were totally brilliant like they had been all along the race. I headed off towards Col Du Joly which was 5 miles along the mountain tops from here. This section was churned up mud that had quite a bit of cow poo mixed in and went on for ever!

I had to just fast trek it as I was slipping all the time and fell over twice! With this it took ages to get to Col du Joly and even got stuck behind a cow on a very thin part of the trail with bushes on each side. I had trouble running at this point as my stomach was sore when I tried. I got speaking to a guy from Bradford later in this section. After all this we had however got to the check point with plenty time to spare. I looked at my watch though and realised the last section had taken an age to get through, with all the mud and lack of proper running, so I started to worry it may not be as easy to make cut offs if I got hit with further sections like that. I had a coffee at the Col de Joly CP9 and headed towards Notre Dame de la Gorge. This turned out to be quite an undertaking to get down, but I was quite pleased with my footwork hopping from rock to tree route etc. as I went. It took a while but I was then off to Les Contamines at CP10.

This section was very runnable through an urban area taking me along to the large town which was quite beautiful. I got scanned automatically as I entered the large tent. The marshals were great and wanted me to stay longer to eat more. I said I was worried about time and just grabbed a couple of bits of cake which was very good and filled a water bottle. I had to ask directions from a marshal as I left who was very helpful. I was off up a very steep suburban small road passing lots of modern wooden large houses built in the traditional Alpine style. It was quite hot now as it was after mid day. I had to stop and take off my waterproof trousers and jacket. The weather was really good now which made for fantastic views. This steep section went on for a very long time, I was soon out of the town and in the woods. It then got quite rocky as the route descended down Chakets du Truc. I saw a lot of runners coming back past me, so I thought we had to get to a check point and turn back and head somewhere else along the trail. This worried me a lot as the descent was very steep and I didn’t think I’d have time to get back out in time for the next cut off time. Thankfully I spoke with an Italian runner who pointed up to this really high ridge and said we’re heading up there and down the other side.

This was great we didn’t have to head out the way we came as the other runners I saw must not have been part of the race. However it looked like quite a climb and I wasn’t any more confident about being up there in time. I also realised I hadn’t filled up enough of my water bottles as it was quite hot now and it was quite a stretch to the next check point. I was very pleased to notice a small trickle of very clean looking water coming out from the mountain, so filled up two bottles half way up the tough climb to Col de Tricot. When I reached the top there was a great French guy who was a marshal. He said to me as we all had our names on our bib numbers “Mark, if you want to finish, don’t stop!”, then repeated it with some urgency. This actually picked me up really well as I thought there still must be hope to make it. I followed the markers along this quite thin ridge, I had to take a few seconds to look at the view as I dashed along the top as the views were fantastic, looking down on both sides at beautiful Alpine scenery in the sun. I was running with a few other people on this section which made it good to keep motivated. I was really surprised my footwork was reasonably quick as I dashed from stone to stone on the very steep descent. There was then a massive waterfall crashing down on the right of this thin cable bridge with wooden slats. The guy in front was going really slow here and I wished he’d get a move on.

After getting to the other side there was a lot of undulating hills before making it to Bellevue before the new 18:30 cut off. I made it and thought now things may be okay! Off down to the final check point at Les Houches. The trail was now open grassland trails before heading down through some more woods. I got to Les Houches along with some very happy French women runners who said it’s only 8km to go. They were in high spirits as it was very likely we’d make it now. I had all the check point cut off times on my sheet with kilometres converted to miles. I knew from this that it was just 4.8 miles to go. I made myself stick to no slower than a 15 minute mile as I had roughly quickly worked out that this would get me to Chamonix on time. I know that’s slow but I had done 90 miles at that point already with the bad weather route additional 5 miles added, and had next to no sleep for three nights, including the troublesome guy juddering the bunk bed all night the night before the race.

I was right down from the hills now and the last stretch was quite flat. It was fantastic to get a lot of warm words of encouragement from everybody I passed from here on in towards Chamonix. I remembered the special Chamonix finish from my 2019 CCC. That’s a 100K race that goes from Courmayour to Chamonix too, but on the east side of Mont Blanc and is 6,000 metres ascent). The TDS also starts in Courmayour, but takes the west side around Mont Blanc and is also quite a different, wilder route from the normal full UTMB’s west side of the race, where as the CCC is the same route as the east side of the full UTMB.

