Carnethy 5 Hill Race 17/02/07
Lots of people told me how hard the race is, and I can confirm that every word they told me was true! Of the 1 hour and 12 mins it took me to finish, I would guess that only 5 mins were actually spent running. The rest was spent either walking up hill or trying not to fall down hill. The heather at the start made the first climb incredibly difficult but the heather on the last descent made life just about impossible. How anyone can run down that slope is just beyond me. But at least the sun was shining - I hate to think what this race could be like on a bad day!
Thanks Keith Mayfield for the concise summary, here is the long-winded version...
After 2 years of grim weather, finally the sun put his hat on and made the Carnethy 5 a much better experience altogether. Always a massive event on February's calendar - and very well attended this year with a record 484 finishers - this is a race for hillrunners. While some hill races are enjoyed by roadrunners, this is not one of them. If you want to survive the brutal climbs and worse descents and finish in a decent time, in one piece, you have to spend the winter stomping over the pentlands at a stiff march with hands on knees, bent double, the sweat falling in sheets from your contorted face. Sadly I forgot to do this again this year.
Mary, Jane
Too cold to strip down to vest till just before the start.This was the seventh consecutive year and if I don't stop soon the gravity of the event will suck me into the black hole of turning up year after year to a race that I have very mixed feelings about. This year the course was in very good condition. And the weather so good I dispensed with gloves and hat. But its not much of a run. More like an unpleasant forced march amongst an angry crowd, each in their personal hell, forbidden to impart more than a cursory grunt or gob on the ground.
Off Road Tony
That gun-toting jolly fellow with the red blazer started proceedings and just as well he was there, as a few overzealous muckers, anxious for mud, false-started and had to be gathered in before we tore off for a splosh through the pond. There was a minimum of swim time this year, global warming be praised, and apart from an occasional jostle I arrived unscathed at the log jam gate before a short slippy run down to the wall, across the stream and up, up, up. I glanced at my watch and saw 4.35 knowing it would probably get to 17.30 before the climb was over. This year I decided on economy - to follow the smooth path rather than try to overtake through the heather. No matter how slowly the plodder ahead decided to go. All chat stops and there is just the sound of wheezing lungs. My tactic worked well. I arrived at the shoulder refreshed and limber and ran past 25 folk to rejoin the line of least resistance up the nearly vertical climb to the trig point. Usually at this point I feel done in and tearful but today I felt okay, and wasn't much slower. Exchanged the briefest of abbreviations with HBT Ivor, and as I ran along the ridge before the descent towards South Black Hill waited for my mojo to return.
Morgs and Jim, 5th and 6th, finished while we we still the other side of CarnethyFor the first time I ran up S Black Hill rather than give in to hand-on-knees but I don't think it was much faster. Then down and over to the kips. Then the long descent to the gate and over the only good running on the course. Well the only place I do any running. Somewhere along the way I overtook Clare Gordon, who had gone past on the first ascent at such a rate I was surprised to see her again. Then the uphill begins and you know its going to be uphill for the next fifteen minutes. I had forgotten to bring a book to read, so focussed on choosing which brand of beer I would be drinking later. Clare G went past at a gallop. Into the gully and I thought maybe I could see Ben at the top - about 2 ~ 3 minutes ahead. He had a great run managing under the hour. Alex Jackson and organiser Mark Johnson sat towards the top shouting encouraging but unrealistic propositions. No recollections of the last climb - must have passed out and just zombied over the summit of the eponymous hill. Woke up very quickly making a right lumpy hash of the rocky outcrops you should float over before the heathery coup de grâce. Marshals were insisting we take the silliest route possible down the big hill. This is just so annoying, and potentially ankle mashing, to have to bound through rooty heather when there are much nicer paths just yards away. The ruination of a quite good course, well a reasonable, no a rather unpleasant course, spoilt by a desperate last descent. I consider the erosion of my ankles (and if pushed, other runners' ankles) more important than what; making a small rooty path a little bit bigger and muddier. Like the dozens of other muddier paths all over the pentlands. Its not like I'm asking to run down the screes. Though having said that, its huge fun, faster and all the slump could be taken back to the top by the helicopters that are currently employed delivering sharp edged stones to spoil the paths on Arthur's Seat which is in the process of being entirely bricked over for wheelchair access. Isn't it? Still with the Carnethy 5 being sold out in minutes maybe they should be making it as unattractive as possible. Perhaps introducing crocodiles to the swamp, or scattering broken glass on the toboggan ride off West Kip.
Lucy at the finish lineGiven that I overtook Ms Gordon again going through the gate, I think other folk enjoyed the last descent even less than I did. I looked at my watch and saw there was no point in hurrying to the finish line. Nearly took a headlong dive into the swamp and pretended not to see the two younger lads going past putting on a sprint finish. Get a grip guys; you're only just in the top hundred. (10 seconds off a pb - curse those route setters.) But maybe with the weather being so kind we were all winners.
Report Peter Buchanan
Tony and his good pal David Francis from Fife AC (Tony's previous club)
Time for a school dinner.Photos Peter Buchanan, Tony Stapley, Mary Hunter
Results and Carnethy reports/photos here
