Late Summer Hill Races Aug/Sept.This report from Paul Eunson got lost during the change over from one computer to another. A number of reports came in at the time so if I missed anyone else's, from then or otherwise, please resend it and I will publish it now. My apologies to Paul. (All photos from Ben Nevis Hill Race by Darian Bridges)
Caerketton was the first hill race of the holiday - a short and brutal ascent and then a wild plunge down past the ski-slope. Could I run to the top and not walk? No. But I overtook a few brown vests on the way down and ended up with a score of 148% ( for those of you with a life, this is the score given based on the winner's time and cumulatively catalogued on the Scottish Hill Running website where one can see how miserably one compares to others.
New PRCer Bernie Devoy did a superb 1.56 at the Ben.Next up was the Lomond Hills race in August. This is a great race - varied running and scenery - moorland, forest tracks, the odd wee hill or two and a fine bum-slide at the end, with free food and tea in the village hall after. It was on the last day of my holiday and Edinburgh was overcast and windy. But the sunny Kingdom lived up to its name - still very windy, even a gale, but bright sunshine.
Martin L, FifeThe start is straight up the west peak, then back down traversing across the hill side and onto a forest road, then cut up a narrow path through the forest, steep scramble up past a tower, and then through new plantations to the path between the summits. Over to the east hill, then back to the west hill with a detour to a minor peak, and finally the bum slide back to the finish. Two minutes quicker than 2007 and a score of 137%. Now I am breathing down Mary's neck and one good result is all I need. I get a bollocking from my wife for getting badly sunburnt.
Ronnie G just ahead of MartinThis is a very enjoyable race - well organised, most of it runnable, longer than Carnethy five but not as fierce. Can I make a bid for it as one of the club championship races next year?
Laurie A, FifeThen the Ben Nevis race. It is a grim drive up with wind and rain and low cloud, made worse by seeing a dreadful accident at Bridge of Orchy. In Fort Willam , I hear that people are being blown off their bikes on the downhill bike track. There are 6 Porties on the entry list - I know that Tony's knees have finally given up - but I cannot see the others at the start. No-friends Eunson on his own again. The tannoy reports - "visibility 50 feet at the summit, 25 mile per hour winds, and wind chill of minus three - we recommend full body cover" The only people who pay heed are the pipe band who put covers over their drums. I run in thermal long sleeved shirt, vest, shorts and hat with waterproofs in a bum bag. The run up the road and the path to the Red Burn is manageable. The scree slope is dreadful with spontaneous rivers of water and scree all over the place. The steady plod up is exhausting as my feet slip back on the moving hill. The leaders pass me coming down at the usual place so I think that i am doing OK but within 5 minutes, I start to get angry and shiver and get cramp. I put on my waterproof jacket and it takes me ages to get it fastened. I have only been hypothermic once before when sailing on Loch Ness and I recognise the symptoms. The slope has eased off by now and I can start running. There are marshalls everywhere as the visibility is appalling and the route goes very close to the tops of the gulleys. I begin to warm up and hope that I can catch a few on the way down. The rain is lashing down and streaming down the inside and the outside of my spectacles. As my spectacles are varifocals this has the effect of making the ground move in front of me and I fall a few times. In the end - not wishing a broken leg or worse - I have to walk until I am below the clouds and the rain has eased off. So this was my worst time ever on the Ben - 2 hours 53 and a score of 180%. To cap it all, the hot water in the showers was finished as was the cake in the tea tent.
Derek J, Lomond HillrunnersI suppose the answer to the water on the spectacles problem is contact lenses, but I have never been able to put anything in my eyes. I am much more likely to overheat in a race than get cold - it would have been sensible to put something on when the pace dropped going up the scree. I have run this race when it snowed, and did not get cold. Carnethy this year was much colder but dry and no wind. I have a gizmo which measures altitude, wind speed, temperature and calculates wind chill - so this winter I will try it on Sunday mornings on the Pentland runs to educate myself on appropriate gear.
Report Paul Eunson.
Photos: Many thanks to Darian Bridges Photo Gallery, a link off Borrowdale Fell Running club. Darian gave permission to use these images from the Ben race to illustrate this report. It can't have been easy keeping his equipment dry so thanks for taking the photos and letting us use them.