I had to work hard to keep to 15 mile an hour pace when there were any parts that were a bit hilly. I passed a couple of runners and they said they thought we’d make it on time. With the race starting late because of the landslide disrupting traffic in the area, it was starting to get darker. This made it a little more atmospheric when I eventually got into Chamonix. It got more and more lively as I started getting closer to the centre with people from the bars and restaurants cheering everybody in….. “Allez allez! Bravo!” A few guys from balconies shouted down how many minutes there were to go, which made we worried as I still had a little bit to run. They were however just joking to make me worried and I did have enough time. It was quite chaotic just before the end stretch and I almost took a left when somebody passed in front of me, I was quickly corrected by being pointed in the right direction by lots of people there. I was now running down towards the famous UTMB arch and over the line!

There were a lot of people at the end cheering and slapping the side of the UTMB railing boards as I passed. There was a photographer right at the finish line. I asked where I could pick up my finisher gilet and I was pointed to a small tent quite far away. No wonder some people missed picking their one up. I got it and then picked up my free beer which I was pleased to see was a full pint and not a half pint like at the end of the CCC. At this point a Strava friend came over to congratulate me. He had been tracking me all the way and he was there with his family for the full UTMB race. He’s mega fast and was asking me how the race went. I was cutting it very fine at a few points. Being ill at Beaufort had set me back quite a bit and especially having to just fast trek for a few hours too with my stomach being sore. Thankfully I managed to pull things together after CP9, just before Notre Dame de la Gorge!

Jan called shortly after I had finished and it was great to chat a bit about the race and how I had somehow finished the 95 miles and 9,300 metres ascent with some very short times to play with at cut off points! Salim (Strava friend) knew where the finisher free meal restaurant was and it was on the way back to his hotel, so I walked along the street chatting with him and his family on the way. It was the same restaurant as the 2019 CCC finisher meal. This was proper food and a lot of selection, unlike the check point food which was mostly terrible. I had some chicken and strangely picked fish too. Didn’t really go normally but both looked good. I had to pace myself eating it though as my stomach was still not right. The restaurant staff were fantastic and got me a red wine too. They were all so enthusiastic about the races.

It was properly dark now and I had to put my gilet on over my sweaty T-shirt as it was a bit cold. With going to the restaurant at the finish, I had missed any likelihood of picking up my drop bag which was at the other side of town. I headed down the streets towards my hostel with my quite heavy race bag. A Scottish guy congratulated me in the street as I had my gilet on. He had been running the TDS too but had dropped out at CP6 at La Gittaz. He said he’d take my bag for me as I went back to the hostel which was great. Had a good chat about his race and others he had done, including Lakeland 100 he had finished this year! When I got back fairly late I definitively needed a shower. I was disgusted by my feet which were engrained with the mud and cow poo mix from parts of the trail! I spend ages washing them but they still stank in the morning after just five hours sleep. I had to set my alarm as I had to sort out my bags for airport security and be ready in time for the taxi picking me up to take me there. Thankfully I had allowed a quick dash into Chamonix into this time scale and I went down to the expo to get a TDS hoody, cotton T-shirt and a few other momentos. I also asked a couple of other runners to take a photo at the main stand area and UTMB arch with my finisher gilet on, a nice momento to quickly get before having to dash home as I couldn’t get one more nights accommodation when I booked the hostel.

When I got to the airport my flight was delayed and I was really worried about falling asleep and missing it. I ordered a fantastic pizza and a large coffee which helped for staying awake to the new boarding time.

It was an epic adventure and four years in the making. COVID holding it up by two years, then a DNF last year. It was all about just finishing as I knew my time wouldn’t be fast. It seamed like ages ago that I was at the first few check points early on Tuesday morning up the mountains in -5 cold rain. Thankfully the weather was so much better on the Wednesday and I got the views.

What a month for the club as the madness of ultra racing season commences!  Topping the list of achievements (quite literally with a total ascent of 7,218m) is Adam Gray who took part in the 215 mile Race Across Scotland, placing 3rd overall and 1st UK finisher in just under 63 hours and 32 minutes.  To give some perspective to those not in the know, this race follows the Southern Upland Way which most people take 12-16 days to complete.  An epic performance!

Close on Adam’s heels are our trio of ladies (Michelle Young, Tracy Philp and Edite Gailite) who placed 3rd, 4th and 5th in the Loch Ness 24 endurance trail race – a crazy event where you run as many miles as you can in 24 hours.  All 3 ran over 75 miles with Michelle going over the 100 mile mark for her 3rd place. This achievement was made doubly hardcore due to the unkind weather which soaked everyone and everything but of course they all loved it – great work girls!

A few of our harriers also took part in the Devil o’ the Highlands ultra hill run, 42 miles of rain and midges which apparently is “conditions normal” for this race.  It didn’t put Chris Burns off however, returning for his 5th go at this beast and also completing his 26th informal half marathon round Mendick Hill the week after – a gentle cool down??  Credit also goes to Angus Robertson who placed 4th in the Mhor Marathon, a beautiful but tough race route through the Trossachs National Park.

Going a bit off-piste, several of our club members decided to do a bit of cross training on a “social” 55mile cycle down towards Peebles and Biggar.  Over 3 hours in the saddle, well done guys n gals but ouch!

If you are looking to join a lovely running community, come along to our regular weekly training sessions which from mid-September move to our winter locations. Tuesdays (speed sessions 7:15pm at the Biocampus loop in the Bush estate) and Thursdays (hill reps 7pm at Bellman’s Road, Penicuik).  All sessions cover a wide range of pace/ability and qualified coaches and jog leaders are on hand for guidance. You are welcome to come along and try a session before you join, you will be made very welcome.

Please get in touch by email to secretary@penicuikharriers.org.uk to let us know you plan to come or for more information.  You can also find our club website / Facebook page by searching “Penicuik Harriers”.

A huge achievement for Gilly Marshall this month running the Montane Lakeland 100 – a 100 mile ultra tour of the Lake District fells in just over 37 hours.  The route covers some very technical terrain which is super tricky to navigate (especially in the dark) and has a drop out rate of around 50%.  We are extremely proud of our girl for completing this race and with such a great time!

The annual Scurry to the Sea took place in July with several of our members navigating their way from Hillend, up to the summit of Allermuir Hill, and down through Edinburgh to the finish along the beach at Musselburgh.  The race can be run in around 11.5 miles, but can be much longer if your navigational skills are not up to scratch!  A favourite of the club, the Musselburgh 10k, also took place the same weekend, with Harriers attending as always.

Our Thursday hill rep session has temporarily moved to the John Clerk estate due to the construction work currently going on at Hillend.  Club members are enjoying the change of scenery running hill reps in the field behind Penicuik House while appreciating that the Highland cows have moved premises!

If you are looking to join a lovely running community, our training sessions are on Tuesdays (speed sessions 7:15pm at Beeslack High School) and Thursdays (hill reps 7pm at Penicuik House).  All sessions cover a wide range of pace / ability and qualified coaches and jog leaders are on hand for guidance.

Please contact secretary@penicuikharriers.org.uk for more information.  You can also find our club website / Facebook page by searching “Penicuik Harriers”.

Another hosting success for the club with 79 runners taking part in the Turnhouse Hill race on the beautifully warm and sunny evening of 14 June 2023. A new route record of 22m 53s from Jamie Crowe, a great effort in such hot conditions!

A fairly quiet month on the racing front but 2 massive achievements for our ladies with Michelle Young completing the West Highland Way 95 mile ultra in just under 24 hours and Jan Dawson finishing as 3rd lady in the St Cuthbert’s Way 100k ultra. Adam Gray also won the Sunset Marathon at Cramond completing 6 x 4 mile loops in under 3 hours – we are very proud of all 3!

A few of our members completed a navigation course in the Pentland Hills this month learning to navigate with map and compass in the old style way – no reliance on technology or GPS allowed! New skills and confidence were acquired and everyone enjoyed the experience.

If you are looking to join a lovely running community, our training sessions are on Tuesdays (speed sessions 7:15pm at Beeslack High School) and Thursdays (hill reps 7pm at Bellman’s Road). All sessions cover a wide range of pace / ability and qualified coaches and jog leaders are on hand for guidance.  Please contact secretary@penicuikharriers.org.uk for more information. You can also find our club website / Facebook page by searching “Penicuik Harriers”.

We had fantastic weather for our 10k road race on 13 May 2023 with 168 runners taking up the challenge and success for the club with our boys (Dan McQueen, John Gibbs & Simon Jarvis) scooping the prize for 1st male team.  We are very proud that our home baking stall raised £250 for the British Heart Foundation, thanks to all for taking part and for their generosity in making this happen.  Thanks also to the local residents for their patience with the road closures and for coming out to support our runners.

The junior races at Penicuik in the Park were well attended with 48 youngsters taking part and earning their well deserved medals, great fun was had by kids and organisers alike!

A special mention goes to Alan Thornburrow for taking part in the Marathon de Sables; Chris Burns for his 21st consecutive outing at the Edinburgh Marathon; Jan Dawson, Tracy Philp & Rachael Drummond for 1st ladies team in the Edinburgh to North Berwick 20 mile road race; Tracy Philp & Judith Crichton for their podium takeover (2nd & 3rd FV50) at the Wobbly Bridge Trail race; Michelle Young for running 12 laps of the Cowshed Backyard Ultra, Tracy Philp & Adam Gray for their 90k Cateran Trail Race and Mark Dawson for the 100k Ultra Trail Snowdonia. A high achieving month all round!

Turnhouse Hill race is next up on 14 June 2023, entries are open on Si Entries and places are also available on the night.

Friday 23 July 2023
Distance 100k, elevation 8000 feet

Me and St C!

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 the tide’, to make it across the causeway linking Holy Island to the mainland before the sea cuts it off, the challenge appealed to me again. Besides, after a couple of stints volunteering at Trail Outlaws events in 2022, I’d earned enough credit for a free place.

After experiencing some ‘navigational issues’ in the 2017 race, I decided to recce the route this time. I knew some sections quite well from previous races (Jedburgh 3 Peaks ultra and Wooler marathon), so concentrated on the less familiar sections. I ran out and backs, and it was funny how different the route seemed in each direction! I’m so glad I did this though as on the day itself, reaching familiar ground was really reassuring. I barely needed my map at all in the race, whereas it never left my hand during the recces.

St Cuthbert’s Cave

Racing the tide times also meant a drastic change of schedule. From a respectable 8am start in 2017, to a less respectable 10pm! Night running has its own challenges, particularly from a navigation point of view, which as it turned out went awry very early on for a lot of us. At the start opposite Melrose Rugby Club, race director Tim warned us a) don’t follow the runner in front as they might not know where they’re going and b) don’t follow the yellow race signage at the start as that’s for another race the day after (3 Eildons race). Unfortunately I was in the Portaloo when he said all this! Not that I can ever hear race briefings anyway due to being almost deaf. Turns out not many folk must have been listening as around 30 of us quickly went off directly up Eildon Hill North, following little yellow flags up loose scree. Scree? On the St Cuthbert’s Way? That’s not right! After bashing through knee-high heather and scrub we eventually found our way back onto the nice, runnable SCW trail. One poor lass was spotted on the race tracker running in circles round the top of the hill. She was eventually retrieved but dropped out of the race.

Talking of trackers, this is the first time I’ve ever had to wear one. Those things are heavy, and have to be worn on the outside of your kit, near the top so they can pick up signal. Mine was taped to my race vest on my left shoulder, but settled into position over my collar bone, bouncing off it in a very annoying, uncomfortable fashion until I took off the buff from my head and stuffed it underneath it as a pad. Buffs are awesome, so many uses!

Bonjedward CP, with VIP Active Root!

As the race pack made their way through the darkness, I found it quite challenging to stay upright. It was raining quite hard for the first few hours, so all I could see was raindrops flashing in front of my headtorch. There are many obstacles along this first section: tree roots, nettles, over-grown foliage, wooden steps and bridges and narrow, rutted paths. All made a bit more tricky in the rain. However, after many stumbles and stubbed toes I miraculously managed not to hit the deck. I did not enjoy running in the dark though, and was very glad when I hit Cessford Castle at around 3:45am and switched off my head torch for good.

Cessford Castle (photo taken during recce)

I felt I was running quite well up until Morebattle, a lot better than in my recces in fact. I was remembering to eat and drink, and had arranged with the head marshal, who I know through volunteering, to pick up ‘VIP’ supplies of Active Root between the main checkpoints (thanks, Lee!). I reached Morebattle in just under 6 hours, so stopped for a few slices of watermelon (yum) then tried and failed to eat my peanut butter and jam sandwich. I didn’t linger though so binned my sandwich and headed out to tackle the highest point in the race, Wideopen Hill.

Wideopen Hill

I like this hill, it has a great view back to the Eildons in good weather (which it was, a wee bit too warm even overnight in fact) so I took a moment at the top to appreciate just how far I’d come. Wideopen is roughly halfway through the course, so a good time to take stock of how you feel. There was a lovely cool breeze and the rain had cleared but there was no spectacular sunrise, just sweeping views on all sides. I could see Kirk Yetholm from here and wondered if I’d see any summer Spine racers come in as I passed, as their finish line crosses the St Cuthbert’s Way at the Borders Hotel, Kirk Yetholm. They’d been going since the previous Sunday, making this race feel very short in comparison! I passed the famous Spine finish arches and headed up into the Cheviots. Two female runners passed me here, looking very strong. I was hoping they were both 45-mile runners (this race has two distances, 100k and 45 miles, the latter ending in Wooler) as they seemed very sprightly, whereas I was beginning to flag. I tried to keep pace but I lost sight of them just after we crossed the border into England. The descents were starting to hurt my legs, and my left hip flexor was complaining quite a bit. I wondered if I might have to pull out at Wooler if it didn’t improve. I took a couple of paracetamol and hoped for the best.

Approaching Hethpool

I caught up with one of the female runners again at the Hethpool check point. She complimented my tartan skort, so I flashed her the Saltire undershorts which made her laugh! I refilled my bottles with more ‘VIP’ Active Root and hobbled along the road to Yeavering. Talking of undershorts, Flanci ones have amazing pockets in them. I had my compass in one side and my phone in the other. However, I took my phone out to check it to find the dampness and sweat had made it take 70+ photos of the inside of my pocket. I took a zip-lock bag from my bum bag, wrapped my phone in it and stuffed it back into my pocket. Big mistake. The resulting rubbing caused a HUGE patch of chafing on my thigh which I didn’t notice until the last stretch of the race. Ouch.

When you’ve already run 50k

Climbing out of Yeavering and past yet another steep stile, I had a bit of a second wind. I suddenly felt really good and didn’t stop running until I reached Wooler. The male lead from wave 2 of the race, who started 3 hours after wave 1, went breezing past me on the way down to Wooler common. I passed the female runner from the Hethpool check point, but still couldn’t see the other one who passed me at Yetholm. As I reached the YH, there she was sat on a bench wearing a 45-mile medal and tucking into some food. I headed inside for a wee sit down and to try and eat something more substantial from my drop bag. A marshal asked me how I was feeling, and I realised that my hip flexor pain was no more. It had been replaced by a more generalised pain and fatigue from head to toe! Still, only 18 miles from here to the finish, so I knew I could do it now.

I ate some apple slices dunked in peanut butter, chugged a chocolate milk and chased it with a ginger and turmeric shot in a vain attempt to counteract inflammation. I stuffed my bacon crisps into my bum bag, where they remained uneaten, slathered on some sun lotion and headed out. The clouds had cleared and the day was beginning to warm up, as it was now 9am. I shuffled down steep Church Street and onto Brewery Road where it rises slowly up onto Westwood Moor. My nutrition choices and speed of consumption came back to haunt me, and my stomach was quite angry from here to St Cuthbert’s Cave. I must have fast-walked most of the way until the cave, but couldn’t see any runners in front or behind me, so didn’t panic. I actually had no idea where I was in the race at all, just knew I was on for a slower finish than my previous of 14:55hrs. Again I was glad I’d recced this section, as there is still some lingering damage from Storm Arwen that made some of the trails through Shiellow/Kyloe Woods quite patchy in parts. To get lost at this point would be soul-destroying! Soon though, after some hearty cheers from a group of female hikers, I turned down into Fenwick and to the last checkpoint at the crossing of the A1, greeted by the sound of cowbells.

A lovely marshal took my buff out from under my tracker, dunked it in a jug of cold water and tucked it back into my vest. Heaven! It was really hot now and I was pouring with sweat. Another marshal informed me that only two other females had passed here so far. “No way, it must be hot!” I said. This put the fire in my belly and I wondered, if I could just stay ahead of the only female in wave 2, I might even come third. So, over the A1 and out into the barren fields towards the causeway. After a bit of a long detour to avoid the railway crossing, I could see the start of the causeway. My god, does it look long and intimidating from here. The finish at the village hall seemed as far away here as when I’d first spotted the island just after coming out of the woods at St Cuthbert’s Cave. I tried not to focus on the distance and instead concentrated on the road just in front of me. The causeway doesn’t have good footpaths either side of the road so I had to jump out of the way of a lot of cars. I swear to god a friend of mine waved and tooted at me from a van here, but a later text conversation assured me I was merely hallucinating! I spotted the brightly coloured t-shirt of the female runner I’d passed before Wooler, so she must have run out of Wooler ahead of me. Then I noticed another female runner. She was walking though, so I hobbled slowly past her and kept my focus on the bright t-shirt in front.

Every now and then I glanced back and the other female runner was nowhere in sight. There was now a sizeable gap between me, the first lady and the third. The heat was getting intense and after what seemed like another 64 miles, the road turned up into Holy Island village. It was hooching here due to the great weather, and I struggled to see where the finish line was through the crowds. Eventually I spotted the top of a Trail Outlaws flag and headed towards it. Lee was there taking photos and I ran through the gate of Crossman Hall and up the slope to the entrance doors. A marshal shouted ‘You can stop running now!’ as apparently the finish was the gate itself! I collapsed on the grass and another lovely marshal brought me watermelon and a cola. Bliss.

Relief!

A minute or two later another marshal came over to tell me I was second lady in, but the wave 2 female runner was still out there. She ran in not long afterwards to finish in an impressive 12:51:36. I finished in a more modest 15:22:28, 27 minutes behind my previous result. Considering the heat, the hours of darkness and the rain, I was very happy with that, and it secured me 3rd female, 20th overall. I was not expecting that at all so I was over the moon, as you can see from the prize-giving photo!

Cheesin’

I had a bunk booked at Wooler YH so hopped on the shuttle bus back for a much needed shower. After a nap on the bus and another in my bunk, I was ready for food. Hannah, the lovely partner of Tim the race director, had cooked up a storm at the YH. She offered me some lasagne and gave me some ice poles to cool down. Just wonderful. Then later I joined them in the lounge for a couple of beers and a blether. They’d all been awake since Friday morning too, so I was surprised when I looked at my phone and it was suddenly past 10pm! I thanked them all and made my way to bunk for a restless sleep plagued by the usual post-ultra leg pain.

All in all another great event by the awesome team at Trail Outlaws. I’m spectacularly chafed, have bruised feet, am covered in random patches of sunburn but happy to have beaten that tide!

Results here: https://www.trailoutlaws.com/event_results/saint-cuthberts-way-results-2023

Turnhouse 2023 – A warm dry evening for a short sharp race. Perfect conditions but maybe a tad too hot for some.

This year we managed to cajole the 79 runners to stay on route with Jamie Crowe (Central AC) smashing Hector Haines’ previous 2011 record of 00:24:46 by 1 min 52 seconds. Kudos to Jamie for a great run. There were tears in his father’s eye, but I think that might have been his allergies.

A wee shout out also to Alistair Masson (Carnethy) who was yet again 2^nd, but like last year (sticking to the correct route) also managed to beat the previous course record. Alas last year, as a third of the runners had cut a corner, shortening the race by ca. 250m, we could not count the record time for last year.

1^st lady was Ellen Crombie (Edinburgh University Hare and Hounds) at 00:29:45.

Junior fun run (2 runners) was won by Rowan Tayor of Lasswade in 09:41.

Congratulations to everyone who ran.

Happy to say no major issues although the look of panic on one of the runners when he dislocated his little finger and did not trust our 1^st aider as he popped it back with minimal pain just shows how important it is to have a calm 1^st aider on hand.

Next year I hope the Pentland café will be open again (Alex was on holiday) so everyone can have some post-race cakes/tea etc while waiting for prize giving.

Finally, apologies for those who entered on the day. Yes – it should have been £8 and not the £10 I told the helpers at registration. My cock up. The extra funds will be donated to the Pentland Hills Regional Park.

See you next year.

Rob

————————–

Main results:

Males:

Senior

Jamie Crowe                            Central AC                                                            00:22:53

Alistair Masson                       Carnethy Hill Racing Club                                    00:24:02

Angus Wright                          Team East Lothian AC                                          00:24:15

M40

Gregor Lawson                        unattached                                                          00:30:23

M50

Justin Carter                            Cambuslang Harriers                                          00:28:29

M60

Micky Anderson                     Westerlands Cross Country Club                        00:30:36

M70

Murdo Macleod                      Westerlands Cross Country Club                        00:39:28

Females:

Senior

Ellen Crombie                         Edinburgh University Hare and Hounds             00:29:45

Polly Edwards                          Carnethy Hill Racing Club                                    00:32:00

Emma Wilson                         Edinburgh University Hare and Hounds             00:33:33

M40

Wiebke Lammers                    Westerlands Cross Country Club                        00:45:51

M50

Michelle Hetherington           Carnethy Hill Racing Club                                    00:36:00

M60

Carole Fortune                        Carnethy Hill Racing Club                                    00:40:45

RACE REPORT BY ANNE WATSON

We set off from Penicuik around 7.00am in damp, drizzly conditions. As we travelled up the M9, the surrounding countryside became whiter with a surprising covering of snow, and by the time we crossed Kincardine Bridge, the snow covered hills were barely visible through the mist.

Billy told us that the last time he ran Alloa, it was a bright sunny day. That would have been very nice to repeat.

There was plenty of parking in the town centre and ample shuttle buses to take us the one and a half miles to the race start at Lornshill Academy.

No need to register as the race numbers had been sent out in the post. Three gymnasiums provided plenty of warm space for changing and bag storage and the place was buzzing as people stayed indoors as long as possible to keep warm.

9.00am, the gun goes off and 1627 runners were on their way.

According to the guys, the course for the most part was great – gently undulating, picturesque and interesting with great support along the route.

I positioned myself at the bottom of ‘the’ hill which rises relentlessly around the 11 mile mark. It caused no problem for the front runners who barely broke stride, and many of the field coped with it well in their own individual way, spurred on by cowbells ringing and cheers of encouragement from the spectators. Others had to resort to walking or expletives, or both.

The top of the hill provided a well earned respite with approximately 400m or more of flat and the uplifting sound of two pipers. Then, a left turn and another deceptively long gentle incline before finally, a welcome downhill run to the school entrance and home under the finish banner.

This was a great, well-organised race, well supported by club runners and social runners alike. Local club Wee County Harriers sent out 37 of their members, 29 runners from Bellahouston Road Runners (another club in purple vests) and Central AC sent out both the men’s and ladies’ winners. Cameron Milne in 1:07:21 chip time (1:07:28 gun) and Jennifer Watson in 1:18:54 chip time (1:18:56 gun)

Our guy’s results – well Billy pipped Steve on the line!
Billy Dickson 1:52:34 chip (1:54:21 gun)
Steve Watson 1:52:38 chip (1:54:22 gun)
Chris Burns 2:29:38 chip (2:31:58 gun)

Well done, chaps. We’ll definitely be back next year!

Anne

Action from the National XC Championships. Photo: Michael Philp Photos

Entries have opened for our 10k road race, being held on Saturday 13th May 2023. Pre entry is on Si Entries or limited places will be available on the day. Come and join us for our “undulating” course with the best marshals around and some delicious home baking at the finish line!

This month we have been busy with cross country races, attending the Borders XC Series at Galashiels, Hawick and Chirnside amongst others. A massive 26 of us turned out for the race at Gala, including 4 of our junior members aged 9-12, all enjoying mud, mud and more mud!

Our ladies’ team at the Scottish National XC Championships took 22nd place with great running from Tracy Philp, Julie Hand, Zoe Robertson, Helen Osman, Gemma Towersey and Angela Graham. Our mens’ team placed 42nd — well done to Allan Jamieson, Allan Dunbar, Daniel Calvert, Ross Nicol, Duncan Ball and David Waldie.

Over in Falkirk, 8 of our die-hard members took part in a 7 hour ultra, running as many laps of Callendar Park as possible within the 7 hour window. A huge well done to all – Michelle Young ran 66k, Tracy Philp 60.7k, Lori Macrae 57.3k, Kieran Smith and Scott Walker 54k, Edite Gailite 47.2k, Susie Maxwell 40.5k, and Vicky Lyon 27k.  Kieran and Susie were “lucky” enough to count this as their “marathon a month” which Kieran is doing to raise funds and awareness for the charity Steps to Hope (helping people recovering from addictions), while Susie is just running for the fun of it!!

In social news, we celebrated retired coach Bill Bennet’s 88th birthday with a gift of afternoon tea from club member Melanie Dunbar at Brew 52 – check out the Brew 52 Facebook page for further (delicious!) details. Several easy-paced social runs were arranged by club members, and a pub quiz is planned for later in March at Penicuik Cricket Club, where we will battle for best team over some light refreshments.

Ever since I was a wee boy at primary school, I’ve been in the Pentland hills, I’ve watched in awe as the runners ran the skyline and it stuck with me. I’ve not always been a runner in fact I’m relatively new. But since I started I’ve had an ambition to run this race and what a race this is.

Looking at the results, the times are quick, there are no slouches in this race. My Celtman pal Fraser had also been checking the times and had asked what he had let himself in for. This made me even more nervous.

Race morning and I had pre race jitters, everything was imaginary hurting, aches and pains everywhere!

Breakfast was overthought, kit overthought.

Finally I’m in my van and I’ve arrived. A short walk up to the start and spotted a clutch of speedy hill running harrier royalty, started to think I would probably let the club down with my effort. But reminded myself, I’m in it to finish as this is a big distance for me.

After the obligatory selfies we were of. A bit of a slow start as the sheer amount of runners at the start makes for a lot of jostling. Can I also note, this is the last time I saw Fraser and indeed all harriers apart from Tony. It was his first skyline also. We ran together for a bit from Castlelaw and passed cheering harriers at the car park, thanks.

We all know some days we feel great and climbs come with ease and steady, others are a struggle, I had the wrong day for a struggle, my legs were screaming on Turnhouse, my least favourite climb, but due to the talented runners in this race I pushed on as fast as my now terrible legs allowed. I was so so conscious of being way to close to the rear. I was not gaining any places, in fact slipping some.

Doubt had crept in already. I thought my second wind would kick in but only thing getting a kick in was me getting over Carnethy.

Harriers gate was empty, I usually stand here and cheer the runners. More recently with my wee one Evie. This time I’m a runner of sorts. They have left probably due to the fact I was way behind time and the wind was horrendous.

In my head I’m now quitting at East Kip, I’m working my way down and calling for a lift!!! the wind on the tops is horrendous and it’s a head wind. I’m definitely not making cut of, glances at my watch and my then new ever changing attitude of “no way am I not making cut of”kicked in.

West Kip! Wind is now blowing me over, actually blowing me over, I have 40 secs to make cut of. At the top I’m folding, going home, finished, I don’t care about the finish.

At the bottom, no way am I quitting, I’ve made it. The supporter crew fill my flask and feed me with snacks and sweets, I was very thankful for this and very thankful to have some flat to get the head right on the red road. Legs felt a little better but I knew the hills ahead. I started to gain on runners in this section, my down hill was keeping me in touch, my legs started to feel better! Ah wait ! Now I’m in bog and moss!! Legs have now changed their mind and fancy cramping up but hang on I’m on my arse sliding down towards black hill as it’s impossible to keep my feet. What a race indeed!!

From the top of Black hill I can see Bells, the least I say about this and the en set of cramp the better!! Are you feeling my pain yet? ?

Thank god now for a tail wind this helped me a lot, I found strength from now on the next couple of climbs.

Q, the weather, driving rain and cross wind but I can see Juliane at the gate, cheering us on, us as now it’s Tony and I swapping pain stories. We have just enough in the legs to make over the next section and down to the finish.

What a relief, I’d made it. Would I run this race again?

No ? or would I ??

As one of the club’s hill grand prix races (or maybe because people felt the need to do something other than eating and sleeping after the Christmas break…), Feel the Burns was very popular among Penicuik Harriers with a team of 11 travelling down to Selkirk.

The weather was brilliant (crisp and clear) and so was the organisation by Selkirk Fund Runners. Some of us were very keen for a PB (no names, right Rob!?) and some were just happy to be out running/ racing again. It was the first Feel the Burns and the first time on the Southern Upland way for me, and it didn’t disappoint, especially not the down hills.

I’m not sure if Rob got a PB in the end (I think he beat Michelle and that’s what counts), but our fast Gemma certainly had a strong race, I heard she was even happy with her down-hills 🙂

It was also good to have Sadie racing with us again, we all missed her lining up at the start line with us. Thanks again for Selkirk Fund Runners for putting up this race, everyone had a great day out and we’ll definitely be there again next year!

Photo credit: Michael Philp Photography (obviously for the amazing/ high quality ones only)

Its was double Cross Country weekend, so with the majority of the Harriers heading to the Borders XC at Paxton on Sunday, there were just a few of us flying the purple and white at Bathgate. The rain had been torrential earlier in the day and I did wonder what we would be running in, but the rain dried up and the sun came out. The ground however, most definitely had not dried up and was the muddiest I had run in for quite a long time.

I was the lone female Harrier running 2 laps – 5.1km and the for the men we had David, Dan and Allan running 3 laps – 7.8km. Dave was on finish line duties.

Big thanks to Des and Ross for the support (I have also pinched some of Des’s photos)

Credit also to Dan who the went on to run Paxton on Sunday.

Results
Gilly Marshall – 93 – 28.42

David Waldie – 110 – 33.59
Dan Calvert – 151 – 36.41
Allan Dunbar – 176 – 38.58

After a break of two years the Greenmantle Dash was on again and 109 runners and 17 junior runners from near and far enjoyed the short race packed with a bit of everything in bright sunshine and freezing temperatures. The worst of the flooding of the previous days had cleared, but the remainders meant for very wet and slippery conditions.

Well done to all the runners for braving the wall, the ice-cold river and the boggy field (and my nerves-induced broken English at the race briefing). Congratulations to Finn Lydon from Carnethy (15:57) and Morag McClelland from HBT (19:45) for their impressive wins. Special mention also to Sam Stephens from Doss AC (23:18) for the win of the Michael Greens trophy for his impressive downhill skills – having a great time dressed up as a banana. The trophy will be awarded every year now in memory of our friend, who we lost in 2022, to the runner who embodies Michael’s sense of fun and running spirit best.

Photo credit: Michael Philp

The post-race atmosphere in the Village Hall was great with lots of familiar and new faces, who warmed up with some soup and tea. Having organised the race for the first time – the day seemed to be a success (partly because of the amazing weather), apart from the minor catastrophe of the inaccessible beer keg (apologies for that!).

Results for the main race are available at the SHR website (https://www.scottishhillrunners.uk/RaceResults.aspx) and times for the fun run can be found at the end of this post. Watching the juniors conquering all the obstacles – most of them with big smiles – was a personal highlight for me and I can’t wait to see you at the Dash again next year.

Keep an eye out on “Michael Philp Photos” FB page (https://en-gb.facebook.com/michaelphilpphotos/), who captured the race with his outstanding photography skills.

The race would not be possible without my many helpers from Penicuik Harriers and local support – thanks to volunteers from Broughton and everyone who came to watch the race and to landowners for giving us the permission to run the race. We tried to stay local with our prizes, too (Broughton Village Shop, Claire Wilson Art; Broughton Ales), if you liked them – come back next year J. Thanks to Up and Running Edinburgh for sponsoring the bib numbers (runners get a 15% discount in the store).

Finally thanks to Dick Wall for allowing Penicuik Harriers to continue the race he has organised for the past 40 years!

Until next year (with hopefully the same glorious weather)!

Juliane